The Netflix hit series “Big Mouth” returned for its sixth season last Friday, Oct. 28, with its usual over-the-top inappropriate humor and charismatic characters. The show follows a group of middle school friends charting their own path through puberty and middle school crushes. The creator of the show, Nick Kroll, takes a unique approach to this awkward stage in human development by projecting many of the urges and issues pre-teens experience onto imaginary creatures.
For those who are familiar with the show, season six picks up right where five left off: Andrew is growing closer with his long distance girlfriend Bernadette Sanders (adoringly referred to as Bernie Sanders), Nick who is still so desperately trying to find a girlfriend turns his attic into a hook-up house and Jessi is still infatuated with Nick’s older brother.
An overarching theme this season – that is apparent from the trailer – is a sense of family. From the pressure of introducing partners to your loved ones to tracking down long lost relatives, the show has plenty of material to pull from. This release was timed perfectly with the closure of spooky season, and assures a much more wholesome holiday vibe as we move towards Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Religion is also a topic the show has touched upon in the past, which emerges more throughout this season with the introduction of a new character – Elijah, Missy’s new love interest. He is the first character I’ve seen on the show that is authentically devout, who doesn’t just cooperate with his family’s practices because he’s forced to.
The already-stacked voice acting cast for the series consists of Nick Kroll, John Mulaney, Jason Mantzoukas, Maya Rudolph and Jordan Peele, among others. The show is still holding onto its occasional musical numbers, coming out strong with the first one, which starts about 30 seconds into the premiere. “Big Mouth” is also known for its guest stars who either appear in single episodes or recurring bit roles. Most notably, Ed Helms from “The Office” is supposed to lend his voice to a character later this season.
To say that the sense of humor displayed in “Big Mouth” is raunchy would be an understatement, but the confidence and eloquent delivery of it is what makes the show so unique and popular. Kroll and his team of writers have consistently pushed the envelope, showing things one would never think would be possible to show on television. Thank God it’s animated, because if it wasn’t, this show would not be achievable and just be downright disgusting. Instead, the animation plays to the show’s strengths by complementing Kroll’s sense of humor nicely.
As for the supporting characters, the majority being made up of fictitious creatures, they have their own spin-off show which debuted last spring, titled “Human Behavior.” The plot lines that took place during the first season of the spin-off do come to play in the new “Big Mouth” season. So, if you’re wondering why Maury is pregnant, I’d recommend watching “Human Behavior,” which is just as funny.
With the entertainment juggernaut “House of the Dragon” concluding its first season last week, I know many people are looking for a new show to watch. This release came just in time to save people from the void. Yes, the shows aren’t remotely similar in any sense, but trying something new can sometimes be rewarding, especially with the short run-time of these episodes, and only 10 of them per season.
I’m actually envious of those who haven’t started “Big Mouth” yet and will have the opportunity to binge it (hopefully after reading this review). Most of the fanbase waits for the annual fall release and manages to run through the season by that weekend. It is by far one of my favorites of the adult animated comedy genre, and would highly recommend it to any fans of “Rick and Morty,” “Family Guy” or “American Dad.”
