Created by real-life siblings Adam and Craig Malamut, and set in the fictional town of Glantontown, N.J., the animated “Universal Basic Guys” revolves around Mark and Hank Hoagies, two brothers both voiced by Adam Malamut. After being laid off from the local hot dog factory and being inducted into a new basic income program, Mark and Hank have plenty of time on their hands to spend their $3,000 monthly checks on high jinks and foolishness. While the premise is interesting enough, the show is stuffed with tiresome jokes that fail to pack a punch.
“Universal Basic Guys” opens with Mark questioning the portrait he’s purchased as a birthday present for his wife, Tammy (Talia Genevieve). After Tammy receives a luxurious spa certificate from a doctor she works with at the hospital, Mark decides the only way to over-shadow the plastic surgeon’s gift is to buy her an exotic animal. He ropes in Hank to join this scheme, and the pair visit a Tiger King-like zoo where Mark buys an ancient, ailing chimpanzee. Things obviously don’t go according to plan. The chimp (of course) is no house-trained pet, Tammy isn’t amused and Mark ends up in the hospital. From the pilot forward, every episode follows this setup. The elder brother plots, and Hank idiotically follows his lead.
In addition to Mark, Hank and Tammy, other characters include Tammy’s teenage son, Darren (Brandon Wardell), who does his best to avoid his stepfather; the Hoagies’ neighbors— aspiring writer David (Fred Armisen) and his shrill, high-powered wife, Andrea (Ally Maki); and Mark’s archnemesis, Steve DelVecchio (Tommy Pope), who is determined to one-up him at every turn.
The 13-episode first season has action-packed plot points involving creatures, magic and the Philadelphia Eagles. In Episode 3, “The Devil You Know,” which has all manner of butt-wiping and dingleberry jokes, the brothers, with Darren in tow, accidentally encounter the infamous Jersey Devil. In Episode 8, “Poconcos,” Mark, Hank, Tammy and Darren find themselves in a Jumanji-like magical game, where things quickly dissolve into chaos due to their inability to communicate. Though both of these storylines are thematically sound, the execution leaves a lot to be desired. “Universal Basic Guys” lacks the slickness, clarity and comedic timing to transcend the two confoundingly ignorant main characters.
There is certainly a way to make raunchy and even offensive jokes work: “Family Guy,” “Bob’s Burgers” and “South Park” have all proven this point. But “Universal Basic Guys” never strikes the balance between crude and comedic. Most of the characters are frustratingly stupid, and the comedy throughout isn’t sharp enough to compensate for the show’s dopiness and dated dialogue.
Adult animation continues to pull in viewers by using unique storytelling styles while infusing mature themes and language. “Universal Basic Guys” has a decent concept: a group of guys in South Jersey trying to find fulfillment now that they have the funds to do so. However, since the audience is thrust into the Hoagies’ lives without truly understanding what happened during the robot takeover at the hot dog factory, or what exactly UBI entails, viewers are left as directionless as the series.
Crass dad humor is very specific and doesn’t appeal to everyone. Yet, because it’s already been done — and brilliantly — newcomers in the genre must be innovative and able to get laughs from those who ordinarily shy away from this style of comedy. “Universal Basic Guys” never rises to the occasion and would be better served if the Malamuts returned to the drawing board.
“Universal Basic Guys” premieres Sept. 8 on Fox with new episodes dropping weekly on Sundays.
Source Agencies
