Review: Jeff & Some Aliens”Jeff & Some Honor Killings”

The first episode is streaming on CC.com and here’s what we thought

Spoilers Below

Jeff & Some Aliens arrives as an adult-oriented show that’s both hilariously outlandish and poignantly grounded. The series appropriately focuses on protagonist and average dude Jeff (Brett Gelman) and his three alien roommates. The extraterrestrial trio was sent to Earth to study the world’s ultimate average specimen (Jeff) and determine whether humanity was worth destroying or not. In the debut episode, “Jeff & Some Honor Killings” sets the tone for the forthcoming season.

Taking after its sketch source material, Jeff & Some Aliens is rather funny,  incredibly bleak, and it’s chock full of dark humor. For example, in this week’s episode, the honor killings involve spitting on victims and sprinkling them with pubic hairs. During its sub-30 minute run-time, “Jeff & Some Honor Killings”  features consistently dark scenarios turned humorous, but often you feel kind of guilty laughing… at least I did.

Jeff & Some Aliens is a show that holds nothing sacred though this isn’t your South Park style of lampooning everything. The adult content is less crass language and violence but with more twisted content. Complimenting the wacky yet down to earth narrative and taut dialogue are the visuals. The colors are really vivid, and the animation has a bit of a retro-modern vibe.

Possibly my favorite aspect of Jeff & Some Aliens is the dichotomy of the fantastical mixed with the mundane. Jeff works at a smoothie store at the mall, has a disheveled apartment, and isn’t in great shape. His interactions with the alien trio are essentially a roommate dynamic. Jeff is constantly confronting his housemates for innocuous events like one of the aliens using his towel. The difference being, unlike your roommates these otherworldly beings have back sores oozing purple gunk. And when Jeff accidentally mixes up their toothbrushes? Well, that toothbrush has been used for brushing something other than teeth.

Not unsurprisingly, there’s a mildly happy and relatively upbeat ending. Considering the build up, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect for the final moments of the first episode. Overall, Jeff & Some Aliens is not for the faint of heart or easily offended and it’s loaded with biting humor and radiates a worldview that life is meaningless.

What originated as a short sketch on TripTank has morphed into a 20-minute show with a 10 episode season. With great animation, a fun cast of characters, and super mix of relateable material and the bizarre, Jeff & Some Aliens season one, episode one “Jeff & Some Honor Killings” is a good start to a series that is a truly a must-see.