Welcome everyone to a brand new challenge for the blog – Mae’s 31 Day Series Challenge for 2024! Similar to what I did with my gaming posts last month, this will be more of a monthly celebration of all things – well series related. Originally I was going to focus it solely on my favorite TV shows but then…I kept thinking about the shows solely on streaming services, as well as web series on platforms like YouTube – all of which I watch regularly. So I decided to combine them all in this month’s celebration 🙂 so don’t be surprised if these posts go all over the place as I talk about some of my favorites, some that may have strong impacts on me, or maybe even some coming down the pipe. Who knows! We’ll see where the night takes us haha. I’ll likely revisit the gaming challenge at some point and continue talking about even more games but for now let’s celebrate series media!
Day Sixteen: Galavant
The introductory song of the series Galavant!
Have you heard the tale of Galavant? Heh, honestly from the struggle to keep it going for even two seasons – you probably haven’t. Galavant was a 2015 fantasy musical comedy which follows the dashing hero Galavant who is down on his luck and aiming to reclaim his reputation and his “happily ever after” by going after the “evil” Kiing Richard, who kidnapped the love of Galavant’s life, Madalena, who ended up staying with Richard for his money and power (get it girl). Alongside his faithful squire, Sid, and the lovely Princess Isabella, whose kingdom of Valencia has been conquered by RIchard and she seeks the help of the noble hero of legend. There’s also a sideplot that follows King Richard as he tries to win over Madalena alongside his henchman Gareth and his chef Vincenzo.
There’s a lot of great characters we meet along the way, including Weird Al, Ben Presley, Ricky Gervais, Kylie Minogue, and more as folks who aid in the storytelling and our hero’s journey. Of course, there’s great leads in it too – with Joshua Sasse as Galavant, Vinnie Jones as Gareth, Mallory Jansen as Madalena, Karen David as Princess Isabella, and Luke Youngblood as Sid. The best of the best though to me comes in the form of King Richard – one of my favorite actors of all time, Timothy Omundson (a name you’ll see again this month, you know it ;P) who even in the “evil” role, you can’t help but root for him because he’s so damn charismatic! They all play off each other so well – making for a lot of laughs while also managing to catch some feels. Seriously, this show was ahead of its time and it’s absolutely tragic that it only lasted for two seasons.
What really sells this show is the musical numbers composed and written by Alan Menkin and Glenn Slater. It takes on all the musical tropes, especially for those who were raised on the Disney formula, and puts it into a comedy adventure filled with magic and musing. Malloy Jansen called the show, “the bastard child of Monty Python and The Princess Bride,” and I’m fully in agreement. It’s got the laughs. It’s got the songs. It’s got the action and adventure that you love to see in a fantasy series.
So what happens in the show? Oh absolutely not 😛 you know how much I hate spoilers and spoiling the fun for others. Besides, this is one show I push everyone to watch it if they can. The show lasted for two seasons but I can assure you that room was left for more should it live on in some way. Whether it be in a revival of the series proper…or even on the stage as Alan Menkin has stated the aim is to somehow get it to the stage. I hope there’s a resurgence for this one because my god, this show was fantastic and deserves to see the ending the team envisioned.
Video by user Gilbert Gaz Grogan
Video by user Jenny Cook
Video by user LockerPunch
Thanks for reading today’s post! I finally broke the fever and feel I’m on the mend so hopefully I’ll be able to crank out some longer posts I’ve been working on for certain shows I’m going to gush a lot about here soon. Lots of love and stay safe out there!
Welcome everyone to a brand new challenge for the blog – Mae’s 31 Day Series Challenge for 2024! Similar to what I did with my gaming posts last month, this will be more of a monthly celebration of all things – well series related. Originally I was going to focus it solely on my favorite TV shows but then…I kept thinking about the shows solely on streaming services, as well as web series on platforms like YouTube – all of which I watch regularly. So I decided to combine them all in this month’s celebration 🙂 so don’t be surprised if these posts go all over the place as I talk about some of my favorites, some that may have strong impacts on me, or maybe even some coming down the pipe. Who knows! We’ll see where the night takes us haha. I’ll likely revisit the gaming challenge at some point and continue talking about even more games but for now let’s celebrate series media!
Day Fifteen: Scott Pilgrim Takes Off
As you’ve already been able to tell by other posts I’ve made – I have a love for the Scott Pilgrim franchise. So when they announced that they would continue the Scott Pilgrim story as a Netflix animated series, I was ready to hop in! And boy, was I surprised but what we got! It sure wasn’t what the world was expecting – but that’s ok, because I absolutely loved it! And good on them for having the balls to take that familiar storyline and turn it on its head for a new medium!
Now, I’m not gonna spoil it completely for you all – go binge it like I did – but I will say again that you need to go into this expecting…the unexpected! Give it a chance if it doesn’t resonate with you right away. If you were a fan of the source material, there’s going to be something for you here. And seeing it told in such a colorful animated way is absolutely amazing.
I think one of the best things about this series is we literally got the movie cast on board for this show. And it all started when Michael Cera responded to a nine year old email that everyone was looped in on. And everyone started getting into discussions about what the future of the series held and if they could be part of it. AND HERE WE ARE!
Also let’s give a huge shoutout to Anamanaguchi for producing the music for the series as well – they did the music for the video game and we’re a huge fan of them in my corner of the world ❤
All in all, this show was a wild ride and showed that the showrunners really wanted to take a chance with creating something completely new while still finding that balance with staying true to the characters themselves. Plus we get a chance to have more time with the other characters as well and see the world from their perspective, and not just focus on our two protagonists Scott and Ramona.
