SPOILER: This column contains potential spoilers for “Strip Law.”
Netflix’s newest addition to its catalog of adult animation, “Strip Law,” isn’t overtly crass and objectively bad like many other adult animated series. However, the show, which released Feb. 20, lacks meaningful plot making it severely mediocre.
“Strip Law,” features Las Vegas attorney Lincoln Gumb (Adam Scott), a painfully boring lawyer living in the shadow of his mom, as he works with a band of misfits to win the odd cases he is tasked with.
This team consists of street magician Sheila Flambe (Janelle James), Lincoln’s fiery teenage niece Irene (Shannon Gisela) and messy veteran attorney Glem Blorchman (Stephen Root). Together, this group rivals many opposing lawyers such as their main rival Steve Nichols (Keith David), who was Lincoln’s mom’s partner before she passed.
I usually consider myself particularly drawn to the adult animation genre because of its ability to blend mature comedy with animation. Often this genre introduces real, grim themes to its viewers in an unserious tone, something I tend to prefer compared to dramas.
This is something Netflix has explored in the past with its series “BoJack Horseman," which has established itself as one of my favorite series Netflix has created due to its ability to simultaneously blend mature themes and crude humor. “BoJack Horseman” managed to capture what I desperately seek out in an adult animated series within its six-season run lasting from 2014 to 2020.
As a fan of the popular Netflix series, I often found myself sympathizing with BoJack, despite him being a washed-up Hollywood actor who can’t seem to get his life figured out, because of the parental neglect he experienced as a child. This toxic environment led BoJack to continue to seek love and validation in any way possible in his adult life.
“BoJack Horseman” sets a high standard. However, it seems more often than not Netflix has continued to release adult animated shows that fail to meet that quality. Unfortunately, this is definitely the case for “Strip Law.”
My favorite part of the show was how the judges don’t take the cases seriously. For example, during the Halloween episode in which Lincoln’s team had to represent a disheveled man claiming to be Santa against the clearly real Santa, the judge can be seen in various Halloween costumes throughout the day. These outfits reference various characters such as Jake from “Adventure Time,” Edward Scissorhands, Frankenstein and Ghostface.
In general, the cases that Lincoln and his team tend to take on lean toward the more chaotic or ridiculous side of things.
In another episode, the group gets tasked with representing a mother trying to seek custody of her son, a boy who experienced death but came back to life and preaches upon what he saw in heaven, from his father who is trying to get him to see heaven again. During the final trial, however, the boy’s mom accuses Lincoln of doing horrendous acts and says he hates God, making the whole case amount to nothing.
I found these comedic approaches conflicted with my predisposed opinion of court cases being boring and tedious, and I enjoyed the way in which this show played with these ideas.
What I couldn’t understand was why the most boring character was chosen to be the protagonist for this series. I found I cared little for Lincoln’s story with his mom and rival, and more for the wacky cases the team would go on. Lincoln’s sidekick, Sheila, had more of an amusing personality within her ability to perform the magic tricks that first won the team their trials.
I wouldn’t say this series is explicitly bad, like many of the newer adult animations, such as “Velma” which took a massive swing at the beloved “Scooby-Doo” franchise. Such shows often suffer from being extremely graphic in their adult language without having a stellar plot as justification.
However, “Strip Law” failed to spark my interest as more than just a background show since I didn’t feel invested in the characters and their developing plotlines. But for what it is, the show is charmingly funny at times, and I will be tuning in if Netflix decides to renew another season.
