On the surface, this is the story of two borderline slackers traversing some kind of pseudo-alternate universe: the disheveled and pensive Howard Moon (Julian Barratt) and the "King of the Mods" Vince Noir (Noel Fielding). Which character you like more undoubtedly says something about your personality. I'm particularly fond of Vince who, with his stylish clothes and almost feminine hair, neither understands nor accepts his lowly station in life. Howard, on the other hand, sees his own shortcomings and generally looks to improve upon them, finding only more frustration when he tries. The first season finds them working in a zoo. In the second, they leave the zoo (along with a genie and a gorilla) to live in a flat and start their own band. By the third season, they are managing a thrift shop.

There are nominally some traditional elements in the series. "The Mighty Boosh," however, is not concerned with tradition. In fact, tradition is anathema here. This is a great example of what I call "random humor." Nothing really tries together, there's little continuity, and no sense of reality can be found. The show makes up its own sur-reality and happily takes up residence there.

Consider an episode from the first season wherein Bollo, the zoo's gorilla, takes ill. So as not to disappoint the guests, Howard dresses up in an obviously fake gorilla suit and dances around in the cage. Then the Grim Reaper shows up, mistakes Howard for Bollo, and drags him to Gorilla Hell. Vince then must also make his way to Gorilla Hell in order to convince the Gorilla Devil that a grievous mistake has been made.

Another episode finds the boys traveling to the Antarctic in an effort to steal a valuable jewel before an egotistical explorer can find it. There, they encounter a mysterious creature known as the Black Frost, who freezes anyone who displeases him. It's little wonder that the series' slogan (spoken during the opening credits) is "Join us now for a journey through time and space…"

Many episodes of "The Mighty Boosh" involve strange or unusual creatures, usually played by Barratt and Fielding in creatively designed costumes. All episodes also feature some kind of musical number. The joy of it is that you never know what you are going to see/hear next. Because they do not allow themselves to be bound to any kind of familiar structure, the stars are free to do whatever they please, which makes this is a wholly original viewing experience.

You definitely need to have a taste for the bizarre; if you do, this series is well worth owning. And the more you watch, the more the show's distinctly original tone starts to sink in. I found that my enjoyment of the show grew with each new episode I viewed. They all have a high replay value too, since the more you get into it, the more you'll want to go back and re-absorb what you've already seen.

It's hard to condense three seasons of a show this outrageous into one review, but here's a list of some of the things you will see throughout "The Mighty Boosh": a cheese priest, the jacuzzi of youth, Old Gregg the Deep Sea Transsexual, and albino wizard, and a bandit called Betamax.

After reading that, you are doubtlessly thinking one of two things: 1.) What the hell?; or 2.) I've gotta see this show!. I definitely enjoy comedy of the absurd, and "The Mighty Boosh" is a brilliant example of it. I'm glad to have finally discovered such a funny, funny program.

All three seasons of "The Mighty Boosh" are available on DVD, and each is stocked with bonus features:

Season One: