For anyone that hasn't seen it or heard of it before, I highly recommend checking out the short lived series
Wonder Showzen. The show is a dark,
dark, comedy that takes many conventions of traditional kids shows (lovable puppets, kids interviewing random people on the street, scattered cartoons, and episodes themes where everyone learns about "Patience" or "Diversity") and inverts them, incorporating both heavy swearing and shock value along with some more disturbing, psychological elements.
Some basic examples of what the show does:
One of the puppets travels back two minutes in time, pisses himself off, and after a series of events begins to fight himself throughout "all of time" in absurdist contests like a track and field event in the Battle of Fallujah and what I think was a jousting event in the year 11,920.
One of the recurring cartoon segments features D.O.G O.B.G.Y.N, a dog with the ability to aid in child birth (and yes, they always refer to the character by sounding out the whole acronym).
In my favorite segments, a blue puppet named Clarence goes around "on the street" and harasses people with a series of questions; great if you're a fan of Borat style humor.
Oh, and without going into detail, there's one episode where a puppet's brain is invaded and the invaders literally piss on his stream of consciousness.
I've been working through this show's two seasons again on DVD, and with the exception of a few uneven episodes in the very beginning of season one, it's sheer brilliance. Check it out if you want a break from some of the HBO or AMC dramas you've been working through.
