Strange Planet [tv]
Entry updated 15 April 2024. Tagged: TV.
US animated tv series (2023). Shadowmachine, Mercury Filmworks, Harmonius Claptrap, Nathan W Pyle, Apple Studios. Created by Dan Harmon and Nathan W Pyle, based on the webcomic/book series by Pyle. Directors include Charlie G, Maaike Scherff, Monica Tomova and Caitlin Vanarsdale. Writers include Steven Levy, Lauren Pomerantz and Nathan Pyle. Voice cast includes Lori Tan Chinn, Hannah Einbinder and Danny Pudi. Ten circa 23-minute episodes. Colour.
An unnamed planet with two moons is inhabited by blue "Beings" who, aside from their colour, resemble the Greys of ufology lore (see Aliens; UFOs); nonetheless their civilization is closely similar to early 2020s Earth. However, Beings have titles rather than names – for example, parents are Lifegivers; as for gender, either there is only one, or they are indistinguishable. Using they/them pronouns, their language is less prone to euphemisms and is more descriptive and technical (see Linguistics): alcoholic drinks are called "mild poison", Cats are "vibrating creatures" and Dogs "moral creatures"; though Beings and cats have two eyes, all other animals have three (see Life on Other Worlds).
Stories are slice-of-life and concern romance, work, parenting, adolescence, friendships and so forth: problems tend to arise from relationships rather than infrastructure or politics (see Sociology), perhaps making the civilization a middle-class Utopia, if what we have seen so far reflects society as a whole. Lessons are always being learnt and then spelt out, though – as this trait is consistent with the Beings' natures – it is not too annoying. Stories focus on many different Beings, but there are recurring characters: Manager (Einbinder), the manager of the restaurant Careful Now, so named because it is precariously perched on the edge of a cliff; Guide (Chinn), its eccentric owner; and Regular (Pudi), a frequent visitor, mainly because of their growing romance with Manager. There are occasional signs of advanced Technology, such as a machine seemingly capable of producing infinite pancakes and a strange underground monolith that provides electricity for Careful Now (see Power Sources).
The absence of gender as an issue keeps Strange Planet from just being a straightforward sf version of the Beast Fable [see The Encyclopedia of Fantasy under links below], where aliens are human in all but name. It is not yet clear whether oddities – such as the differing number of eyes or the Careful Now monolith – are significant or simply whimsy. The Humour is good – such as when a newly promoted Being assures former colleagues, "You don't have to act differently around me," and they respond, "We accept your theory and have our own." – but usually amusing rather than laugh-out loud funny. Though not a classic, this is still a likable show with much charm. [SP]
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