(Re)View: "Wilfred."

The FX series, with all four seasons available on Hulu, was one of those rare absurdist breakthroughs that was both ridiculous and thoughtful and ultimately pretty brilliant.

You probably noticed that the picture I used for this doesn’t appear to be an FX still shot from the late, lamented comedy of theirs, “Wilfred.” That’s because it’s not. It’s me, in a “Wilfred” suit on Halloween. Before we get deeper into the show and why you should watch it, here’s some backstory on that:

It was a real Wilfred costume that FX had made up for Comic Con, where ostensibly someone wore it around in the hot sun before I got it. I don’t know. FX sent it to me as a joke because I had been one of the earliest and most vocal critics professing his love for a series about, well — let me try to recreate how I explained it to the neighbors back then. When I was wearing the furry gray suit with black stuff on my nose and holding a beer, handing out candy.

“Are you a bear?” one of my neighbors asked. 

“No, I’m Wilfred. I’m a dog. It’s a TV show.”

“I’ll bet the dog doesn’t drink beer!” the neighbor said.

“Actually, he drinks lots of beers. And smokes a lot of pot from a bong.”

“So it’s not a kids show?”

“Nope. It’s a really funny and twisted and touching existential series about how a dog, who may or may not be imaginary, helps his neighbor try to find happiness after trying to kill himself.”

“The dog?”

“No, the neighbor.”

“But it’s a real dog?”

“No, it’s an Australian guy with a beard, in the dog suit. Exactly like this one.”

On and on it went. Nobody had seen it. Most people thought I was a bear. Some definitely said I was a dog, after some debate. I was given more beer as I walked around with my kids, trick or treating. Not long after, a bunch of us hauled over to this street in Berkeley known for its packed crowds and Halloween houses.

“Wilfred!” said the first of many Cal college students who gave me high fives, hugged me and took pictures with me. I made a note to tell the FX people who their audience was.

Of course, more people eventually found out. You might even say that Wilfred, which was created by that Australian guy, Jason Gann, in his home country years before and then was reimagined for FX by David Zuckerman (Family Guy, King of the Hill) and Gann, eventually became a cult hit. But it never achieved the fame it deserves (admittedly, like a lot of series).