The surreal storytelling also has some amazing animation to fall back on. Production images simply don’t do this show justice. It’s another series in Augenblick Studios’ (Superjail!, Ugly Americans) long line of animated homeruns. Sprawling title cards punctuate the beginning of each episode like gorgeous graffiti. There’s exceptional music, and the bulk of it is by inspired original works coming right from Tyler. Additionally, The Jellies! has a commendable voice cast full of familiar Loiter Squad personalities, as well as voiceover staples like Phil LaMarr. It’s a good contrast between seasoned voice talent and more raw styles.

When it comes to the show’s sense of humor, I’m not the most in tune with the current landscape of hip hop music, but even I was able to understand the jokes about musicians like DMX or Xzibit. This material will connect even harder if you’re a fan of this music scene, but even if you’re not, the seemingly Dadaist nature of these cameos will help make this show even more ridiculous, in a good way. The Jellies! is a show where DMX can shout out, “Where my dogs at?” and a pack of attack canines will burst out to accompany the rapper, while he simultaneously also turns into a dog. Or Xzibit’s teleportation powers that lead to dozens of civilians getting mercilessly riddled with bullets. That’s this show in a nutshell, and it’s perfectly content with that.

It’s satisfying to see how comfortable The Jellies! is in its own weird shoes. It feels like it’s interested in getting to characters and stories at its own pace. These first two episodes do a very good job at establishing this show’s style and that this is anything but a show about a family of jellyfish who have an adopted human son. This is a big, weird universe that only becomes more interesting. Some episodes deal with Cornell and his unusual family, while others may dig into the workings of Walla Walla High or explore the business of the neighborhood. At the same time, The Jellies! will lampoon old music video and cultural touchstones of the industry, while also having a keen eye for taking on reality television and its many tropes.

This is a series I went into with mild curiosity and middling expectations, but it actually grabbed me right. It’s a little crazy that Adult Swim currently has a show about a family of squids and now another show about a family of jellyfish, but the fact that The Jellies! doesn’t seem to step on any of Squidbillies’ toes—err, tentacles—is a testament to this program’s different and unpredictable nature. Go into this one with an open mind and let this bonkers world take you away with all it’s got. If nothing else, it’s just a beautiful show to look at.