After watching two episodes of the new adult cartoon show ‘Sit Down, Shut Up,’ one has to wonder who at Fox allowed this epic blunder to go on the air. The jokes fall flat because most of the comedy distastefully mocks race and sexual orientation.

‘Sit Down, Shut Up’ centers on the fictional school of Knob Haven High and the exploits of the teachers.

The scenes featuring school custodian Muhannad Sabeeh Fa-ach Nuabar, or ‘Happy,’ are simply crude. Happy’s exact native origins are impossible to discern, but it’s reasonable to guess he’s not from Albuquerque, N.M. He speaks in a language full of gutturals and words that make him spit.

A refined voice provides a translation of what Happy actually means when he talks. He also has quick outbursts of anger in which he raises his fist in the air, militant-style. In one scene, a car hit Happy, sending him to the curb. He rises and begins to shout. The voiceover quickly provides the English version.

‘A discourtesy has been shown by your motor camel,’ Happy yells, according to his translator..

Writer and creator Mitchell Hurwitz (‘Arrested Development’) puts no limits on content. While other adult cartoon shows manage to get away with insulting race, creed and religions at will (ahem, ‘South Park’), Hurwitz is a novice at this. He fails to pick up the crucial key to ‘South Park’ humor: For every joke made at the expense of minorities, write 10 that apply to large groups of Americans.

The one funny bit from the first two episodes of ‘Sit Down, Shut Up’ is a sly pop culture reference. During a football game against another school whose mascot is a salmon, a Knob Haven player steals the football from an opponent. He rushes downfield. The opposing coach yells encouragement from the sidelines.

‘Rush the defense! Come on Salmon! Rush D!’ the coach shouts, his words slurring together.

Happy, the Arab caricature, emerges from a hole in the football field and looks around for Salmon Rushdie (pronounced Salmon Rushdee), the controversial author of ‘The Satanic Verses.’

Perhaps Hurwitz can evolve as a writer over the seven ordered episodes of ‘Sit Down, Shut Up.’ Right now even that looks doubtful.

adbrow03@syr.edu

Published on April 19, 2009 at 12:00 pm