Nickelodeon’s first original series not to premiere on their own channel (and potentially proceed to be sent off to die on another one). When I had heard that this show was the first to make the move, I felt that Nick moving this to Netflix was, like, the ultimate shunt-off, like letting it die on Nicktoons was too respectable for it. Paw patrol names is also a very popular cartoon of nickelodeon.
It’s like bagging a thunderstorm. It is absolutely, undoubtedly, amazing. Literally the best show I have watched in years. The show takes a somewhat mockumentary, almost reality-TV-style format, following Pinky and friends some of them are rogue names throughout the adventure of the day and as they live their lives on social media. It’s somewhat of a unique place to take a kids’ show, as it’s a place where very few shows overall have gone, and absolutely no-one has gone here in the US.
The concept is a bit more direct in early episodes, which may give the impression the show’s trying too hard to be ‘current’ and ‘with it’. But, while the show feels very rooted in the present, with all the digital bells and whistles that entails, it doesn’t slather that fact on; it feels really natural. Which is, honestly, a tough thing to get right;certainly everyone who worked on that show is probably one and a half times my age at least, so congrats to them for making it work.
The best part of the show, in my opinion, was that we really got to know everybody, early on, through their interactions with Pinky. By the time I was done with the first few episodes, I really felt like I knew these characters, down to even the little details. And then that progresses, in later episodes, as the format and the emphasis on building the concept fades away and you just slide into each episode.
This is definitely helped by the show’s mockumentary, reality-esque style; we get to hear out everyone’s point of view, even if they have little to say, and it helps you invest in these characters, because you get to see where they’re coming from. Instead of, you know, just, flashbacks or“oh, you know that thing that happened that really cemented my relationship with you?” that sort of has to happen on other shows given how they usually work, breaking down that fourth wall, in a way, really helps you step into the world, and it’s a very engaging plot device.
While the exposition is a given on most shows, especially early, it’s not something that’s guaranteed to happen in an engaging way. On Pinky Malinky, it happens in an engaging way. It’s just such a well-done show. Plus, Randy Cunningham’s in it, so that’s a bonus. Speaking of characters, the characters on this show are just amazing. JJ plays it cool, Babs is token weirdo, but everyone’s just well-meaning and super supportive and a squad you would be jealous of.
And I haven’t even mentioned Pinky himself! His exuberant and energetic and fun and just someone you want to get behind and root for. I really have to give props to this show for picking character voices that you wouldn’t really expect from these sorts of characters. Not in the names that they’ve picked, though the likes of Ben Schwartz and Nathan Kress, who have both been around the kidskin block a few times, do lend voices.
And in an almost Canadian way, you will definitely hear familiar voices on this show – Randy, Freddie, though he was on a sitcom, Sway sway… and I even swear I heard, of all people, the voice of Chuck McFarlane from Chuck’s Choice as a minor single-episode character on this show. Of all the people in the world. It really just adds to the charm for me.
All in all, Pinky Malinky is just a show that is amazing and spectacular beyond words, the product of an amazing period at Nickelodeon cryogenically frozen and thawed out at a pivotal time for kidscon, given how “me” 2018was for kids’ TV. And this show just puts into relief and perspective exactly how boring and bad the past few years have been, and it makes you wonder where shows like this have been for so long, and why they just don’t seem to make them like this nowadays. I honestly cannot say it enough that you should give this show a watch; it is the best thing I’ve seen in at least a good 12 months, if not longer. Mom, it’s just so good. Words cannot describe it, but I managed to find words anyway, because I knew that I had to write this review, and… I had to. It’s just, it’s such a good show.