Review: Haha, You Clowns “Viral”

Overview

The boys convince Dad to try and go viral during his weather report.

Our Take

Putting together a viral video is a pretty common trope in animated television and has amassed enough examples you could build a museum for it. That said, Haha, You Clowns flips the script on what it really means to do a viral video episode. In fact, one could argue the episode is Joe and Dave Cappa holding up a mirror to the trope and making it clear that this show is different.

Most animated sitcoms feature a dopey father who is often ridiculed by their kids or friends for doing dumb shit. In Haha, You Clowns the Campbell brothers would NEVER ridicule their father and in fact will shun those who try to do so, even if not on purpose. They’d rather see Dad do a funny video to boost his confidence with appealing to younger audiences not make himself look like a loon. It’s a refreshing and sweet alternative to the status quo.

Whenever I see animated avatars on Twitter scream about certain threads of animation not living up to their false Disney gods of the 1960s, I always point to series like 12 oz Mouse or Squidbillies, Adult Swim animated comedies that had lower than usual budgets but featured compelling comedy or drama in their scripts because at the end of the day those are the things that matter. The stuff that makes you forget about the look and make you judge the heart of a show by peeling away the onion layers.