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Stephen Hillenburg is looking from above with shame?
Photo from Wikipedia.
A massive sensation swept through the nation and left everyone bowing to their feet. People bowed down to one who’s rectangular, wore an odd combination of pants, shirt, tie, and that smile; that damn smile. They became the answers unknown to humankind, the reason we are here. This being is none other than SpongeBob SquarePants, the lovable nautical sponge entertaining three generations' worth of children.
The cartoon is going strong after 22 years of syndication from Nickelodeon. For Nickelodeon, SpongeBob SquarePants became the magnum opus; Nickelodeons’ own Simpsons.
Besides the best wishes of the late creator of SpongeBob SquarePants, Stephen Hillenburg, Nickelodeon made two spin-offs: Kamp Koral, a non-canon version of the SpongeBob cast as juveniles at summer camp. And The Patrick Star Show featuring SpongeBob’s nutty pink starfish friend, Patrick.
The Star Family. Photo from Variety.
The Patrick Star Show doesn’t hold back on creativity, throwing every unusual idea to the wall. A template perfect for the wild nature of Patrick Star. The show stars Patrick living with his family (parents, sister, and grandfather) as he stirs up the attics to feature for his TV show. For example, in the episode premiere, after Patrick filmed a bizarre intro to his show, our pink friend gets ravenous, so he heads to the kitchen to have breakfast, but his family finished all the food, leaving him famished. Patrick then had the brilliant idea: make a cooking segment on the show to have a meal to eat for breakfast. Patrick partakes in the antic displaying obscure and colorful visuals, which pay homage to Monty Phyton. I wish I can see more crazy visuals, as they’re pretty tame. The Patrick Star Show isn’t SpongeBob SquarePants; the creators can enter uncharted territory if they wanted to. Perhaps the creators would step it up in episode two.
No break-fast for our pink chum.
No break-fast for our pink chum. Photo from Pennlive.
Besides the visuals, the humor has many slapstick gags and mundane comedy lines (a symptom of modern-day SpongeBob). For example, Patrick has a pet sea urchin he explicitly touches because he loves his little friend. Another example, Patrick is at the kitchen table with his family and can’t seem to remember the geriatric starfish sitting at the table. This gag continues as Patrick and his parents forget who each other is. The jokes are acceptable the first time, but watching them throughout the episode is taxing. If I’m not laughing, neither would a kid.
Overall, it’s a good show which doesn’t hold back on its visuals, but they’re a tad tame; more obscure visuals can push the show further. The comedy is dull as it repeats the same joke. I’m not laughing. Given its flaws, The Patrick Star Show is the better spinoff to Kamp Koral. I’m sure Stephen Hillenburg would’ve been delighted to green-light the concept. He would find no shame in doing so.
SpongeBob SquarePants might end, but its spinoffs can pass the torch to entertain generations to come.