Adult Swim has changed a lot through out its life but one thing it has always done is experiment. In the early days their shows definitely had a different style than they do now. I do think some of the original shows had a certain charm though, since back then they really weren’t a big programming block and they were still growing. Following the style of Space Ghost Coast to Coast of using an old Hanna-Barbera character Harvey Birdman Attorney at Law was created.
The show follows Harvey Birdman who has now retired from superheroing and became a Lawyer. Unlike Space Ghost the show mostly features original animation and not just stock footage as they had a bigger budget and the stock footage look is mostly done for style than anything else.
Harvey Birdman Attorney at Law has a brilliant premise in that we get to see other Hanna-Barbera characters get in trouble in one way or another and it is up to Birdman to save them. While some are obvious such as Scooby-Doo and Shaggy being stoners; others are a bit more creative and all of those cases can be so much fun.
The show also focuses on other random adventures and things that Harvey Birdman is going through, and these segments can be hit or miss. Sadly, they end up taking up most of the episode and the cases end up being just something they mention in the beginning and the end. The cases are usually superior than the random happenings of Birdman’s life so it’s a shame to see the cases take a back seat.
Over the course of the entire show you get to see plenty that even when it ends you don’t really feel like it could’ve had another season. Not because it’s bad but it leaves you fulfilled and with a nice ending, or at least as nice as this type of show can have. There is a “secret episode” in the video game that the show got though if you want to see one final episode.
The original Birdman was a show I was never interested in but from the few memories I had from childhood I could get enough references. This show is also enjoyed a lot more if you got the chance to watch most of the Hanna-Barbera classics, without them I’m sure the show is still enjoyable but you’d be missing out on a lot of references.
Any fan of Adult Swim humor or Hanna-Barbera properties really needs to check this show out, it might not be the best written show ever but it can be clever and has enough in there to keep you interested.
