4/10
Grumble in the Bronx - Not that funny Children's TV Spoof
25 June 2021
The first series was an Irish production by the team behind Zig & Zag, Double Z Enterprises for Channel 4 / E4. I think Zig & Zag worked mainly because they timed it right. In the late 80s\early 90s there was a penchant for slightly risqué humour as well as TV that appealed to both children and (stoned) adults see also Maid Marion and Her Merry Men, The Crystal Maze and Rainbow.

The puppets Teddy T (a giant panda with a cigarette in his mouth) and Bronx Bunny (a brown bunny) some how manage to be even more grotesque than Zig & Zag. I'm not doubting the talent of Mick O'Mara and Ciaran Morrison, especially when it comes to voice acting and improv. I just don't like the characters.

This came out in 2003. The "American" series was 2007 and featured bigger guests. Unfortunately like a lot of TV at the time it suffers from featuring celebrities who were of the moment: Steve-O, Judy Reyes, Jessica Alba, Seymore Butts. And occasionally household names: Hugh Hefener, William Shatner, Bryan Cranston. It's basically interviews with the puppets swearing in every sentence with really crass comedy sketches such as, Teddy T (a giant panda) having sex with a woman to spoof porn films! And Sesame Street-style spoofs spelling out words like Skank Ho. I'm not offended or bothered by it, there's just no cleverness to it beyond the basic premise of spoofing Kid's educational TV. There a lot of crude comedies I find hilarious: Bottom, The Young Ones, Nathan Barley, Curb, F Is For Family, even the odd Hale and Pace sketch; unfortunately this is isn't one of them.

Series 1 is still available on All4 for the curious. Series 2 is available on Prime USA.
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