Adult Swim is home to many hilarious surrealist adult animated projects, and their latest is a super queer stop-motion series inspired by the works and aesthetics of Pedro Almodóvar. Think of any Pedro Almodóvar movie you’ve seen — from Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown to All About My Mother — make it as silly as possible, and then you’d get Gonzalo Cordova’s hilarious and visually imaginative Women Wearing Shoulder Pads. The eight-episode, quarter-hour absurdist telenovela stop-motion series depicts a wealthy, self-centered, and philanthropic woman who asserts her power by emotionally exploiting the individuals in her vicinity. It’s as Adult Swim as you can get, laced with laugh-out-loud gags in both style and tone. It’s Spanish-language, a first for the Cartoon Network block, and it also features a plethora of cute guinea pigs.

In Quito, Ecuador, during the 1980s, Marioneta Negocios (Pepa Pallarés) is a wealthy, ruthless, and egotistical Spaniard who resides in the city with her right-hand Gabriela Cartol (Coquita). She is a producer of television PSA commercials that aim to convert cuyes (guinea pigs) from food to pets. Marioneta finds out that she has a new rival: Doña Quispe (Laura Torres), a former chef who is now the CEO of El Cuchillo, Ecuador’s most famous restaurant and home of the famous cuyes dish. In the series, cuyes are more than just food or pets; they are also bulls used for fighting, and one of Marioneta’s situationships, the butch and suave Espada (Kerygma Flores), is a cuy fighter.

Upon discovering Doña’s 12-year-old daughter, Nina Quispe (Nicole Vazquez), is a cuy activist and has a huge pet she uses like a horse, Marioneta attempts to use Nina to make her a star in her public service announcements.

Throughout her busy and messy lifestyle, Marioneta finds herself being stalked by a mysterious figure. The suspect list grows long as her inflated ego either ostracizes or emotionally manipulates the people in her life.

In a post-Emilia Perez world where a straight Frenchman was lauded for LGBTQ Latinx representation, Women Wearing Shoulder Pads arrives right on time to course-correct.

The series was made by Mexico City-based animation studio Cinema Fantasma, as opposed to Adult Swim’s frequent collaborator ShadowMachine (Robot Chicken, Shivering Truth, Moral Oral).  I’m very familiar with Fantasma’s works (watch Frankelda on HBO MAX), as they are one of the best-looking stop-motion studios out there beyond Laikas, Shadowmachine, and Aardman. They pour so much stunning quality into each project, and Women Wearing Shoulder Pads is no exception. The series’ art direction recreates its Ecuadorian world with picturesque detailing in its background, character wardrobe, and design. Here, they pour exquisite detailing into body movement and mannerisms. I was truly astounded by this authenticity and attention to detail, especially considering this is all handcrafted. Plus, every furry guinea pig on display is cute as hell.

Part of the show’s greatest strength is its straightforward playing into its telenovela archetypes while retaining such a silly sense of humor. Gonzalo Cordova assembled many queer Hispanic comedic writers — including Francesca D’Uva and River L. Ramirez, to name a few — to work wonders, as the interplay between this familiar character study and comedy is well balanced. Many of its visual gags got a laugh out of me, particularly every live-action insert-shot of characters holding objects, only to cut it back to the stop-motion figurines. The hilarious, punchy dialogue and original songs also delight. The story it tells of Marioneta and her ego is well dissected and manages to genuinely surprise you in its narrative twists and turns, just like an Almodovar flick.

It also shares so much subversion across the board in its queer representation in terms of its characterization. Every character in its all-women ensemble is under the rainbow; sometimes it’s established out the gate, other times as a shocking reveal, and yet everyone is textured enough with dimension that you adore ’em all the same. My favorite happened to be Espada, who may be a suave cuy fighter in the ring but possesses the heart of a water sign out of it.

By the end of its rather short eight-episode run, I wanted much more of Women Wearing Shoulder Pads. It’s an absurdist riff on the conventions of Pedro Almodóvar movies while being a potent character study in of itself. These little wooden dolls and their adorable guinea pigs made me feel more than most shows I’ve seen this year.

