Childrens Hospital: The Complete First and Second Seasons

Rob Corddry created and stars in this live-action spoof of medical-drama soap operas, aired on the Cartoon Network's Adult Swim block. With a cast of A-list actors and improvisational comedy vets—including Megan Mullally as the physically handicapped chief of staff and Henry Winkler as the genuinely nice but much maligned administrator—Corddry spins absurd, digest-sized episodes of a serial (six-minute segments for the first season, doubled in length for the second) set in a children's hospital (called Childrens—no apostrophe—after its namesake, Dr. Arthur Childrens) that is staffed with incompetent and distracted physicians. Among them are Dr. Blake Downs (Corddry), who appears in clownface because he believes in “the healing power of laughter”; Drs. Cat Black and Lola Spratt (Lake Bell, Erinn Hayes); and Drs. Glenn Richie and Owen Maestro (Ken Marino and Rob Huebel). Malin Akerman joins the cast for season two as Dr. Valerie Flame. The brief format lends itself to gonzo turns without wearing out the gag; although—by the same token—the show is better appreciated in short pieces. While the humor may be juvenile and ridiculous (Lola fakes a brain tumor; Cat gets impregnated by a 6-year-old patient with advanced aging disease; Glenn discovers a cure for cancer in butterfly “goop”), the material is definitely for adults. Compiling 10 uncensored webisodes from 2008 and 12 segments from season two (aired in 2010), DVD extras include a pair of tongue-in-cheek featurettes, deleted scenes and outtakes, a gag reel, and a music video. A strong optional purchase. (S. Axmaker)