History Film / TooManyCooks

* EscalatingPunchline: The joke continues to grow more absurd as the opening progresses.

* LastSecondPhotoFaulure: The BumblingDad trying and failing to time a picture with his ever-growing sitcom family happens three times. On the first two attempts, the camera catches him in the middle of his run to the couch. On the third time, he does manage to sit down for the picture, but he ''still'' doesn't get to be in the picture; his face gets replaced with Bill when the picture is taken.

* AwesomeMcCoolname:
** [[http://www.imdb.com/name/nm5713425/ Gwydion Lashlee-Walton]] (the actor's actual name) as Armondo Del Cook.
** Let's be honest, "Beast Rebels of the Hellscape" is an ''amazing'' name for an evil army.

* AndIMustScream: [[spoiler:The main characters are eventually forced to switch places with their credits, making them unable to do anything but lie still and scream.]]

* BodyHorror: Humans are made at one point to [[spoiler:lie at chest level in front of anthropomorphic credit-people, as credits would]].
* BrickJoke: The roundtable portion of the intro starts by reintroducing Clarie, Harry, Veronica, and Chloe before introducing some new Cooks. When the camera reaches the second lap, we find four new Cooks in place of the old ones -- Linda, Louise, Jebediah, and Laura.

* CallBack: As the show gets more messed up, previous scenes (the two couples' {{polyamory}}, boss getting a box on the head, pillow fight, a paint roller to the face) replay, but now with the characters from different genre segments acting them out.

--->'''Song:''' ''[distorted and garbled]'' It takes a lot to make a stew. [[ImAHumanitarian When it's made of me and you]]. Him and her, [[EatsBabies and the baby too]].
** A darker version of the song also plays when Smarf tries to press the button in the kitchen while he's bleeding to death.

** There's also one iteration of the "stew" metaphor becoming far more literal, with [[spoiler:Bill eating various characters]] -- "when it comes to me and you" becomes "when it's made of me and you" in this iteration of the theme.

** A few characters can be seen during the backstage chase before the intro has properly introduced them yet, such as the robot from the SpaceOpera sequence.

* GettingSmiliesPaintedOnYourSoul: Appears to be the effect of "intronitis", considering the doctor's awkward growing smile.

** Subverted in one instance. [[spoiler:As the detective is murdered, the camera cuts to a blood splatter. Then it immediately cuts back to the victim screaming with a machette in his head.]]

** When everything goes to hell in the end, various characters randomly start changing roles and recreating shots from early in the video, leading to space aliens having a pillow fight and the chief of police suddenly getting replaced with one of the teenaged girls.

* NonStandardCharacterDesign: During the brief animated segment, Bill is animated in a much more realistic style than the '80s Sunbow-style animation.

* RewatchBonus: [[spoiler:The Killer]] and his later actions in the video add significance to some of his appearances before then, particularly looking through a cupboard at spices. Some of the places he appears and expressions he makes also make more sense if you know what Casper Kelly's interpretation behind him is.

* TheScrappy:[[invoked]] Smarf appears to be an invoking of this trope, with his ugly design and puppet contrast to the live-action actors. RescuedFromTheScrappyHeap when [[spoiler:he uses his EyeBeams to explode the Killer. Also when he presses the reset button in his (would be) last moments.]] He is, in fact, the closest thing this short has to a hero.

** The sci-fi segment looks a whole lot like a mix of ''Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries'' and ''Series/{{Battlestar Galactica|1978}}''. Plus, it has [[Franchise/StarWars a clone army]].

* SickeninglySweet: Much of the opening's super-saccharine nature, especially the shots of the little kids and Smarf ''shooting rainbows'' out of his hands. [[spoiler:Then the Killer comes to change all that.]]

* SpottingTheThread: Samantha hides in a closet to [[spoiler:escape Bill, but he figures out where she is when he sees her actor Katie Adkins's floating name shining through the closet blinds.]]

* SubvertedSitcom: It begins as a standard cheery sitcom theme song that introduces the residents of a charming house in the suburbs. But then the song keeps on going and going, with more and more characters being introduced with no end in sight. That would be unsettling enough by itself, but then it abandons the sitcom entirely, moving on to other genres. And then the audience gets a macabre spree killing of the many characters before it loops right back around to cheery sitcom at the end... or did it?

