Mongrels

“Mongrels,” initially known as “We Are Mongrels” and “The Un-Natural World,” is a British puppet-based sitcom that premiered on BBC Three from June 22 to August 10, 2010. A behind-the-scenes documentary titled “Mongrels Uncovered” aired on August 11, 2010. The second season of the show started on November 7, 2011.

The series centers on the adventures of five anthropomorphic animals who frequent the back of a pub in Millwall, located on the Isle of Dogs in London. The main characters include Nelson, a metrosexual fox; Destiny, an Afghan hound; Marion, a “borderline-retarded” cat; Kali, a vengeful pigeon; and Vince, Nelson’s sociopathic and foul-mouthed fox friend.

Targeted at an adult audience, the show features themes such as neutering, incontinence, cannibalism, and catnip overdoses, employing humor styles like slapstick and farce. For instance, the first episode opens with Marion, who, in a desperate attempt to revive his deceased owner, discovers she has been dead for four months and then nonchalantly allows his cat friends to eat her. “Mongrels” has faced allegations of plagiarism, with some claiming it borrowed ideas from a similar Channel 4 show called “Pets.”