REVIEW: ‘Exploding Kittens’ Will Have You Bursting With Laughter

In Netflix Original Exploding Kittens, lately, God (Tom Ellis, Lucifer) has been phoning it in. Having lost interest in creation, God’s idleness begins to cause problems up in Heaven. To set God straight, Heaven’s board of directors sends God to live with a human family in the form of a cat. His mission is to help the family and, through them, learn empathy and reconnect with humanity. But there is more going on then it appears in this adult animated comedy.

Frequently, comedic animation that labels itself as “adult” tries far too hard to prove how adult it is. This generally culminates in a series filled with gross humor lacking any true wit, a cast of characters so stupid you wonder if they could actually figure out how to breathe, tied together with an unappealing plot that goes nowhere.

When I saw the synopsis for Exploding Kittens I feared I was in for a nine-episode slough of more of the same. Much to my surprise, this show manages to strike a good balance of off-color humor that doesn’t go too far too frequently, and a story centering on characters that grow as they learn about their failures, with surprisingly hilarious results. And standing at the center of it all is God.

While there have been many portrayals of the divine, this may be the one that feels most likely to be responsible for our world. Far from a perfect being, God acknowledges shortcomings in his work, like how he “phoned in” his design of forests. He gets defensive when someone questions the choice of breathing and eating using the same orifice. Even before he lost interest in creation, this god clearly didn’t have all the answers.

As he learns more about the species that “created everything from nuclear war to eating tide pods,” he initially sees only the human race’s shortcomings. But through his experiences with the human family that comes to serve as his hosts, God eventually sees the wonder in us as well.

The humans that play host to God, the Higgins Family, are a quirky collection of individuals. Exploding Kittens does a great job of exploring each character, letting their personalities provide both numerous laughs and a handful of heartfelt moments. From the awkward dad who obsesses over board games to the son trying to escape a haunting viral moment from his early years, the show does a good job of crafting characters that provide fertile ground for jokes who are also capable of growing into personalities you’ll root for.

The final major cast member of Exploding Kittens is the devilcat Beelzebub. As CEO of Hell, she inherited her job from her father. Lacking respect, she has been sent to Earth to learn how to be evil. Her path quickly causes her to collide with God.

The enemies-to-friends path that the series takes God and Beelzebub on is perhaps the most bizarre element of the narrative that somehow works surprisingly well. As their status shifts from enemies to friends and back, the show creates a lot of unique and surprising moments for the two to explore.

As the series enters its final three episodes, Exploding Kittens reveals the true reason why God and Beelzebub have been sent to Earth. This surprising revelation allows the series to switch gears, giving the show a new landscape to play with as it focuses more on the worlds of Heaven and Hell. While God shifts his focus, the series lets its mortal cast begin to grow outside of God’s shadow, allowing them to wrap up some of their arcs without his divine influence.

One of the core elements that help Exploding Kittens keep the humor fresh from start to finish is the wide range of humor it utilizes. Sight gags, topical pop-culture references, and clever wordplay all come through with a high degree of success. There is a vomit gag or two that run for a bit too long, the overwhelming amount of the jokes land.

The comedy is creative and effective, but unfortunately, much of the visual design is less so. The art style will look familiar to anyone who watches animated adult comedy. While it works fine for the show, it would’ve been nice to see the series try to step out of the well-worn box and do something different.

While Exploding Kittens isn’t perfect, it succeeds far more than it fails. It is creative and fun as it balances its often off-color moments with a narrative that makes you feel a surprising amount for its cast of awkward misfits.

Exploding Kittens is streaming now on Netflix.