I have been watching "The Eds" since they first came to Cartoon Network. After recently reading a review of this show, I decided to make a comment. Many people complain about the animation quality of the show. However, I would like to point out that this is a CARTOON. This isn't real life, nor does it claim to portray real life. Therefore, it may be forgiven that the art isn't up to the quality of classic cartoons (Loony Tunes, Tom and Jerry, etc.). In truth, I really appreciate the animation of this show. It adds to the energy that the show has. A constant liveliness runs in every episode, just as kids are in real life.
The characters seem so familiar to me (after all, I'm 19, and childhood wasn't too long ago). Each one is exaggerated, but they each seem more realistic the more that they are pushed to extremes. The girly guy (Jimmy), the tomboy girl (Sarah) - reminiscent of some of my friends. The hot girl everyone wants (Naz), the jerk who of course has the best "chance" with her (Kevin) - who hasn't known those two? The guy who lives outside of reality (Johnny), and the guy who works too hard (Rolf) - yep, been there too. Of course, those are gross simplifications, as there is quite a bit to everyone in the show.
Creativity - the show is full of it. The show's premise - three guys whose life lives around making money - is surprisingly fresh. Generally, characters in a kids' show deal just with growing up (As Told By Ginger and Hey Arnold come to mind). Those shows tend to bog down sometimes. I personally found Hey Arnold to be too serious for me. The Eds, though? Comedy in its truest form. It never bogs down, becomes sentimental, depressing, or anything of the sort. Instead, it gives us constant humour and action. The characters live in a constant summer, so to speak. It is never schooltime, it is never winter. There are no parents, no responsibilities. Only desire. Perhaps even, if one was to truly be devoted to the show, one could argue that The Eds could be a study on the psychological aspects of each character type. But I'm not going to go that far.
Stock episodes tend to be the worst ones for shows. By stock episodes, I mean Christmas, Halloween, etc. The standard episodes that every show does to show its diversity and have something to be played at a certain time of year. There have been few to do these well (Rugrats, sorry but your Passover special is much better than your Christmas). The Eds treat it differently - they all get the Christmas spirit in July. How wonderful is that? As I said, perpetual summer. Halloween is done in a unique way - it's not really Halloween. Instead they do a sort of "scary" mystery episode. Very nice, with a great ending.
But what about the lack of parents or any other adults? Adults would detract from the cartoon. While adults worked for a show like Rugrats, bringing adult humour to an otherwise children's cartoon, the humour in the Eds is already mature enough to be enjoyed by adults as well as kids. Ed's slapstick humour is purely in fun, reminding one of Harpo Marx, though slightly exaggerated and dumbed down, of course. But his slapstick is so oustandingly unrealistic that adults can appreciate it. Edd provides the verbal wit that allows for humour that can be a bit more mature. And let's face it, the older you get, the more you appreciate verbal humour over "kick in the groin" style of humour. So why would you need adults in this show? It would only detract from that fantasy "perpetual summer" that I mentioned earlier.
Before judging the show to be a piece of rubbish passed off as a show (as I have heard all-too often from people who've just seen the drawing), you should try watching a few episodes. Don't Rain On My Ed is my favorite, showing off the classic Murphy's Law and how everyone reacts to it. Another is their delving into the cartoon world, One + It even ends with a slightly religious connotation (which makes that ending so much better if you think of it like that). If you watch these two episodes and find yourself disliking it still, then don't watch it. However, you should find the humour quite appealing.