I absolutely loved it and I know there’s probably not gonna be a season two for the sake of it…but there’s always a possibility for something to happen, especially in the world of Scott Pilgrim!
The opening credits to Scott Pilgrim Takes Off
Video from user Johnny 2 Cellos
Video from user Saberspark
Video from user KimBee
Video from user NerdSync
Video from user Negative Legend
Video from user Sarcastic Chorus
Video from user Hiding in Public
Video from user Comic Drake. This is more about the franchise itself, mainly the graphic novel
Video from user Cartoon Universe
Video from user Veridis Joe
Video from user Unleash the Ghouls
Behind the scenes look at the studio behind the animation – Science Saru
Thanks for reading today’s post! I’m recovering from a fever right now but I did want to get out a post before the day was gone. Lots of love and stay safe out there!
Welcome everyone to a brand new challenge for the blog – Mae’s 31 Day Series Challenge for 2024! Similar to what I did with my gaming posts last month, this will be more of a monthly celebration of all things – well series related. Originally I was going to focus it solely on my favorite TV shows but then…I kept thinking about the shows solely on streaming services, as well as web series on platforms like YouTube – all of which I watch regularly. So I decided to combine them all in this month’s celebration 🙂 so don’t be surprised if these posts go all over the place as I talk about some of my favorites, some that may have strong impacts on me, or maybe even some coming down the pipe. Who knows! We’ll see where the night takes us haha. I’ll likely revisit the gaming challenge at some point and continue talking about even more games but for now let’s celebrate series media!
Day Fourteen: Aggretsuko
When Sanrio announced they would be making a character franchise on a red panda (one of my favorite animals) who also happens to be a tired office worker who loves scream-o music – I immediately fell in love with Retsuko. Now – I know I mentioned before that probably wouldn’t feature anime series for this month’s post challenge due to wanting to focus on anime series later on – but I decided I would add Aggretsuko here since I just feel I wanted to talk about it since I relate to her character so much nowadays and a lot of the more realistic struggles she’s faced in the series – I’m facing as well (not the pop idol one though lol – that’s never happening).
So what’s the story? Retsuko is a 25-year-ld and single woman (anthropomorphic red panda in a world of anthropomorphic creatures) who is working in the accounting department of a Japanese trading firm called Carrier Man Trading Co. Ltd. In the first moments, you see her opening day, full of joy and excitement at the first step of her new carrier – and then you see her a couple years later struggling to get out of bed, the woman trying her best to navigate through the typical problems encountered by young adults in 21st century Japan (like money issues, satisying work-life balance, dealing with difficult bosses and coworkers, and trying to determine who romantic life and what she should do next). In dealing with her frustrations, Retsuko often goes to a karaoke bar to sing death metal and release the emotions she built up throughout each day.
Originally, there was a show by studio Fanworks that released from 2016 to 2018 in Japan – with 100 more short-form episodes that follow Retsuko through her day-to-day antics. As popularity with the character grew, they developed a Netflix series with longer-form episodes that premiered April 20, 2018 – running for five seasons up to February 16, 2023. Each season, though having episodes that range in themes overall, all had an overarching theme that it touched on in some way in every episode. For example, the first season was heavily aimed at Retsuko seeking someone she could love and marry – so she could also escape her mundane life. Season two focused more on Retsuko’s meeting and relationship with Tadano and how it affects her overall. Season three is the pop group season – Retsuko finds herself joining the ranks of pop group “OTM Girls” and how that affects her life. Season Four is actually a broader look at her coworkers and the company as it goes through changes in management and how it affects them overall. And the fifth season is about Retsuko running for a seat on the National Diet (one of the weirdest seasons overall imo because it truly felt like it came out of left field lol).
The series itself as well as the Christmas Special bring me a lot of joy, because as I said, I relate a lot to Retsuko as a character. I’m still fairly young into my career and find myself dealing with many obstacles that threaten my sanity and mental health at every turn. Work is especially a struggle as even though I very much enjoy the work I do in my career, I find myself stagnent in my current workplace and dealing with obstacles at every turn. Sometimes when I get home, I have to scream to let out a lot of the stress from the day. Then I take the time to hang out with my dog, go to the gym, visit with friends, read books, listen to records, watch a show, or play video games to mellow me out from the stress and get me right before I head off to bed. This is a common occurence for folks like me – many of us trying to find some sort of glimmer of hope that what we do has meaning and if there’s a reason to the grind. I’m hoping that through applications and bettering myself through training, I can find a new setting for my career that will sort of give me something new to look forward to – a desperate change of pace that I’m starving for.
Retsuko is like me – and that’s why I resonate with her so much. We have problems to deal with in every day life. But we have our tribe, we have our quirks, and we do what we can to get through each day feeling like we had a purpose. And that’s why I’m so glad we have media with her to enjoy!
Video by user Mother’s Basement
Video from user Gentle Mushroom
Video from user Westside Otaku
Video from user Shady Doorags
Video from user Gaijin Goombah
Thanks for reading today’s post! Though these series are over I do hope to look into the graphic novels soon. And I hope we see more of Retsuko and her friends later down the line. Lots of love and stay safe out there!
