I’ve never felt like I needed to subscribe to HBO until now. “Sex and the City” and “Entourage” were entertaining enough, but I never felt like I was missing out. After all, that’s what TV on DVD is for. But now I’m reconsidering my cable package thanks to a little animated show I’ve been watching on YouTube called “The Life & Times of Tim.”
“The Life & Times of Tim” is an HBO animated comedy series, created by former ad writer Steve Dildarian. The show revolves around Tim (Dildarian), a cubicle worker living in New York City with his girlfriend, Amy (Mary Jane Otto). Thanks to misunderstandings or miscommunications, Tim constantly finds himself in embarrassing, awkward and sometimes scandalously awful situations.
The episodes are 30 minutes long consisting of two separate shorts about Tim. (The structure should be familiar to people who still watch cartoon shows on Nickelodeon or Cartoon Network.)
The series can best be described as a dirtier, animated “Seinfeld.” Tim has zany friends, a weird boss and nutty coworkers. The writing blends New York stereotypes with fresh and funny situations to create an interesting and engaging show.
In one episode, “Insurmountable High Score,” Tim accidentally beats the high score on a pinball machine on which a recovering alcoholic had been focusing his rehab goals. The alcoholic falls off the wagon.Tim feels guilty and uncomfortable hijinks ensue.
In the other section of that episode, “Tim vs. the Baby,” Tim feels uncomfortable when a woman leaves her breast exposed in a restaurant after breast-feeding her baby. Though he politely asks her to cover herself, his comments are misconstrued and the entire restaurant gangs up on Tim.
Possibly one of the most awkward situations of all occurs in “Mad Dog Tim,” when Tim’s boss brings his dog to the office, even though the building prohibits animals. When the dog poops in the hall, Tim’s boss asks Tim to take the blame so no one thinks a dog is present.
The quiet, conversational humor often seems improvised, thanks to the almost painful pauses in the dialogue. The voice cast works off of each other and takes the writing to an elevated level that will keep you laughing, especially if you like that awkward kind of humor that can also be found in “The Office” or “Seinfeld.”
The animation is amateurish and gives the show a homemade feel- like it’s straight out of Tim’s (or creator/star Steve Dildarian’s) imagination.
To watch “The Life & Times of Tim,” you can be like me and wait for the inevitable DVD set or find it on You Tube. And of course, you can watch it on HBO on Sundays at 10 p.m. For more information, visit hbo.com/tim.
