“Tripping the Rift†is not your normal animated show in the fact that it throws all convention, tact and subtlety out the window. Twice as outrageous as “South Park†and equally as obnoxious [in the best way possible] as “Code Monkeys,†the show has managed to garner a cult following. Its third season continues the show’s raunchiness and does so in grand fashion, as the collection of 13 episodes are some of the best in the series.
The first thing that this show has going for it is its gorgeous look. CGI animated, “Tripping the Rift,†is one of the best looking animated shows on television. However, while the show would still be funny if it was animated like every other cartoon, the CGI look allows for it to be as sexy and as close to erotic as it possibly can be. For example, Six, one of the main characters on the show, is well endowed in the chest area and throughout the show, her assets are moving and grooving like a pair of sambas at a Mexican wedding. Is it a huge selling point for the show? No. But it is fun to watch.
The fact that the show is set in space and has a futuristic aesthetic however definitely helps its appeal.
Continuing this process even more is the show’s story, or for lack of better words, its lack of a real one. Effectively satirizing everything from “Dukes of Hazzard†and “American Idol†to “Indiana Jones†and “Desperate Housewives,†the third season of “Tripping the Rift†is anything but original, but it’s still hilarious. This isn’t a knock on the concepts of the show’s creators Chris Moeller, Chuck Austen either. Borrowing even more from other shows the likes of “Star Trek” and “Battlestar Galactica” has allowed the show to quickly attract a fan base and create an animated sitcom that viewers would be comfortable with. Kicking up its sex appeal and laugh out loud hilarity in season three helps things a bit as well.
The end result is a winning formula with enough originality to cement its cult status.
With a great look and a fun atmosphere, the final piece of the puzzle for any animated sitcom is the voice acting. With an excellent character actor the likes of Stephen Root, who has appeared in everything from “True Blood†to “Office Space†and animated shows such as “American Dad†and “King of the Hill†playing main character Chode McBlob, “Tripping the Rift†has all the right pieces in place. Voice-acting veteran Maurice LaMarche, who is a staple in the industry, appearing regularly on “The Simpsons,†“The Critic,†“Futurama†and “Pinky and the Brain†plays Chode’s trusty robot sidekick Gus, who provides a bulk of the off-color humor. Together, they are solid one-two punch that bring the zany adventures in space to life.
Sometimes a show can manage to defy odds when it has enough going for it. That is easily the case with “Tripping the Rift,†as the show is clever enough to bring out the material it’s based upon, while being witty enough to effectively make it their own.
Crude at times and heart-stopping hilarious another, “Tripping the Rift†may still be under the radar when it comes to animated sitcoms, but that doesn’t mean it belongs to be.
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