A cartoon about a superhero that gains his powers through the internet in the 90s. Many people think the internet was not really used in the 90s but I was using it as a kid so it really wasn’t something too obscure, just not as common back then. Freakazoid was a Steven Spielberg comedy show and I’d argue the best one. Sadly there seems to be no reboots or revivals of it though perhaps it’s for the best as it could just staint he legacy, but it’s still sad to see it forgotten.
The cartoon is someohow still relevant today however, more than ever which you’d think a show about technology would just be far more dated but by relying on its humor it’s able to feel that way. The show is just random and feels just in line with Aqua Teen Hunger Force or some adult swim shows. I wonder if it could’ve found a new audience if it had aired there in the 2000s. There are so many great jokes that you could tell the writers loved the concept. The kid wackyness really does embody the internet meme culture in general. He has a troll attitude he’s ADHD, and whatnot.
A superhero is only as good as his rouges gallery or whatever the hell comic book nerds say, and Freakazoid!’s was able to give us just that. Not only that but the show gives us a bunch of sidekicks well side characters that share the show with him and most of those are quite fun as well, and you wish we had gotten more of them. A large part of the segments don’t even have Freakazoid since it’s a variety cartoon like Animaniacs was and most are hits. By doing this it builds a universe in this joke of a world even moreso than Animaniacs did. Lord Bravery, The Hutnsman, The Lawn Gnomes, TOby Danger, Fatman and Boy Blubber, Emmitt Nervend are some of the characters.
You can find all type of humor from boomer jokes, jokes that have inunendo, some that are dated but they don’t harm the pacing. The fisrt season is 13 episodes while the second one is only 11. The second season actually ditches some of the variety format giving Freakazoid longer adventures which while still fun is a downgrade as it’s harder to tell great comedic stories with such a long format. Though we do get to see more of the villains. The voice acting is really good. Despite this both seasons are great even if the quality did dip. In a way I think the writers knew it wouldn’t last since there are many jokes about being cancelled, especially in its last season and the last episode in a way does feel like a proper last hoorah finale for everyone. So many easter eggs everywhere, even in the credits.
The characters created for the show are all such an untapped potential, such a fresh show that would fit better nowadays than it did in the 90s, a right balance of self aware. Now Freakazoid! did appear in one episode of Teen Titans Go, they brought back the original actors and they succeeded in doing the animated show justice. The self awareness and wackyness world of TTG! just fit with Freakazoid perfectly and the character feels like he did in the 90s and all the technobabble.
Freakazoid was one of my favorite cartoons as a kid and hated that we didn’t get more episodes. Looking back it wasn’t even the only cartoon about the internet since we had Reboot. when I rewatched it as a late teen again on early youtube I remember not being very impressed with it and thought it had lost its charm. I’m glad I gave it another chance since rewatching it now, I can see how wrong it was and how ahead of its time Freakazoid really was.