Season Review: Ultra City Smiths Season One

Overview: Detectives David Mills (Jimmi Simpson) and Gail Johnson (Da’Vine Joy Randolph) investigate the murder of Carpenter K. Smith (Kurtwood Smith), plunging themselves into the filth of the city while battling their own personal struggles along the way. 

Our Take: If there’s one story concept that doesn’t immediately yell comedy, it’s that of a detective investigating a coldblooded murder in a crime ridden city. But the new AMC series proves otherwise, screaming it from the rooftops within the first few minutes and never seeming to let up.

The stop-motion animated Ultra City Smiths centers on detective David Mills as he attempts to solve the murder of Carpenter K. Smith, a mayoral candidate that would’ve set the crime infested hellscape known as Ultra City on the right path. And truly the series could not have created a better protagonist to help command the ship. Jimmi Simpson plays the detective with a challenging addiction that really rips him apart spiritually in that of…limes. It’s this comedic irony and the different ways it manifests that makes him and other characters of the city standout, each in their own unique way, like that of Mills’ wacky therapeutic dancing that is supposed to help with his citrusy dilemma. 

Besides Simpson, there is an extensive cast of notable talent that this show is packing throughout. Da’Vine Joy Randolph plays his partner in detective and caring mother, Gail Johnson. She is more of an anomaly in that she doesn’t have as many comedic moments as the rest of the cast and plays it straight through most of it. But it is also to the benefit of other characters, in that she sets up and plays off of others’ jokes effectively with her more stoic personality The rest of the cast are that of Smiths, suspects in Carpenter K. Smith’s murder, with them having the same last name and seemingly being relatives in one way or another. Whether it’s Lady Andrea The Giant, played by veteran actress Bebe Neuwirth, in her big hearted nature and love for her daughter or the down-on-his-luck male prostitute, Street Hustler Boy, there is a plethora of fun characters to enjoy and watch as they face down their hardships. 

However, beyond the laughs though, there is indeed genuine heart throughout. Each character has a dark and/or grounded connection that ties them to the city in that there’s something that humanizes them in some way. Gail tries desperately to keep her son away from the seductively evil clutches of the city or Andrea desperately struggles to help her daughter in any way she can. 

Unfortunately, though due to the shorter season and run time of the episodes, some characters get more attention than others. For instance, like that of Trish McSapphire, a Smith who plays a pivotal role within the investigation and world as a whole within the first season but doesn’t get as much development and/or screen time as that of Mills, Johnson or even Street Hustler Boy. Also not every character gets to flex their comedic muscles as much as others due to this as well.

There are a handful of amazing musical numbers that have hilariously outlandish lyrics that help initiate the audience to certain characters like that of the lewd crooked politician, Chris Pecker, played by Dax Sheppard. Also the detail on the character doll throughout is quite good with the various fabrics and materials on the clothing being very distinguishable and intricate

Ultra City Smiths is a comedy with plenty of eccentric and fun characters with decently compelling chemistry and relationships that make up the criminal concrete jungle that is Ultra City. There is room for improvement however with most of the supporting cast in need of more on-screen presence and humorous exchanges that’ll allow for more character work and comedy, respectively.  Hopefully that will manifest in a second season that could have a lot of potential to be a modern comedy classic if implemented.