Review: The Patrick Star Show “Late for Breakfast/Bummer Jobs”

Overview (Spoilers Below):

In the series premiere, Patrick Star hosts a show about food after missing a hearty breakfast. Then, Patrick and SpongeBob experience the wonders of the workforce.

Our Take:

SpongeBob SquarePants has been gracing the screen for more than 20 years and based on his popularity status, it appears that he’s not going to go away anytime soon. This year, we see the spotlight being handed over to his dim-witted yet lovable best friend Patrick Star. That’s right, folks. Patrick Star is front and center in his very own show. This happened to be the second spin-off of the popular Nickelodeon series released in 2021, following Kamp Koral, which premiered on Paramount+ back in March. If you listen closely, you can hear Stephen Hillenburg rolling in his grave right now.  

I still enjoy Patrick as a supporting character regarding his goofy persona, even though his stupidity in some recent episodes is more infuriating than charming. So having him in a central role in the spin-off show could either grow or break the franchise’s reputation depending on the creators’ direction. After experiencing the surreal world of Patrick Star and his family for myself, it turned out to be another watchable spin-off of the well-known franchise. But, of course, it will depend on how much you enjoy the wackiness of the recent SpongeBob SquarePants seasons.

The first two episodes wasted little to no time in introducing its concept straightaway. The series’ central plot centers on the young Patrick Star (Bill Fagerbakke) living with his family. He also spends his days hosting his very own talk show with his sister Squidina (Jill Talley) and exploring different topics in a dumbfounded way. The show’s first episode, “Late for Breakfast”, saw Patrick talking about food while searching for his own around his house. The second episode, “Bummer Jobs”, showcased Patrick and SpongeBob trying out different jobs to find their purpose and failing at all of them. That episode ended with Patrick already having his true purpose in the form of his talk show.

When it comes to the zany characters, random comedy, and vibrant animation, The Patrick Star Show is undoubtedly a proper extension of the franchise. It’s never afraid to embrace its identity and do whatever it wants without any consequences, which adds to the fun and charm of its concept. Kamp Koral also has that sense of appeal, but the humor in that show lacked the lunacy and trippy visuals that the franchise provided for 22 years. The Patrick Star Show happened to fix this issue by bringing back its 2D animated style and the surreal acid trips.  

The writing in these episodes was still far from memorable compared to the classic SpongeBob episodes. However, its amusing comedy (the best one being the purpose/porpoise running gag) and respectable voice cast managed to make my first visit with the Star family worthwhile. Bill Fagerbakke never fails to impress me with his vocal performance as Patrick. Patrick’s family also made a good first impression even though they’re just as dumb as he is, except GrandPat (Dana Snyder).

Overall, the first two episodes of The Patrick Star Show did their jobs to show that the series is “Pee-Wee’s Playhouse: The Starfish Edition”. The series may be unnecessary, but it’s also full of joy and silliness like the title character, thanks to its solid jokes and animation. If the upcoming episodes are anything like those two episodes, this could wind up being a worthy step in the right direction in terms of expanding the SpongeBob SquarePants universe.