“Big Mouth” is Netflix’s new animated adult comedy show created by Nick Kroll, Andrew Goldberg, Marl Levin and Jennifer Flackett. In late October, one month after its season one premiere, the show was already renewed by Netflix for a second season.
The cast includes such comedic talents as Jordan Peele, John Mulaney and Jessi Klien as the show explores the issues and experiences that arise during puberty. It follows the life and relationships of high school students Nick Birch, Andrew Glouberman and Jesse Glaser respectively.
The show’s creators are not afraid to relate in accurate detail the awkward, strange and exciting struggles kids deal with when going through puberty. The “Hormone Monster” is a beastly personification of Nick’s pubescent mind that follows him around and arrives at inopportune times to influence Nick’s decision making. He’s curious and outrageous and often times leads Nick into trouble. One of the stranger scenes portrays a young girl having a conversation with her vagina as it fills her in on how everything works.
The show fearlessly deconstructs the thought process of adolescents discovering their sexuality and the social circles and hierarchy of high school. There are plenty of embarrassing and hilarious situations from this but, jokes aside, there is a fair amount of significant information being taught throughout the episodes. Despite the humor that can, in some situations, stem from sex and sexuality, these are important topics to discuss.
Sexuality can be a tough subject to navigate, but it’s not one that should be neglected. The show’s creators understand this, and they try to combat this confusion with knowledge laced with dark humor. Andrew Goldberg was previously a writer on Family Guy with Seth MacFarland, keeping the tradition of indirectly educating youth about adult subject matter alive.
Although the series has received some criticism for being heavily sexual and vulgar, it effortlessly encapsulates the arduous transition into adulthood and developing one’s individual identity. Nick Kroll, whose childhood the show is based around, says the experience of being “pantsed” in the seventh grade in front of his crush inspired the shameless, in-your-face, bold series. The concept is strange and cathartic, but it has a good message: we shouldn’t be afraid or ashamed of our bodies. Furthermore, our emotions and hormones are just part of what makes us normal, not some grizzly monster. If you want to see an innovative and original show that’s as funny as it is uncomfortable, then “Big Mouth” is a must-see. Just don’t watch it with your parents.
