A number of childhood favorites are returning to television with modern reboots.
Shows like iCarly, Rugrats, and now the Fairly OddParents have returned in a new form on Paramount’s streaming service, Paramount Plus. Each of the shows, which typically feature new art styles and fresh, aged-up cast members, is being met with mixed reviews from viewers online. While many millennials are delighted to see the entertainment of their youth return, most of the shows are plagued by issues that are immensely apparent to an adult audience.
For iCarly, it’s mostly the vibe. While the fresh show does a reasonably good job of carrying a similar energy to the original, it is impossible to ignore the characters’ new aged-up appeal. Those same goofy stunts and snarky one-liners just don’t hit the same when they’re coming from a 30-year-old, as opposed to a sassy teen. In the case of The Fairly Odd Parents, most people seem to be pointing to the art style as the show’s biggest issue. This problem, which may simply require viewers to adapt, is particularly upsetting when it comes to the presentation of the fairy-obsessed Denzel Crocker.
Twitter is absolutely flabbergasted by Paramount Plus’ decision to present Crocker from a front-facing view, an angle never attempted in the original Fairly OddParents run. Almost all of the characters in the original series were drawn from side angles, which allowed their odd but charming artistic appeal to properly connect with audiences. The strange new angle is giving people the creeps, and leading to plenty of jokes online.
People swarmed to Twitter in the hours and days after season one of The Fairly OddParents: Fairly Odder debuted on Paramount Plus on March 30. Responses almost universally reviled the new, front-facing Crocker, and dragged the character for his weird new YouTuber vibe. Some are even calling it “a crime against nature.”
People are comparing front-facing Crocker to a number of other characters, from Dexter’s Laboratory‘s Mandark to the genuine horror that is front-facing Phineas from Phineas and Ferb.
The shocking presentation of Crocker quickly inspired Twitter’s most creative users to summon new takes on the character, who some believe would “go hard” as the world’s next big VTuber.
The internet seems to be in thorough agreement: front-facing Crocker is genuine, undiluted nightmare fuel, and it’s far from the only issue with Paramount Plus’ bastardization of the Fairly OddParents. There’s also the weird decision to meld live-action with animation — this almost never works, people, please stop trying — and to scatter bland musical numbers throughout.
The inclusion of front-facing Crocker may actually work out for the team at Paramount Plus, however. The horrific visage of the decades-old character is going so viral it will very likely pull in new viewers — even if they’re only tuning in to see the ghastly sight for themselves.