Yesterday, Paramount+ debuted Big Nate, a new series based off of the comics by Lincoln Peirce, which have taken the form of newspaper comic strips, novels, and webcomics. I was more or less unfamiliar with the property until my kids – Benajmain, 5, and Amelia, 9 – discovered the very cool mailer that Paramount+ had sent me for the series. They are now hooked, and will be joining me on my reviews of the series. Let’s dig into “The Legend of the Gunting!”
1. Legitimately funny
My barometer for kids’ programming is simple: does it maintain my adult interest? Big Nate succeeds in that arena because of how funny the show is. There are so many jokes that found me cracking up, while my kids more or less looked at me in confusion. The idea of the shell-shocked gym teacher went right over their heads, but when Chad yelled “thank you for your service!” as the teacher picked him up and ran him off, I blurt laughed. That’s also a pretty dark joke, as was the one about teachers crying in their cars, which is surprising for a show like this. But the jokes land, and that’s ultimately all that matters. There were plenty of moments that my kids found funny too, and the show has a nice mix of both to keep both generations entertained.
2. Legitimately creepy
The character of Bentley Carter, a new kid in school, was presented just about as creepily as I can imagine a kids show getting. Physically, he’s got greasy, dandruff-laden hair, snot pouring from his nose, and he’s dressed like a recently released convict in court-donated clothes that don’t quite fit. His voice is high and breathy, adding to the overall creep factor. None of these traits taken alone would read the same way, but slap ’em together and wow, this dude is genuinely unsettling. My son, Ben, put it best: “That guy makes me uncomfortable.”
3. Legitimately enjoyable
Nate, as a character, is a scamp of the Ferris Bueller variety, and the 80s movie mentality extends to his inspiration and harbinger of doom, Brad Gunter, voiced by Jack Black and stylized as Judd Nelson from The Breakfast Club, replete with Simple Minds soundtrack. And like Bueller, you never stop rooting for Nate. His friends are similarly charming, and lend themselves to a very likable cast of characters. Even the drone-obsessed principal doesn’t come off like a heavy, and the true antagonist, history teacher Mrs. Godfrey, is drawn so broadly that you can’t really blame anyone for disliking her.
The show’s light tone, while still be very funny and not being afraid to show the darker side of things, was surprising and appreciated.
4. Ben’s Thoughts
“I liked when Dee Dee was dressed as a cashew [Brian’s note: for an updated stage production of A Raisin in the Sun about a bag of trail mix that gets eaten by a hippie] and when Nate saved the principal from the slime. My favorite character is Nate!”
5. Amelia’s Thoughts
“I really, really like it, and it was very interesting, but I don’t like Bentley, he creeps me out. The funniest part was when the principal was dressed like a princess in Nate’s daydream. My favorite part was when Bentley was taken away at the end. My favorite character is Francis.”
