Season Review: The Barbarian and the Troll Season One

Nickelodeon has churned out a ton of animated and live-action content throughout the years. Some are great, some are mediocre, and some are pretty forgettable. Amid this endless sea of cartoons and live-action sitcoms, the network has rarely aired a show that features an all-puppet cast. The last time it did that was back in 2006 when it aired Mr. Meaty for two seasons. That all changed when good old Nick decided to try this format again with The Barbarian and the Troll. Unlike Mr. Meaty, a teen sitcom for older kids, this series is more along the lines of a family-friendly fantasy comedy that combines the Muppets with Lord of the Rings. It’s a recipe that should delight Muppet lovers and fans of the fantasy epic if done correctly. 

The Barbarian and the Troll was created by Mike Mitchell and Drew Massey. Mitchell was known for directing films like “Shrek Forever After”, “Trolls”, and “The Lego Movie 2”. It also marked the latest project from puppeteer Drew Massey, who has been voice acting and performing puppetry for years. The show’s first season, which consists of 13 episodes, takes place in the fictional world of Gothmoria. A fearless warrior princess named Brendar (voiced by Spencer Grammer) is on a quest to search for the dreaded demon Alvin who kidnapped her younger brother. During her journey, she encounters Evan (Massey), a young troll prince who dreams of performing his songs. She is also joined alongside Horus Scrum, a wizard with a screw loose, Stacey, an owl who is also Horus’s daughter, and a talking ax named Axe. Together, they attempt to reach Alvin’s lair and rescue her brother while facing many enemies and obstacles along the way, including General Skelly and his skeleton crew.

The show’s concept is what would’ve happened if a satirized fantasy segment for The Muppet Show or Sesame Street went unused for years and was later brought back as a series. That’s the best way I could describe Barbarian and the Troll as a whole. It’s a comical sword and sorcery epic with puppets. I grew up watching the Muppets and Sesame Street on television, so I was intrigued in seeing another puppet series for all ages get the spotlight, let alone an original one. While it’s not nearly as flawless as those two classic shows, I can at least say that it came pretty darn close. It hearkened back to the good old days of family-friendly puppetry regarding its charm and humor and provided a fun-filled plot filled with likable characters, funny songs, and nifty visuals.

This is one of the shows that used the episodic format to represent the season’s narrative arc, with the characters going from point A to point B while encountering some pit stops. Even though a couple of episodes looked like filler chapters, including its 10th episode, “Pictures of Boo”, they’re significant enough to be pivotal to the main plot. Combine that with some suitable pacing and gleeful humor, and you get a series that’s as consistently entertaining as role-playing with actual puppets. The show also provided some heartwarming messages that’ll resonate with young viewers, such as friendship and standing up for oneself, as shown in “Parents Just Don’t Understand”. The only episode that I thought was weaker than the others was “Mapmaker, Mapmaker, Make Me a Map” due to its formulaic plot. Other than that, most of the season’s chapters worked wonders in crafting a story-driven spell that’s full of joy, charisma, and heart.

The characters had plenty of charm to conjure up some life into their traditional personalities, including its main characters Brendar and Evan. At first, Brendar was seen as a bold warrior who’s more focused on her quest than making friends. But as the series progresses, she started to have a soft spot for her companions thanks to her barbarian’s code. Her development was nothing too special, but it did portray her as a source of inspiration for the show’s central message and its viewers. Plus, Brendar was effectively represented by the puppetry stunts and Rick and Morty star Spencer Grammer’s vocal performance. The supporting characters, including Evan and Horus Scrum, provided substantial laughs and likability, especially Horus. Ever since his appearance in its second episode, Horus’s dim-witted persona had done nothing but tickled my funny bones in almost every scene. He’s one of the comic reliefs that may sound annoying on paper but turn out to be surprisingly humorous when put on screen. Evan was also very endearing regarding his comedy, musical numbers, and Drew Massey’s performance. Then there were the show’s antagonists, most notably Alvin and General Skelly. Alvin was a typical big baddie who served a prominent role in Brendar’s quest. At the same time, Skelly occasionally showed up in a few episodes to amuse its viewers with his comical misfortunes, which were one of my favorite parts of the series. Whether these characters are as memorable as Kermit the Frog or Big Bird is debatable, but there’s no denying the fact that they successfully made the show a quest to remember.

The cherry on top of the Barbarian and the Troll sundae was the comedy itself. Not only was it suitably hilarious from beginning to end, but it was also well-written by the screenwriters, including the show’s creators Mitchell and Massey. It had the same appeal as any other Muppet sketch as it satirized the fantasy genre with its cliches and medieval props that resemble modern technology. One example of this was in the show’s second episode, “Off to See the Wizard”, where one of Horus’s skeleton minions is named Alexa and was ordered to open the curtain. An amusing callback to the Alexa device from Amazon. If I had to choose my favorite comedic moment from the series, I would go with the “Brendar the Barmaidian” segment from “Parents Just Don’t Understand”. It wasn’t because of her new title. It was due to the title change in the theme song that fit her brief description. I wasn’t expecting it to go in that direction in the episode, but it did, and the result was a huge piece of comedy gold. It’s one of those moments that let its viewers know what kind of show it was. It’s meant to be a fun puppet-led satire of Lord of the Rings that shouldn’t be taken seriously. The show’s humor showed that if the creators can have fun with their project, their audience will.

Overall, the first season of The Barbarian and the Troll has enough sorcery, heart, and laughs to complete its “epic” quest with ease. Its storytelling may not have the same quality as Avatar: The Last Airbender, but it did wonders in delivering a comedic and entertaining adventure for all ages. Thanks to its likable characters, well-executed humor, and charismatic plot, this was one of the more enjoyable shows that Nickelodeon had aired recently. After being bombarded with the likes of SpongeBob and its cheesy live-action sitcoms, it was nice to see the channel still coming up with some original content for kids, let alone a fantasy show with puppets. If Mitchell and Massey happen to make a season two of the series, I would not mind revisiting Gothmoria to go on another quest with these characters.