The Tick (2001–2002) User Reviews

Scheduling Fiasco

[HairyMart1 · 9/10 · 8 August 2004]

When I first heard there was going to be a live action version of the classic cartoon series The Tick, I thought to myself "what planet are these people on!"

However having just viewed the short-lived, live-action TV series I have to utter a very humble apology on my part, for my lack of confidence in the creative abilities of all those who worked on the series, both behind and in-front of the cameras. It was such a wonderful series, funny, charming and original. The writing and the performances were all top-notch, each episode improving on the previous without a dull moment or un-funny line ever being delivered.

While for those people who cancelled the show I now direct my original scorn - "What Planet Are These People On." Putting a brand new and ORGINAL TV series up against a top rated Reality TV Series (and please let this cycle of humiliating reality programmes come to and end), only to find it doesn't score big .... well what a surprise – can see why they are high paid TV Execs with that big of foresight !!

I have to assume that those who came up with this scheduling fiasco had some plan behind it all - perhaps thinking that a show as 'unreal' as The Tick would appeal to those not sucked into the reality TV world. But instead of cancelling this very promising series why not move it to a different slot and show some confidence in the creative ability of those working on it.

It's probably a forlorn hope but maybe, just maybe one day some one will put up the cash for a "Tick - The Movie". After all if some are willing to invest ridiculous sums of money into projects like the last two Matrix movies or The Lara Croft films who knows. Then again they might be the same people who tried bringing The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen to cinema auidences ....... doh !

The Tick - Pilot

[Scarecrow-88 · 7/10 · 16 December 2015]

"Gravity is a harsh mistress"

Short-lived comic book satire series maybe was ten years too early. I particularly liked the Tick's moving antennae. Patrick Warburton is perfectly cast as dark-voiced, dim-witted, strong-chinned, muscled superhero (with quite the profile) of the show's title. Seemingly superhero 24-7, Warburton's Tick stays dutifully "in character", always in a rather flatteringly Gold's Gym physique blue costume. He is manipulated by a bus stop employee (annoyed at the Tick's constant presence) to leave his post for the nearest city, befriending a recently unemployed accountant named Arthur (David Burke). Arthur wanted to work at his office (ran by a gruff and forcefully uptight Christopher Lloyd!) in his costume which is some sort of moth/bunny hybrid. Lloyd's boss would have none of that. Anyway, the two eventually meet while encountering a group of Commie terrorists (who are so dangerous they'd have a hard time harming a fly) Tick dubs "the Red Scare". Also introduced are two crime-fighters, The Bat-Manuel (Nestor Carbonell) and Captain Liberty (Liz Vassey) who have had a fling, at odds intellectually and philosophically but sexually drawn to each other just the same. Bat-Manuel is known for his womanizing exploits, often receiving calls while in the middle of superhero activity. Liberty is gung-ho and a speed-talker, emerging as if she had one too many lattes.

The show is quite fast-paced, edited so rapid-fire that it barely takes a breath. The show is concerned primarily with poking fun at superhero comics, characters, and plots. The show is so quick-draw in how the four deliver their lines and the way the plot moves along so locomotive I imagine multiple viewings would probably be expected just to see what you might have missed. I think this was the kind of comedy that hits and misses but when it does hit, the show can be quite funny. The cast, especially a game Warburton (so dead pan and using a serious toned voice, but adding a winking "I'm in on the fun" nod from the actor a lot of the time), are a lot of fun. Surprisingly, this show didn't make it past 9 episodes!

The inclusion of Jimmy Carter as the former President to be abducted and harmed by The Red Scare is so randomly odd, it works! The Tick and Arthur team could have been the Scully and Mulder of comic book comedies had Fox given a chance.

"Wicked men, you face The Tick."

[bensonmum2 · 8/10 · 1 July 2006]

Somehow, I missed The Tick during its run on television. Thank goodness for DVD! The Tick has to be one of the funniest, most original shows I've seen. It's a riot! I can't believe there are only eight episodes.