Welcome everyone to a brand new challenge for the blog – Mae’s 31 Day Series Challenge for 2024! Similar to what I did with my gaming posts last month, this will be more of a monthly celebration of all things – well series related. Originally I was going to focus it solely on my favorite TV shows but then…I kept thinking about the shows solely on streaming services, as well as web series on platforms like YouTube – all of which I watch regularly. So I decided to combine them all in this month’s celebration 🙂 so don’t be surprised if these posts go all over the place as I talk about some of my favorites, some that may have strong impacts on me, or maybe even some coming down the pipe. Who knows! We’ll see where the night takes us haha. I’ll likely revisit the gaming challenge at some point and continue talking about even more games but for now let’s celebrate series media!
Day Thirteen: Dead End Paranormal Park
Dead End: Paranormal Park is a Netflix series from the mind of Hamish Steele. The series was originally kicked off with Steele’s animated short that was released on Cartoon Hangover’s YouTube Channel June 24, 2014. Following it’s release, Steele began work on the graphic novel series Deadendia published by Nobrow Press, which as of now is fully out for purchase 🙂
The original short on Cartoon Hangover
So what is Dead End? The story follows our main characters – Barney, Norma, Pugsley, and Courtney (among other characters throughout the series). Barney Guttman is a gay, Jewish, trans boy who is seeking a place of his own as he experiences some family troubles and wants somewhere where being trans isn’t necessarily all to his identity. Norma Khan is a Pakistan-American girl who is autistic and hyperfocused on her passion of the works of actress/drag queen Pauline Phoenix. The two meet (though Barney quickly relays that they live in the same neighborhood and were lab partners before) on evening traveling to Phoenix Park which is based on the multiple properties of Pauline to interview for what they think is a job. Once they arrive at the Dead End haunted house, they soon meet with Courtney, a demon who seeks a flesh vessel for the demon Temeluchus so he can take over the mortal plane. In order to save his human, Barney’s dog Pugsley jumps to his aid, being possessed by the demon and gaining the ability to speak and learn magic. Together, this team of characters work as security for the park and investigate the paranormal horrors going on inside the theme park, which also trying to get a handle of their own lives.
This dark fantasy, horror comedy, supernatural series is a fun time in my opinion and really emphasizes the representation of LGBTQ+ as well as representation of various cultures, mental and physical capabilities, etc. Viewers can relate to the characters on screen, especially Barney and Norma who’s storylines are very intriguing and work to showcase the hardships many go through while on their individual spectrums. There’s a lot of great writing at large and I find that many of the jokes hit well with the viewer, providing laughs while not straying away from the spookiness going on within the park. If you’re an avid horror fan as well, you’ll see a lot of references to some of your favorites in the genre.
I think another thing that really sells this show to me is the animation. From the original short, to the graphic novels, and to the series on Netflix – animation and character design has grown exponentially while still staying true to those original visions Steele had for this ragtag team.
Probably one of the biggest things for me though is the absolutely excellent voice cast and crew who has joined the prject, with a heavy emphasis on the same representations Steele has captured with the characters in his story. Alex Brightman, well-known for his time on Broadway in School of Rock as well as currently Beetlejuice, is both Pugsley and Temeluchus – playing these combatting personalities encased in one fluffy body. Miss Coco Peru (drag persona of Clinton Leupp) plays Pauline Phoenix. Emily Osment is Courtney. Zach Barack and Kody Kavitha play Barney and Norma. There’s so many voices attached to this series and everyone gives their all in their performances, everyone showing their passion for the story they are helping to share with the world. And guys…let me spoil it for you now…there’s a musical episode in this series…and it’s FANTASTIC!
The series only lasted for two seasons – and it’s true it somewhat ends on a cliffhanger so I highly recommend checking out the graphic novel series to get the complete view on this amazing story Hamish Steele’s created. I adore it personally and I feel there’s something for all to enjoy!
The first episode is fully available on YouTube – and Seasons One and Two are on Netflix for your enjoyment!
Video by user Break Room of Geeks
Video from user Break Room of Geeks
Video from user J.C. Alexandre
Video from user Jenny Cook
Video from user Alpha Jay Show
Video from user thethirdbill
Video from user thethirdbill
Video from user Unleash the Ghouls
Video from user Unleash the Ghouls
Video from user Oakwyrm
Thanks so much for reading today’s post! If Dead End interests you at all, both seasons are on Netflix and the graphic novels can be purchased across platforms. Lots of love and stay safe out there!
Welcome everyone to a brand new challenge for the blog – Mae’s 31 Day Series Challenge for 2024! Similar to what I did with my gaming posts last month, this will be more of a monthly celebration of all things – well series related. Originally I was going to focus it solely on my favorite TV shows but then…I kept thinking about the shows solely on streaming services, as well as web series on platforms like YouTube – all of which I watch regularly. So I decided to combine them all in this month’s celebration 🙂 so don’t be surprised if these posts go all over the place as I talk about some of my favorites, some that may have strong impacts on me, or maybe even some coming down the pipe. Who knows! We’ll see where the night takes us haha. I’ll likely revisit the gaming challenge at some point and continue talking about even more games but for now let’s celebrate series media!
Day Twelve: Final Space
Final Space is a testament to the fanbase putting in the work alongside the creator to rise it up from the ashes – as well as a warning to the world that animation should not be judged solely on its appearance – and be given a chance, especially for more adult content. Created by Olan Rogers and David Sacks, this story originally was created as a short-lived web series on Olan’s YouTube channel. They eventually created a pilot episode which caught the eye of certain comedian and talk show host – Conan O’Brien.
