Father of the Pride: The Complete Series

"Oh my god, they're gonna die. Siegfried and Roy are gonna die," John Goodman--as the voice of white lion Larry--intones in a bored, sarcastic voice in the first episode of this frequently bizarre and tiresome animated series. He's the titular father of a pride of lions working with the Vegas showmen, and this is his commentary on the faux danger his human employers face. This is "edgy" since the episode aired after Roy was nearly mauled to death by one of the big cats onstage and yet that cruel-in-retrospect line wasn't cut. Mercifully, the series itself died after a short, ignominious run in 2004, leaving unanswered a couple of Great Questions. Who thought sitcom stereotypes would be funnier if they were performed by cheesy-looking CGI animals? And why do all the CGI people look like they just stepped out of the Sims video game? (Siegfried and Roy themselves appear once in a while to poke fun at themselves and show-biz self-centeredness, of which this series is its own best example.) Presenting all 14 episodes, including three that never aired, DVD extras on this double-disc set include audio commentaries and a set of animatics for an unproduced episode. Not recommended. (M. Johanson)