Tom Goes to the Mayor/Robot Chicken theory

[The Landstander]

Both Robot Chicken and Tom Goes to the Mayor have been polarizing shows; people tend to love them or hate them (which isn't to say that the same amount of people love one as the other).

But through looking at some posts (on here and at other forums) recently, I've noticed that many who prefer one tend to not prefer the other. A lot of the bigger Tom cultists tend to have disdain for RC; while a lot of RC's mass audience has little good to say about Tom.

So, in the interest of testing this theory, I have made this thread. Words "like" and "dislike" can mean whatever you want.

Oh, and though I don't really hate RC, it's just not my style and I find the writing flat...so count me in the pro-Tom/no-RC group.

[RD!]

Tom Good. Robod Bad.

[Demonic Raven]

I go for both shows, generally.

[Youko Recca]

Let's see...I don't like Tom. And I find Robot Chicken good on every other full moon. What clique am I in dude, I must know!

[Delthayre]

I'm pretty clearly on the Pro-Tom/Anti-Robot side of the isle. I've stuck with Tom Goes to the Mayor since its premiere and I find that with the latest group of episodes, that's paid off. To me, Tom Goes to the Mayor has an appealingly distinct style and sensibility.

Robot Chicken, contrastingly, I left after giving it a three-episode opportunity to be anything more than a badly written adolescent fantasy land put on TV. The actual animation of the action figures is usually quite impressive, but the writing feels as if it were cribbed from notes written on the stall walls of the high school (or junior high school) boys bathroom of your choice.

[Don_East]

I'm Pro-RC/Anti-TGTTM because even at Robot Chicken's worse, it makes me laugh more than Tom does per episode.

[Discloner]

I'm the odd man out. =/

I find both shows hit and miss. They're both neither great, nor horrible. They're just entertaining.

So...I like both. I guess.

[Rabi~en~Rose]

polarizing nothing I love them both :anime:

[Artimus Gigan]

They're like steak-fried chicken and chicken-fried steak...



I love them both...and they made my sides hurt...

[LordByronius]

I'm the odd man out. =/

I find both shows hit and miss. They're both neither great, nor horrible. They're just entertaining.

So...I like both. I guess.
dittoz yall

[Eddie G.]

Eh, I think that Tom is hit-or-miss. There is a pretty good deal of effort put into the series but the series is rarely great. I also think that the animation style was a bad idea only because I don't think it was used properly. Also, Home Movies kicks Tom's ass when it comes to that style of writing.

I think Robot Chicken can on occasion have great concepts but it is rarely good. I really think people only like it out of the knee jerk reactions to the obscure (and less obscure) refrences.

Basically I think Robot Chicken is a piece of crap that some people like and some people see through. Tom is a failed experiment that should be respected but I understand why people dislike it with a passion.

[Daffy Dork]

I love tom and like robot chicken.

I like tom more,but i still like both.

in 2 words:
both good

I will buy them both when they come out on dvd

[Master Moron]

Both Robot Chicken and Tom Goes to the Mayor have been polarizing shows; people tend to love them or hate them (which isn't to say that the same amount of people love one as the other).

But through looking at some posts (on here and at other forums) recently, I've noticed that many who prefer one tend to not prefer the other. A lot of the bigger Tom cultists tend to have disdain for RC; while a lot of RC's mass audience has little good to say about Tom.

So, in the interest of testing this theory, I have made this thread. Words "like" and "dislike" can mean whatever you want.

Oh, and though I don't really hate RC, it's just not my style and I find the writing flat...so count me in the pro-Tom/no-RC group.

You know, I actually had a similar theory and was going to make a poll like this a couple of weeks ago, but then I heard that Seth Green showed up on the Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson and praised Tom goes to the Mayor during the show. I figure if the creator of Robot Chicken loves Tom Goes to the Mayor that kind of threw my theory out the window. Anyway, count me in the "likes Robot Chicken, dislikes Tom Goes to the Mayor" category.

[Sir T. Ghostal]

I love Tom, dislike RC.

[Haywood]

I like Robot Chicken. While I don't really find it hilarious, its one of those shows that even if I think its stupid it still makes me smile. Tom I just don't like. I watch it everyweek, and I think there has been one episode that I kinda enjoyed, but other than that I just do not like Tom.

[PaQ]

RC > TOM

I find it more entertaining than Tom by far.

[Stewie]

Neither one is any good. Robot Chicken I can stand a little. It provides a few chuckles. I rarely laugh, but at the end, I don't feel like I've been pissed on. Watching Tom makes me feel like I've been pissed on.

I don't see anything in these two shows that would provoke the reaction you're talking about Landstander. I can't think of what comparison would cause a large percentage of people to be in one group but not the other. How do they contrast from each other differently than from other shows? Is it just that they both have unusual types of animation that we don't see on any other AS show? Or is it that they are both so bad that people that enjoy one need to hate something else bad to make their favorite look better?

