4 out of 5

Developed by: Jeremy Carver

While DCs streaming platform is one of the early additives to the you’re-ruining-streaming pool of excess, questionable services, they have surprised with their original offerings, first with Titans, and now, besting that effort – Doom Patrol.  Both shows suffer a bit from trying to be too ‘gritty’ – Titans loved to lather itself in sex, language, and violence, and Doom Patrol is ridiculously potty-mouthed – but both also manage to include better character work and writing than not only what was expected, but than a lot of what is elsewise on TV.  And I could say in comparison to what’s similar, but especially with Doom Patrol: nothing is similar.

And where DP further stands out: it fully embraces its source material and the tone of the better runs of the series (Grant Morrison’s stuff, in particular) – that these are not admirable, ‘cool’ heroes, but broken outcasts – and then properly evolves it into a modern day feeling, being able to sit alongside current conversations on self identity without ever having to bop it on the nose.  It is a good show, and not just a good adaptation or a good comic book show, it just happens to involve universes inside donkeys, a 4th-wall breaking narrator, and ass monsters.

Crazy Jane (Diane Guerrero) – a split personality, each with powers; Rita Farr (April Bowlby) – a glamorous movie star turned formless puddle of ooze; Larry Trainor, a.k.a. Negative Man (voiced by Matt Bomer), a badly injured pilot, bandaged like The Invisible Man, who shares his body with the electric ‘negative spirit’; Robotman Cliff Steele (voiced by Brendan Fraser), a famous racecar driver’s brain implanted into a robot body after a horrendous accident.  And, uh, Cyborg (Joivan Wade), who wasn’t ever part of the original Doom Patrol, but finds his way into the show in an assumed leadership role, meanwhile struggling with the tragedy he may have caused which killed his mother and had his father grafting him with his hero namesake’s bits and pieces.  This is your team, and you’ll see a repeated trend of misfigurements and falls from grace.  The Doom Patrol hides out in a mansion, cared for and researched by their father figure, ‘Chief,’ (Timothy Dalton) generally trying to avoid the ridicule and embarrassment that comes from being out in public.  Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman they are not.

When Chief goes missing, thanks to Mr. Nobody (Alan Tudyk) – who has the ability to seemingly see where all of this is going and likes to talk to (and chide) the audience about DP’s stupidity, and all the nonsense that’s required for making a super hero show – the team has to try and get it together as a team, discovering much about themselves and their leader on their search.  Sure, this is a setup for feel good TV and movies, but there is no easy way for these various misfits to stay on task ‘neath loads of self-loathing and mistrust in anything and anyone.  But instead of this feeling like just a cynical, oddball JLA or something, Doom Patrol’s writers work to make us understand these emotions, balancing dramaturgy with hilariously ridiculous premises and settings foisted upon our featured team, gleefully nipping from Grant Morrison’s comics, which were already a brilliant mix of nonsense and intense world- / character-building,

The bickering can get a little repetitive, and, as mentioned, the four-letter flingin’ is exhaustive, and while the latter can’t much be justified beyond ‘this ain’t yer daddy’s Doom Patrol!,’ the former would seem to find a place as necessary setup: Cliff, Jane, Rita, Cyborg, and Larry respond to each other like children, sans the guiding hand of a parent, and we get to watch them grow up over 15 episodes…  When they land on moments of maturity, when they actually seem to be able to converse with one another, it’s impactful; it’s rewarding.  And if it’s not, you’ve got some kind of zaniness, guaranteed around the next corner.

I can’t say that DC’s streaming service is fully justified by these shows, but Titans was an appreciative surprise, and Doom Patrol – well, dammit, it’s sort of a must watch.