Review of “Kevin”: Jason Schwartzman’s Brilliant Voice Performance in an Animal Animation That Is Sometimes Uneven but Ultimately Charming
According to the Cinema Drame News Agency, voice actors such as John Waters and Whoopi Goldberg also appear in this series, a work created by Joe Wengert and Aubrey Plaza, set in an animal shelter in Astoria, Queens.
When Kevin (voiced by Jason Schwartzman), the main character of Amazon’s new animated series, goes through a difficult breakup, he does what perhaps any young person in a big city might do.
He moves out of his previous home, makes new friends and interests, rediscovers his old neighborhood with a fresh perspective. He spends time alone trying to understand what he truly wants from a relationship—or even from life itself. He considers new potential partners and eventually begins a relationship with one of them. At times, despite his better judgment, he also reconnects with his former partner.
What makes Kevin’s journey somewhat different is that he is not a bank employee in a wool vest or a tattooed barista, but a black-and-white cat—and his breakup is not from a romantic partner but from his human owners. This different angle, created by Joe Wengert and Aubrey Plaza, gives a fresh twist to the sitcom format. Although it does not always reach its full comedic and emotional potential, it ultimately carries a warmth that makes it worth watching.
Undoubtedly, a large portion of the target audience will react to this premise much like Seth (voiced by Gil Ozeri), a calm animal shelter manager, when confronted with an owner who abandoned their cat: “Abandoning a furry companion is the worst thing you can do!” he shouts. “You should be prosecuted!” But rest assured, this is not a tearful story about animal abandonment.
In fact, it is Kevin himself who leaves when his owners announce their separation. He chooses to try his luck alone rather than move with Dana (voiced by Aubrey Plaza) to a new home. In this world—set somewhere between anthropomorphic animal stories—animals can speak with humans and sit with them in bars or subways, but they usually do not have stable jobs or independent homes. As a result, Dana has no choice but to let him go and hope he returns someday.
After a disastrous night in Central Park, where squirrels mock his inability to survive in the wild, Kevin finds his way to the “Furry Forever Friends” shelter in Astoria. There he meets a strange group: Armando, a proud Persian cat (voiced by John Waters); Judy, a naïve and sickly kitten (voiced by Aparna Nancherla); Seth, a bossy Shih Tzu dog (voiced by Amy Sedaris); and Cupcake (voiced by Whoopi Goldberg), a street-smart cat who earns money through unusual online ventures and the sale of questionable goods. How exactly she does this is one of those questions better left unexamined.
In its early episodes, the series is uneven in its comedy—sometimes successful, sometimes not. Some jokes try too hard to signal that this is not a simple children’s cartoon. Others feel inconsistent in a world where cats speak and have functional hands. Even a subplot involving a horse-like stage star feels somewhat repetitive. Many jokes are neither bad enough to be annoying nor clever enough to be truly funny.
However, as the eight half-hour episodes progress, and perhaps as viewers adjust to its unusual comedic style, the series improves. Kevin gradually settles into the rhythm of a charming New York urban comedy with a friendly tone and a higher level of eccentricity. It becomes more engaging when it fully embraces absurd humor—such as a storyline where ants crown Judy as their queen, or Kevin’s encounter with a “pizza mouse,” a living slice of pizza that constantly complains about its fate.
Amid the young cats and their strange relationships, a more sincere emotional layer gradually emerges. The relationships between the characters carry a certain warmth—from Armando encouraging Judy to wait for the right home, to Cupcake pushing Armando to confront his past heartbreak.
Kevin’s scattered search for understanding what he wants from a future owner—or whether he even needs one at all—feels familiar to anyone who has left a long-term relationship and is unsure who they are without it.
At the heart of it all, however, is a subtle reflection on animals themselves: that despite the care we give them, they have their own inner worlds and desires, which may or may not align with ours. Based reportedly on a real cat and a real breakup, the series ultimately becomes a gentle tribute to the mysterious nature of these creatures—beings who allow us to share part of their lives.