I can pinpoint two things that make The Tick so good to me. First, the writing. Some of the dialogue in The Tick is laugh out loud funny. In the pilot episode, the first time we see the Tick, he's guarding a bus stop. His main enemy appears to be the coffee machine that has a habit of taking money from customers. I'll never forget the sight of the Tick shaking the coffee machine while saying "Armless bandit... Empty your bladder of that bitter black urine men call coffee! It has its price and its price has been payed! Java devil, you are now my bitch." Hysterical!

The second area where the show excels is in the casting. Going back to his days on the television show Dave's World, I've always thought that Patrick Warburton was one the funniest people I've ever seen. He's a big, tough, good-looking guy who can be as goofy as they come. He is simply perfect in the title role of this series. His delivery, mannerism, attitude, and look are dead on. I can't imagine anyone else playing the Tick. As for the rest of the cast, they're wonderful. As much as I can't imagine anyone else playing the Tick, I feel even stronger about David Burke in the role of Arthur. He IS Arthur. Liz Vassey and Nestor Carbonell are the two other regulars rounding out this superb cast.

It's a shame The Tick didn't last longer. Eight episodes hardly seems like enough.

networks are a harsh mistress

[march9hare · 5 November 2004]

Unquestionably one of the funniest and most original comedies to come down the pike in years, this show was nevertheless canceled by Fox after airing only a relative handful of episodes. Why? According to the producers, Fox execs were caught up in the minutiae of the character: Who is The Tick really? Where did he get his superpowers? One of the most important answers that eluded Fox was that THE VIEWERS DON'T CARE!! The show is funny! If it ain't broke, don't fix it! Beyond clever writing, the characterizations were spot on. The choice of Patrick Warburton as The Tick was little short of inspired. In fact, all of the characters were perfectly cast even though, when approached to do the character of Batmanuel, Nestor Carbonell initially turned it down, claiming that he was tired of doing Hispanic parts. The producers said nonsense; you'll do it, and you'll be brilliant. They were right. Time was when a network announced it's fall lineup, you could pretty much count on any given show hanging around for at least a season (although, to be fair, "Batman" was a mid-season replacement on ABC), but not any more. With "The Tick", Fox had a winner and didn't see it, which is our loss. Happily, "The Tick" is available in it's, er, "entirety", on DVD. We heartily recommend this one.

Just too good for TV

[mouserd · 10/10 · 13 April 2019]

Not only did I miss this show I didnt know it existed for years until a friend told me about it.

And I thought he was talking about the cartoon series.

The Tick was just too good for TV to allow to live which is sad as every episode is comedy gold.

Patrick Warburton plays the Tick as almost an inocent child determined to stop evil wherever it raises its head, even evil vending machines will feel the wrath of THE TICK!

Despite the comedy the show often puts the spotlight on many real world issues & problems. The episode where the Tick learns of and deals with the concept of death is glorius to see:

-"Everyone dies tick"

-"Even Horses?"

As the general said as he stopped soldiers from arresting The Tick "I'm starting to like the cut of this mans gibberish"

Seriously though, they canceled this show?????????

This is why studios need at least a token number of artists amongst the bean counters that make up their executives. Yes business is a bigger word than show but if there is no art at all then there goes your business.

wow, past 1st episode, much better then 2017 remake

[surfisfun · 10/10 · 8 November 2017]

Tick costume was better.

Stories are quirkier.

different style of episode.

good soundtrack.

Should have lasted much longer, would fare better now, truly ahead of its time .

The would have killed in 2017.

[TheOneThatYouWanted · 10/10 · 14 October 2017]

Thankfully I watched the 2017 series before watching this because the 2017 series was a huge letdown. Anyway, this show is simply brilliant. There are just a handful of episodes because I think it didn't get enough viewership back in the days but if it came out today, it would kill. This is literally ahead of it's time. A hilarious take on the superhero mythos. The chemistry of the group is great. The stories are entertaining. Sadly, like I said before, there are only 6 or 7 episodes. They cut it too short. I'm guess it was a Fox television series. Anyway check it out and enjoy!