The original pilot on Olan’s YouTube Channel
With Conan and the network’s backing, the first season of Final Space aired on TBS (eventually shifting to air on Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim for the later seasons). It follows our main character Gary Goodspeed, a dimwitted astronaut living out the last of his sentence on the prison spacecraft Galaxy One alongside a whole lot of bots (including KVN, the worst lol) as well as the AI of the ship HUE. Everything seems quite smaller scale at first. A little green alien literally runs into Gary as he’s out in space, and the two form a friendship. However, this new alien, named Mooncake, brings with him intruders desperate to that the creature into custody by any means necessary. That jumpstarts Gary into the adventure of a lifetime – with not just Earth but the entire universe and time space continuum in the balance.
Ya’ll – ya’ll slept on this show. It’s a damn shame that so many people are only discovering it’s magic nowadays. The animation is gorgeous and the writing is actually quite good (especially in the parts the network didn’t screw up with their notes and allowed Olan to actually create the story he wanted to make). What’s more – Olan has showed time and time again as a creator that he listens to feedback, is always willing to have discussions and learn, and grow. He listened to the fanbase for a lot of feedback, like in Season One pulling back some of the more outlandishness of Gary’s character to make him more likable to the fans. Olan has a dream to share his stories and he gets it done!
Alongside the animation and writing, the music score and casting is top notch. Olan takes on the lead role, and we also hear amazing performances by David Tennant, Tom Kenny, Steven Yeun, Cory Galloway, Tika Sumpter, Ashly Burch, Ron Funches, and – you know I love this man so much – KEITH DAVID! It gets better and better with each season too…which brings us to a pretty crappy end to the story – well, not really the end but for a while there – it certainly felt like it.
Final Space, after ending Season Three on a cliffhanger, was cancelled by the network on September 10, 2021 – all thanks to the merger with Warner Media and Discovery Inc. – the merger which has killed many different projects and is the bane of many’s existences at this point. Seriously – what a way to destroy your fanbase and bungle so many precious franchises at the same time. For a long time, we had nothing – though this was not for lack of trying from Olan. He was fighting tooth and nail behind the scenes to get something – anything – any way to finish the story he longed so much to share with the world. He had originally planned out six seasons – and he only got to tell half of his story. What about the rest?
And then…it happened…
On April 24, 2023 – Olan announced that he was able to strike a deal and was able to self-publish a single graphic novel to finish his story. The fanbase rose up and altogether he’s sold more than 25,000 copies of the graphic novel ON HIS OWN with weekly updates coming to the fans to see the progress of the creation of this final chapter – of Final Space. You can pre-order your copy and learn more about the graphic novel here.
There’s hope – even in the darkness brought on by executives that have way too much power in the creative world. Final Space will get it’s ending and Olan and his team are trying desperately to make it the vision they had hoped for. Do we think with the success of this project, we’ll see Final Space live again in animated form? Probably not…but we can certainly dream. And while we dream, we can help make things a reality what’s there – this graphic novel to end the story.
Video by user Toon Universe. This is a literal relay of the series from start to finish across three seasons. So yeah – spoiler warning lol.
Video from user Lavender Coffee
Video from user Johnny 2 Cellos
Video from user The Blockbuster Buster
Video from user Rowan J. Coleman – be sure to check out the comment section of this one because Olan actually talks with the creator and shows his appearance for the honest feedback and explaining the process of making the show with the executives.
Video from user The Doomer Den
Video from user Kameno-o
Video from user Raytobe
Video from user Kimbro Entertainment
Video from user dvdreviewsstudios
An amazing fan trailer of the trilogy seasons of Final Space by user MrCUrchin alongside Fuzzeke
Thank you all for reading today’s post! Final Space is really special to me – and honestly I invite folks to check it out but also – just visit Olan’s channel and listen to the man talk. He’s an excellent creator, brilliant and so eloquent with his words. He’s a storyteller through and through – and he deserves all the love and support. Lots of love and stay safe out there!
Welcome everyone to a brand new challenge for the blog – Mae’s 31 Day Series Challenge for 2024! Similar to what I did with my gaming posts last month, this will be more of a monthly celebration of all things – well series related. Originally I was going to focus it solely on my favorite TV shows but then…I kept thinking about the shows solely on streaming services, as well as web series on platforms like YouTube – all of which I watch regularly. So I decided to combine them all in this month’s celebration 🙂 so don’t be surprised if these posts go all over the place as I talk about some of my favorites, some that may have strong impacts on me, or maybe even some coming down the pipe. Who knows! We’ll see where the night takes us haha. I’ll likely revisit the gaming challenge at some point and continue talking about even more games but for now let’s celebrate series media!
Day Eleven: Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
The opening of Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Seriously – that opening alone…should have hooked the audience and helped build a following worth the love and dedication you can feel in this show with every single frame. This is one of the most underrated animations of our generation – and sadly gone WAY TOO SOON! Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles lasted two seasons (with a movie premiering on Netflix following its “cancellation”? Was it truly ever cancelled? I’m not sure anymore lol).
It follows the TMNT (we’re using the acronym going forward lol deal with it haha) in their younger years as a group of teenagers just trying to have fun and enjoy themselves while also fighting crime. Their character designs – something that I’m sure turned some people away – are actually great in my opinion, showcasing the turtles as – well – different species of turtles that are more in line with the way their characters are. I’m sure Master Splinter’s appearance really turned folks away – but even his look had a reason behind it. And in the end, he was one of the most badass characters in the show.
