The Samsonadzes
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The Samsonadzes (Georgian: სამსონაძეები, Samsonadzeebi) is a Georgian computer-animated sitcom created and produced by Shalva Ramishvili. It premiered in Georgia in November 2009 and ran until sometime in 2010.
Plot
The show stars Gela, a Georgian family man who works at a local bank. His wife Dodo, their children Gia and Shorena, and their talking parrot, Kote, live with him. The show is made up of various plots that change from episode to episode, ranging from Gela's parents moving in to winning the lottery. The show is marketed as a look at everyday life in Georgia, with character flaws resembling real-life Georgian stereotypes like a love of alcohol or a more rural outlook.
Why This Rip-off Will Make You Go “D-oh!”
- To address the elephant in the room, it is a blatant rip-off of The Simpsons, a popular American animated comedy series, with titles that sound identical to each other. There's even a "Simpsons on My Family" episode, which could lead to copyright infringement.
- The creator also tried to deny these accusations by saying "The Samsonadzes is not a Simpsons ripoff, it is about a Georgian family with Georgian Jokes, Georgian social humor..."[1]
- Absolutely horrible animation, even for 2000s standards. Speaking of the animation, the backgrounds aren't that good either, as they feel more empty than the show itself.
- Some of the cameos felt out of place, such as when Vladimir Putin appeared in one of the episodes.<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j5Y5ylKR7ZA</ref>
- Similar to the animation of the show, the voice-acting comes across as unprofessional and lazy.
- Gela, one of the characters in the show, raps "Beggin" by Madcon in an episode, which was incredibly corny. In the same episode, the Chipmunks' cover of Lipps Inc.'s "Funky Town" can be heard in one scene, despite both of them being copyrighted.
- There are numerous design choices that can be puzzling and confusing to viewers of the show, such as some of the characters in the show having beige skin while the Samsonadzes have yellow skin.
Reception
Many critics and viewers criticized the show as a shameless rip-off of The Simpsons. It currently holds a 2.2/10 on IMDB and 25% on Google. However, it's a different case in Georgia. It became a "hit" almost immediately, "taking Georgia by storm" and "shooting to the number two spot among the most-popular shows on one of Georgia's main TV channels."[2]