PRESIDENT CURTIS Review: This Is an Elected Official I Can Support

Just when you thought it wasn't possible anymore to laugh at the antics of a U.S. President.

President Curtis S1
The show premieres Sunday, July 26, at 11:30 p.m. EST/PST, on Adult Swim, streaming next day on HBO Max. Subsequent episodes will premiere every Sunday night. I've seen all 10 episodes.

Gloriously silly and profanely stupid, President Curtis features mile-a-minute jokes and a plethora of LOL visual gags, which makes perfect sense, since it's a spin-off from Rick & Morty.

The titular character, as voiced by Keith David, somehow makes the twinkle in his eye audible as he uses his commanding voice to utter completely nonsensical nonsequiturs. Created by Wes Archer and Tom Kauffman for a show in Rick and Morty, Season 2, the character began recurring in various episodes over the years until now, when co-creators Dan Harmon and James Siciliano have given him his own showcase.

The new show introduces new staff assistant Banks (Stephanie Beatriz, Twisted Metal) and Secret Service Special Agent O'Doyle (Jim Rash, Community), who team up with President Curtis, dealing with one battle after another, each more and more ridiculous. The trio and their silly antics might faintly remind of ¡Three Amigos! (1986), mostly in the chemistry of the three actors, as their voices banter and bicker and bounce off and around each other.

Character-wise, though, they manifest a brazen indifference to reality, encountering ridiculous situations, both on-planet and off-planet, that very much feels like a part of the Rick & Morty universe. And each character approaches the mayhem from a perspective that befits their station in life.

President Curtis always takes charge, boasting supreme confidence arrogance in his own judgment, even when it's completely wrong-headed. He is equally confident in his body, never hesitant about taking on opponents, no matter their size, and never shy about stripping off to get a job done.

Banks is the voice of reason, weighing all the options quickly yet carefully. But because President Curtis has an office (and a voice) that demands respect, Banks must be shrewd in order to figure out how to actually solve the hugely challenging problems that constantly arise in a manner that makes President Curtis think he is the one who came up with the solution on his own.

As a counterpoint to Banks, Special Agent O'Doyle is a dolt, in many ways, blindly obedient to President Curtis without ever questioning anything he says or does. Even so, what makes him funny is that he immediately takes action, which leads very quickly to consequences he is not smart enough to anticipate. (The poor sod.)

In the first episode, they tussle with the CIA, who want to take possession of a secret tape, and it's every bit as wild and wacky as any random Rick and Morty adventure, yet different, since it's refracted through the perspective of a U.S. President who may resemble current and/or past presidents, yet faces situations in his own distinctly different manner.

In succeeding episodes, President Curtis, Banks, and O'Doyle handle a bewildering variety of scenarios that are, nonetheless, meticulously scripted and animated in order to always make it easy to follow our colorful heroes as they head, often foolishly, usually foolishly, into a succession of outlandish events that never fail to amuse and, more frequently than I should admit, lead to LOL moments.

President Curtis is a mirth-making machine, and I happily surrendered to it.

Now Streaming celebrates independent and international genre films and television shows that are newly available on legal streaming services.