For long-time fans of the franchise, you get to see a lot of familiar faces – as well as some new ones. And again, the designs are dope! I absolutely adore the look of the brothers and how each of their looks gives them their own individuality and really reflects their characters well. Also, the design of April O’Neil is probably one of my all-time favorites (I also love the look of the boys and her in the latest movie as well – but we’re talking Rise today 😉 so there’s that). There’s some serious storylines going on but they make sure that no matter what – there’s still fun to be had, and hilarious jokes to be shared. I saw in some behind the scenes that some of the best lines were also improvised – which is always a win in my book because improvised comedy can generate some of the best lines ever.
The casting in this show was top notch. Omar Benson Miller, Benjamin Joseph Schwartz, Josh Brener, and Brandon Mychal Smith play the brothers – and they play off each other so well! We also see Eric Bauza, Kat Graham, FREAKING JOHN CENA! There’s so many great performances in this show across the two seasons and the film – and it was always curious what we would see beyond what we got from this show.
But hey – one of the top reasons this show ROCKS is the animation itself. Holy shit! Flying Bark Productions provided the animation and the show was run by Andy Suriano and Ant Ward. The animation you see in that opening up there? Yeah – that was pretty consistent throughout the show – with the movie getting a glow-up with that production budget. Every single person who worked on this show and made it so great deserve all the awards and congratulations! I do hope that one day this series can be reignited – we were lucky to get the movie at least…but this series deserves more. Maybe one day.
Video from user CellSpex
Video from user Saberspark
Video from user viviwithav
Video from user skulltrot
Video from user skulltrot
Video from user skulltrot
Video from user heybuwan
Video from user Mann of 1000 Thoughts
Video from user Mann of 1000 Thoughts
Video from user Geek Culture Explained
Video from user The Sawkman
Thanks so much for reading today’s post! I really love this show and wish it got the appreciation it truly deserves! If you haven’t gotten a chance to check it out yet, I highly encourage you to watch it 🙂 lots of love and stay safe out there!
Welcome everyone to a brand new challenge for the blog – Mae’s 31 Day Series Challenge for 2024! Similar to what I did with my gaming posts last month, this will be more of a monthly celebration of all things – well series related. Originally I was going to focus it solely on my favorite TV shows but then…I kept thinking about the shows solely on streaming services, as well as web series on platforms like YouTube – all of which I watch regularly. So I decided to combine them all in this month’s celebration 🙂 so don’t be surprised if these posts go all over the place as I talk about some of my favorites, some that may have strong impacts on me, or maybe even some coming down the pipe. Who knows! We’ll see where the night takes us haha. I’ll likely revisit the gaming challenge at some point and continue talking about even more games but for now let’s celebrate series media!
Day Ten: Game Changer
It’s Mae…AND I’VE BEEN HERE THE WHOLE TIME!
I’m sure you’ve probably seen the gifs or reels pop up in your feeds of a little internet game show featuring some of Dropout (formerly College Humor’s) finest comedians excelling in the realm of improv. Game Changer is sort of their flagship game show for the streaming network, hosted by Sam Reich who was once the Chief Creative Director at College Humor before he took ownership of everything after College Humor was shutting down and the network needed to be sold to stay in business. Sam is one of the kindest people I’ve ever seen in media – and also one of the wittiest and funniest people too. I’ve seen him grow in the field since his days at College Humor and seeing him take the reins and try to do right by the on-screen talent, writers, and all the staff who help make this creative content is so refreshing in a world where…we see it time and time again that those who create the media we consume get the short end of the stick.
The premise of the show is actually pretty simple. Three contests (unless it’s set up in a special way) come out on stage understanding one thing – that they aren’t sure what type of game show they are playing, they just have to play the game and figure it out. That’s right – Game Changer – is literally a game show that changes its premise every episode. From charades, to a Survivor spin-off, a Bachelor-esque dating show for one of the cast members – there’s so many great concepts that are explored within the show. We also see some regular cast members joining the ranks – like Brennan Lee Mulligan, Lou Wilson, Lily Du, Mike Trapp, Grant O’Brien and more – all of them hilarious! And in the COVID seasons and beyond, we also see some amazing guests come out of the woodwork – like Tony Hawk, Howie Mandel, and one of my favorite actors – Giancarlo Esposito.
Game Changer’s success has actually stemmed three spin-off shows on the platforms, expanding on some of their most well-received premises – Make Some Noise, Dirty Laundry, and Play it By Ear. Clips and some free episodes can be seen on YouTube and across their other social media; however, to watch all the episodes out there, you’ll need to check out Dropout.tv. And unlike networks like Netflix, they encourage password sharing ya’ll 😉
There’s a lot of heart put into the content they make at Dropout, something I’ll touch on more in a future post 😉 and I highly encourage to give their shows a watch. If you’re a fan of improv, like the days watching Whose Line Is It Anyway or watching shows at comedy clubs – then I think you’ll really like what they have to offer!
Here’s a playlist of all the free episodes currently on YouTube! You can check the full series – so far – as well as its sister shows on Dropout.TV and on their app!
Jacob is one of the funniest people in my opinion and he had such fun with this one. It’s one of my favorite clips 🙂
Thanks for reading today’s post 🙂 I absolutely love the team at Dropout and hope more people give them the love I feel they deserve. Lots of love and stay safe out there!
