She-Hulk: Attorney At Law

New MCU TV series eschews serious action scenes for a campy, yet enjoyable meta comedy

I’m not alone in saying major Marvel fatigue has set in for many. After the deservedly lauded epic event of Infinity Wars/Endgame, the MCU has yet to really pick up much steam, even with a few solid entries on screens big and small.

But, like a blast of Hulk-inducing Gamma Rays, She-Hulk: Attorney At Law provides just the boost of energy to keep comic book fans more-than-mildly entertained.

That’s because this new Disney+ series, premiering Thursday Aug. 18, doesn’t try to wow audiences with a stunt/CGI spectacle that ties into a larger cinematic storyline. Instead, this 30-minute legal sitcom focuses on chuckles. It breaks the fourth wall (making jokes about MCU cameos each week) and introduces ridiculously campy characters, like Titania, who looks like something out 80s pro wrestling.

In the first episode, Jen Walters (played by Tatiana Maslany, who somehow never won an Emmy for her fantastic performance on the show “Orphan Black”) quickly fills in audiences about how she “becomes a Hulk” after a car accident with her cousin, Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo cameo-ing). No time is wasted with unnecessary backstory. We get straight to what you want to see: a massively tall, muscular green woman created with so-so special effects.

(Let’s get this out of the way: The CGI is somewhat improved compared to the trailer that was much maligned. Is it amazing? No. Who cares?! This is a comedy and it’s meant to be silly and campy).

I was provided with only the first four episodes to watch but I was intrigued enough that I’ll keep watching every week. I was also pleasantly surprised to see a woman I graduated from high school with in Indianapolis has a prominent role in episode four. She plays a drunk girl named Madelynn who gets sucked into a magic portal by a irresponsible illusionist who stole his skills from Wong, the Dr. Strange character who cameos in two episodes so far.

She-Hulk could have been a complete disaster, but Tatiana Maslany is perfectly cast for the eye-winking humor. If you were a fan of campy TV shows like Buffy: The Vampire Slayer or Angel, then this is right up your alley. It’s meant to be fun.

The perfect example of this show’s wit is exemplified early in the first episode. Jen is debating with Bruce whether or not Steve Rogers, AKA Captain America, is a virgin since he ended up frozen in an iceberg shortly after taking super-serum and then became so incredibly busy saving the world after he thawed in modern times. It’s a debate we’ve seen on social media, showing this sitcom’s prowess in reflecting the viewpoints of commenters and leaning hard into meta-comedy.

Writer Jessica Gao does a great job portraying Jen’s struggle as a single woman — and a reluctant superhero — without ever being cringeworthy. It probably references sexual intercourse more than any other Marvel outing thus far, and, no, they don’t turn She-Hulk into trashy sex icon like she was displayed on many comic book covers early in her print history. Jen Walters is like any working woman. She faces struggles of sexism in the office place. She’s trying to set up her dating app profile. And, oh yeah, she can lift a car over her head.

I haven’t read the She-Hulk comic books, but apparently this style of humor — fun, feminist and breaking the fourth wall — was always prominent in the pages of this series. Die-hard fans should be pleased.