Quite unexpectedly one night a few weeks ago, when contemplating what leisurable activity to pursue next, Max decided quite spontaneously that we should view the first episode of the one-season series Clone High. The premise sounded interesting and Max in general gives very good recommendations, so we watched the show via Youtube.
The first show honestly wasn't a huge hit; I was entertained, but not blown away (as other series have done with their first episode). However, a couple of days later I had a strange urge to watch more, so I went on a whim and found the rest of the episodes and continued on. A few days later I had finished the last of the twelve episodes, and now I am here to give a review.
Overall I'd say the series is good. Not great, not without some faults, but in general every episode is quite good and the show's biggest fault is it brevity. It's similar to Invader Zim, I though, in several ways (not limited to being cancelled far before it deserved to be, which seems to be the fate of many good comedies). It has a rather bizarre set of main characters (clones of famous leaders suffering from not living up to their original's lives), rather random and offbeat humor with the occasional historical joke mixed in, and no real overarching plot to speak of. Although the characters do progress slightly in an arc, it's rather minor and unimportant.
The show is especially good when you get the references, which there are a lot of. In general it pokes fun at the tropes of high school dramas/soaps, but also mixes in pretty much every other major genre you can think of, as well as a lot of famous voice actors, often playing themselves (perhaps most unexpectedly Marilyn Manson). A good example is the anti-drug movie, which I'm told lampoons the infamous "Reefer Man" anti-drug movie, but since I was unaware of it I mostly saw the numerous references to classic rock operas like The Wall and Tommy. I think no matter which allusion you were following it was enjoyable, and I think that's true of the series as a whole. There's a lot to offer, and again while nothing is outstanding per se, there's so much solid humor that makes up for this. It's a quantity over quality type of thing.
The characters are all pretty memorable (Abe Lincoln, Joan of Arc, Gandhi, JFK, and Cleopatra are the main characters) but the best two are likely the Principle, Scudsworth, and his robotic butler, Mr. Butlertron. The surprise appearance of other notable people is generously scattered in, including fun things like making a Ponce de Leon into the Fonz (Aaron, take note). The inversion of the characterization of the teens versus what you expect based on the historical figure is often unsurprising, but usually still enjoyable.
Beyond that, I don't really have much to say. It's a comedy, and while comedies are often very dependent on the person, this is one I feel safe recommending to most people. It's short, so easy to watch over a few days, and the first two episodes are only 40 minutes in total (20 each). I'd recommend if you're looking for a new show or want something entertaining for short breaks, try out the first two, and if it doesn't tickle your fancy you can move on. But if you like it, let me know.
-HTMC
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