Welcome everyone to a brand new challenge for the blog – Mae’s 31 Day Series Challenge for 2024! Similar to what I did with my gaming posts last month, this will be more of a monthly celebration of all things – well series related. Originally I was going to focus it solely on my favorite TV shows but then…I kept thinking about the shows solely on streaming services, as well as web series on platforms like YouTube – all of which I watch regularly. So I decided to combine them all in this month’s celebration 🙂 so don’t be surprised if these posts go all over the place as I talk about some of my favorites, some that may have strong impacts on me, or maybe even some coming down the pipe. Who knows! We’ll see where the night takes us haha. I’ll likely revisit the gaming challenge at some point and continue talking about even more games but for now let’s celebrate series media!
Day Nine: Centaurworld
♫ IN CENTAURWORLDDDDDD…..AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!! ♫
Lemme tell you now – this show surprised me! At first glance, I was certainly not prepared for what I was getting. You see these colorful advertisements and images of a horse surrounded by centaur characters and you’re just looking at it like it’s going to be some kiddie show to keep them occuppied.
BOY WAS I WRONG!
Within the first five minutes – you’re sent on a rollercoaster ride – a horse and her rider dashing through a decrepit landscape trying to flee from monstrous creatures. We see them getting attacked with a beautiful song is being sung by the rider. And then…the horse falls, holding onto a strange artifact that holds the key – the key to what? Well you have to watch and find out! Horse wakes up in this colorful realm surrounded by centaur creatures of all kinds, finding she now has the ability to talk – AND SINGGGGGGG! That’s right baby – this show isn’t just an animated comedy – it’s a musical!
You then go on this adventure with Horse as she tries to get back home to her rider, finding artifacts to help her in her quest. You meet an odd array of creatures, many of which I’ve never seen centaur-like creatures made of them before so it was really cool to see how creative they got with the designs. And the songs – THE SONGS ARE TOP NOTCH! And then the hidden dark moments that come to light further in the series – holy crap! They actually talk about a lot of darker topics – like depression, anxiety, even hints of suicide. It’s A LOT! And so good!
Season One really excelled in the storytelling, the music everything. Also it introduced the world to Zulius, the best character period in this show. Season Two…exists. And it’s not to say I don’t enjoy Season Two – in fact I absolutely adore how it ends, what we find out, and its conclusion. The path to get there though was rough with pacing issues and just…it felt more disconjointed compared to Season One – which could honestly be because they had limited time to work on concluding the story? I’m not exactly sure. But this is my warning to folks – Season Two can be a bit of a jump – but I promise the ending – it’s VERY SATISFYING!
So hey – don’t sleep on Centaurworld. It’s got an amazing cast, awesome animation, splendid songs – it’s got so much to offer if you’re willing to give it a chance!
Spoiler Warning: Here’s all the songs from the first season of Centaurworld
Spoiler Warning: Here’s all the songs from the second and final season of Centaurworld
The cast of Centaurworld sings the opening song!
Video by user Henry Kathman
Video by user We Are Not Alive
Video by user We Are Not Alive
Video by user Sarcastic Chorus
Video by user Sarcastic Chorus
Video by user The Sin Squad
Thanks for reading today’s post 🙂 this is another favorite that popped up during COVID times that really struck with me. I wasn’t even going to give it a chance until I visited my friend one weekend and she forced it onto me while we hung out. And it was so good! I love it so much. Lots of love and stay safe out there!
Welcome everyone to a brand new challenge for the blog – Mae’s 31 Day Series Challenge for 2024! Similar to what I did with my gaming posts last month, this will be more of a monthly celebration of all things – well series related. Originally I was going to focus it solely on my favorite TV shows but then…I kept thinking about the shows solely on streaming services, as well as web series on platforms like YouTube – all of which I watch regularly. So I decided to combine them all in this month’s celebration 🙂 so don’t be surprised if these posts go all over the place as I talk about some of my favorites, some that may have strong impacts on me, or maybe even some coming down the pipe. Who knows! We’ll see where the night takes us haha. I’ll likely revisit the gaming challenge at some point and continue talking about even more games but for now let’s celebrate series media!
Day Eight: Community
Six seasons and a movie baby~ Community is such a strange comedy series – one that I adore, even in its lowest moments. From the mind of Dan Harmon, Community follows disbarred lawyer Jeff Winger who is suspended from his firm for lying about having a bachelor’s degree from Columbia University. To rectify this, he enrolls at Glenndale Community College in Colorado. In his efforts to woo social activist and classmate Britta Perry, he pretends to run a study group to spend time with her. This opens up a group of fellow classmates from various walks of life – Abed Nadir, a socially awkward and pop culture obsessed student; religious single mother Shirley Bennett; naive over-achiever Annie Edison; former high school football star Troy Barnes; and bigoted, elderly millionaire Pierce Hawthorne. What starts out as a scheme to win a girl’s affections quickly turns into a group of friends who basically become a family as they try to make it through their years at the community college.
You can tell that this show was a product of Dan Harmon (except season four – the renowned worst season by the fanbase – which was led by David Guarascio and Moses Port – which wasn’t bad in my eyes but still – we could tell that Harmon wasn’t there). The writers used meta-humor in every inch of the show, filling it with pop culture references while paying homage to film and television cliches and tropes. Even as it struggled in ratings, the show wasn’t afraid to take chances in its storytelling – as you could see in episodes like Remedial Chaos Theory and Modern Warfare (two episodes that are visited in some of the videos I’m sharing below). It also had a strange journey of sorts as we’ve already mentioned above, with Harmon getting fired for Season Four due to his track record in the writing room of expecting long hours and having delays/being overbudget every season – as well as the shift from NBC for the final season after being cancelled. It was saved by Yahoo! Screen; however, the show ended at that point and the streaming platform ended up shutting down after that due to low interest.