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With its sharp wit and creativity, it’s no surprise that Rick and Morty has a lot of fan-favorite characters, and now one of them is finally getting a true spin-off on Adult Swim. The idea of giving Andre Curtis (Keith David) his own series is a great idea, as his episodes rank as some of the best in the series. What few things we know about President Curtis sound promising, from the basic premise to the main cast, and the use of political satire has been a surprising strength in the main series so far. The amount of possibilities for the story appears infinite, and it might be a fun and creative way to take a declining series and make something fresh and unique.

President Curtis Has Long Been a Fan Favorite Character in ‘Rick and Morty’

Over twelve years and eight seasons, Rick and Morty has had plenty of popular side characters, and one of the funniest was the President, who made his debut in “Get Schwifty” during the second season. Thanks to a longtime voice actor like Keith David, he became instantly memorable, and one could not help get the feeling that he served as a reference to Barack Obama, who was President at the time. Although the series rarely brings back supporting characters, there was clearly more that the show could do with him, and it was not very long before we saw him again.

In Season 3, Rick and Morty decided to make the President a recurring character, now with a clear personality and name. As his rivalry with the Smith family grows, he is shown to be nearly as juvenile and egotistical as Rick (Ian Cardoni) can be. He also remains one of the few people able to rival Rick in terms of abilities, with the government having a comical amount of sci-fi tech at their disposal. In terms of humor, his storylines account for some of the best in a great series, with special mention going to the Thanksgiving special and Season 6 finale. The fact that many of these episodes occur in the weaker later seasons makes them all the more impressive, and it’s surprising that such a spin-off idea took so long to manifest.

What Do We Know About the ‘President Curtis’ Spin-off?

When it was announced at San Diego Comic Con last weekend, the reveal of a President Curtis series took nearly everyone by surprise. So far, we do not have a release date or episode count, but what we do have speaks volumes. Behind the scenes, Rick and Morty co-creator Dan Harmon will serve as one of the showrunners, with executive producer James Siciliano as the other. The official plot summary from Adult Swim says the show will feature “the Commander-in-Chief and his eccentric staff as they tackle the kind of crises that Rick Sanchez could never be bothered with — from interdimensional diplomacy to paranormal investigations and unexplained phenomena.”

The only other thing we know so far is the main cast, but what we have feels encouraging. Aside from Keith David himself, we have Jim Rash, a friend of Harmon from his old Community days. Rash has actually had a small role in Rick and Morty in season 2 as Glaxo Slimslam, the marriage counselor who tries to help the Smith family, and has been in a few adult animated cartoons over the years. The other cast member is Stephanie Beatriz, most known for starring in Brooklyn Nine-Nine as Rosa Diaz. From BoJack Horseman to Hazbin Hotel, she remains no stranger to adult animation, and there is every reason to think she’ll thrive in this role. We don’t yet know the characters these two are playing or who else could make an appearance, but given how many guest stars Rick and Morty has earned over the years, it’s safe to say many actors would be eager to sign on, and that talent is not far away.

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President Curtis Will Give ‘Rick and Morty’ a Breath of Fresh Air

It’s not exactly a secret to anyone that Rick and Morty has struggled in recent years, and there are plenty of ways the show could regain its lost momentum. Part of this can be through exploring new ideas or returning to old ones, but a true spin-off is something the show has never considered until now. Yes, we’ve had an anime and short films about the Vindicators after their adventures with Morty (Harry Belden) in season 3, but this is really the first separate series we’ve gotten as part of that universe. Not only could it bring in a new kind of audience, but it might also maintain the old one in an era where anticipation feels like it has waned over time.

As for where the show could decide to go, the possibilities for President Curtis remain as endless as the original show. Throughout his episodes in the main series, there is plenty of world building surrounding the many alien threats the US has faced, and the hidden ways the government can counter it. Attempts at political humor in those storylines, like poking fun at previous presidents, have been comedic gold in a series beloved for its witty dialogue, and America has plenty of history for them to play with and laugh at. Of course, there is never a simple formula for success, and the spin-off could end up dead on arrival like any unfunny comedy, but the ingredients are present for a great show if the idea is executed properly.

President Curtis does not yet have a premiere date, but will air on Adult Swim in the U.S.