After he retired from boxing Mike Tyson embarked on an acting career, taking various roles in films and television. Despite that, I doubt few would have imagined he would star in a cartoon that is weird, but undeniably funny. Airing on Adult Swim, Mike Tyson Mysteries is a parody of Scooby-Doo!, Jonny Quest and other Hanna-Barbera productions.
The series finds the former heavyweight champion of the world traveling around the world solving mysteries. He’s assisted by Yung Hee (Rachel Ramras), his adopted Korean daughter who was left on his doorstep as an infant; the ghost of Marquess of Queensberry (Jim Rash), who tries to give Mike advice, but is often ignored; and the pot smoking, foul-mouthed Pigeon (Norm Macdonald), who was turned into a pigeon by his ex-wife for cheating on her.
Each of the episodes are short, clocking in at around ten minutes each, which is appropriate given the ridiculousness of the cases. Whether the gang goes out to author Cormac McCarthy’s ranch to help him with his latest novel and Mike ends up fighting a Chupacabra, or Mike’s desire to purchase hummus interferes with a murder investigation, this is zany stuff.
The writers have done a great job of crafting smart, funny dialogue for Tyson and the rest of the cast. Norm MacDonald’s Pigeon spends most of his time commenting about situations where Mike has no clue what’s going on—which happens a lot—and he steals a lot of scenes with his droll delivery. Anyone who’s seen or heard an interview with Mike Tyson has to admit, the guy doesn’t often seem aware of his own surroundings. In fact, I found myself wondering if he even fully realizes that Mike Tyson Mysteries is generating humor at his expense. Ah well, the ten episodes contained on Mike Tyson Mysteries: Season One (Uncensored) is funny stuff.
The anamorphic widescreen transfers look very good. Colors are bright and vibrant throughout. A nice level of detail in the background helps the painted animation style really stand out. There are no real problems with this presentation to report.
The Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack does the job quite well. The surrounds handle the score, while clear dialogue is placed in the center. Minor atmospheric effects are heard in the sides and rears in a few scenes, but they’re not really a factor. It’s a simplistic, but effective mix.
English and French subtitles are included.
No extras are available.
