Review: Hamlet Factory “Famlet”

Overview:

The theory states that infinite monkeys writing on infinite typewriters for infinite years would eventually produce great works of literature such as Shakespeare’s Hamlet strictly through random keystrokes. Well, put that theory to test, and you have an infinite number of monkeys with desk jobs questioning their existence. And what’s worse, if they somehow completed the classic tale of Hamlet, would they all lose their jobs?

Our Take:

Mix The Office with the infinite monkey theorem, and you have the premise of a great new animated series. At least that is what Adult Swim thinks with the premiere of their latest Smalls series, Hamlet Factory.

From co-creators Phil Jamesson and Jeremy Kaplowitz comes the ultimate test to the theorem we have all been questioning. Not whether these monkeys can create brilliant masterpieces such as Hamlet. Instead, what is life like for these poor monkeys stroking their keyboards in the most boring office job there could be. “Cracking the ham” is challenging enough without the humdrum of office politics. Even worse, the monkeys break their brains when they question, “who hired them?”

The premiere episode, “Famlet”, breaks this down with three unsuspecting monkeys questioning their reality. Truthfully, the dialogue between these apes is the driving factor that sets this series apart. There is more social commentary squeezed into these 3-minutes than many sitcoms can manage in a season. The sad reality is the things these monkeys are saying are the truth.

Thankfully, we can expect more of these little monkeys with their tiny keyboards. At least three episodes are set to be released in due time, and likely many more behind that. This is a good thing, considering the hilarity squeezed into these three minutes. And while it would be difficult to fill a whole half-hour series with this dialogue-driven content, we would happily take a thousand of these Adult Swim Smalls.

We have seen many of these animated shorts from Adult Swim over the years. They range from highly complex to completely deranged. But Hamlet Factory has just the right mix of weird and intellectual to be a standout for the Adult Swim collection. Keep an eye out for these shorts dropping, as each of them will surely be as clever as the premiere.

As for this first episode, it is as good as anything you can find on television, at least when it comes to talking animals with desk jobs. We did not expect to laugh as much as we did in three minutes. Nor did we expect to question whether there is a god or not. Or if our lives have any actual purpose. That’s a lot to fit into a few minutes.