Review: Housebroken “Who’s a Good Girl?”

 

Overview:

Honey, the canine therapist, is struggling with a gap in the animal group therapy sessions after the passing of her friend, Big Cookie. So, with a spot to fill, she introduces a new dog to the group. Unfortunately, everybody is not as receptive as Honey had hoped. Putting her needs before the group is one thing, but it is becoming more evident that she needs help as much as everyone else.

 

Our Take:

Fox continues to deliver on producing new adult animated sitcoms.  Housebroken is the fourth new series to premiere in just a couple of years. Thankfully, this fresh series is not falling into the same old traps that other new Fox animations have. Instead of being focused on a middle-class family and their crazy antics, Housebroken offers an original concept.

Originally titled Therapy Dog, the series centres around a canine psychologist, Honey, who happens to be an anthropomorphic dog herself. Honey applies her knowledge of psychology by forming group therapy sessions with other animals in the neighbourhood.

All the cards are set for this series to have some success. But it does always boil down to how the show is received. Thus, leading us to this Monday night Animation Domination premiere.

Honestly, reviewing pilot episodes is one of the trickiest parts of this gig. It typically takes a few episodes to truly establish all the elements that make a series. Additionally, there are subtle changes that occur over that time. More prominent is the fact that there are ups and downs to any episode of television, and it is difficult to wager whether a series will be successful with only 20 minutes of content.

Housebroken is no exception. The first episode shows glimpses of unique genius but also falls into some derivative humour.

The premise of focusing on all the animals that make up a community gives Housebroken an excellent head start. There is an open window of timeless humour aimed at exploring the lives of dogs, cats, or even a tortoise. On the other side of the coin, the same premise puts limitations on what this show can provide for audiences. Though, the focus on mental health can alleviate some of those setbacks.

One thing that is clear off the bat is the stellar ensemble of characters. Lisa Kudrow is leading a wild pack of comedians and voices. 

Standouts from the beginning include Nat Faxon (Disenchantment) as the most typical Saint Bernard and Will Forte (Last Man on Earth) voicing a horny elderly tortoise. Throw in names like Tony Hale (Arrested Development) and Jason Mantzoukas (Invincible, Close Enough), and there is plenty of potential for this series.

It is hard to see this series falling into cliché plotlines. And the large cast of unique characters should deliver the laughs. Even this pilot episode stands out as something different from everything else. While Housebroken may not be the next big adult animated series, there is a lot of fun to work with, and we should look forward to seeing where the series can take us.