Hoops

The writing in this show just isn't very creative or smart, which leads to diminishing returns for the excessive vulgarity. Thanks to South Park and the many mature animated series that have followed in its footsteps, the novelty of hearing cartoon characters use foul language wore off over two decades ago. But it seems Hoops didn't get the memo. Without doing a formal study, it's safe to say that the series' 25-minute pilot uses the "F" word, or some variation on it, more frequently than one of Martin Scorsese's feature-length mob movies.

Of course, bad language doesn't make for a bad show. On the contrary, if used cleverly (and for a mature audience), strong language can elevate a show's jokes from funny to laugh-out-loud hilarious. But that cleverness, or lack thereof, is where Hoops stumbles. It doesn't help that the main character is aggressively unlikable, only ever putting his obsession with naughty language on hold to direct mean-spirited insults at other characters. Toss in Hoops' juvenile storylines -- like when Coach Hopkins tries to persuade a tall kid to join his team by hiring him a sex worker -- and profanity is the least of its problems. While there's plenty of comedic potential in the concept of a crude coach mentoring a bunch of misfits, Hoops does little to explore it, instead focusing almost entirely on the low-hanging fruit of potty-mouthed cartoon personalities.