What’s the name of this show? Son of Zorn.
When does it premiere? Fox is giving the show a “sneak preview” on Sunday 11 September at 8pm ET, right after the NFL game so everyone will be watching. It settles into its regular time slot on Sundays at 8.30pm ET starting the 25rd.
It’s a Fox show on Sunday night, so does that mean it’s animated? Not entirely.
Who is this Zorn and why should we care about his son? Zorn is a cartoon character from the land of Zephyria.
I thought you said it wasn’t animated. Well, it’s not – Zorn is the only cartoon character on the show. Everything else is live action.
OK, just what the hell is this thing? Zorn (voiced by Jason Sudeikis), an excessively masculine He-Man-esque cartoon character, is the defender of Zephyria and conqueror of the tribes of Agon. On his island nation, they don’t have concepts like consideration, empathy, pacifism, or “no shirt, no shoes, no service”. He decides to leave his island home to go to Orange County for his human son’s 17th birthday. When he gets there, he discovers his ex-wife Edie (Cheryl Hines) has a new fiancé (Tim Meadows) and that his son Alangulon (Johnny Pemberton) – who goes by Alan – isn’t quite the flesh-ripping, head-stomping mini-warrior that Zorn was hoping for. Wanting to be more of an influence in his son’s life, Zorn decides to get a job and stay in California, even though no one wants him there.
This thing sounds really weird. It is. Fox has had some success experimenting with off-the-wall comedy concepts lately, like The Last Man on Earth and the sadlydeparted The Grinder (RIP). But this one is gonzo even for them.
Does it work? Yes, because Son of Zorn actually isn’t that weird. Well, it is, but aside from the fact that Zorn is a cartoon character, this is a traditional fish-out-of-water sitcom. Anyone who watched Green Acres, Perfect Strangers or The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air will recognize what works about pulling someone from one very specific culture and asking him to fit into another. It just happens that Zorn’s culture is ripped out of a bad 1980s cartoon. When Zorn’s new boss asks him if he has a shirt, he responds: “Does a Griffion herdsman have nine anuses?” Now, we have no idea what this herdsman is or why he is so prodigious in the colorectal arena, but we know it’s a solid joke and it’s made even funnier by the absurdity of it.
So it’s funny? Yeah, it’s funny. There is a couple of laugh out loud moments and surprisingly, the humor is quite relatable. When Edie asks Zorn why he hasn’t been a part of his son’s life, he says: “I was busy fighting for my homeland and making sure Volchezor didn’t get his hands on the Staff of Quib.” That’s funny, but what’s even better is when Edie says: “Oh, the Staff of Quib is only a stick.” Which of us hasn’t had a similarly stupid fight with an ex, or been embarrassed by our ridiculous parents when they picked us up at school? Everything here is just taken to its absurd extreme and features a tone-deaf dude without a shirt swinging around a cartoon sword.
How’s the animation? Pretty good and it fits in seamlessly. After a while, you won’t even remember that you’re watching an animated swordsman who only eats raw meat.
I find that very hard to believe. I do too, but it was worth a shot.
Should I watch this show? Yes, because even if it gets canceled after its first 13 episodes, in 10 years people will be saying: “Oh my God! Remember Son of Zorn?” like it’s the new Cop Rock (or at least the new Dinosaurs). You’re going to want to remember something this ridiculous and might even startle yourself at how much you enjoy it.
