A combined Canadian and MTV production, Undergrads is an adult cartoon that got mixed reviews and no ratings. It was subsequently cancelled after only 13 episodes. Which is a shame, because this show had overlooked merit. The show dealt with university and college life, as experienced by a group of four friends who grew up together.
The four main characters each represent a major personality type. There's the main character Nitz, who's socially challenged in many respects. There's Gimpy, who lives on computers and loves Star Wars. There's Cal, the dimwitted but well-meaning guy who gets more action than anyone on campus. Then there's Rocko, who's got the worst habits. In addition we have a ditsy girl and a cool girl (Kimmy and Jessie, respectively). These colourful characters (literally, since Jessie has purple hair) are a good reason to keep watching.
I first watched the show enthusiastically in 2002. I was in high school at the time, but I really related to Nitz, who was a loser but a good guy, and also to Gimpy, who was a nerd. The soundtrack was hip, the show's look was solid, and the jokes were good. The jokes weren't over the top bathroom humour, although many were sexual in nature. At times they could be sharp and right on- Rocko saying he drinks and smashes because he loves, or Rocko challenging Nitz, Gimpy and Mump to describe kissing, or Nitz's terrible job description, or Jessie's "kung fu Jew" fake ID. At the core of these jokes there was both heart and honesty. Undergrads taught me about university life, which I later experienced, and I'd have to say the show is in many respects true to life. Nitz's terrible job at the library mirrored some jobs of my own, for example.
Alas, there were only 13 episodes and the show was on four days a week, so eventually I watched the show so much that I got tired of it. I never returned to watching it until recently, 8 years later. After the long break, it's good again, and I can say it holds up nicely. The two best episodes are the third and sixth, Virgins and Roommates. These skillfully deal with self-consciousness, sexual tension, roommate troubles, humiliation and misunderstandings. And, Gimpy and She-Prime were neighbours. How cool was that?
The four main characters each represent a major personality type. There's the main character Nitz, who's socially challenged in many respects. There's Gimpy, who lives on computers and loves Star Wars. There's Cal, the dimwitted but well-meaning guy who gets more action than anyone on campus. Then there's Rocko, who's got the worst habits. In addition we have a ditsy girl and a cool girl (Kimmy and Jessie, respectively). These colourful characters (literally, since Jessie has purple hair) are a good reason to keep watching.
I first watched the show enthusiastically in 2002. I was in high school at the time, but I really related to Nitz, who was a loser but a good guy, and also to Gimpy, who was a nerd. The soundtrack was hip, the show's look was solid, and the jokes were good. The jokes weren't over the top bathroom humour, although many were sexual in nature. At times they could be sharp and right on- Rocko saying he drinks and smashes because he loves, or Rocko challenging Nitz, Gimpy and Mump to describe kissing, or Nitz's terrible job description, or Jessie's "kung fu Jew" fake ID. At the core of these jokes there was both heart and honesty. Undergrads taught me about university life, which I later experienced, and I'd have to say the show is in many respects true to life. Nitz's terrible job at the library mirrored some jobs of my own, for example.
Alas, there were only 13 episodes and the show was on four days a week, so eventually I watched the show so much that I got tired of it. I never returned to watching it until recently, 8 years later. After the long break, it's good again, and I can say it holds up nicely. The two best episodes are the third and sixth, Virgins and Roommates. These skillfully deal with self-consciousness, sexual tension, roommate troubles, humiliation and misunderstandings. And, Gimpy and She-Prime were neighbours. How cool was that?
