Dilbert-esque Bojack Horseman Spin-off that's both more Adult & more Lighthearted ( + Recommendations for Other Top Adult Animated Comedies)
It's exciting to see a Bojack Horseman spin-off / new show in the Bojack universe, to tie me over while wait for the next season of Bojack.
"Tuca & Bertie" does have some some nudity and profanity which may go a bit beyond Bojack, but without focusing on adult themes like Bojack, so it could still appeal to a wide audience.
I enjoyed the Dilbert-esque workplace comedy with Bertie's job involving Data Analytics (finally a decent show involving that!), which presents an interesting contrast to the glimpse at the Gig Economy that Tuca provides.
There is a pretty novel use of bubble and bullet point list annotations for humorous labeling of objects, characters, and even character traits as well as evidence backing up points that characters are making. I wish they stayed on screen a bit longer, but even still, it may be worth pausing for 2 seconds to finish reading them.
There are some sing-songy narrative musical segments with hip-hop dancing by Tuca. Though I'm typically not a fan of musicals, those don't really distract from the plot, as it continues with the singy-songy segments more in the background or very brief. Interestingly, Tuca & Bertie seems a bit more racially diverse than Bojack (insofar as is possible with animals instead of people ;), in a subtle way, and so has the potential for more broad demographic appeal.
Episode 2, focuses more on Bertie and her job is quite different and more interesting (furthering plot and character development) than Episode 1, so I suggest at least watching that far before formulating an opinion. However, even Episode 1 has some really excellent funny background activities and situations (hint: see where the turtle carrying the fire extinguisher is going?)
"Tuca & Bertie" was just released today on Netflix, so you can check it out now at:
https://www.netflix.com/title/80198137
Tuca & Bertie has an interesting mix of adult themes and lighthearted situational and workplace comedy, with the promising potential for a Dilbert-esque Bojack spin-off.
Tuca could almost be described, in Bojack terms, as "Todd meets Mr. Peanutbutter", with Bertie as "Diane meets Princess Carolyn". Tuca has the uncanny ability for both oblivious catastrophic failures and unexpected major successes (though more deserving of the latter than Todd). I prefer Bojack's roommate Todd's comic relief over Tuca, though I do appreciate how Tuca is more deserving of her successes, whenever those occur. .
All-in-all, I still much prefer Bojack Horseman over Tuca & Bertie, with Bojack as a darker comedy with a protagonist / anti-hero facing more difficult life obstacles driven by more deep-seeded three-dimensional character flaws. However, there aren't many shows out there as good as Bojack.
In short, I look forward to seeing this show progress and feel it's a pretty good entry into the Bojack universe, which leads me to hope to see other shows expand that universe further in the future.
Ranking of Top Adult Animated Comedy TV Shows
For those who enjoy, Bojack Horseman, I would also suggest the following adult animated comedies (from best to also quite good):
