The Tick (2001) (TV)

"Wicked men, you face The Tick.", 1 July 2006

Somehow, I missed The Tick during its run on television. Thank goodness for DVD! The Tick has to be one of the funniest, most original shows I've seen. It's a riot! I can't believe there are only eight episodes.

I can pinpoint two things that make The Tick so good to me. First, the writing. Some of the dialogue in The Tick is laugh out loud funny. In the pilot episode, the first time we see the Tick, he's guarding a bus stop. His main enemy appears to be the coffee machine that has a habit of taking money from customers. I'll never forget the sight of the Tick shaking the coffee machine while saying "Armless bandit... Empty your bladder of that bitter black urine men call coffee! It has its price and its price has been payed! Java devil, you are now my bitch." Hysterical!

The second area where the show excels is in the casting. Going back to his days on the television show Dave's World, I've always thought that Patrick Warburton was one the funniest people I've ever seen. He's a big, tough, good-looking guy who can be as goofy as they come. He is simply perfect in the title role of this series. His delivery, mannerism, attitude, and look are dead on. I can't imagine anyone else playing the Tick. As for the rest of the cast, they're wonderful. As much as I can't imagine anyone else playing the Tick, I feel even stronger about David Burke in the role of Arthur. He IS Arthur. Liz Vassey and Nestor Carbonell are the two other regulars rounding out this superb cast.

It's a shame The Tick didn't last longer. Eight episodes hardly seems like enough.

8/10