A cursed town. A haunted man. And one gorgeous viewer laughing her head off – pun intended.

Grimsburg S1.E1 – Pilot

Cast: Rachel Dratch; Jon Hamm; Erinn Hayes; Kevin Michael Richardson; Alan Tudyk; Jaime Camil; Greg Chun; Chadd Gindin; Kaniehtiio Horn; JP Karliak; Wendy McLendon-Covey; Piotr Michael; Cree Summer
Creators/Writers: Chadd Gindin; Catlan McClelland; Matthew Schlissel
Directors: Roy Burdine; Jack Perkins
Series Music: Jesse Novak
Series Sound Dept.: Ben Bourke; Ed Costello; Bob Gremore; Greg Rubin
Series Art Dept.: Steven K.L. Olson; Hans Ranum; Julianna Chianelli; Alan Huynh; Davey Jarrell
Series Animation Dept.: Irina Buonasena; Thomas Perkins; Marie Andrey Valenzuela
@bentoboxent | @anidom

That chill running up your spine…Is it the haunting spirits of a town “permanently cursed a century ago by a virgin sacrifice gone sideways,” or could it be the ghosts of one’s own past decisions looming heavily overhead? Maybe – just maybe – it’s both. 

Grimsburg’s premiere episode introduces us to our (temporarily) pants-less disgraced day-drunk protagonist, Martin Flute. A former detective who doesn’t play by the rules, but is desperate to rejoin the force and earn back his “badgie…cuffy and crime tapey.” 

Grimsburg has all the classic crime-solving tropes you’d expect: 

• Oblivious youths being attacked by an anonymous murderer
• A grizzled detective eager to ditch his young and hopeful new partner
• The Holmes-like ability to look at something seemingly insignificant and paint a full picture of what must have happened to the victims
• A man failing to find the balance between being a present husband and father while trying to bring a blood-thirsty killer to justice

So, what does this animated crime show parody have that sets it apart from all the others? Alright, I might be struggling to find a major difference, but the casting is phenomenal with the distinct voices of actors like John Hamm (Mad Men), Rachel Dratch (SNL), Alan Tudyk (Resident Alien), and Jaime Camil (Jane the Virgin). 

But if you’re more into a show’s vibes than a hot little cast list, I’d say the premiere seemed to have a mix of Murderville (Netflix) energy with touches of Bob’s Burgers (Fox) and a splash of Dora the Explorer (Nickelodeon). If this show continues to follow the structure of the pilot, then we can expect to be presented with a handful of shady suspects, Bob’s Burger-esque signs like: “Welcome to Grimsburg: If you live here, you’d be dead by now” and “The Putitt Inn.” And lastly, a character hinting heavily at the final crime-solving clue that has the nostalgic feeling of Dora staring at you with soulless eyes asking where Swiper is.

Is this show reinventing the wheel? Absolutely not. But if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it! Comfort shows are comforts for a reason. Grimsburg establishes the crime show parody foundation we know and love with an added touch of creepy whimsy that dips into a level of absurdity that makes something we’ve seen a thousand times feel fresh and fun. Even with a classic out of touch, but brilliant lead like Marvin Flute, I have a feeling this show won’t B-Flat.

4 out of 5 badgies