Meet Dexter Douglas (David Kaufman), a dweeby student of Harry Connick Jr. High School who finds refuge in internet antics. One day, he goes a bit too far and is pulled into cyberspace. The experience transforms him, giving him a superpowered alter ego known as Freakazoid (Paul Rugg). As Freakazoid, he fights various villains including The Lobe (David Warner), Longhorn (Maurice LaMarche), and Armando (Ricardo Montalban). These fiends are often zany in their own right, but -as the theme song states- Freakazoid drives the villains crazy.
He does have super strength and speed, but his most unusual power (and most often used) is breaking the 4th wall. He does this to parlay with the writers or network executives, take breaks to double-check the script when he forgets his lines, and even harass executive producer Steven Spielberg (Himself) about the several WB cartoons he produced. He also abuses this power to make edits or simply escape situations. Unpredictable with a similar sensibility to Animaniacs and Tiny Toon Adventures, Freakazoid has broad appeal to those who love Looney Tunes-type comedy.
This season is weaker than the first. Why? The simple reason of funding. Spielberg was executive producing Pinky & The Brain and Animaniacs at the same time and, along with Freakazoid, the three cartoons were in competition. WB decided they would divert funding from the less popular to the more popular series.
We can see the effects in cheap (and often commented upon) animation tricks and jokes. Much of the writing team devoted their voice talents to the show to help save costs, but even that wasn’t enough. This season would be Freakazoid’s last. While obviously more cheaply made, Freakazoid Season 2 is just as enjoyable as the first. Ed Asner’s Sgt. Mike Cosgrove has much more screen time and uses his grumpy attitude and authority as a police officer in increasingly hilarious ways.
Plotlines in this season involve Dexter’s family more and much of this season’s humor comes from his mother being overly doting or his father being bizarrely clueless. If you can only choose one season of Freakazoid for your collection, I would recommend the first, but if your library patrons already enjoy 1990s WB cartoons, give the second season of Freakazoid consideration for your children's film collection. Recommended.