The Fox Network criminally axed a gold mine of comedy.

[ksdilauri · 10/10 · 29 July 2019]

I enjoy lighter-hearted superhero fare, but somehow totally missed the fact that there was even a "Tick" character! (My bad.) I ran across this short-lived but hysterical series on Amazon Prime. Having been a huge "Batman" fan when it aired on ABC in the mid-Sixties (Yeesh, have that many years really gone by???) this show hooked me right away. Tick-camp differs from Bat-camp a bit----it's less splashy and more concentrated---but it's written and performed splendidly. The entire cast is perfect, especially Patrick Warburton. Like Adam West, he can expertly deadpan his way through clever dialogue, and he makes his character work---very few actors can be funny in situations such as arguing with a toilet, but Warburton makes it all look easy. Fans have bemoaned the "The Tick's" hasty axing after only 9 episodes (the Fox network was apparently more concerned with other things, such as burrowing itself into the country's political fabric) but better to have a few really funny episodes than none at all. Be sure to give this little gem a watch.

Hit or Miss? Depends on if you're already a fan...

[katana_one · 6/10 · 9 November 2001]

Saw "The Tick" sit-com last night. Weird. Really Weird. I have to first say that I loved the animated series and have seen nearly all of the original episodes. I was skeptical of a live-action series. Here are my thoughts after watching the pilot.

Likes: The freedom of subject matter due to the evening time slot as opposed to Sat mornings. (Sexual innuendo, mention of the word "tit", Captain Liberty's cleavage...) The deliberately low-budget look. ("Jimmy Carter" was in the pilot, but they only showed him from behind.) The animatronics for the Tick's antennae (they MOVE!) and Arthur's wing-deployment mechanism (it's a dead-on copy of the cartoon).

Dislikes: The Tick's face is completely exposed (just doesn't look like the Tick to me). Lacks the rapid-fire pacing of the cartoon. The live-action Tick has nowhere near the enthusiasm of his animated counterpart (but he does narrate his actions constantly).

This is one of those "wait and see how it goes" kinda shows. No matter which way it goes, however, it doesn't have enough main-stream appeal to last more than a season.

This Tick should have been left on.

[tannerthomason · 10/10 · 17 June 2010]

I vaguely remembered this show from it's first airing. I was the right age for the cartoon when it aired, and I remember liking that a lot, but I'd just started college when this hit the air and didn't watch much TV.

This show was ahead of it's time, especially considering the recent slate of "vigilante superhero" films.

Great over the top single cam comedy. Great Cast, great direction, and an excellent script. Standout episode 8 is hilarious, all of them are very funny. Aspiring writers should take notice of the the easily discerned A plot, B plot, C plot structure. The cast grew together and they really put the chemistry on screen after the first couple episodes.

Do yourself a favor and watch all 9 on netflix. We rarely get anything out of the ordinary on TV and this is a perfect example of something that suffered from poor placement(direct competitor to survivor-which was new at the time) and lack of support from network.

fun, original, eccentric

[SnoopyStyle · 7/10 · 19 September 2013]

This is an alternate world where superheroes are common place. They walk around like regular folks except some are more successful than others. The Tick (Patrick Warburton) is a bona fide idiot. He is extremely strong, but he can't think his way out of a paper bag. Arthur (David Burke) is The Tick's best friend. Captain Liberty (Liz Vassey) is hot but just wants to be more than a couple of boobs. Batmanuel (Nestor Carbonell) is Latino. The four are the less successful ones.

It had a lot of fun poking at the idea of a superhero. There's some good originality. But it was very odd for network TV, and the laughs were uneven. Nine Episodes were all that could be expected. Warburton is perfect for the role.

The result when all pistons are firing...

