Season One Review: Moonbeam City

Nowadays, it’s more and more difficult get fans to find a TV show. There used to be a time when not a lot of TV networks meant a better chance in getting your new series more exposure. You would think that having a new animated series on RIGHT after South Park would reap rewards but not when you factor in the number of people who season pass shows like this leaving not as much wiggle room to promote something new. Brickleberry survived three years because Daniel Tosh told viewers of Tosh.0 that it was on next and you should watch it and for three seasons his fans listened. Unfortunately, Moonbeam City never got the same kind of respect.

See, when you want to get a show a bunch of viewers, now you have to promote it EARLY and OFTEN and hope fans start building a relationship with the subject matter early. It’s a concept that still works to this day. USA Network used viral marketing to get the word out about its excellent Mr. Robot vehicle. Executive Producer and writer Lalo Alcaraz is in the midst of a six month road tour where he left no stone un-turned in terms of promoting the new FOX show Bordertown premiering next week for FOX.

And this, I think, is where Moonbeam City went wrong in terms of getting ratings. Unlike Brickleberry which got one of the more impressive marketing campaigns I’ve ever seen, Comedy Central seemed to let this one fly under the radar tosee if it can build it’s own audience post the South Park follow up. Near the end of the first season, it was quite evident that Moonbeam City wasn’t working and was pushed to the graveyard shift.

It’s not like the show didn’t have the ingredients to be good. Quite the opposite. By far Moonbeam City was Titmouse’s most impressive series in terms of design, aesthetic, and palette certainly borrowing a lot of principles that Metalocalypse had such as an absurd setting, silly characters, and ridiculous story lines that seemed to resolve themselves in oft-putting ways.

That said a lot of the plots in the show’s first season seemed to repeat themselves. For example, half of the episodes revolved around meeting someone’s parents whom were usually some sort of a guest star and normally more nuts than the principal character. In the show’s first season, we have met the parents of Dazzle, Pizzaz, Chrysalis, and Rad. In comparison, Family Guy JUST introduced us to Joe’s father this season. Yep…Joe…a character that has been a part of Family Guy for the entirety of the show’s 14 seasons, and we’re STILL just meeting people. Moonbeam City? BOOM! First season, let’s meet the parents x four.

I think more innovation on the plots ala the earlier part of Moonbeam City would have done this show a lot better. And maybe some promotion on behalf of the voice actors that work on it. Seriously, Rob Lowe couldn’t have stopped by Conan?

Overall, I feel quite content from what I got from Moonbeam City which may or may not be a good thing. After you’re done watching a TV show you’re supposed to want some more, but not the case here. Not that I DON’T want a second season Moonbeam City. Shit, if it happens, I’ll take it and marvel at the show’s strengths and hope for better plots, but if not, I got my fill.