We know that the good readers of Must TV are a sophisticated bunch, and they would probably be surprised if we were to suggest they hunker down for a whole series of a tv musical or a whole series of an animation. Well guess what readers, we bring you Central Park: it’s an animation a musical, and a belter.
Based around an endearingly dysfunctional family, who live in New York’s famous green space – dad is the park manager – Central Park, is according to The New York Times’ James Poniewozik “the show we need right now, even if its makers couldn’t have anticipated how and why.” And he goes on to say, “it’s as well-timed as the Mister Softee truck on a 95-degree scorcher. This weird, warm, joyful animated sitcom… would be a cool treat at any time. In pandemic season, it’s more: a fun, full-throated tribute to public space and the people (and dogs and rats) who share it.” Judy Berman in Time picks up on the theme of parks in society, “the pressure valves of any major metropolis—and never more so than when the bars are closed. They make cheek-by-jowl living bearable.” And, she says, “that sense of civic pride suffuses Central Park, a delightful animated comedy”. In Variety Caroline Framke thinks one of the first songs has “the eager gusto of a kid hopscotching down the sidewalk: sometimes landing outside the lines, but more often just having (and being!) too much fun to care. If you’re at all inclined towards musicals, there’s just no resisting that kind of unbridled enthusiasm, no matter how clichéd or saccharine.”
Central Park is created by the team behind the Fox sitcom Bob’s Burgers – a show which hasn’t achieved the cult status in the UK that it has in the US – and both shows celebrate eccentrics who dream big. Here at Must TV, we know how that feels and we love Central Park.
First shown May 2020. You can watch the trailer by pressing play on the show image, or by clicking here.
