Why The Cuphead Show Is A Mug Half Full Affair

Although we should be raising a glass to Netflix's The Cuphead Show, the cute and colourful cartoon caper never quite lives up to its potential. Seeing Cuphead and Mugman make the leap from gaming and into the ever-growing world of video game TV series should be a big win, but instead, we're left confined to kindergarten with this childlike reimagining.

If you're new to Cuphead, Netflix has taken the rights to 2017's game and brought this Disney-inspired world to life on the streaming service. The sometimes dark aesthetic of Studio MDHR's run-and-gun favourite could've made Cuphead rife for an Adventure Time or Gravity Falls-inspired adaptation with an adult edge, however, Netflix unloads a sanitised and pastel version that more than lives up to its U rating. 

What's Wrong With The Cuphead Show?

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As we mentioned above, shows like Gravity Falls tow the line between being a kid's cartoon and alienating adults. The problem is that Cuphead as a game is notoriously hard. Even though it's not impossible, you'd struggle to find many kids that can rip through Dr Kahl's Robot or King Dice. This puts The Cuphead Show in something of a cartoon limbo where it tries to appeal to everyone, but ultimately, appeals to no one. 

The general premise of The Cuphead Show is similarly dark to the game. Whereas Cuphead has the titular crockery losing his soul to the Devil in a casino deal, the series has him falling foul of the Carnevil… and that's about it. Apart from the Devil chasing Cuphead and Mugman around in the occasional episode, there largely isn't a narrative to The Cuphead Show. Whether it's looking after a baby or grabbing some ice cream, it's all very infantile. 

Everyone has a Mark Wahlberg-esque accent, and while there's nothing wrong with that, it seems a little random. Part of the charm of Cuphead is the rousing soundtrack. There's an argument to be made for The Cuphead Show harking back to the era of silent cartoons, but we understand it would be hard to make a whole series of 12-minute episodes that don’t feature any speaking characters. 

Bosses from the games are loosely reworked to feature in episodes, but on the whole, it just seems like a well-oiled marketing machine to sell merchandise or promote the upcoming The Delicious Last Course DLC. There's also Luke Millington-Drake's portrayal of the Devil. You might know him as that guy who does Kiera Knightley impressions on Instagram, but here, his version of the Devil feels like a recreation of Futurama's Robot Devil - albeit a pale imitation. 

Is The Cuphead Show Really That Bad?

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Looking at the positives, at least The Cuphead Show is a faithful recreation of the source material, with each episode looking like it's been pulled directly from a level of the game. However, similar to Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City, being a carbon copy is not always a good thing. As Johannes Roberts' 2022 reboot proved, it's sometimes better to try to tell your own story.

The introduction of Ms. Chalice is to add a much-needed female presence to the story and makes a lot of sense. Well, at least it would if she wasn't also a big part of the upcoming DLC, meaning her inclusion feels like little more than a way to tick a box and sell the expansion. Wayne Brady's King Dice is another highlight, with this slick version of the video game transpiring well into a well-rounded member of the kooky cast.

Still, with comparisons to SpongeBob SquarePants, you’ll find yourselves wishing anyone here was a patch on the titular sponge, Patrick, or Squidward. It's not all doom and gloom. There's no getting away from the art style, a delightful throwback to the Golden Age of animation.

We've also got to applaud the slapstick comedy (if you can call it that) that harks back to the Looney Tunes cartoons. Then again, with both of these being cited as major influences on the Cuphead tin, should we really be surprised? 

Can The Cuphead Show Improve In Season 2?

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For those left questioning the backstory of Cuphead and Mugman - or how they came to live with Elder Kettle (we think it’s a little weird) - you don’t get it and probably never will. Speaking to Polygon, Cuphead creator Jared Moldenhauer said, "I'm not a huge fan of backstory — which doesn't mean there isn't backstory! But like, I like some stuff to still have that air of mystery." Hmmm, sounds like an easy way out to us. 

Sadly, The Cuphead Show has backed itself into something of a corner. Had it just been a pilot, it would've been easy to retool the series into a more adult-orientated show. Worse than this, Netflix had already commissioned The Cuphead Show for a supersized second season of 48 episodes before the first even aired. Not that we think it'll run out of ideas, but that's a lot of the same presumably coming soon. 

Maybe we're just being too harsh. It's true that great animations like The Simpsons and Futurama only hit their stride after a couple of seasons, but then look at something like Rick and Morty that came out of the gate hot. We'll have to wait and see whether The Cuphead Show is a great big hug in a mug in Season 2 or whether someone's left the kettle on for too long. Either way, we think Netflix hasn't quite presented us with the best china this time around.