Too Many Cooks (film)

Too Many Cooks is a surreal dark comedy short film that originally aired as an Adult Swim "infomercial" on November 5, 2014. Created by Casper Kelly, it satirizes the opening credits of sitcoms and television dramas, escalating into increasingly bizarre and disturbing scenarios.

The short film begins innocently enough, presenting itself as the opening sequence of a fictional sitcom featuring a large cast, each member briefly appearing on screen with their name. As the sequence progresses, the music becomes more frenetic and the introductions grow increasingly absurd, incorporating elements from various genres like crime dramas, science fiction, and horror.

The cast multiplies beyond the sitcom family, featuring unexpected characters like a machete-wielding killer (William Tokarsky) who persistently chases the other characters, as well as increasingly outlandish and non-sequitur elements. The film's structure is cyclical, constantly returning to the initial sitcom theme but each time with escalating chaos and surreal additions.

"Too Many Cooks" gained viral popularity after its release due to its unpredictable nature, dark humor, and effective subversion of television tropes. Its catchy theme song and bizarre visuals became widely shared and parodied online. The short film has been interpreted as a commentary on the oversaturation of media and the blurring of genre boundaries. It has been praised for its originality and its ability to create a sense of unease and disorientation in the viewer. The short continues to be discussed and analyzed for its unique blend of humor, horror, and social commentary.