There’s something special and endearing about the Netflix animated series The Mr. Peabody and Sherman Show. Perhaps it’s the fact that it’s based on a series of segments from the 1960s show The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle and Friends (which were both very clever and very funny). Perhaps it’s the show’s peculiar blend of history and fiction. Perhaps it’s something as simple as the charming nature of the titular characters.
Whatever the case, this animated series manages to capture some of the magic of the original animated show, and it’s worth looking at some of the best episodes that have been ranked by users at IMDb.
Handcuffs For A Song/Wright Brothers - 6.7
One of the best things about this particular show is that it manages to skillfully weave together humor, good writing, and history. In this episode, the titular heroes get introduced to the Wright Brothers, and they end up playing a pretty significant role in making sure that the two genius inventors manage to find their plane and get back on the right path to history. Who says learning about the past can’t be fun?
The Perfect Show Again/Aristophanes - 6.7
At first glance, it seems rather strange to see someone like Aristophanes in an animated show that’s primarily aimed at younger viewers. After all, this was the Greek comedic writer known for rather risque comedies that are definitely not safe for work. Somehow, however, the show manages to keep it under control. This episode also features most of the other characters that have been introduced at previous points in the season.
Big Boy/Blackbeard - 6.8
It’s probably not surprising, given the recent surge in interest in early American history, that a series like this one would send Mr. Peabody and Sherman back to the Revolutionary period. In this case, the two of them get to meet none other than Blackbeard, that infamous pirate.
They also encounter a number of other historical figures important to the development of America, including none other than George Washington and the Marquis de Lafayette.
Biggest Fan/Queen Isabella - 6.8
Everyone knows that Queen Isabella was crucial to the funding of Christopher Columbus’s voyage to the New World. What’s so great about this particular episode, though, is that it shows Mr. Peabody and Sherman scrambling to help the Spanish queen regain her fortune so that she can do precisely that. The narrative that’s set in the present isn’t quite as compelling as the historical one, but it’s still pretty cute.
- 6.9
There’s something strangely prescient about this episode since in the present there’s a disease outbreak that forces everyone to stay indoors. Ironically enough, the historical incident features the two heroes going back in time to the Olympic Games of ancient Greece, where they have to compete with none other than Zeus himself. In a summer in which the Olympics have been postponed because of the pandemic, this episode really does seem to hit home.
Show On The Road/Catherine The Great - 7.0
Catherine the Great is another of those characters that really doesn’t seem like she would fit in on a children’s show (though she's been the subject of a very popular Hulu series). After all, she was a woman known for having numerous affairs with men and for overthrowing her husband and seizing the throne (with the help of one of those lovers).
In this case, Catherine has been sanitized a bit, and the story revolves around, of all things, a broken roller coaster.
The Wrath Of Hughes - 7.0
This episode is a bit of a strange one, since it doesn’t really have a historical component in the same way that so many others do. What really makes it interesting is the fact that Mr. Peabody and Sherman are actually helped out by different versions of themselves. It’s one of those episodes of a children’s program that, somehow, manages to be surprisingly philosophically sophisticated, asking the audience to think about what constitutes an individual’s identity. The villain Mrs. Hughes is pretty great as well.
Stuck/Mozart - 7.1
This episode is something of an embarrassment of riches in terms of historical characters, since it involves not only the titular Mozart (who is shown here during his very precocious youth), but also Harry Houdini and the Emperor Joseph II. Unlike in some of the other episodes, where the present story isn’t quite as interesting, this one actually shows Sherman contending with the fact that he has to do the show by himself (since Mr. Peabody is stuck in an elevator).
Sherman From A To Zzzz/Akashi Shiganosuke - 7.2
It would have been very easy for an television show like this one to remain focused on Europe and America, since that is usually the path of least resistance for shows set in the historical past. However, they deserve a lot of credit for going into the ancient period of Japanese history in order to depict the (possibly mythical) sumo wrestler Akashi Shiganosuke. Even more remarkably, the show actually manages to be pretty sophisticated in how it depicts ancient Japanese culture.
Favor For Christine/Lady Godiva - 7.5
One has to give this show a lot of credit for being willing to take on historical figures that were known for being more than a little inappropriate, including in this case the famous Lady Godiva, known for riding through the streets naked with only her hair for covering (though probably only adults will know this). This episode also has several other important figures from earlier parts of the series make appearances, so it’s a good one to watch for those who want to get a sense of the show’s sensibilities.