Guest Author - Amy Ralston Young

One of many summer-time filler shows to hit the small screen is CBS’s new hit, “Creature Comforts.” The show, which started as a short in England almost two decades ago and won an Oscar, has evolved from its original premise and made its way to America.

The original “Creature Comforts” featured animals in a zoo, discussing what life was like living there. In 2003, the premise changed a little and it appeared as a television show in the United Kingdom. Finally, CBS decided to commission 7 episodes for their network’s summer 2007 line up, but showcasing subjects important to humans, not animals.

The show was created by the same company who brought you the “Wallace and Grommit,” movies, “Chicken Run,” and more recently “Flushed Away.” This Aardman Animations Ltd. series has already won a prestigious Rose d’Or award for excellence in television entertainment.

The producers of the show interviewed average, every day Americans on a wide range of topics, and then matched their audio clips with animated (claymated actually as they look more like Gumby than Buzz Lightyear) non-human species like birds, horses, dogs, roaches, etcetera.

The show covers topics from doctor appointments, to keeping secrets, to finding the right mate. One of the characters even discusses her many ailments. With such a broad collection of issues, some of the “jokes” can be crude.

Not that the words are particularly raunchy in and of themselves, but when paired with the animals’ actions they can be a little offensive.

For instance, the producers interviewed a couple of men smelling wine and sharing their opinions with words such as “ripe” and “fruity.” Then they put that audio with two dogs sniffing a third canine. You can get the picture I’m sure. Not exactly what I was looking for, but that’s just me.

After only three weeks on the air in the United States, the show is garnering a lot of attention. Perhaps more awards are in store, but not from this viewer. Maybe it’s the animation style, or the random quotes, but the show has already worn out its welcome in my house.

Bottom line: you’ll either love this show, or find it incredibly lame. You gotta watch to figure it out.

Watch it: CBS, Mondays at 8 p.m. EST
Stars: American public