* FateWorseThanDeath: [[spoiler:Dr. Bennett Hamilton Cooke certainly thinks that contracting Intronitis is this.]]

* UpToEleven: Where the short takes the concept of television OpeningCredits.

-->'''Casper Kelly:''' Yes, we used state-of-the-art graphics to simulate shitty spaceship sets and spaceships on strings.]

--->'''Song:''' ''[distorted and garbled]'' It takes a lot to make a stew. [[ImAHumanitarian When it's made of me and you]]. Him and her, and the baby too.

''Too Many Cooks'' is a 2014 short film written and directed by [[Series/YourPrettyFaceIsGoingToHell Casper Kelly]], edited by Paul Painter, and distributed by Creator/AdultSwim. It was broadcast on [adult swim] at 4 a.m. each morning from October 31st to November 6th, then posted on their Website/YouTube channel (where it quickly went viral). The short is an AffectionateParody of '80s sitcom openings that introduces the loving Cook family -- one by one by one by one [[LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters by one by one by one]] [[RunningGag by one by one by one]] [[OverlyLongGag by one by one by one]]...

* CastHerd: The various families, the cooks, T.L.'s office, Laura's mates on the force, C.O.O.K., the college girls, the C.O.O.K.S., [[LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters etc., etc.]]

* LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters: '''Hoo boy.'''

** AndIMustScream: And so would you, if you were [[spoiler:eternally frozen in this place]].

* NoNameGiven: [[spoiler:The killer, the only character whose name is unknown due to the [[OminousVisualGlitch VHS artifacting covering it up whenever his credit appears.]] No name in the credits, either, where he's only credited as "and featuring William Tokarsky."]].

* CastHerd: The various families, the cooks, T.L.'s office, Laura's mates on the force, C.O.O.K., the college girls, the C.O.O.K.S., [[LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters etc., etc...]]

* CastHerd: The various families, the cooks, T.L.'s office, Laura's mates on the force, C.O.O.K., the college girls, the C.O.O.K.S, [[LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters etc., etc....]]

What starts out as a mostly straight spoof of [[DomCom family shows]] [[GenreRoulette progresses to spoofing work sitcoms, police shows, saturday morning cartoons, and so on]]. Then things get ''even weirder'', into a MindScrew unlike the family sitcom it seemed to be. See the whole short [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QrGrOK8oZG8 HERE]], all eleven mind-scrambling minutes of it.

-->'''Casper Kelly:''' Yes, we used state-of-the-art graphics to simulate shitty spaceship sets and spaceships on strings.

* AllThereInTheScript: While the short only shows the actors playing the various Cooks, the [[FreezeFrameBonus rapid end credits]] reveal most if not all characters' in-universe names (listed on the [[http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3534838/fullcredits IMDB cast page]]).

* AndStarring: The acting credits end "And featuring William Tokarsky," whose character is called "Bill" by IMDB.

* AllThereInTheScript: While the short only shows the actors playing the various Cooks, the [[FreezeFrameBonus rapid end credits]] reveal most if not all characters' in-universe names (listed on the [[http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3534838/fullcredits IMDB cast page]]). [[spoiler:The killer]] is even given the name "[[TheDanza Bill]]".

* DisneyDeath: [[spoiler:Bill is seemingly laser-beamed dead by Smarf, but the evil B.R.o.t.H. forces in the sci-fi section turn out to be an army of doppelgangers of him and makes one last cameo at the end.]]

* EarnYourHappyEnding: [[spoiler: Ambiguous, just like everything else in the short, but after Smarf kills Bill and painfully drags himself over to push the Reset Button, literally everyone is shown to be alive and well, and Smarf seems happy to be reunited with his family again.]]

* GettingSmiliesPaintedOnYourSoul: Appears to be the effect of "intronitis", considering the doctor's awkward growing smile.
* GlassesPull: Melinda Cook pulls off her glasses before supersuiting up... even though she wasn't wearing glasses at all before this scene. Chris Cook, who at least had been established to wear glasses, also does this before his turn to transform.

