Transylvanian Television

"It's always so painful to experience mental illness in someone so close"
""Yeah... I'm gonna get further away""



This week's recommendation is Transylvania Television, or TVTV.

TVTV is a horror-themed adult comedy centring around a motley crew of puppet monsters running a TV station in Transylvania. The show’s format is episodic, halfway between a sitcom and a sketch show as it bounces between the different programs of the station and the lives of the monsters that work there.

Since discovering the show about two weeks ago, I’ve watched through the whole thing three times.

The main cast includes Furry J. Ackermonster the Yeti, Dwayne the Frankenstein-style monster, Batfink the... Bat Fink, Hannibal Von Bucket the Demon and station manager Count Leshoc, a Nosferatu-type vampire. On top of the main crew, there’s also an assortment of side characters the come and go throughout the series.

The show uses pop culture (especially horror) references in a way that isn't overbearing. It uses a nice blend of referential humour and regular comedy, so you'll have a fun time regardless of how much of a horror or movie nerd you are.

The puppet designs are creative and well executed, my favourite being Gorzon the Cosmic Destroyer, a throwback to Atomic Age horror films, such as Robot Monster (1953).



The puppeteering and voice acting is also great, and I was often surprised at how expressive and articulate the movement of the puppets could be.

There are currently 8 20-minute episodes available, and a single 40- miute special. There was also a web show at some point, but there doesn’t seem to be an official place to watch the episodes.

You can find 8 episodes and the special on Tubi.

The largest collection of the web show that I have been able to find is on Archive.org.