If you’re a big The Simpsons or Futurama fan but get tired of those shows around the third season, you’re not alone. While Matt Groening’s animations are witty, hilarious and full of lovable characters, he uses a very similar formatting for each episode with little character development. That is, until his latest series, Disenchantment.

Disenchantment centers around Bean, a misfit princess in dreamland, attempting to navigate a world with ogres, elves, unwanted social obligations and her own personal demon to lead her astray. 

It starts off with the overdone runaway bride trope, however, it strays further away from normality with each season as new characters are introduced while old ones shock you with twists. As Bean discovers ugly truths about her family, you watch her grow into a strong independent woman and relentlessly stick to her gut. 

I really love the way Groening made Bean a force to be reckoned with while also leaving room for her to fall in love, feel emotions and explore her identity. Oftentimes writers like to write females as unbreakable with an attitude or vulnerable and sensitive, so I appreciate the wider range of personality traits Bean has.

My one complaint would be that the plot gets pretty muddled. I’ve watched it more than should be mentioned and I’m still a little confused how the evil mother is still alive and thriving. Also, the time frame is very unclear with all the modern references, although it is most certainly set in medieval times. While there are a few plot inconsistencies, the animation makes up for it. So does the plot with its lovable characters like Elfo, Beans’ sidekick, who always seems to be having an identity crisis.  

While Groening’s previous shows are fantastic, I strongly believe this is Groening’s best series and includes a better range of relationship types and characters. Not only is the main character a woman but she falls in love with a mermaid, giving reason to why she consistently rejects guys. 

You can tell that he and his team have put a lot of thought into the characters and are trying new things. A great show to fall in love with and potentially waste a month binge-watching.