The Tick live action series only lasted for nine episodes, but it is a under-appreciated gem. Patrick Warburton was fresh off his role of Puddy on Seinfeld when he stepped into the big blue costume as the clueless, but lovable Tick. The network was hoping for a Seinfeldesque series, but then (unlike what happened to Seinfeld) canceled it quickly with low ratings. The acclaim and following from the short lived series pushed the DVD series to come out in 2003 and it’s a must own for all fans.

Patrick Warburton is The Tick. He’s a superhero with great strength and no brains. He’s helped by his roommate Arthur (played by David Burke) an accountant who desperately wants to be a superhero. Joined in their fight for all that is superheroic are Liz Vassey (from CSI) as Captain Liberty and Nestor Carbonel (from Lost) as Batmanuel. Captain Liberty is a Captain America type superhero with super strength and a patriotic attitude. Batmanuel is a Batman type superhero who is also a bit of a ladies man.

The live action Tick was much different than either the comic book or animated series. The Captain Liberty and Batmanuel characters were created for the live action series due to a rights dispute over American Maid and Die Fledermaus. The superheroics and villains were de-emphasized to make the show more like a superhero version of Seinfeld, so there was more character emphasis and talk about the battles than actual battles. But the series was extremely funny, especially with Warburton’s Tick. He personified the clueless hero better than anyone else could have done.

The show was canceled too soon and was not appreciated (or watched or promoted) when it was on. But on DVD, it should be a part of everyone’s collection.