Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law: Vol. 1 (2000)

Here is a fast-paced, savvy, quippy, absurdist parody of a panoply of Hanna Barbera silliness. Harvey Birdman is a superhero turned attorney (not unlike a glass of milk turned cottage cheese), defending a star-studded host of cartoon characters such as Fred Flintstone (accused of being a mob godfather in a clever if tendentious parody of The Sopranos), Race Bannon and Dr. Benton Quest (in a delightfully ironic parody of several subtexts from Jonny Quest), Shaggy and Scooby-Doo and so on. I particularly enjoy several understated standing gags, from Harvey's "I'll take the case!" to the silent secretarial habits of Harvey's winged assistant Avenger to the preening disloyalties of would-be junior partner Peanut to the woo-ee-oo narcissism of Judge Mentok "the Mind Taker." This is a very smart, rapid-fire, and marginally addictive show. If you love schmaltz, not even liquor is quicker than Harvey Birdman: Attorney at Law. I'll close with a random instance of blather from Harvey's boss (voiced by Stephen Colbert): "Do you know what this means to the firm, the billable hours? I can finally build that lakehouse. And I'll run around naked all day. Ha ha... dangly parts." Five stars.