2 out of 5

Created By: Chris O’Dowd

covers season 1

Moone Boy is funny.  I laughed out loud a couple times, as one should at any comedy show or movie, I would hope, and lead child actor David Rawle has a chummy, stumbly charm to his performance that, while still presented with that level of remove most child actors has, works for the personality of the always upbeat Martin Moone.  And we love Chris O’Dowd, hence why this show might exist, and he brings his reliable, friendly-cynic approach to the humor of Martin’s imaginary friend (and the show’s narrator), Seán Murphy.

It’s just that the show is so damned… bland.  It’s a Modern Family type sitcom, building on a relatable growing-up framework and sprinkling it with just enough ‘adult’ humor (Martin says something easily misinterpreted, Seán makes a funny face) to convince the viewers that they’re watching something mature.  I can understand O’Dowd not wanting to give himself too much screentime, since he’s the co-writer and creator and all and don’t steal the spotlight – most of the show does belong to Martin (albeit with O’Dowd’s constant voiceover as both internal dialogue for Martin and external plot directions for us) – but its a shame because it really gets the biggest laughs when Chris is on screen.  However, even his scenes lack a bit of verve: the relationship between the actors is a bit too chummy, Chris always seeming somewhat half-committed or a second away from chuckling at, perhaps, an improv, and actor Rawle a bit wide-eyed about getting to act alongside a movie star.

Plotwise there’s definitely a good sense of creativity, but the show just never makes enough use of the fact that we’re dealing with an imaginary character.  I don’t exactly mean dumb jokes like “who’re you talking to?” ad nauseum, but there’s an ep where Seán retreats to a bar for imaginary friends, and it’s a shame that this concept seems out of place in ‘Moone Boy’ – more frequent examples of a more flexible reality as such could’ve elevated the show to something more notable.  But, again, it’s the whole ABC sitcom vibe, so I guess that’s just not part of that formula.

On a positive note, though its somewhat indirect, it is cool to see such an Irish show, and one suspects that its not too dolled up for non-locals, but that this family of three sisters, one boy, the church, the slang, the 80s references, the constant rain, would all be recognizable and perhaps nostalgic details for those who grew up there.

But that’s a dumbass American’s view, so who knows.  (However: we are all dumbasses.)