The Life & Times of Tim - The Complete First Season

The Life & Times of Tim is the creation of Steve Dildarian, who made a name for himself in advertising with the "Budweiser Lizards" campaign. With his HBO animated series, Dildarian serves as the writer, director, and voice of the twenty-something New Yorker who constantly finds himself in ridiculous and profane situations that might even be too outrageous for channel-mate Larry David. Yet no matter how out of control the situation gets, Tim, whose speech pattern is reminiscent of Ray Romano, always remains calm and even keel. His reactions and dialogue are the source of most of the show's humor.

Tim lives with his girlfriend, Amy (M.J. Otto), and it's amazing she stays with him considering the very first time we meet them is in "Angry Unpaid Hooker," where Tim has to explain to Amy and her parents why he is sitting on the couch with Debbie the prostitute (Bob Morrow). He fumbles his way through an explanation that alternates between very funny and painfully awkward.

Tim doesn’t always get himself in these situations. In "Rodney's Bachelor Party," an obnoxious co-worker (Matt Johnson) at the nondescript Omnicorp invites Tim and his best friend, Stu (Nick Kroll), to what turns out to be the world's worst bachelor party. Tim and Stu are the only people who show up. Not even the strippers came. To allow Rodney to save face, the three decided to make up wild stories of how the evening went. However, Tim doesn't like his story when he learns Rodney told the entire office Tim was "raped by a bum."

Every encounter with Amy's parents is terrible. Tim spoils her sister's wedding with a poor joke suggested by an immoral priest and when Tim takes Amy's dad to a football game, Amy's dad is abused verbally by the crowd and fluidly by Stu's beer-drinking father who attends games so he can holler "Cock!" at the visiting team's fans.

Tim's boss, identified only as "The Boss," also causes Tim a great deal of trouble in exchange for advancement at work that never materializes. From posing as a Hispanic Vice President to escorting The Boss' daughter to the "Senior Prom," it never goes well. Worst of all may be when Tim covers for The Boss' dog since the building has a no-dog policy because he has to claim biting a co-worker on the ankle and pooping by the elevator. There's a great sight gag in The Boss' office as his nameplate on the desk reads "The Boss" while viewed from the back it reads "Not the Boss."

The first season is comprised of 10 shows with two episodes in each show. Notable guest stars include Bob Saget, Jeff Garlin, Cheri Oteri, and Daniel Tosh. The animation is intentionally crude and simple, reminiscent of "Beavis and Butthead" and "Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist" minus the Squigglevision. The two-DVD set comes with one bonus feature, "Awkward Moments: A Collection of 10 Animated Shorts," which runs for eight minutes.

While definitely not for everyone, The Life & Times of Tim has plenty of laughs for those with a sick and twisted sense of humor.