“We can sing and dance, and we don't need pants See, we're just like you We've got regular jobs, just with low doorknobs See, we're just like you Yes, we graduate from Harvard (At the head of my class!) But if they test sobriety (I may not pass!) There's no strings attached, and there's no hand up my (HONK!) We're just like you!" Being that I grew up watching “Sesame Street”, and spent the better part of my life wishing I could find a way to work for Jim Henson’s Creature Shop, I guess its safe say that I love puppets and the art of puppeteering. When I was in school, I got involved in some puppet shows and found that I was pretty good at it. Since I never really went anywhere with that talent, I opted instead to watch any puppet shows or live theatre that I could, no matter the subject.

That’s why I can sit back and enjoy the family friendly antics of “The Muppet Show” as easily as I appreciate the NC-17 couplings of Trey Parker and Matt Stone’s riotously funny “Team America.”

So it was a given that I was going to watch Fox’s “Greg the Bunny” when it first aired back in 2002. I knew that it was going to be irreverent, and the fact that Seth Green and Eugene Levy were part of the cast only made it more enticing. What I didn’t know was that Fox was going to treat the series so shabbily that finding it on any of the nights it was supposed to air was nearly impossible. It was bounced (hopped) all over the place over a five month period, only to be summarily cancelled with two episodes unaired. Until last week, when the DVD of the complete series showed up on my doorstep, I had yet to see a single episode. In all, thirteen episodes were produced and the day after the DVD arrived I set down to watch a couple. I had to see what I had missed. From the very first episode, “Welcome to Sweetknuckle Junction”, I was completely hooked and knew I was in store for an evening of big laughs.

The premise of “Greg the Bunny” is that we currently live in a world where humans and puppets, preferably referred to as ‘fabricated Americans, live and work together as a part of daily life. Puppets are the forgotten minority, often having problems finding work because of their non-fleshy status. Enter Greg, the Bunny. Greeg is a little brown sock puppet that lives with Jimmy Bender (Seth Green), who is also in need of a little direction in life. Jimmy’s current job as a pool boy is highly disappointing because his clients include people who actually want him to clean their pools, as opposed to being made up of horny housewives.

Greg decides that his days of unemployment need to come to an end, so he harasses Jimmy into calling his father, Gil (Eugene Levy), to see if there are any openings at
the studio where he works. When Greg shows up to apply for an office job, he is mistakenly given an audition to take over as one of the stars of “Sweetknuckle Junction”, the children’s show that Gil directs. This leads to employment for Greg, as well as a spiffy little job as a production assistant for Jimmy.

Though I laughed long and hard throughout the episodes of “Greg the Bunny”, I can see why it might have had a hard time finding an audience. The networks horrible scheduling was only a part off the problem. The humor in “Greg the Bunny” is sometimes broad and easy to catch, but more often I found it to be a bit too smart for its own good. Today’s television audiences don’t like to have to think about a joke, they want it spelled out for them. A lot of the jokes in the series were brilliantly written, but perhaps a little too satirical for some audiences. Some of the best lines in the show were often asides that were probably missed if viewers weren’t paying attention. For example, you’d catch things like, “I heard a rumor that Ernie and Bert were straight”, or “They put Oscar on Prozac”. Or when Jimmy accidentally runs into the show’s new producer (Sarah Silverman) at a newsstand, he comments that he ‘comes here periodically.’ Great joke, but I doubt many people got it.

There’s a lot to love about the series for smarter audiences, even from the cast of the show within a show itself. The puppet cast includes Professor Ape (who is often drunk and has to remind people his real name is Warren Demontague), Count Blah (who is a shameless and self-professed rip-off of “Sesame Street’s” Count Count), and the aptly named Tardy the Turtle (who’s name could be highly offensive to some people if they really think about it). Of the human characters, there is Junction Jack (the great Bob Gunton), who hates puppets because of a traumatic (yet hysterical) experience he had as a child, and Dottie Sunshine (the also great Dina Waters).

There wasn’t a single bad episode amongst the thirteen available on this new DVD release, but I give especially high marks to “Sock Like Me.” In it, Greg secretly writes a very offensive comment about himself on the bathroom wall so everyone will think he can take a joke. When evidence points to Jack having written it, a specialist is brought in to help the cast deal with the ‘anti-puppetism’ that is running rampant at the studio. It’s a hilarious send-up of the whole racial issue that is taken way out of proportion in corporate offices these days. But again, some of the humor is just too darn smart, starting with the title. I doubt very many people will catch the take-off of the title of the anti-rasicm film “Black Like Me.”

Adding to the value of the DVD set, Fox decided to fill it with a bunch of extra features, none of which are in any way a waste of time. Some of the episodes include commentary by some of the cast and crew, and one even has a commentary by the puppets. Most of the commentaries are pretty funny, but they are not the best the set has to offer. One of the best features is “The Humans Behind the Fabricated-Americans” which comes in at about 30 minutes and it tells the entire story of how the series came to be, including its humble beginnings as a series of shorts on the Independent Film Channel. There are also numerous extended and deleted scenes, all of which are funny.

Be sure to watch the feature, “Puppet Auditions” which offers up just what the name implies. Some of the bits are priceless. You’ll also find some conceptual artwork for the series, as well as a very different version of the series that was created for IFC. Following this are a bunch of great little extras including a wrap party reel, and a hysterical short film featuring Tardy the Turtle.

I understand that “Greg the Bunny” might see a revival on IFC and that would be great. It’s one of the funnier shows I’ve seen in a while and I’m sure it will reach a much smarter and more appreciative audience there.

Episodes:
Welcome to Sweetknuckle Junction
Sock Like Me
Dottie Heat
SK-2.0
The Jewel Heist
Greg Gets Puppish
The Singing Mailman
Rabbit Redux
Surprise!
Father & Son Reunion
Piddler on the Roof
Blah Bawls
Jimmy Drives Gil Crazy

Starring: Eugene Levy, Seth Green, Sarah Silverman
Extras: Selected Episode Cast, Crew and Puppet Commentaries, “The Humans Behind the Fabricated Americans”, Deleted and Extended Scenes, Interview with Seth Green & Greg the Bunny, Wrap Reel, Puppet Auditions, Storyboard Gallery
Specifications: Full Frame, English Dolby Surround
Studio: Fox
Release Date: 10/19/2004
Region 1
MPAA Rating: NR
Website

We'll give Greg The Bunny: The Complete Series an A.