Lil' Bush is an American satirical adult animated sitcom which premiered on June 13, 2007, on Comedy Central. The series features caricatures of members of the George W. Bush administration, and other American and international political figures, most of which are depicted as children. The first season's episodes each consist of two story segments, with each featuring a musical performance by a band composed of main characters. The second season, which premiered on March 13, 2008, consists of ten episodes, and features the full twenty-two-minute storylines including the musical number. The second-season finale aired on May 15, 2008.

Premise

Lil' Bush takes place in an alternate reality version of the present day, where George H. W. Bush is president and George W. Bush (referred to as "Lil' George"), along with his associates (members of George W. Bush's real-life former staff), are children attending Beltway Elementary School. Issues in which the latter Bush administration is involved (for example, the Iraq War) are transferred to the elder Bush but feature the younger Bush interacting with them in various ways. Also, just as George Bush's father is president, the parents of the other kids are members of the elder Bush's cabinet (all depicted as their real-life adult counterparts, with the exception of the elder Cheney, who is depicted as Cheney with a Darth Vader helmet). The show pokes fun at George W. Bush's policies in a direct manner and provides criticism of his administration.

Production

In 2004, Donick Cary created Lil' Bush as a series for Amp'd Mobile cell phones. The series was then picked up by Comedy Central and became one of the first web series to be adapted to television. To handle animation for the series, Cary founded Sugarshack Animation with offices in Los Angeles, Miami, and Bulgaria, the show was animated using Adobe Flash.

Characters

Main characters

Lil' Democrats

The series antagonists (also called Lil' Dems).

Episodes

Season 1 (2007-08)

Season 2 (2008)

Critical response

The show has received mixed-to-negative reviews from critics. A common complaint is that the show comes too late in Bush's presidency to remain topical. Other complaints accuse it of immaturity and lack of subtlety. Not all the reviews, however, were negative. Among others, The Hollywood Reporter gave the show a positive review. A review from About.com cited the show's "cleverness and maturity," likening it to "a less bloody South Park".

Home releases