In addition to some great writing for the shows, the cast themselves really excelled in their roles (even the grump we’ll talk about in a moment). Joel McHale led the charge as Jeff Winger, a charismatic, quick-witted, sardonic ex-lawyer who acts as the de facto leader of the group. He can be sarcastic at times and is very much out for himself – however, due to his life experience as a lawyer and the confidence he portrays, many go to him for advice and seek his help throughout the series. He becomes like an older brother figure to folks, similar to how they were originally aiming to have Pierce’s character for Jeff in the first season.
Gillian Jacobs stars as Britta Perry, probably one of the best characters I’ve seen when it comes to growing into her character. She starts off as a smart, more straight-shooter of the group, big on political storylines, and the potential love interest of Jeff. However, as the story progresses and leaves the first season, we see Britta embrace more of her “weird” personality and hone in that – which brings forth some of the funniest moments of the show.
Abed Nadir, played by Danny Pudi, is arguably the best character in the show (with Troy being on pretty equal footing in my eyes). He is a young, emotionally reserved pop-culture enthusiast who is implied to be on the autism spectrum and is one of best I’ve seen portrayed in modern media. He’s been classified at times as the emotional center of the show – some of the best storylines in the series show him playing a big part in it. And when you pair him up with Troy (Troy and Abed in the Morning) – the show hits an all-time high for me.
Speaking of Troy, Troy Barnes is played by Donald Glover pre-his Childish Gambino era. A former high school quarterback who was aimed to have a scholarship to college, Troy ends up injuring himself in a keg flip and loses it – with his path leading him to Glenndale instead. Troy can seem pretty “dumb” at times but he’s actually quite quirky and fun – a charming individual that is looking for his next step since football is no longer in the cards as his dream career. He and Abed are besties in the show and he and Danny play off each other so well!
Yvette Nicole Brown plays Shiley Bennett, who acts as a motherly figure to the group. Overly religious and just trying to find her place again after her divorce, she eventually gets to launch her own baking business. She’s very friendly but she does has some rage issues as well as some past demons that pop up in the show – and her religion and the fact that her friends don’t follow her beliefs sometimes puts her at odds with everyone. However, at the end of the day, she’s the best mama of the group and we love her.
And then there’s Alison Brie as Annie Edison, who starts off as a strait-laced student who is timid, nerdy, and a bit high strung. She also has a lot of growth in the show – hers moreso showing her growing up and coming into her own. She allows herself to break out of always being so serious as well as building meaningful relationships with those around her, including Jeff. I like her a lot.
Ok – let’s talk about the grumpy gills himself – the notorious Chevy Chase who played Pierce Hawthorne on the show. This man went from being somewhat lovable older gentleman of the grou to an outright antagonist and asshole – that by the time he left the show, many were happy to see him go. Chase has been known to be difficult to work with on set but it was to the point that there were shouting matches with him and the showrunner and cast – to even punches being thrown. The writing I’m sure was reflected in the increased disagreements between Chase and the showrunner, it was pretty clear that he didn’t seem to want to be there – which also reflected in his acting on screen. I really enjoyed him early on and even during some of the antagonistic episodes, so it was a shame th all these things we happening in the background which led to him being written off the show (and spoiler alert – essentially killed off).
You also see some great performances from those like Jon McHale’s buddy Ken Jeong, who plays Senor Ben Chang – who originally was the unhinged Spanish teacher and eventually tries to weasel his way into the group however he can. There’s also Craig Pelton, who is played expertly by Jim Rash, who is the dean of Glendell College and is very much over-the-top in everything he does (he also is pretty much in love with Jeff which brings out some great story beats). Hell, we even see names like John Oliver, Jonathan Banks – AND THE MAN THE MYTH THE LEGEND KEITH DAVID – ya’ll know I swoon whenever this man speaks. There’s a lot of love from folks jumping into the cast and we love to see it!
So where are we now with the show? Well the show itself is done – but the movie is now confirmed and aiming to start filming in 2024 around Donald Glover’s schedule. Almost everyone has signed on to return – except for Chevy Chase – and there’s a lot of excitement from the cast to get it rolling and out to the fans. I’ll sit and wait patiently to see what we get. I’m sure whatever happens, it’s going to be streets ahead!
Video by user captainmidnight
Video by user captainmidnight
Video from user captainmidnight. And yes – we’re talking about the Roxanne episode lol.
Video from user captainmidnight
Video from user The Film Theorists – man, it hasn’t even been that long and I miss MatPat’s voice leading the theories.
Video playlist from user Pillar of Garbage
Video from user Prime’s Theater
Video from user Slip Maker
Video from user Sam McGee – a bummer that Community is leaving Netflix but glad more eyes could fall on it years later!
Video from user Entertain the Elk
Video by user Caleb A. Robinson
Video from user tylermsc
Video from user Come Watch TV
Video from user Nerdstalgic
Video from user Slip Maker
Video from user Gross John
Video from user 10K Productions
Video from user StoryStreet
The pilot of Community is free to watch on Community’s YouTube Channel! You can also see a lot of great content there too.
The cast of Community reunited for a table read during COVID.
This is the QnA the cast did after their COVID table read.
There’s so many moments I love from the show but this one always pops into my mind – it also showcases Troy and Abed’s connection with is one of the best friendships seen in the show.
