Dan Harmon is what I always expected a great writer to be: an irritable workaholic who drinks too much and, by his own admission,hardly ever showers.
Brilliant minds usually come with personalities that range from the quirky and cute to the absolutely insane and borderline psychotic. Dan is no stranger to questionable behavior. Having dealt with scandals such as his publicfeud with Chevy Chase or the resurgence of a heinous comedy sketch, Harmon has had more time in the spotlight for being problematic than for his actual work.
If you’re thinking, “wow, this sounds like a terrible person,” you’re kind of right, but that’s part of the appeal. Dan Harmon has always been upfront and painfully vocal about his nastiness, especially in the Harmontownpodcast. In its 360-episode span, Harmon talks in detail about his complicated personality and difficult work ethic, just to mention a few. Don’t worry, there’s also a lot of improv and terrible rap if you wanna jump in.
Before the podcast, though, Harmon had shown us glimpses of his genius by collaborating as a writer on projects such as Monster House (2006) and Kung-Fu Panda(2008)and creating the online platform Channel101 in 2002.The website, which predates YouTube by three years, was an attempt at creating a TV studio of the people, by the people, and for the people. The idea was simple: participants sent their pilots, which audiences got to vote on, and whichever show got chosen was picked up and made into a series.
However, today I’d like to talk about Harmon’s TV career, the crown jewel of his labor, and certainly his most recognizable body of work. Although some entries are vastly more popular than others, I’d like to share all the amazing bits of TV handed to us by the mind that gave us “the story circle“. And, although it’s hard to pick one over the others, here’s my pick for Dan Harmon’s TV shows ranked.
Funny and sharp as anything Harmon has ever written, but after so many seasons of Rick and Morty, this spin-off just doesn’t get to the level of freshness as the other entries. Still a fun watch, though.
Based on characters created by Nathan Pyle, Strange Planetis a cute little show about blue humanoid-shaped creatures who interact with the world as if it were for the first time. It’s simple and sweet, even though it lacks Harmon’s laser-sharp wit.
Set in ancient Greece, this wacky ensemble includes Duncan Trusel, Richard Ayoade and Matt Berry as semi-mythical beings going about their ordinarily crazy lives.
Created for VH1 in 2007, Acceptable TV took the prototype from Channel 101 and opened it up to bigger audiences. Viewers could vote on their favorite pilots, and get shows like Legal Law or Mr. Sprinkles picked up for more episodes. Sadly, it didn’t last long.
6. The Sarah Silverman Program
A surreal comedy starring Sarah Silverman at her most unhinged. Despite being the show’s creator, Dan was fired, and this wouldn’t be the last time he gets the boot.
A show that deserved way more credit than it got. Dan plays an egocentric version of himself obsessed with finding and resurrecting historical figures from the past to help him elevate his own status. The show takes advantage of the format by introducing a new guest star each week, and exploiting Dan’s ignorance of history to hilarious results.
Sadly, the show was never picked up, but you can still watch the pilot online. It stars Jack Black as an astronaut who gets superintelligence from the sun, and Owen Wilson as his talking motorcycle buddy. The pilot is so crazy and out of control. I can’t help but imagine what the show would have looked like.
Dan put his entire faith in his then-assistant Spencer Crittenden. He managed to turn a simple game of D&D into a bite-sized animated adventure with a live audience and weekly guest stars such as Ron Funches and Tom Kenny, to name a few.
It’s hard to overstate how surprising Rick and Morty’s massive success was when it came out. Co-creator Dan Harmon referred to it as something he would make to have fun with his friends and “only twenty people are gonna watch.” And that was describing his fantasy scenario. Just wow.
Harmon’s most iconic creation to date: Community did it all. From genres to formats to just out-of-the-box storytelling, this show set the bar way too high. It’s one I can always come back to and find new, previously missed hidden gems. Now, all we need is for the feature to come out to complete the prophecy: “six seasons and a movie.”
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