Poor birdgirl, your own show was doomed from the start.
I'm on episode 5 of the series and I'm not the biggest fan. I can most definitely get behind giving birdgirl more agency as a character by giving her her own show (seeing at HBAAL either sexualized her or made her a complete joke).
The series doesn't feel like it's even in the same universe. I understand that hanna-barbera wanted to keep their characters out of the show for the sake of jellystone!, but come on! That was the main focus of Harvey Birdman! That's like telling Space Ghost he can't interview people on his show anymore. And you're telling me Birdman NOR PEANUT couldn't make an appearance because Birdman had to... Make a cameo as a funeral picture frame...? WHAT THE HELL, MAN?? The show was doomed from the start in that aspect.
I feel like that could've been mended by making characters connected to other hanna-barbera characters (like they did with Merideth being Mentok's daughter). Make up a character who's Peter Potamus' cousin Phillip Potamus that's a celibate priest or something. Idk I feel like if you want to make a show be in the same universe as another, but you would need to give up a core part of the original, don't make the show!
The humor feels different, at times "how's it going fellow kids" millennial humor, yk? I feel like Harvey Birdman's comedy was more absurd and dry, while Birdgirl relies on wit and cheesy chaos. Harvey Birdman had some jokes that were "of its time" (looking at you tribal African stereotype), but the non offensive parts feel timeless. Birdgirl feels like it's trying too hard to be modern. Like it feels shameful of Harvey Birdman.
I can also TELL when they're trying to rewrite or recon shit. Im fine with fleshing out character backstories, but there's some parts that I'm side eyeing. First, I don't think Judy grew up in the law firm. If she did, wouldn't Birdman recognize Phil's daughter and be familiar with her? The same girl that ran around the office he worked at?
HBAAL is much more of an AU of the original Birdman and Galaxy Trio series, seeing as he met Peanut for the first time as a legal clerk rather than a side kick (ditto with Judy). I'd always assume while watching that the timeline was-
Birdman works for Falcon 7 and internation as a superhero → Birdman quits because of the stress of hero work → Phil opens up the Sebben & Sebben law firm with Bill → Birdman gets into law → Birdman is hired by Phil
Obviously the training video for Sebben&Sebben condricts some of these events (and I'm not trying to conflate my own personal headcanons with the show's messy nature), but I also don't trust anything Phil has to say lowkey (the man's crazy).
I also find Birdgirl's hero outfit to be a bit removed from Birdman's. I feel like if you just swapped the emblem the show would just be the same without the connection to Birdman.
Birdgirl as a show just feels like it doesn't want to be connected to the Birdman universe. In my opinion, it should have been a crime drama spoof with more workplace comedy elements. (I mean Sebben&Sebben isn't even a law firm in Birdgirl, it's a mixed media company. While I could see Phil doing that, I think Judy would rather keep it as a law firm.) Both shows just make me sad bc Harvey Birdman is criminally underrated and had something really good as a concept.
