Mr. Birchum is here! Did Daily Wire get adult cartoons right?

DailyWire+, the streaming project of the Daily Wire, recently launched a new adult cartoon series, Mr. Birchum. Mr. Brichum follows the daily life of the titular character, a High School woodshop teacher and his family. Birchum (played by Adam Corrolla who also created the series) and his friend Gage (Alonzo Bodden) navigate life and work in the world of ‘woke’ society while clinging to their ‘good old fashioned values’ for better or for worse. 

Did DailyWire+ get their first cartoon for adults right? The Conservative Critic Asks: is it entertaining? Does it have intellectual/artistic value? And is it liberal propaganda? 

The Conservative Critic Meter Check: Mr. Birchum 

Overall rating: Good Concept

Mr. Birchum is a well-made cartoon for adults (but mostly family-friendly) which has attracted power-packed comedic talent and has a strong conservative point of view. It’s a bit lacking in laughs and needs to loosen its grip around the neck of its political points, but overall is a solid new addition to DailyWire+ streaming. 

Is it entertaining? 

Rating: Light on laughs

Mr. Birchum is DailyWire+’s answer to other popular shows such as Family Guy and it does a sufficient job. It has a voice, it’s well produced and it has a storyline. That being said, the show isn’t very funny (yet). The jokes fall pretty flat either from lack of originality or poor pacing. Most of the jokes are all but direct repeats from other already popular shows like Tim Allen’s Last Man Standing. Where there was some originality, the caricature was simply too ridiculous. One of the characters is a DEI school official who is often the butt of the joke. Unlike Matt Walsh’s depiction of this ‘type’ in Lady Ballers, Karponzi in Mr. Birchum (voiced by Tyler Fischer) never elevates to a comical villain and almost seems a little juvenile like he belongs in a children’s show (all though, he’s not close to as funny as some cartoon villains for kids). 

It’s not that Mr. Birchum doesn’t have the capacity or potential for comedy (there were some great moments with the Birchum children Jeanie and Eddie played by Brett Cooper and Kyle Dunnigan respectively) but it seems like the show needs to loosen its grip on trying to make a political point or social statement and let some humor find its way through. The message will still hold. 

Does it have intellectual/artistic value? 

Rating: Well produced

Animation is expensive and difficult. DailyWire+ is still a fledgling streaming service and it’s foray into entertainment instead of simply political content has certainly required serious investment of time and funds. Mr. Birchum shows no traces of being low budget, low rent or low concept. The animation is on par with shows of its type and the voice acting is strong across the board. The show has managed to attract high caliber and recognizable comedians including Roseanne Barr and Rob Riggle. In particular, Megyn Kelly’s voice acting is surprisingly strong considering her lack of background in comedy or cartoons. 

Is it liberal propaganda?

Rating: Conservative hypnotism 

The show is very conservative. The show celebrates veterans, working with your hands, minority race Trump voters, and just about every other value one thinks of when thinking of conservative men. It’s anti-woke culture and DEI and all the evils that conservative fight against in social culture. In a way, it’s commitment to this narrative is what is getting in its own way of being a good show. The show still can be deeply conservative and have all of these values expressed without spending so much time trying to shoe horn them in overtop of what might have instead been a funny bit. 

Conclusion 

Mr. Birchum is a well crafted cartoon for adults with a lot of potential but needs to relax into itself a little to find its sense of humor.