[J-bot6 · 9/10 · 24 December 2011]

It's a very rare occasion when I actually give a 9 out of 10 to a TV series. It's also very unusual for a live-action television series to accurately embody the feel of a graphic novel. In the case of the live- action version of The Tick, it's as if every element that goes into making a syndicated production work was present in full-force: strong acting, good production, solid editing, good sound mix, and -- of course -- excellent writing.

The actors really seemed to understand and personalize the material. I wouldn't be surprised if they had a pretty good hunch that this series would be cancelled. Regardless, they gave it their all, and it shows.

This series aired soon after Seinfeld came to a close. Personally, I feel that, had The Tick been placed in the same time-slot that Seinfeld had originally occupied, it would have been a success. A series about the everyday concerns of metropolitan people is common to both shows. Part of the charm of The Tick is that it explores the more day-to-day realities of what anyone brave enough (or insane enough) to choose to be a superhero would have to deal with. Whether it's picking up the dry-cleaning, dating issues, money issues, or simply trying to balance two jobs and a personal life, this series addresses them all. It's one of the few series that actually had the potential to appeal to a wider audience than superhero comic fans alone. There's enough human drama and seriously funny comedy in here to keep people interested.

Finally, this show has replay value. That's saying a lot when only a total of nine episodes were shot. Impressive, to say the least.

So, this review is partly here to recommend this show for people to check out. And, it's also partly a thankyou note to the cast and crew who worked on it for doing such a great job. Sometimes even the shortest runs are fondly remembered.

Good, but not great

[rmcelroy · 6/10 · 14 November 2001]

I waited anxiously for the debut of the live-action treatment of the tick, wondering how it would stack up against the comic and the animated series (one of the funniest cartoons ever produced!). While it has the same quirky, campy feel and basically the same outlandish characters, it doesn't completely work with live actors. They seemed self-conscious and holding back a little in contrast to Adam West and Dean Cain who played their roles to the fullest. Perhaps in time this cast will loosen up get into it a little more. Patrick Warburton in the title role especially needs to play it much bigger and with more gusto if this series is to make it.

Just when you thought you couldn't lose anymore brain cells

[torroutedipz · 2/10 · 25 March 2018]

Evidently only fans of the show bothered to leave reviews because this show is just awful. There's a reason it only lasted one season. I would've given it one star but didn't want to hurt too many feelings. Apparent some people like this. . . Some people like snuff films but that doesn't mean it should be on television. I tried to get with the comedy of it but it just wasn't funny. I laughed at first at the introduction of Batmanuel, but the only thing funny was the name. I was about to cancel my Amazon membership and just pay for shipping because I would feel awful supporting the production of this garbage, then I noticed this wasn't even the amazon version, Amazon was dumb enough to remake this bomb. I might give the Amazon version a shot just to see (see people, I'm not close minded, this show just sucks) or maybe I'll come to my senses and stay away.

Utterly hilarious...why can't more TV shows be this good?

[tywebb · 2 December 2003]

Every aspect of this show shines - The writing, casting, directing and comic timing raise this series to a level of quality that few other TV shows have been able to achieve in recent years. Especially Patrick Warburton as the Tick is perfectly cast.

Unfortunately, it only ran for one season - A reflection of the dismal state of TV programming these days. Fortunately, all episodes have been released on a 2-DVD set!

Do not let this gem pass you by...

OMG so good!

[sixhoos · 8/10 · 6 April 2019]

Patrick Warburton in the titular role ("titular"...Beavis and Butthead laughter here) is perfect. A character named "Batmanuel" perfectly played by Nestor Carbonell? If you don't laugh at this, you are deceased.

Man, this show was a kick

[Mr-Fusion · 8/10 · 8 November 2013]

They really hit it out of the park when they cast Patrick Warburton as The Tick. Dude was born to play the socially inept title role. It's thanks to great writing and Warburton's winning delivery that this show is as (highly) quotable as it is. And it's not just him, it's the whole cast: Liz Vassey, David Burke, and I couldn't see Nestor Carbonell in "The Dark Knight" without thinking of Batmanuel (love that guy!).

