Cartoon sitcoms aimed at grown-ups can be a mixed bag, often thinking rude language and 2D nudity are enough to justify their existence. Thankfully, Strip Law avoids that pitfall because it’s just really funny. This surreal legal comedy has a dense gag rate, with zinging dialogue and tons of background sight gags that warrant your full attention.
It also feels like a show that could’ve only been told in animation: set in Las Vegas, there are garish billboards and actually amusing amusements everywhere. This is a show that understands – and toys with – TV conventions too. The first episode is called ‘Finally, A Show About Lawyers’ (and the last ep pleasingly calls back to that), but it’s far from a straight-up legal-drama parody. Lawyer Lincoln Gumb (Severance’s Adam Scott) has a failing firm that’s on the brink of collapse, and the 10-episode series follows what happens when he recruits wild-card magician Sheila Flambé (Abbott Elementary‘s Janelle James) to bring some presentational razzmatazz to their cases.
There are plenty of in-world ads, flashbacks and other fourth-wall-breaking meta moments throughout. While undeniably scattershot, it’s a relief that a lot of it lands. There’s a loose ‘Case Of The Week’ structure, but Strip Law is too unhinged to ever really feel like it’s following a formula. Early cases involve a male stripper whose degrading workplace treatment sees him forced to eat car keys while two elderly men are scrapping about which one is the real Santa Claus. Later, Lincoln finds himself becoming a famous “elite liberal firebrand” when he has to prove God doesn’t exist.
There are some ongoing plot strands weaved throughout the season (a hook-up between Lincoln and Sheila that eschews the will-they-won’t-they expectations) and we get to know the other employees at Gumb Legal too, including Lincoln’s Gen Z niece Irene (Shannon Gisela) and Glem Borchman (Stephen Root), a disbarred lawyer with creepy uncle energy who is best enjoyed in small doses.
Strip Law is never going to replace Suits in anyone’s comfort-viewing roster, but it’s worth strapping in for the inventive places that creator Cullen Crawford (a writer and producer on Star Trek: Lower Deck) goes to. How about ‘Automobile Land’, a kind of theme park for driving offences where the performers have an unwavering commitment to character? Or a virtual-reality HR course that’s presided over by Rocco Prosecco, an amalgamation of every member of the Rat Pack?
Occasionally the standard animation style will change for the sake of a bit, from the stop-motion antics of the Hot Dates (imagine a sleazier version of the California Raisins) or a live-action movie trailer. One pivotal episode is even framed as a completely different law show, with the protagonists appearing as supporting characters in that version of events. These knowing fourth-wall breaks and stylistic shifts allow the juvenile humour to be enjoyed with a little less guilt.
There’s often the sense that Crawford and co are just chasing the laughs, rather than working towards a cohesive whole with Strip Law. But when the result is this funny, who is going to raise an objection?
‘Strip Law’ is available on Netflix from February 20