Disenchantment - A Preview

I have to admit, I am not a huge Matt Groening fan. I liked The Simpsons, in its early years, but that show has been on for so long, I eventually grew out of it. I did watch the first episode on Futurama, but was not impressed enough to become a fan. So, when I heard about Groening's new series Disenchantment, I was nonplussed. On the other hand, I am a huge fan of Netflix, as well as fantasy stories that find news ways of expressing the "hero's journey." So, when I learned that Groening's had a new show based on the hero's journey and was being produced and aired on Netflix, I decided to investigate a little more before I wrote the series off. To be sure, Netflix has rarely failed in the shows it chooses to produce or air on its network, at least initially. Moreover. the hero's journey is a story framework so deeply embedded the the public's psyche, it is quite difficult to mess up the story. What I found, convinced me to give the show a try and I would suggest that you do as well.

The show chronicles the story of Princess Bean (Abbi Jacobson) of Dreamland, a teenager with an anti-authority streak who would do anything to escape her father's continuing attempts to marry her off. She is assisted in her efforts by: Elfo (Nat Faxon), an elf, who is deeply attracted to Princess Bean, but is also suffering from his own issues fitting in with the elven community, and a demon (Eric Andre), who for lack of a better name, is simply known as Demon who is attracted to the chaos that often follows in Princess Bean and Elfo's wake.

That is, the story has all the elements of the hero's journey which will most likely see Princess Bean cast out of the comfortable life that she has been rebelling against, only to experience, with her trusted partners Elfo and Demon, tragedy, heartbreak, and finally salvation before she returns home, a better and more dependable future leader. In other words, the story's set up is something that has never really been tried before by Groening. Namely, it is a conventional tale that will most likely be explored through Groening's characteristic humor and irreverence. All in all, from the press that has come out on the show so far, Groening is experimenting here, which could end up to be memorable success or an epic fail. But with the eye for winners Netflix has shown itself to have, one should believe the show will follow the tried and true elements Groening has used to achieve success previously... with a twist of something new. The subtitle to show title reads, "misadventure awaits." Whether that "misadventure" is meant for Princess Bean and her band of friends, or the show itself, only time will tell.

What do you think?