The whole thing's a winner; good production values, great bizarre sense of humor, and Captain Liberty makes for some major eye candy. "The Tick" deserved a much longer life than it received.

8/10

The Tick moved me

[rankinesam-60100 · 10/10 · 3 September 2019]

Perfectly uplifting, hilarious, and ultimately heartbreaking that this show won't continue beyond season 2.

Tick Love

[lk_23 · 8/10 · 30 March 2018]

Tick fan since first print copy and I was very happy for casting- Warburton was PERFECT for this role!! sad it was short lived!

Revisited an old friend...

[sfinancing · 10/10 · 11 June 2017]

...and glad I did.

A fast paced and amusing thrill ride that just doesn't get old. Smartly written superhero spoof from the turn of the century.

Acting with just the right combo of seriousness and camp. Well casted.

Looking forward to Amazon's take in 2017, hope they can manage the right balance.

Well worth the time to watch the series(and you can marathon it in an afternoon).

HILARIOUS

[Darryl1127-1 · 10/10 · 17 June 2022]

How I miss this show. I grew up reading this, still have one of the first issues ever printed. Patrick Warburton was very funny and his costars were well cast. It definitely deserved better.

TICKED ME OFF

[MadamWarden · 5/10 · 14 February 2020]

I guess I may have given this series longer to get going than the 3 less than impressive episodes that I endured. But...

I have just binged The Boys, which is exceptional and is sharing superior in all facets to this slow and amateurish effort.

Do yourself a favour, skip this and watch The Boys!

Evil Fox network! You canned.....the Tick!

[Rob_Taylor · 15 September 2005]

Fox is such a lame-ass network these days. Always canning shows because they aren't instant hits but never thinking that they should give them a decent time slot to begin with.

The Tick is a classic piece of comedy that really should have been given at least two seasons to develop. Instead we got, what, 9 episodes or something. Just as you were beginning to really like the characters the series is over.

Most of the humour comes from The Tick's complete lack of understanding of anything resembling normal human values or maturity. All he knows is that he must fight evil (and utter priceless lines of dialogue in the process).

Batmanuel (originally Deflator Mouse in the cartoon) started off a little weakly, but quickly grew to match the Tick in humour value.

It's a crime worthy of the Tick himself sorting out that this show did not last longer. Another season and we could have got a lot of the superheroes from the cartoons involved, and perhaps some really awful cheese-laden SFX to add to the mix. But it was not to be.

Watch what there is and mourn the missed oppportunity.

Everything just clicks in the right weird, offbeat way

[evan_harvey · 8/10 · 21 February 2023]

The Tick was one of those shows, one of those once in a generation shows, where everything just kind of clicked in the right weird, offbeat way. It was never destined to be uber-popular or mainstream, but it had the right actors, the right characters, and the right writing (mostly).

All the actors did amazing performances. Patrick Warburton is just fantastic as the Tick. Real physical comedy with a great goofy style. Nestor Carbonell turned in a truly hilarious performance as Batmanuel. David Burke and Liz Vassey as Arthur and Liberty were spot on as well.

It's the kind of show they'll probably never be able to make again, so ditch the remake, and settle in for some lighthearted (but full of heart) craziness with The Tick.

Surprisingly Funny and Creative Show!

[btimmfan · 9/10 · 9 November 2015]

I'm a big fan of the Tick 1994 Animated Series, so I was a little skeptical about this show. I wasn't sure how the goofy and cartoony elements from the Tick Animated Series would translate into live action. However, after watching the pilot, I was pleasantly surprised. Much of the same talent that worked on the animated series (writers, producers, etc.) returned to work on this live action show. It certainly shows, as there are many similarities to the cartoon here, however it also stands alone and is unique in its own right. If you like the animated series, or even if you didn't or never watched it, give this series a try. It seems like it was really ahead of its time, and it's too bad it was cut so short. The actors here are fantastic, starting with Patrick Warburton of course, but I love Nestor Carbonell as Batmanuel also. He's absolutely hilarious!