Wonder Showzen

The EW.com staff recommends 'Wonder Showzen''

At first, I was skeptical when I tuned into a TV series that starts every episode with this disclaimer: ''Wonder Showzen contains offensive, despicable content that is too controversial and too awesome for actual children.'' But imagine my surprise when the show lived up to that warning — making me laugh for 30 minutes in a demonic way that could scare the Pollyanna out of any nearby children.

Going way beyond the limits of good taste, Wonder Showzen sends up Sesame Street with rapid-fire skits on every taboo topic (greed! war! lust! bodily functions!) The show's real-life kid stars, who often perform with puppets and cartoons, generally don't have a clue about the adult context, which makes it even funnier. The best part is watching those kids hit the streets as reporters. A cute little girl in a trench coat browbeats financiers on Wall Street with questions like ''How many people have you exploited today?'' A little boy goes to a butcher shop, picks up a Styrofoam tray that seems to have held raw meat, and slurps the juices out of it, with the words, ''Yum! Blood!'' Yech! Gross! More, please! — Michael Small, executive editor, EW.com