June 13, 2007 12:00
Lil' Bush: He's No Cartman
In 2001, Trey Parker and Matt Stone created That's My Bush!, a relatively mild sitcom about the new President, and cultural critics everywhere took notice. Was it disrespectful? Could this be good for a nation still divided over the election recount?
Six years later, Comedy Central is debuting Lil' Bush: Resident of the United States, which depicts the President as a tiny, suit-wearing tot, getting into hijinks with his friends Lil' Condi, Lil' Cheney and Lil' Rummy. The gang goes to Iraq and kills innocent civilians; Lil' Cheney tears the heads off birds and sucks their blood, and in one episode has sex with Barbara Bush and gets stuck in her uterus. But the show very likely won't budge America's attention from the five seconds of dead air at the end of The Sopranos' finale.
You could say this is a function of our changing social mores or the decline of the Administration's popularity. Maybe so, but it's probably also because Lil' Bush is too lame to be taken seriously, or, more important, taken humorously.
It's not that Lil' Bush's humor is beyond the pale; the Barbara Bush storyline, for instance, is no more outre than the South Park episode last season about Hillary Clinton's ladyhood. But for starters, Lil' Bush seems already dated, suffering from the long turnaround time of traditional animation in a way that the quick-reacting South Park never does. Lil' Rummy would have been swapped for Lil' Gates months ago. The central premise--that Lil' Bush lives in the White House with his dad, the President--defangs the current-events satire, since in real life 43 got into the Iraq quagmire precisely by making mistakes that 41 didn't. (We also see Lil' Jeb, but for some inexplicable reason, in the cartoon he's the dumb one in the family.) And really: Barbara Bush jokes? In 2007? I'll bet there's a Marilyn Quayle gag coming up that will just kill.
There are a few good, topical zingers in the two episodes sent to critics. In the first, Lil' Bush signs up for the Army, to find "the good news from Iraq." He asks the recuiter when he'll get his body armor; there's a pause, then they share a long hearty laugh at the ridiculous suggestion. But most of the targets are stale and obvious (Lil' Bill Clinton fools around with the Lewinsky twins, etc.), and unlike South Park, there's too much all-around contempt for the characters for the show to work as a series.
South Park builds its satire around a group of believable, likeable kids--even Cartman may be a jerk, but he's such a delightful one that you like spending time with him. Lil' Bush and his friends are just obnoxious, privileged twits, which might work for a bit within a sketch show, but will wear thin week after week. Bush fatigue may be a fine political sentiment. But it's unlikely to get this series re-elected.
About Tuned In
James Poniewozik writes TIME magazine's Tuned In column, about pop culture and society. Tuned In, the blog version, is about the stuff we used to call "TV," whether it's in your living room, on your computer or--once the networks figure out the technology and line up the advertisers--in your dreams themselves.
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Reader Comments (10)
"Lil' Bush and his friends are just obnoxious, privileged twits, which might work for a bit within a sketch show, but will wear thin week after week. Bush fatigue may be a fine political sentiment. But it's unlikely to get this series re-elected. "
well its not the show doesn't have a built in expiration date of Jan 20, 2009 to begin with.
(Of course, if the concept worked, they could always turn it into Lil Hillary, or lil Obama...)
Posted by p_lukasiak | June 13, 2007 2:19 PM
@p_luk: There's a lil' Hillary too! She wears pantsuits!
Posted by James Poniewozik | June 13, 2007 2:25 PM
Can it be any worse than the Half Hour News Hour that Fox throws up.....I mean out ever so often?
Posted by Keith | June 13, 2007 3:37 PM
Keith: Talk about setting the bar low!
Posted by James Poniewozik | June 13, 2007 5:28 PM
...Here's my idea for an episode. Lil' Bush n' crew go to the beach and become infuriated when Lil' Osama keeps knocking down their sand castles with his wind up balsa wood airplanes. A war errupts between the two factions yet, for some inexplicable reason, Lil' Bush bommbs a completely unrelated muslim familie's picnic causing widespread instability among the beach goers. Lil' Osama goes free in the end of course...The scripts write themselve's here folks. Too bad the show doesn't fully realize and sharpen it's wit and targets...sorta like the real W.!
Posted by Mark | June 15, 2007 3:26 PM
lil bush has to be the worst show ever concieved. come on guys it,s from Donick Cary. we all knew it was going to suck.
Posted by Chris Clarke | June 28, 2007 1:26 PM
lil bush has to be the worst show ever concieved. come on guys it,s from Donick Cary. we all knew it was going to suck.
Posted by Chris Clarke | June 28, 2007 1:26 PM
By the way, what is Cheney’s Borg Identity? FUtus of Borg. In Borg lore FUtus is often depicted as offering the Borg symbol of unity to the masses.
Who else in the administration has a Borg identity? Why there’s Alberto Gonzalez whose Borg identity is Refutus which means: It’s not my fault.
What about Bush himself? He is known as BigDoofus of Borg. Well actually BigDoofus of half wit because the Borg refused to give Bush a Borg identity. Even the Borg failed to find a brain in that head. Since they could find no brain, the Borg implants failed to take root in BigDoofus of halfwit. Nevertheless, the Borg in an uncharacteristic show of compassion allowed Bush to glue “falsiesâ€â€”fake Borg implants onto his person after he let it be known that he thought Borg implants “looked cool.â€
Note there are other Borg identities out there.
Rush is known as BigGlutus of Borg.
Ann is known as ShrillShrewtus of Borg.
All of those senators who are crying over their recent losses in the immigration battles are collectively known as BooHootus of Borg.
Posted by Poetry | July 2, 2007 8:26 PM
Nah, I actually like the show. I don't care what anyone says, I don't care how long the show airs for. I like it whether I'm the only one that does like it. Haha, whatever
Posted by I,was I just here? | July 11, 2007 9:32 PM
OMG! Why does everyone say bad things about this show! Bush is the worst president in our history and he DESERVES to be lampooned like this! The show is so funny because it actually adds some truth to the horrible and unconstitutional mistakes that this president makes. I love this show and think it's very funny.
Posted by E N | July 26, 2007 2:18 AM