Thanks to my local affiliates, who refuse to allow Dish Network or DirecTV to broadcast most network channels in my area, I was forced to view CW’s “Reaper” on someone else’s TV. (Dirty rotten %@&#$!!!) If you want to know what Reaper is all about, try to imagine a cross between Chuck on NBC and Fox’s Brimstone. Now imagine something that’s a good deal funnier than Chuck and better made than Brimstone with perhaps a touch of Employee of the Month thrown in for good measure. There, now you’re starting to get the right idea.
Sam Oliver is basically a loser who dropped out of college because it made him sleepy. So he’s still living at home with his parents, who start acting weird on the morning of his 21st birthday for no apparent reason. Then the Devil pays him a visit and Sam learns the horrible truth: his parents sold his soul to the Devil before he was even born! (Some guys get all the luck … heck, I’m not even using my soul!) Satan has plans for Sam. It seems that recruitment is going so well in the eternal abyss that the walls of Hell are just overflowing. But the souls keep escaping, and it’s Sam’s job to bring them back with whatever powers or goofy tools the Devil sees fit to equip him with. Oh, and his friends and coworkers at “Work Bench” want to help for some reason. If Sam fails or refuses, the Devil will take his mother to Hell.
I have to say that this is probably the best of the new TV shows I’ve seen so far. Life (on NBC) is another winner, but I’ll review that some day soon. The fact that Kevin Smith (Silent Bob) and Kevin Murphy (Tom Servo from Mystery Science Theater 3000) are involved is a big plus for the show. Some of the jokes are a bit cliched, but it makes Chuck look like he’s standing still. Even the special effects are good. Many will be surprised by how much the Devil reminds them of Ward Cleaver from Leave It To Beaver, but I’m not. I always knew June’s man had a mean streak!
I recommend Reaper to anyone who isn’t too uptight to enjoy a goofy comedy with elements of the paranormal and young losers learning life’s lessons the hard way. Oh, and there’s Satan, who is always cool. How he finds time to do this and the Blog of Darkness is beyond me. But hey, he keeps busy.
-the Atheist Geek-