[Riza Hawkeye]

I voted for the last one to be different :p and I don't really watch AS comedies, so I don't really have an opinion on this topic.

[Gruntling]

Tom Goes to the Mayor and Robot Chicken are two shows on Adult Swim, I don't watch often. Robot Chicken is enjoyable every now and then, but I don't care for Tom. I think the humor is too dry and too forced. Once in a while, they have a scene or two where I laugh out loud, but it's not enough to cut it with me.

[Perfect Cell]

insert Generic Tom Hating comment here. Go Robot Chicken

[The Landstander]

I don't see anything in these two shows that would provoke the reaction you're talking about Landstander. I can't think of what comparison would cause a large percentage of people to be in one group but not the other. I wasn't basing this on the styles of the shows really, just a trend I've noticed on a couple of boards. Usually a bashing of one show was mixed with a compliment towards the other. So I felt like testing it out.

[Master Moron]

Now, that everyone's done voting, I think it might be fun to add up the votes in order to gauge the shows popularity. So, we get:

People who like Robot Chicken:48
People who like Tom:25

People who dislike Robot Chicken:17
People who dislike Tom:40

Hmmmm...it appears that Robot Chicken is almost twice as popular as Tom on this board...

[Hakuhatsu]

Okay, let me pose this question to the board, how many people who like RC were born in the 70s and grew up in the 80s? How many people who like Tom were born in the late 80s and grew up in the 90s?

I ask this because RC makes a lot of references to shows and movies from the 80s, such as The Dukes of Hazard, Voltron, GI Joe, Transformers, Knight Rider, Ferris Bueler, etc. I was born in '76 and grew up watching those shows as a kid, so part of the appeal of Robot Chicken for me is the parodies of the shows of my youth. So, I'm just currious to know if there's a generational bias as to who likes TGTTM versus those who like RC.

Although, I'm not a fan of Tom, I'm going to applaud Tim and Eric for trying something different. It's an interesting animation style, however, their style of comedy just doesn't do it for me. But humor is subjective and each of us have a definition of what "funny" is. I'll respect the opinions of those who like Tom, but I'm also going to criticize the show where I feel it's lacking (note: I also criticize RC where I feel it's lacking as well).

Just my .02 on this topic.

[Tienshin]

Okay, let me pose this question to the board, how many people who like RC were born in the 70s and grew up in the 80s? How many people who like Tom were born in the late 80s and grew up in the 90s?

I ask this because RC makes a lot of references to shows and movies from the 80s, such as The Dukes of Hazard, Voltron, GI Joe, Transformers, Knight Rider, Ferris Bueler, etc. I was born in '76 and grew up watching those shows as a kid, so part of the appeal of Robot Chicken for me is the parodies of the shows of my youth. So, I'm just currious to know if there's a generational bias as to who likes TGTTM versus those who like RC.

Although, I'm not a fan of Tom, I'm going to applaud Tim and Eric for trying something different. It's an interesting animation style, however, their style of comedy just doesn't do it for me. But humor is subjective and each of us have a definition of what "funny" is. I'll respect the opinions of those who like Tom, but I'm also going to criticize the show where I feel it's lacking (note: I also criticize RC where I feel it's lacking as well).

Just my .02 on this topic.

I was wondering the same myself. I was born in '76 and grew up watching a lot of RC fodder. I tend to enjoy almost all the parodies, even if some do fall flat from time to time. I don't mind the mindless nature of the comedy that Seth Green and Co are going for with RC, in fact it is nice depature from the other AS comedies.

TGTTM is okay I guess. I enjoyed the last few episodes much more then the first batch but for the most part I am lukewarm on it.

[Mr. Pedro]

I think both have their shinning moments, so I don't really have an inclination for one or the other. I guess I'm in the "like both" category.

[InvaderEd77]

I like both shows, but I like Robot Chicken more. I have the right sense of humor for that type of show. I laugh at random things for hours. I also was born past most of the fodder for RC but then again, I always say I was born about ten years too late and i love to watch old 80's stuff, so I guess it's still about reliving the good old days that never happened...

Did that make any sense to any of you? Just wonderin'

[Nik Jam]

I haven't watched Tom in a while, it's pretty hit or miss. RC is rarely good.

So I'm probably "Dislike both" leaning "Like Tom/Dislike RC", so i'm abstaining.

[RD!]

Heaven forbid NikJam hold any real opinion on something.

[Shnay]

I ask this because RC makes a lot of references to shows and movies from the 80s, such as The Dukes of Hazard, Voltron, GI Joe, Transformers, Knight Rider, Ferris Bueler, etc. I was born in '76 and grew up watching those shows as a kid, so part of the appeal of Robot Chicken for me is the parodies of the shows of my youth. So, I'm just currious to know if there's a generational bias as to who likes TGTTM versus those who like RC.I was born in '84, and saw many of the shows that RC references while growing up. Many of the things that I didn't see or don't remember all that well have been parodied/referenced enough that I get the jokes they're making. For example, I've never seen Dukes of Hazard, but I've seen enough parodies to understand the basics of the show.

