She-Hulk: Attorney at Lawhas seen some success in its first few episodes by mixing the familiar superhero antics of the MCU with a legal procedural comedy. It’s a fun gimmick, but it’s a familiar format that at least one other comedy series has managed to make work before.
She-Hulkis one ofthe few full-fledged comedies in Marvel’s lineup. While the humor works for some and falls flat for others, it’s unquestionably pushed action to one side to focus on the jokes. Jennifer Walters' fourth wall break humor keeps insisting that her legal practice is the show’s center, and she’s usually right.
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The Marvel Cinematic Universe has established its firstin-universe law firmdealing exclusively with superheroes. It’s a logical and understandable idea that people with superhuman gifts would be governed differently by the legal system, so they should have their own representation. In the two cases the outfit has handled so far, one was seeking parole for a supervillain while the other was the civil case of a mortal man defrauded by an otherworldly being. These would probably be pretty common cases in the world of the MCU, and though they’re comical to us, they’d become somewhat routine there. There’s plenty ofShe-Hulkleft to go, but Jen’s firm could stand to represent some more absurd cases. The law firm of Sebben & Sebben could tell her some fun stories.
Harvey Birdman: Attorney at Lawpremiered on September 2nd, 2001. It was one of the first shows ever to hit the screen with the Adult Swim name attached. That programming block has since become famous for massive hitslikeRick and Mortyand viral oddities likeToo Many Cooks, but, at the time, it was a strange new idea. The series was created by Michael Ouweleen and Erik Richter as one of many spin-offs ofSpace Ghost Coast to Coast. It quickly became the most iconic piece of that show’s legacy beyond the series itself. The series ran for four seasons and 39 episodes but appeared in reruns on the Adult Swim block for years after its conclusion. It also inspired a 2021 reboot in the form ofBirdgirl, ensuring its legacy would remain into the modern day.
LikeSpace Ghost Coast to Coast,Harvey Birdmanborrowed some existing Hanna-Barbera characters and recast them in a new light. The show exists as a sequel series to 1967’sBirdman and the Galaxy Trio, which followed the hero Birdman as he uses his solar-powered wings to battle villains. InHarvey Birdman, the hero retired from the superhero lifestyle and became a practicing defense attorney. The show follows his weekly misadventures as he represents clients who are almost always alsoold Hanna-Barbera cartooncharacters. His clients included a few practicing superheroes, but the big names were almost always kept out of reach. Classic cartoon characters like Scooby-Doo, Grape Ape, the Flintstones, the Jetsons, and many more old faces would become clients of Harvey Birdman.
The sense of humor ofHarvey Birdman: Attorney at Lawwould be very familiar to anyone who has taken inany Adult Swim contentover the past two decades. It’s surreal and heavily referential. The central joke often revolves around adding some absurd character trait to a recognizable face. Many characters found their roles completely changed to fit the narrative. Villains from Birdman’s old show found themselves opposing him again in the courtroom. Some of the gags were more common than others, like when it brings Shaggy and Scooby on to do a bunch of easy weed jokes. The show is 20 years old, so not every bit has aged well, but there’s some of the DNA of the following decades in absurdist comedy contained within the series. The absurdist humor makes for easy viewing, as jokes pop up and disappear as quickly as they were raised. In many ways, though the series have similar premises they couldn’t be further apart where humor is concerned.
Adult Swim doesn’t have a patent on its absurdist sense of humor. The internet has made it the standard operating procedure for one or two entire generations of people. The concepts have come full circle. Old Adult Swim content inspired young creators on sites like Newgrounds, which eventually led to Newgrounds creators bringing outshows likeSmiling Friends.She-Hulk, however, finds its humor much closer toMy Cousin VinnythanAqua Teen Hunger Force. Most of the jokes feel right for a multi-cam sitcom, laugh track and all. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it can feel a bit outdated at times, especially without thesatirical edge ofWandaVision, who did the same thing intentionally.She-Hulkenjoys its fourth wall breaks and running gags about prison wives, but maybe the show could do with a bit of chaotic absurdity. With a universe so big to play with, a more anarchic series could have some real fun.
