Created by real-life brothers Adam and Craig Malamut and set in the fictional town of Glantontown, NJ, the animated series “Universal Basic Guys” centers on Mark and Hank Hoagies, two brothers voiced by Adam Malamut. After being laid off from their jobs at the local hot dog factory and enrolled in a new basic income program, Mark and Hank have plenty of time to spend their $3,000 monthly checks on pranks and silliness. While the premise is interesting enough, the show is riddled with tiresome gags that fail to make an impact.

“Universal Basic Guys” opens with Mark questioning the portrait he bought his wife Tammy (Talia Genevieve) as a birthday present. After Tammy receives a luxury spa certificate from a doctor she works with at the hospital, Mark decides the only way to outshine the plastic surgeon’s gift is to buy her an exotic animal. He convinces Hank to go along with the plan, and the pair visit a zoo resembling the one from Tiger King, where Mark buys an old, sick chimpanzee. Things clearly don’t go according to plan. The chimp (naturally) isn’t a housebroken pet, Tammy isn’t happy about it, and Mark ends up in the hospital. Every episode since the pilot follows this pattern. The older brother hatches a plan, and Hank foolishly follows his lead.

In addition to Mark, Hank and Tammy, other characters include Tammy's teenage son Darren (Brandon Wardell), who's doing his best to avoid his stepfather; the Hoagies' neighbors — aspiring writer David (Fred Armisen) and his shrill, influential wife Andrea (Ally Maki); and Mark's arch-nemesis Steve DelVecchio (Tommy Pope), who's determined to outdo him every step of the way.

The 13-episode first season features action-packed plot points involving creatures, magic, and the Philadelphia Eagles. In episode 3, "The Devil You Know," featuring all manner of butt-wiping and dingleberry jokes, the brothers, with Darren in tow, accidentally encounter the infamous Jersey Devil. In episode 8, "Poconcos," Mark, Hank, Tammy, and Darren find themselves in a Jumanji-esque game of magic, where everything quickly descends into chaos due to their inability to communicate. While both storylines are thematically sound, the execution leaves much to be desired. "Universal Basic Guys" lacks the slickness, clarity, and comedic timing to transcend its two confusingly clueless leads.