Digman! Review: Andy Samberg's Absurdly Hilarious Animated Series Blends Classic Adventure And Modern Sci-Fi

Adventure has a name, and it's Rip Digman. Andy Samberg stars in the new Comedy Central animated series "Digman!" beginning on March 22 (watch the trailer here). The former "Saturday Night Live" and "Brooklyn Nine-Nine" star lends his voice to a heroic Indiana Jones-esque archaeologist who was once the best in his field. But following the death of his wife over a decade earlier, not to mention a shocking betrayal by his sidekick, we find Digman washed up, out of shape, and over the hill. Even the national news mocks Digman's shortcomings and fall from grace. Yes, in this world, the news is always reporting on archaeologists as if they're celebrities or superheroes, and they're always taking cheap shots at Digman.

Joined by an eager, bespectacled assistant named Saltine (Mitra Jouhari, of "History of the World, Part II"), and encouraged by his elderly, raspy-voiced receptionist Agatha (Dale Soules of "Orange is the New Black"), Digman tries to get his life back on track by taking on jobs for rinky-dink museums, giving us a series of globe-trotting adventures packed with cinematic action and ridiculous humor that lands somewhere between "MacGruber" and "Rick and Morty."

Whether it's tracking down the actual tablets that hold the Ten Commandments or the first-ever piece of confetti, or thwarting a gang of Goonies-esque kids holding up an archaeology gala, every episode comes with a story that puts Digman in the crosshairs of danger and adventure. Saltine is the one constantly pushing Digman to come to terms with his own shortcomings, no matter how resistant he might be, and Agatha makes Saltine's efforts a little more palatable for the man who endlessly lacks self-awareness and humility. Meanwhile, Swooper is Digman's right-hand man, always prepared with transportation and maybe an extended unnecessary yet hilarious flashback, such as how he became a licensed gondola driver. The fact that Swooper is voiced by a wild Tim Robinson ("I Think You Should Leave") makes him the standout supporting character among the heroic ensemble.

But not everyone is on Digman's side. In the competitive world of archeology, it should come as no surprise that Digman's old assistant Zane (Guz Khan of "The Bubble") betrayed him in order to get his hands on a valuable artifact, resulting in the death of Digman's wife Bella. Flash forward to present day and Zane has become so good at conniving his way through adventures that he lands a gig alongside esteemed genius and adventurer Quail Eegan (Tim Meadows), giving us a pair of antagonists for the series. 

Each episode works as an adventure of the week that takes Digman and his companions to various mythical locations and historical landmarks, not to mention introducing new characters voiced by guest stars like Jason Schwartzman, Clancy Brown, Maya Rudolph, Joe LoTruglio, Harvey Guillen, and an even bigger roster of talent who didn't appear in the first four episodes provided for review. But there are even more great guest stars on the way, including Andy Daly, Jane Lynch, Kyle Mooney, Daniel Radcliffe, and filmmaker Edgar Wright.

The series is framed around Digman as a character who brings to mind the likes of Indiana Jones and Nicolas Cage's Benjamin Gates from the "National Treasure" franchise. In fact, Samberg is giving us more of an eccentric variation on his beloved Nic Cage impression from "Saturday Night Live." But the series itself actually veers more into sci-fi territory than you might expect. One particular storyline involves Quail Eegan using artificial intelligence to create a new digital assistant like Amazon's Alexa that is blasphemously named Gawd (the Global Automated Wish Distributor). That same episode also finds Digman in search of a replacement set of Ten Commandments tablets after he accidentally destroys another pair, which leads him to a civilization of Yetis who have been living their life fruitfully and peacefully by adhering to the Biblical set of rules. 

It's these kind of story elements that give the series a "Rick and Morty" feel, and while the sense of humor does share shades of the same absurdity, it doesn't veer into the same weird or grotesque territory. There's a clear difference between the sense of humor that Andy Samberg and co-creator Neil Campbell bring to the table. The series is far more silly than it is nasty, both thematically and comedically. As funny as it is, there's often a cruelty to the humor in "Rick and Morty," but much of the comedy in "Digman!" comes from the main character's arrogance and stupidity creating a series of dangerous situations and oddball scenarios, from blockbuster helicopter chases to inadvertently curb-stomping flocks of pigeons. Sometimes it's a great mix of the ludicrous and action-packed, such as a snowboard-style escape from the aforementioned Yeti civilization. And let's not forget Digman's penchant for spouting old-timey phrases and colloquialisms, such as having "a case of the Zorros," one of the most consistently funny parts of the series. 

Though "Digman!" mostly stands on its own with an all-new journey in each episode, there are still overarching serial elements thanks to the rivalry between Digman, Quail, and Zane. Plus, Digman has a secret that he seems to have kept from everybody, even his closest companions, which will undoubtedly come into play in a big way at some point.

What's most impressive about "Digman!" is how it blends both the silly comedy that people have come to expect from Andy Samberg with some solid animated action and adventure. Samberg and Campbell have clearly put a lot of thought into crafting a series that takes cues from proper adventure movies while staying true to their comedic instincts, not unlike what was accomplished in live-action with "MacGruber." There's a certain universe in which "Digman!" operates that allows for unbelievable absurdity, but it maintains some semblance of its own reality. It's like "MacGruber," "National Treasure" and "TaleSpin" had a hilarious cartoon baby, and you will not be disappointed if you tune in. 

"Digman!" premieres on Comedy Central on March 22, 2023 at 10:30pm ET/9:30pm CT.