I don't like Robot Chicken, but I don't think it's because the references to the Knight Rider are lost on me. The humor in the show just doesn't work for me, as Tom's humor doesn't work for you, Hakuhatsu. In fact, I pretty strongly dislike the show, and have only actually paid attention to two full episodes. I could list my complaints here (or repeatedly post them in C&C threads), but I'm happy to leave it as "No sir, I don't like it."

[Ultra Mike]

I personally feel that although both shows had good potential and promise, they then started slippping and started producing what appeared to "cheapily made crap" each and every week. The thing I realized that after each had settled into they're own groove is that groove is fairly problmatic.

For Tom it's the fact that they don't know really how to show any real "funny" sort of comedy. Most of the jokes are centered around Tom getting crap piled onto him (which really isn't funny, espically the way they do it) or something sort of random (like that entire "behind the scenes episode" for example, or the "sex" scene in "Re-birth") that just dosen't work as a whole. Even ignronig the fact that there is very little animation in it, it fails to even really be vocally funny, as the awkard posing and dialogue driven humor that worked in say Home Movies dosen't work here. Combined with the fact that on a network with Space Ghost, Squidbillies and Sealab, it still looks like the cheapest, poorest cartoon ever made. Unique style but not very good.

Visually RC has some more appear... well once you get past all the inapproriate physical comedy (setting farts on fire, vomitting, etc). However, once past it the show has no depth... at all. The formula is that there are two types of jokes: short 3 second "something unexpected happens so laugh at it" moments, or long stretched out scenes that try and tell multiple jokes. However, both of them fail. The thing is that in comedy, you need a set frame to tell a joke and unless you can somehow cut out all of the filler and just tell the joke, you need time to build it up. Most (espically the recent) RC little cutaways haven't really been funny because of the fact that they just come in randomly for "shock value" and some aren't even that shocking. And even the "shocking" ones don't seem funny (i'm thinking of the "I'm scared" mommy one from "Kiddie Pool" for example). The other kind of jokes that use scenes aren't good either. Usually those are the ones that go for parody, but truthfully they aren't even that funny either, because the parody just ends up being as trite or unoriginal as the starter material, or they don't even really make fun of what they and just try and go for more shock value (The Santa Claus joke in "Nightmare Generator"). The thing about parody is that you not only have to actually make a point so there's comedy in what you're trying to say about the certain show or movie or whatever, but you also have to make sure that even if the audience didn't watch the original material they would get what you're saying. Most of the time RC fails to deilver on the first and dosen't present the second well either.

So I'd say that both shows aren't that good. The thing is that at least RC's "humor" though seems to appeal to the AS mindset, so it has a good future for it's fan. TGTTM though.... well it's lucky it's so cheap. That's the only reason I could see it getting another season.

[Nik Jam]

Heaven forbid NikJam hold any real opinion on something.
It seems everytime I do you or someone else makes a big deal about it...

[Jp7010]

Tom and Chicken are pretty much opposite ends of the humor spectrum. Tom with its subdued "Yeah, if you think about, this is sorta funny" style of humor, compared to Chicken's in-your-face "THIS IS FUNNY! LAUGHHHH!" style of humor. It makes sense why people who like one wouldn't like another. The pro-T/anti-R crowd think RC's too sophomoric, while the pro-R/anti-T crowd think Tom's too boring, with the jokes too few and far between.
Then there's people who think both suck.

Another interesting point is how neither show is traditionally animated, which has caused a lot of debate.

I have faith that both shows will perfect their style... eventually.
I'm pro-both, by the way.

[Zyzzybalubah]

Tom Lover, Chicken Disliker. I see I'm in the smaller portion of the board. :)

Here's the deal:

* I like Tom a lot. It's a different kind of humor. Not many people do like the show but I'm not like the average person, so it's basically the show for me. It's just funny the riddiculous scenarios (some being possible, but others just insanely riddiculous.) It's a very entertaining show.

* Robot Chicken has potential. The execution for most jokes are poor though. The voices by Seth Green are very weak too. I did like the Smurfs/Seven skit, the Sailor Moon skits, and the Muppets skits. But when we have other ones where it's "punching each other constantly", "farts jokes", or any other lame sequence of jokes, it's just stupid. Also, enough with celebrity appearances just for the heck of it. That 70's Show crew didn't make "That 00's Show" funny at all, the Joey Fatone (N'Sync guy) was just lame, and many other unneeded skits. Sorry just saying. But hey millions of people to one person, the show is definitely not leaving.