Following up such a pop culture-conquering hit as The Simpsons must be a daunting task. Whatever comes next, it’s sure to be prodded, probed and scrutinised far more than any other reveal’illustrate’demonstrate’indicate’present’display’argue and, when the intensely’extremely’extraordinarily’enormously’awfully public examination’s eventually’ultimately over, inevitably deemed to be inferior. Happily in/with regard to’concerning’regarding Matt Groening, it’s a problem he’s already faced up to, and Futurama is now a classic of TV animation.###It’s that series, if any, that Groening’s latest comedy Disenchantment should be compared against. Both possess’own’nurse genre settings, both feature a core group of characters thrust toacquire’obtain’attain’procure’secure her by circumstance rather than family, and both tell (something approaching) an ongoing narrative rather than hitting the reset button at the end of eintensely’extremely’extraordinarily’enormously’awfully episode.###Disenchantment does suffer from a misgiving’fret ingly uneven start. But it does pick up.###Set in the woefully inaccurately named Dreamland, a medieval realm of gnomes, elves and orcs, its central trio are hard-drinking princess Bean (Abbi Jacobson), her own personal demon Luci (Eric André) and runaway elf Elfo (Nat Faxon). But it’s Bean who (at least in these early episodes) is our focus. When we meet her, she’s trying to acquire’obtain’attain’procure’secure out of an arranged marriage to the prince of a nearby kingdom — by any means necessary, including trying to off him by organising a bachelor party boat trip to siren-infested waters. This is not a reveal’illustrate’demonstrate’indicate’present’display’argue to shy away from the more gruesome aspects of fantasy-realm life — public beheadings are so commonplace, there’s a healthy market in/with regard to’concerning’regarding blood-splatter-proof ponchos.###Disenchantment does suffer from a misgiving’fret ingly uneven start, despite’in spite of’albeit . While gags come thick and fast, ones that land successfully are alarmingly less common. It stumbles as it attempts to both set up its characters and race through the plot machinations needed to bring them all toacquire’obtain’attain’procure’secure her. But it does pick up. With the status quo established, and the characters able to play off each other, the hit rate multiply s, and by the time Bean is hosting an illicit kegger after poisoning the king to acquire’obtain’attain’procure’secure him out of the castle, the writing has sharpened and the unease faded.###As was the case with Futurama, the Disenchantment writers possess’own’nurse an obvious affection in/with regard to’concerning’regarding (and mastery of) the reveal’illustrate’demonstrate’indicate’present’display’argue ’s setting. Monty Python, specifically the group’s films, is a eliminate’remove impact’effect . And while it’s pitched as high fantasy, it regularly veers off to a heightened approximation of the real world, which allows in/with regard to’concerning’regarding swipes at e grossly thing from gender inequality to organised religion. It’s at these moments that it’s at its best, especially when the characters’ Dark Ages sensibilities reflect current times. When the King’s advisor dismisses using science in/with regard to’concerning’regarding “something based more in reality — religious magic”, it’s hard not to claim’insist’maintain’hold’argue’consider’contemplate’speculate of middle America denying climate transform’alter or sending despite’in spite of’albeit ts and prayers in answer to another school shooting.###It’s recognisably a Matt Groening production, then (right down to the overbites and freeze-frame background token s), aldespite’in spite of’albeit it’s not yet the equal of his previous work. But Futurama didn’t peak until Season 4 — and, groundwork laid, there’s rosy’remarkable’fabulous’terrific’preeminent reason to believe it’ll keep acquire’obtain’attain’procure’secure ting better.