Do You Remember? Spaceballs: The Animated Series

Imagine this: you, a fan of counter culture, is a fan of a specific 1987 Mel Brooks movie called Spaceballs. A classic to you and your friends, it spoofs sci-fi cliches from some of the greatest the genre has to offer such as (and mostly) Star Wars, Star Trek, and The Alien franchise.

Now imagine that a channel devoted to celebrating your fandom and culture announced a TV animated series penned by the same man who created the movie you loved so much.

Twenty years later.

That was the situation when TV network G4 announced Spaceballs: The Animated Series.

Set shortly after the film but ignoring the film’s ending, Spaceballs: The Animated Series was suppose to be a love letter from Mel Brooks to his fans. After hinting at a sequel for a long time fans expected a lot from the show and what they got was… meh?

With singular continuity free episodes each week that spoofed a segment of pop culture the way Brooks was so famous for, it all felt a little too late.

With episodes spoofing American Idol, The Matrix and even Lord of the Rings, the entire package of humor, parody and intent was past is time. It was as though Brooks was trying to play catch up to what he thought “the kids like.”

Add that to the fact only two members of the original cast provided voice work for their characters, the entire show had difficulty holding on to viewers.

Though, despite all those qualms, I will admit that the show held my attention. Despite its single season run and its low ratings, the few people who sat through it all were treated to clever jokes and interesting commentary ranging from anything to the viewership of reality TV to an analysis (spoof) of the Pirates of the Caribbean movies.

Would I recommend you to do your best to try to find and watch it? Kind of. It’s weird but I think it’s a show that fans of sci-fi and cult comedies should watch. I’m not promising that you’ll laugh at every joke and not just groan at every reference but I do think the chuckles and whimsical nods will make this a fun find to occasionally watch.