Central Park (Spoiler-Free) Review

If you love Bob’s Burgers but wish the series included more musical numbers (and boy, has that show had some great musical numbers), have I got a series for you! Central Park, the first major animation release from Apple TV+, comes from the minds of Burgers writers Loren Bouchard and Nora Smith, adding Josh Gad (Olaf in Frozen, who also takes on the role of the series’ troubadour-like narrator – a fun character who is very aware that Gad’s shtick can become a lot very quickly*) to the team to create a full-on musical comedy. Now, your mileage may vary with the series depending on how much you enjoy musical comedies (the plot, such as it is, is always in service of getting us to that next song, although the series is more plot-heavy than a lot of animated comedies on TV), but as someone who has spent a lot of time watching musicals over my life, I feel secure in saying this is a pretty solid series.

*Full disclosure, I’m of the less is more camp when it comes to Gad’s character Birdie, but Central Park deploys him pretty well throughout the four episodes provided for critics.

Joining Gad is a who’s who list of some of the best musical theatre performers out there: Leslie Odom, Jr. (Hamilton‘s original Aaron Burr) as Owen, the head groundskeeper in Central Park (the show’s title stems from his position, a job that comes with a house in the park itself for his family to reside in), Kristen Bell (Frozen‘s Anna) as Molly, Owen’s daughter with a penchant for drawing and a vivid imagination, and Tituss Burgess (Titus from Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt) as Cole, Owen’s sensitive and not too bright son. Paige, the family’s mom (who also happens to be a investigative journalist – trust me, it matters to the show’s plot), is played by Kathryn Hahn (most recently of Transparent), who, it turns out, has a great singing voice in addition to her comedy chops. The show’s villain is an elderly hotel heiress named Bitsy Brandenham voiced by Stanley Tucci (because why not?) and Daveed Diggs (Hamilton‘s original Lafayette and Thomas Jefferson) takes on the role of Bitsy’s bitter assistant Helen. All-in-all, it’s a sensational cast of voice actors who are more than capable of handling the songs thrown their way. (Ok, Tucci is a bit rough when he’s asked to sing, but it works for the character so I’ll give him a pass. Also, he’s Stanley Tucci. He makes everything better by default.)

But how’s the show? Well, much like Bob’s Burgers, certain characters (and their personal story arcs) tend to fare better than others. The best of the bunch are Molly and Cole, who are the show’s emotional heart and soul. By far the most fleshed-out characters (at least in the initial four episodes), the duo also get the show’s best songs and most interesting stories. Cole quickly gets embroiled in a plot to save Bitsy’s adorable, if underappreciated, dog from the lap of luxury, putting the entire family in Bitsy’s crosshairs (the hotel heiress also wants to get rid of the “eyesore” that is Central Park and build it up with more hotels, so clashing with the groundskeeper of said park was probably inevitable). Molly, on the other hand, is struggling with her first crush – something that seems so easy for her to write about in her (really great) comics, but something that is so darn hard to deal with in reality. It’s incredibly endearing, and Bell is great at expressing Molly’s adolescent fears through song. When the show is dealing with the kids’ problems and adventures, it really soars. When we get to the adults, well, it’s less fun.

While there’s nothing bad or unwatchable about Owen, Paige, or Bitsy’s stories, there’s nothing all that engaging either. Yes, the stories do all tie together with the kids’ tales by the end of the episode (the series is set-up with the larger “Bitsy wants to get control of Central Park” arc, and each episode advances that goal while also telling smaller, stand-alone stories – pretty ambitious for a half hour musical comedy cartoon series), and the overlap helps to increase the watchability. And the songs are great across the board. But I would often find myself eagerly anticipating the show’s switch back to the exploits of the children. It also doesn’t help that Odom, Jr. isn’t a particularly vibrant voice over talent. Sure, he has an incredible singing voice, but Owen comes off as the show’s dullest and least vibrant character, which is a major detriment for a show’s leading man. Hahn doesn’t have the same issues, and Paige (while given less to do in the show’s initial set of episodes) pops in her moments on screen. It makes one wish she were the show’s lead rather than the less engaging Owen.

So, if you are a fan of musical comedies, Central Park is worth your time. However, if you don’t currently have Apple TV+, I wouldn’t recommend you purchase it simply for this show. In the current streaming wars battle, Apple TV+ is running solidly behind Hulu, Netflix, and Amazon in terms of quality content. But, if you’ve already taken the Apple TV+ plunge, give this one a look. It’s fun, funny, and has a killer set of original songs that you won’t be able to get out of your head.

Central Park‘s first two episodes drop May 29th on Apple TV+, with episodes premiering weekly on Fridays.