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Trump Returns for Season 2 of ‘Our Cartoon President’ on Showtime

(YouTube screenshot of 'Our Cartoon President')
YouTube screenshot of 'Our Cartoon President'

The new season of Our Cartoon President will move from being a satire of Trump to being more of a satire about Washington overall.

TV host Stephen Colbert’s cartoon portrayal of President Donald Trump in Our Cartoon President is returning to the small screen this Sunday, for its second season.

“Our Cartoon President” is based on a recurring segment on Colbert’s CBS talk show, “The Late Show”. According to Showtime, which broadcasts the series, it opens the White House doors for an “all access” look at a typical day in Trump’s world, examining quintessentially Trumpian details of the presidency and his most important relationships.

A “workplace comedy”, it depicts the “truish adventures of Trump, his confidants and bon vivants.”

The series was created by Stephen Colbert, Chris Licht, Matt Lapin, Tim Luecke, and R. J. Fried, and premiered its first season in February of last year, with seventeen episodes.

It’s somewhat surprising that the show was renewed for a second season, since it was mostly met with negative to mixed reviews by critics, despite the show’s staff being comprised of Emmy and Writer’s Guild Award winners.

Reviews criticized the show for being dated, unfunny, and mostly an ineffective satire. Others alluded to the crude production values of the show, which is created in 2-D animation.

One review even criticized the series for humanizing Trump (as a mere oaf), because it deflects from the true dangers of the real-life president.

Favorable reviews, however, have complimented Our Cartoon President for accurately depicting the tone of Trump, his family, and colleagues.

Perhaps the premise of the show doesn’t lend itself well to an ongoing series, because of the sheer length of time it takes to create a single episode of any TV show, especially an animated one. Addressing real-life subjects involving Trump may fail to be timely once the episode airs.

Clearly, the show has an angle against Trump. The showrunner, R.J. Fried, openly discussed his anticipation for Trump’s first term to end soon, for the good of the nation.

Naturally, the show depicts other public figures that factor into Trump’s world as well. In a recent preview for the second season, there are several new faces including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), “Queer Eye” star Jonathan Van Ness and Democratic presidential hopefuls Joe Biden and Beto O’Rourke.

Fried has also disclosed that the new season will move from being a satire of Trump to being more of a satire about Washington overall.

The second season of “Our Cartoon President” premieres on Showtime at 8 p.m. E.T. on Sunday.

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