Agent Elvis

The central voices are uniformly delightful, but particular praise must go to Cheadle, who practically sings his dialogue and has sharp comic timing that brings the best out of even the silliest punchlines.

It’s the kind of thing that could easily come across as smart-arsed, an idea dreamt up by a couple of the many Hollywood big shots who are Elvis fans as they supped energy drinks on private jets. Yet Agent Elvis is, in the round, a blast for the viewer too. The steadying hand of Mike Arnold, a long-time writer on the excellent Archer, keeps things on an even keel.

Elvis Presley gets his own Archer-style animated action series with Netflix’s Agent Elvis, a fun if at times repetitive hail to the King.

The show, in general, is fine — long stretches pass with very few laughs and multiple characters are still duds after the full 10-episode season — but it’s the rare series that actually gets better when you Google it for accuracy.

On visual strength alone, this would be an easy recommendation, if only it were more consistently funny and had a more fitting lead voice actor. As is, it’s still a pretty good time despite some cringy gags.

Sometimes the vulgarity verges on try-hard (“monkey-spunk” gets a mention), but part of the fun is wondering how much the real Elvis (who spent much of his career shunted into cheesy family-friendly films) would have approved.

“Agent Elvis” succeeds more as a curiosity than a comedy, which is to say, I found it only occasionally funny — blood splatter doesn’t do it for me, I confess — but generally interesting, if only to see what scenes and references might turn up next. ... The series looks good, especially in its cartoonification of Elvis, all midcentury swooping lines and angles. (Robert Valley designed the character, and fashion designer John Varvatos received a screen credit for his wardrobe.) McConaughey’s performance, which is more McConaughey than Presley, is like honey on the ear.

No matter how many stars you pack in, the amount of cool Easter eggs dropped into the series, and the most, coolest soundtrack from Presley’s nearly 25-year musical career juxtaposed to fiery action scenes that appeal to the TikTok generation, these elements are not enough to save the show’s uneven blend of silliness and satire.

Agent Elvis falls short in providing consecutive laughs and original spy ideas that quickly wear out their welcome. While a talented voice cast led by an energetic McConaughey attempts to elevate the overall energy. it’s not enough to give a solid rubbernecking recommendation.