Apple TV+’s Central Park is a fun mix of animation, music, and comedy — and is just as genius as it is absurd. The songs bring it to a whole new level of awesome.
Central Park comes to Apple TV+ on May 29th and I think it is a fun, animated, musical comedy. It starts off a little slow and disjointed, but after the first two episodes it really finds its groove. Every time a character starts to break out in random song, I get excited. Why? Because the songs are the best part of the show. Sure, I enjoy the plot lines and story as well, but the songs are the bread and butter. And with singers like Leslie Odom Jr., Daveed Diggs, and Tituss Burgess, who can blame me?
Central Park follows the Tillerman family around their day to day lives, which are filled with real life problems. Owen, the father, is the manager of Central Park, and he takes his job very seriously. Paige, the mother, is a struggling journalist trying to prove she can do that AND raise two kids (story of my life right here). The daughter Molly is an amazing artist (she draws comics y’all — you know I love that!) and is currently dealing with her first boy crush. And Cole, the son, is a prepubescent boy who is quite the animal lover.
Josh Gad plays a character named Birdie, who is the hilarious narrator of the series. He takes us through the episodes and it is always a great ride going on the journey with him. He makes me chuckle quite a bit — and some of his songs are my favorites. You just never know when he is going to start singing, plucking away at that little violin of his.
Central Park is from the creators of Bob’s Burgers which is very obvious when you look at the animation style. The humor is also similar so if you enjoy Bob’s Burgers comedy, you will probably enjoy Central Park comedy. The first couple of episodes have some misses, but also a lot of hits. Central Park really finds its groove in episode three, so stick through those first two episodes and you won’t regret it.
One of my favorite characters in the series is Bitsy, a bitter old lady who plays the villain. She has a bit of a potty mouth, and is all around not a nice person. As you probably know already, I love a good villain, and Bitsy is just that. She is someone you are sure to love to hate, as she stands perched high above Central Park, plotting its demise.
Central Park is just as genius as it absurd. And I promise you that is a GOOD THING. Every time someone broke into song I found myself over the moon excited, and anxiously awaiting to learn the lyrics. Because yes, there are some amazing and hilarious lyrics in this show.
Kristen Bell’s Molly Is My Spirit Animal
As a comic book fan, I immediately fell in love with Kristen Bell‘s character, Molly. She is a young girl who expresses herself by drawing comic books. My love for her reached a whole new level in episode four when she sang a song all about superheroes and if they deserve their powers or not. This is all after a mishap with her first kiss, and trust me when I tell you, this song is amazing.
Sure, I enjoy most of the songs in Central Park (there is another superhero one in episode two that I love!), but this is probably my favorite one in the series so far. I am kind of obsessed with Molly and her story, and look forward to getting to know her character more as the series goes on.
As a mom of two young girls, Olaf (and Anna for that matter) are voices I hear on a daily basis in this house, so it was nice to see Josh (and Kristen) in different singing roles. Still love their voices, but at least they aren’t singing about summer and coronations. Not that I am not a fan of Frozen, we all know how much I love it. But every mom has her limit.
Is It For Kids?
Since Central Park is an animated show, it begs the question is it OK for kids? Well, this is a little bit of a complicated answer. It is from the creators of Bob’s Burgers, which my whole family watches. Yes, including my 7 and 8 year old daughters. Anything that they shouldn’t hear goes over their heads and that is just fine with me. Honestly, they sometimes get bored with the episodes and wonder away anyways.
Will I let them watch Central Park? Yup. Well, probably. As long as they care to watch it. In the first four episodes there are only two things that stood out to me in regards to if it is a kid-friendly show, and neither really bothered me. There is the mention of “weed” in context where it is very obvious they mean the drug, marijuana. It is briefly mentioned and in the first episode, in the first song that Josh Gad sings as the opening to the show. Not a big deal at all, in my opinion, but I know some parents might be concerned.
The second is something that made me do a double take, but I don’t think my kids would pick up on. There is a quick mention of the word “penis” — more than once. It really isn’t a huge deal and is passed over quickly both times. The first time Bitzy is asking if she had a penis, would people listen to her more. And the second time is in a song where someone calls the mayor a penis-face. Twice. This is the only thing that made me second guess if I would watch it with my kids, and mainly because I don’t want to explain what a penis is. Although I know that conversation is coming at some point.
If you know me, you know that I let my girls watch almost anything. The only things we steer away from are sexual references, and really bloody violence. My girl Tania over at Lola Lambchops is more of a normal parent when it comes to what she allows her kids to watch, so if you are concerned about other things I may have missed, see what she has to say in her Central Park parent review.
About Central Park
In this animated musical comedy, Owen Tillerman and his family live an unconventional life in New York’s bustling Central Park, which Owen manages. Now, they’ll have to fend off a wealthy hotel heiress who wants to turn the park into condos.
Watch Central Park on Apple TV+ on May 29th!
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Tessa Smith is a Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer-approved Film and TV Critic. She is also a Freelance Writer. Tessa has been in the Entertainment writing business for ten years and is a member of several Critics Associations including the Critics Choice Association and the Greater Western New York Film Critics Association.
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