The pilot episode of the new TBS animated series Neighbors From Hell begins with Balthazor Hellman (Will Sasso, MADtv) torturing a man in hell by forcing him to listen to Britney Spears.
Watching it garners the same effect.
The show, which premieres on June 7, revolves around the Hellmans, Balthazor’s family, who are transferred out of hell to Earth’s surface. Their task is to destroy a drill used by Petromundo, an oil conglomerate, which can drill straight down to — and destroy — hell.
Balthazor enjoys watching human television and is therefore deemed the “only demon who can blend in on Earth.” Training his family with Family Ties, Growing Pains, The Cosby Show and Alf, the Hellmans prepare for life on Earth with their mnemonic device — “snorfindesdrillsalgoho” (short for “Seem normal, fit in, destroy the drill, save hell, go home”).
With a premise so wacky and over-the-top, one would think producers Pam Brady (South Park) and Mireille Soria (Madagascar) would bring something creative to the table. Instead, the Hellmans’ attempt to adapt to life on the surface is crude and clichéd.
The two younger Hellmans, daughter Mandy (newcomer Tracey Fairaway) and Josh (David Soren, Merry Madagascar) have personalities that have been seen countless times before. Mandy is the angst-filled, adolescent teenage girl who detests going to Earth because “that’s where Ugg boots come from.” Josh is the weird and annoying prepubescent boy who plays the video game “Torture Hero.”
Balthazor’s wife, Tina (Molly Shannon, Kath & Kim) can’t stand her husband or their new living arrangements but can always go for an alcoholic beverage, jumping at the chance to be the first to try some Chardonnay in their new house’s welcome basket.
With Balthazor at work, attempting to sabotage Petromundo, Tina meets with the neighbors to convince them her family is totally normal.
Their next-door neighbor Marjoe Saint Sparks (Dina Waters, Yoga Matt), is possibly the most crude and insulting character on the show. Speaking with a southern drawl, Marjoe is annoying, discusses her sexual exploits openly, has an almost romantic relationship with her poodle and — worst of all — is a blatant racist.
Balthazor’s new boss, Don Killbride (Kurtwood Smith, All in the Bunker) is also politically incorrect, firing off ridiculous statements in cheap attempts to get a laugh. He has no problem insulting his employees, calling Turkish worker Chevdet Tevetoglu (Kyle McCulloch, South Park) “Turkey” and making bathroom jokes in a board meeting.
After spending more than 20 minutes using shock tactics in attempts to be funny, the drug references, bodily waste humor and racism stop to let the family dog, Pazuzu (Patton Oswalt, The Informant!) give an inspiring speech about how the family has to come together to make the plan work in the long run, showing he has more brains than all of the Hellmans put together.
In the pilot episode, only one meaningful event actually occurs. After attempting to get Chevdet drunk to reveal secrets about the drill, Balthazor realizes his co-worker has to give a presentation and attempts to get it postponed because “he’s a terrific guy.” This is the one time any actual character is fleshed out — Balthazor seems to admire humans.
Neighbors From Hell takes no chances, doing whatever it can in an attempt to get a laugh and failing to achieve anything close to a meaningful story. With comedy talent including the producer of South Park and a talented voice cast, this show could have actually gone somewhere, but it doesn’t.
Unless you want to put yourself through hell, find something else to watch.
RATING: 1 star out of 5
afreedman@umdbk.com