** The sci-fi segment looks a whole lot like a mix of ''Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries'' and ''Series/BattlestarGalactica1978''. Plus, it has [[Franchise/StarWars a clone army]].

** Marilyn [=McCook=] draws a large rooster and peas on the board in the charades game. Given that she's [[ShamelessFanserviceGirl topless]], it’s probably intentional. Also counts as a StealthPun.

* AllThereInTheScript: While the short only shows the actors playing the various Cooks, the [[FreezeFrameBonus rapid end credits]] reveal most if not all characters' in-universe names (listed on the [[http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3534838/fullcredits IMDB cast page]]). [[spoiler:The Killer]] is even given the name "[[TheDanza Bill]]".

* BackgroundMusicOverride: [[spoiler:The sitcom theme music overrides whatever is playing when the killer shows up and is how Intronitis presents itself in newly infected victims.]]
* BigBad: [[spoiler:The Killer depending on your interpretation of things.]]

* BloodyHilarious: [[spoiler:As the Killer's rampage begins.]]

** Puppet cat Smarf, who [[spoiler:destroys the Killer with his laser-beam eyes]] and [[spoiler:tries to hit the red button to save the show.]]
** Subverted with Melinda and Chris Cook. They turn out to be superheroes, but end up being completely useless.

** During the scene where [[spoiler:the Killer is eating]], the lyrics are a lot darker.

* DisneyDeath: [[spoiler:The Killer is seemingly laser-beamed dead by Smarf, but he returns as the evil B.R.o.t.H. forces in the sci-fi sections and makes one last cameo at the end.]]

** It's also possible [[spoiler:the killer simply thinks there are too many cooks, and is "solving" the "problem".]]
** There's also one iteration of the "stew" metaphor becoming far more literal, with [[spoiler:the killer eating various characters]] -- "when it comes to me and you" becomes "when it's made of me and you" in this iteration of the theme.

* EatsBabies: Not actually shown, but the once-innocuous lyrics about baby too, etc., overlap with [[spoiler:the killer eating various body parts at the dinner table]].
* EarnYourHappyEnding: [[spoiler: Ambiguous, just like everything else in the short, but after Smarf kills the Killer and painfully drags himself over to push the Reset Button, literally everyone is shown to be alive and well, and Smarf seems happy to be reunited with his family again.]]
* ElectronicSpeechImpediment: As things get thoroughly out-of-control, the music eventually gets messed up as well, particularly during [[spoiler:the killer's HostileShowTakeover]] and [[spoiler:the part with the credits and actors switching places, in which multiple copies of the theme layer over each other cacophonously]].
* EndingFatigue: PlayedForLaughs. Twice in the first five minutes there's a freeze frame that ''looks'' like the end of the song, but it's just a cruel twist of the knife. Later happens in-universe to... well, everyone, but Smarf especially as he [[spoiler:weakly crawls across the floor, bleeding out his last in a last attempt to press the ResetButton.]]
* TheEndOrIsIt: [[spoiler:The last group shot implies the Killer has been resurrected by the ResetButton too.]]

* EyeBeams: One of [[spoiler:Smarf]]'s powers, which he uses to [[spoiler:defeat the killer]].
* {{Faceship}}: In the sci-fi segment, [[spoiler:the Killer]] has one with his whole head forming the bow. It can shoot lasers from its mouth.

* FanDisservice: [[spoiler:The Killer redoes the scene of Marilyn/Victoria putting on a show for Chris, with himself in both roles.]]

* FinalGirl: Samantha Cook turns from a sitcom college girl to this role, [[spoiler:but the Killer finds her anyway.]]

** [[spoiler:The Killer]] appears at the 20 second mark, and continues to show up hidden in the background despite the fact that everyone else who has appeared only did so after being introduced.
** Kind of last minute, but the lyrics during the ''Franchise/GIJoe'' parody mentions resisting the forces of evil. [[spoiler:Cue The Killer appearing in the foreground immediately afterwards]].
** While [[spoiler:the Killer]] is chasing [[spoiler:one of his victims]] backstage, credits show up on ''every'' person the two pass by. [[spoiler:This not only leads to the victim's demise, but also gives a big hint towards the credits' [[TheVirus true nature]].]]

