Squidbillies
Vol. 2 DVD
Created by Dave Willis and Jim Fortier
Written by Dave Willis
Turner Home Entertainment
Release date: April 21, 2009

So Adult Swim has come up with some odd cartoons in their time, but I think Squidbillies takes the cake. Squidbillies, created by Dave Willis (Aqua Teen Hunger Force) and Jim Fortier (Brak Show), follows the story of the Cuyler family, a clan of hillbilly squids that happen to live in a town in Georgia. The Culyers’ penchant for violence and racism are always getting them in trouble but their bacon is usually saved by the town sheriff, thanks to a previous federal law passed that makes them an endangered species.

If you are even a bit familiar with Willis and Fortier’s previous work, you should like this series. The episodes are short and concise, and always really have no continuity whatsoever. Characters from the cartoon are often shot, brunt to a crisp, and eaten in every episode, but show up unscathed later on, sometimes even in the same episode. The storylines are also outrageous and over the top. One of the episodes involves Grandma Cuyler getting into a botched tanning accident and rather than have plastic surgery, the Cuyler family kill various animals and sew the animal skins onto her. Though be warned: A lot of the comedy is broad, with jokes ending with the death or dismemberment of another character, and might not be for all viewers, even for yours truly who happens to like Aqua Teen and Brak.

It is not as if there is anything particularly wrong with Squidbillies. The overall tone and humor of the writers have not changed in the least, but therein lies the problem. The show lacks a certain degree of creativity and freshness. There is nothing new about the show except for the idea of squid hillbillies and even that wears thin right around episode 3. Don’t get me wrong, I am as big as a fan of hillbilly humor as the next guy, but eventually that will not be enough to keep my attention. There needs to be interesting characters and funny storylines and there is just not enough of that in the show. It almost feels like an episode of Aqua Teen but with the addition of talking squids.

The animation is also a little bit of a downgrade from their previous works. It is well known that animation from various Adult Swim cartoons is very simple but always had a charm about it that wins you over. With Squidbillies though, the art is just very child-like and not in a good way. It literally looks like a second grader animated the show. It just was not visually appealing.

The DVD collects all 20 episodes from the second season and extras from the DVD include additional scenes, some animation shorts, a feature on the art and music of the show, and even a Q and A panel that was conducted at the Monster Con in 2008 that fans of the show or of the creators will find very appealing.

Squidbillies is definitely not for everyone. The comedy, though at times is funny, is very broad and polarizing. There is definitely an audience for this kind of comedy, but viewers will either find the absurdness of talking hillbilly squids hilarious or just find it boring. The concept is unique but even that can only hold a viewer’s attention for long before they realize it is Aqua Teen with squids but without the charm. This is not the best work from either creators but if you ask fans of the show, they would disagree. The show is quite popular and is currently entering its third season.