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Rob Cohen and Dana Gould met about seven years ago, on Fox's short-lived comedy "The Ben Stiller Show," and now here they are, in a modest studio on the outskirts of Burbank, playing with puppets.
Not just any puppets, mind you, but anatomically correct rubber marionettes made by the same makeup effects house, KNB EFX Group, that endowed Mark Wahlberg in "Boogie Nights," Paul Thomas Anderson's film on the pornography industry.
Is this any way to make TV history?
For now, MTV has ordered a modest six episodes of "Super Adventure Team," Gould and Cohen's inspired superhero/sci-fi spoof that stars a team of adventurers who specialize in international crisis intervention.
Or, put another way, puppets who crack jokes and sleep together.
"Super Adventure Team" debuts today at 10:30 p.m. Along with the claymation "Celebrity Death Match," such shows are part of MTV's growing lineup of adult puppet theater; the current wave includes a sock puppet variety show, "Sifl & Olly," which can be seen at 12:30 a.m. weeknights.
It seems safe to say that these shows are in part an outgrowth of the popularity of adult-themed cartoons, a genre reawakened by Fox's "The Simpsons" in 1989. Nearly 10 years later, the animated sitcom--from Fox's "King of the Hill" to Comedy Central's "Dr. Katz: Professional Therapist" and "South Park"--has become a convention to the left of center, fueled by writers whose wicked sensibilities aren't necessarily a good fit in live-action comedy.
Next month even marks the...