Thank you so much for joining for today’s post! I really love this show and am so excited it will get to end with its movie that we’ve been hyping up for years – SIX SEASONS AND A MOVIE! So bet that when it comes out, I’m gonna be blabbing about it here lol. Lots of love and stay safe out there!
Welcome everyone to a brand new challenge for the blog – Mae’s 31 Day Series Challenge for 2024! Similar to what I did with my gaming posts last month, this will be more of a monthly celebration of all things – well series related. Originally I was going to focus it solely on my favorite TV shows but then…I kept thinking about the shows solely on streaming services, as well as web series on platforms like YouTube – all of which I watch regularly. So I decided to combine them all in this month’s celebration 🙂 so don’t be surprised if these posts go all over the place as I talk about some of my favorites, some that may have strong impacts on me, or maybe even some coming down the pipe. Who knows! We’ll see where the night takes us haha. I’ll likely revisit the gaming challenge at some point and continue talking about even more games but for now let’s celebrate series media!
Day Seven: LACKADAISY
Another favorite of mine that I’ve already talked about before? Absolutely! Apologies if it sounds familiar but I want more eyes on this series 🙂 so Imma do my part haha!
1927. Prohibition is in full effect across the city of St. Louis. Anthropomorphic cats run amok delving into crime, mystery, and of course the charmed life of speakeasy owners. This is the setting for the webcomic LACKADAISY created by Tracy J. Butler in 2006. The synopsis reads:
When prohibition grips the United States in 1920, Atlas May sets his eatery, the Little Daisy Café, as the front for a successful successful speakeasy called the Lackadaisy. Situated at the mouth of a network of limestone caves, the speakeasy can only be accessed from the Café by those showing a pin in the shape of a Clubs card suit. With easy access to illegal alcohol and a steady clientele, business burgeons, and the Lackadaisy becomes a premier establishment.
In 1926, however, Atlas is mysteriously killed, and management of the Little Daisy and the Lackadaisy falls to his widow Mitzi. Patronage at the Lackadaisy gradually falls off, bringing it to the brink of collapse, with only a handful of its original crew remaining and doing their best to keep the business alive. There is a band that plays at the club, and one of the members is a rumrunner, which brings the characters into conflict with others who distill their own whiskey and moonshine.
The comic features a wily band of characters from all walks of life, which you can check out in full here. But to name a few, we follow Rocky Rickaby – a chaotic bundle of idiotic brilliance who’s either plucking away at the strings of his violin (or fiddle) or crafting some outlandish plan to run illicit alcohol operations for Lackadaisy. Calvin “Freckle” McMurray, Rocky’s cousin, is dutiful momma’s boy…who also is an unstable ball of rage once he has a firearm in hand. The widowed Mitzi May is determined to return the Lackadaisy to its former glory at all costs alongside her team including Dorian “Zib” Zibowski and Viktor Vasko. The late Atlas’ goddaughter Ivy Pepper has also joined the frey, whether be running the register to the Cafe to dancing the night away at the speakeasy to running alcohol or flirting with the boys (including a certain Freckle).
The comic comes to high praise since its release, winning multiple comic awards. However, in March 2020 the release schedule for new pages took a backseat as a Kickstarter launched for an animated pilot based on the comic, directed by Fable Siegel and produced by Iron Circus Animation. Funded in full and also supported by Patreon supporters, the animation was made by a crew of more than 160 skilled artists across the world and released officially on YouTube March 29, 2023. With a 27+ minute runtime, this pilot features beautiful animation, excellent sound design, and amazing voiceovers from quite a few big names in the business – just to name a few of the praises of the project.
As a fan of the webcomic and a supporter of the Kickstarter campaign, I was over the moon to see the final product of years of hard work from the team bringing this story to life. It’s one of the best indie pilot releases I’ve seen and I’m truly hoping that we’re able to see more of Lackadaisy in this animation medium. Because WOW THIS PILOT IS PHENOMENAL!
Seeing the interactions between Rocky, Freckle, Ivy as well as the rest of the cast featured was so wonderful, seeing how well they flowed together in the story, even amongst the chaos of the chase and gunbattle that ensues during their night shift to run alcohol for Lackadaisy. Rocky’s jazzy musical confidence alongside his poetic verses from musical theater was a highlight for his character. Seeing the range Freckle displays, from his timid stances to his raging battle mentality when pushed into the fight to even his caring nature both for his cousin and Miss Pepper. Oh god don’t get me started on Freckle and Miss Pepper – I’ve been shipping these babies for year and seeing the crush on screen in animation form just sent me. Even the “villians” – Mordecai, and the siblings Serafine and Nicodeme Savoy – are written and displayed so beautifully in the short that we feel fully invested in everyone’s character. Highly recommend!
With the pilot now released, Tracy stated in her thank yous to everyone that the comic is working to resume. What’s more – together with the fans once again, we’ve funding a full season one which is wrapping up nicely and we’ll be seeing more news soon! Which is why it counts here for our series talk 🙂 there’s more incoming for sure so I felt it counted! Here’s the current shorts that are out that were also funded through the crowdfunding and some great videos going into the series itself.
Video from user Manu Mercurial
Video from user Saberspark
Video by user Johnny 2 Cellos
Thanks for reading today’s post! Like I said, this may look a lil samey from my previous post on the pilot but I just want to keep praising this show (and comic) and getting more eyes on it. I’m so excited for the first season to finally premiere and can’t wait for it! Lots of love and stay safe out there!
*~Mae's Corner~* 