** Why is [[spoiler:The Killer]] carefully inspecting those spices behind the cooks? [[spoiler:[[ImAHumanitarian Because he's planning a very special meal...]]]]

** [[spoiler:The Killer is hiding in the background as early as 20 seconds in the short. All his background appearances are pictured [[http://imgur.com/a/D2rrW#0 in this link]]. At one point he even disguises himself as ''a painting''.]]

** The show keeps going with its parodies of openings even as [[spoiler:the Killer starts offing actors, until it turns into a unnerving slasher story as Samantha Cook tries to flee the Killer. After that it's a BlackComedy with tons of blood, then a surreal horror story as the show distorts and mutates.]]

** [[spoiler:Samantha's death. The Killer finds her, she screams, cut to blood splatter. In fact, most of the Killer's early victims die offscreen, but as things get darker and his rampage escalates the murders start being witnessed, with ''a lot'' of blood involved.]]

* HandOrObjectUnderwear: Marilyn [=McCook=] is first seen, while changing, holding up a top in a way that hides her breasts from the camera. After she catches Chris Cook spying on her, she [[ShamelessFanserviceGirl starts using just her arm]], and is seen doing the same in a different circumstance. [[spoiler:[[FanDisservice The killer later mimics this.]]]]

* HopeSpot: Each time it seems like someone's figuring out what's going on and about to solve things, [[spoiler:the Killer pops in to finish them off]].

** Multiple copies of [[spoiler:the Killer]] start re-enacting scenes from earlier in the video.

* ImAHumanitarian: [[spoiler:The Killer cooks and eats his victims.]]
* InterfaceScrew: [[spoiler:The Killer's opening credit is deliberately scrambled and obscured by VHS artifacts.]]
* KnightOfCerebus: [[spoiler:The Killer, who invades the show, starts killing off actors, and hijacks it to be his.]]
* LaughTrack: One starts playing as [[spoiler:the Killer hijacks the show.]]
* LeaningOnTheFourthWall: Often, but especially in [[spoiler:Samantha's death, where the Killer tries to strike during a freeze-frame, but she runs through the set, the actors in-character still frozen, ultimately alerting the Killer to her location by the glow of her credits.]]
* {{Leitmotif}}: The theme music changes genres to match the changed settings, but maintains the melody most of the time. Creepily enough, [[spoiler:the theme song becomes the Killer's leitmotif as he chases Samantha. Note how it gets louder as he gets closer, almost as though he's creating it...]]
* LimitedWardrobe: Almost everyone, in true cheesy sitcom fashion. [[spoiler:The Killer too, although he switches to a tennis outfit at one point.]]

* MacheteMayhem: [[spoiler:The Killer's favored weapon. Even every Beast Rebel of the Hellscape has one.]]

* MediumAwareness: [[spoiler:The Killer]], most definitely. [[spoiler:He knows that his victims are helpless during their credits, and even makes fun of the format himself later on.]]

* MesACrowd: The evil forces of B.R.o.t.H. turn out to be [[spoiler:an army of clones of the Killer.]]

** [[spoiler:The Killer beginning his rampage.]]
** ''Too Many C.O.O.K.S.'' the SpaceOpera.

* NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast: The Beast Rebels of the Hellscape, who appear to be partly composed of [[spoiler:dozens of clones of the Killer.]]

* NoNameGiven: [[spoiler:The serial killer, the only character whose name is unknown due to the [[InterfaceScrew VHS artifacting covering it up whenever his credit appears.]] No name in the credits, either, where he's only credited as "and featuring William Tokarsky."]].
* NonStandardCharacterDesign: During the brief animated segment, the Killer is animated in a much more realistic style than the '80s, sunbow-style animation.
* OffscreenTeleportation: [[spoiler:The Killer can come from ''anywhere''.]]

-->'''Narrator:''' This is the story of COOKS — Cybernetic Operational Optimized Knights of Science — defending humanity against Beast Rebels of the Hellscape. When it comes to the future, you can never have too many COOKS.
* OutsideGenreFoe: Of all the sitcom genres this show is, [[spoiler:the Killer comes from one not usually seen on TV: horror.]]

