The Prince Review

There's an animated series on HBO Max that's causing some controversy. This series is "The Prince" and it's an animated parody of the Royal Family. The main character is Prince George, son of Prince William and Kate Middleton, Duchess of Cambridge. 

Let's start off by saying I'm not from the UK. I've never been there nor did I grow up there. The Royal Family doesn't hold a special place in my heart or anything. That said, a lot of Brits and Americans too are pissed about The Prince. The reason being that the main character is a literal child. This is a show based on real people and children are involved. I've also seen where people were angry about the portrayal of the late Prince Phillip. This was made before his death and was even delayed to premiere. Despite the delay, the Prince is portrayed as an incompetent, decrepit old man with deathly gray skin so yeah, I see why people were pissed. 

Keep in mind this is based on an actual child who didn't ask for the spotlight and didn't ask to be part of the Royal Family

I decided to watch all twelve episodes of The Prince's first season. I actually didn't know about this show until I was trying to find something new to watch. I had just seen The Crown, an excellent show, on Netflix, so  I was curious to see what an animated show about the Royals would be like. 

Let's start with the animation. It's butt ass ugly! It's like a cross between Family Guy and Brickleberry. I hate this new style of adult animation where the characters have to be as ugly as possible. It's sad when kid's shows have much better animation styles. I get the Royals are being made fun of, but geez. Everyone looks like a badly drawn caricature. Prince William has large teeth, Prince Charles has big ears, Meghan Markle's head is big, and Camilla is made to look like a horse. The only animation that looks decent are the backgrounds.

Now, let's talk about the characters. None of the them are likeable. Okay, I take that back. Owen, Prince George's butler is the only sympathetic character on this show. The Queen is made out to be a raging, violent bitch. Prince Charles is a man-child. The Duchess of Cambridge is an alcoholic. Prince Harry is an idiot. I can go on and on. The worst of all is actually Prince George himself. He's obnoxious, rude, and obsessed with celebrities and social media. Remember, we're talking about a character based on a real child. It's just weird to me that they make a child the main character and have him act and talk like an adult. Yeah, South Park and Family Guy have kids in adult situations, but those are fictional kids not based on anyone real. Prince George's younger siblings act weird too. Princess Charlotte is a spy for some reason and Prince Louis is a weightlifting tough guy even though he's a baby. 

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So the animation is ass and the characters suck (except for Owen), so is there anything good about this show? I got only one chuckle. One. It was when Prince Harry rewarded a cashier with a ring after the cashier showed him where to find milk. All twelve episodes and only one laugh. That's not good. I read in reviews on IMDB that others felt the same. YouTubers LS Mark and Cynical Reviews shared similar opinions. So, the show is unpopular not only for the portrayal of the Royal Family. The writing is lazy, using tired and cliché jokes. You know, for this to be considered an "adult" cartoon, it certainly has juvenile humor that only preteen boys would find funny. Honestly, saying "fuck" over and over isn't funny. The Queen saying "fuck" isn't funny. Cursing for the sake of comedy is so old and overdone. 

There are some recognizable celebs doing the voices: Orlando Bloom, Sophie Turner, and Alan Cumming. The voice acting is okay, but celebrity voices can't save this trash heap of a show. 

Even the original characters have large af heads. Why?! 

Do I recommend this show? Um, I think you know the answer. If outdated, lazy jokes are your thing, you might like it. If butt ass ugly animation is your thing, you might like it. However, if you're looking for biting satire centered around the Royal Family, look elsewhere. You won't find it here. I've never watched it, but I heard that the UK puppet series Spitting Image does good spoofs of the Royals. Watch that instead. Watch The Crown. It's not comedy or animated, but it's an intriguing and well-acted series. 

The Prince is a fail and brings nothing new to the table. Even those who aren't fans of the Royal Family will grow tired of the so-called jokes. Ugh. Watch re-runs of Fresh Prince instead of The Prince. Watch paint dry. It'll be better than this.