Creator Steve Dildarian animates HBO's "The Life & Times of Tim" in the flat, simplistic style of "Beavis & Butthead", but that's where the comparison ends. Tim (Dildarian) may act like a child, but he's still an adult. The deadpan New Yorker lives with his exasperated girlfriend, Amy (M.J. Otto), and works at Omnicorp with the manly Rodney (Matt Johnson), the droll Stu (Nick Kroll), and the unnamed Boss (Peter Giles). In the pilot, Amy and her parents catch Tim with a hooker--having a conversation. When he refuses to pay for services non-rendered, Debbie (Bob Morrow) gives her pimp a call, but Tim outsmarts the guy by playing dumb. That unique combination of idiocy and quick wits distinguishes the rest of the 10 episodes, which walk the line between clever and crude (and they're definitely not for kids). During the first season, Tim lies to protect Rodney's rowdy rep, calls a baby a name, gropes a grandmother, insults an old codger, and sneaks into a deaf coworker's birthday party for the free cake.
Much like "Curb Your Enthusiasm", Dildarian takes aim at political correctness run amok, except Tim's every problem begins with his inability to decline the most inane requests, whereas Larry David is more like a bull in a china shop. The good news: "The Life & Times of Tim" is just as funny. The bad news: the humor might make you feel queasy. (There's a reason Dildarian chose "I'll Never Get Out of This World Alive" as the show's theme song.) Guest voices include Cheri Oteri as the super's daughter, Jeff Garlin as Stu's dad, and Phylicia Rashad as the Boss's wife, while the bonus feature adds 10 promotional shorts. "--Kathleen C. Fennessy"