** Chris Cook as a guy spying on Marilyn [=McCook=] half-naked (specifically, a pervier spoof of Sam from ''Series/ClarissaExplainsItAll'').
** [[spoiler:The Killer peeps in on ''himself'' in a dark parody of the previous scene.]]

* RedShirt: According to WordOfGod, [[spoiler:The Killer's StartOfDarkness was that he was a background character who wanted to be the main sitcom dad. He went postal because he couldn't live his dream]].
* ResetButtonEnding: The world is brought back to (''very, very relative'') normality by [[spoiler:Smarf, at the point of death, pressing a button in the kitchen]].

* RuleOfThree: The gag of Darren trying and failing to beat a camera timer to the couch is done three times. The third time, he makes it [[spoiler:but is replaced in the photo by the killer]].
* RunningGag: The dad of the Cook family setting up a family photo, but never getting in the right pose for the camera before the picture is taken. On the last time, though, he makes it [[spoiler:only for the Killer to take his place.]]

** [[spoiler:The Killer looks a lot like Jack Torrance in ''Film/TheShining'', especially his sudden appearance in a group photo at the end. He has long hair and a blue jacket like [[Series/TwinPeaks Bob]], as well as an [[SpecialPersonNormalName ordinary name]] ("Bill"), and he uses a machete like [[Franchise/FridayThe13th Jason Voorhees]]. WordOfGod says his patterned sweater is an homage to ''Series/TheCosbyShow'', but in the context of a slasher movie it's also reminiscent of [[Franchise/ANightmareOnElmStreet Freddy Krueger]]. ]]

** There's even a homage to ''Series/{{Manimal}}'' of all things shortly before [[spoiler:the ResetButtonEnding.]]
** [[spoiler:The ResetButtonEnding]] has the whole cast arranged like ''Series/TheBradyBunch''[='=]s opening. Darren Cook also appears to be an architect, like Mike Brady.

** There's a section during [[spoiler:the Killer's rampage]] that parodies ''Series/LawAndOrder'', particularly with similar music.

** During the killer's spree, there's an extended shot of a cop searching for the killer, while the BGM makes a direct reference to the theme song of ''Series/HillStreetBlues''.

* SoundtrackDissonance: [[spoiler:The upbeat sitcom theme keeps playing as the Killer slaughters his way through the cast. It keeps on playing as things get steadily worse, culminating in the show completely falling apart.]]
* SpookyPainting: As Athena Cook is [[spoiler:murdered by the Killer]], a painting behind her shows a familiar figure...
* SpottingTheThread: Samantha hides in a closet to [[spoiler:escape the Killer, but he figures out where she is when he sees her actor Katie Adkins's floating name shining through the closet blinds.]]

** Samantha's smile starts looking ''really'' forced as she realizes [[spoiler:the Killer is behind her.]]

* TransformationIsAFreeAction: [[spoiler:{{Subverted|Trope}} when Chris Cook attempts to turn into a superhero, only for the killer to decapitate him during the crossfade between forms, resulting in Will Dove's name being displayed over two transparent, headless Chrises.]]

* VileVillainSaccharineShow: [[spoiler:The Killer is a cannibalistic slasher]] inside of a goofy family sitcom.

** The ''G.I. Joe'' parody has [[spoiler:the Killer stop hiding and move into the foreground]].
** The last shot of the opening, with [[spoiler:the Killer appearing in Dad Cook's place]].

* YourMakeupIsRunning: Samantha Cook's mascara gets runny as [[spoiler:she hides in a closet from the Killer.]]

* TheEndOrIsIt: [[spoiler:The last group shot implies the Killer is still alive.]]

->''It takes a lot to make a stew,\\

Too many cooks...''
-->-- '''theme tune'''

** The melodrama segment looks similar to ones from ''Series/{{Dynasty}}'', ''Series/{{Dallas}}'', and ''Falcon Crest''.[[note]]The music and the falcon are specifically parodying ''Falcon Crest''[[/note]]

Too Many Cooks will serve a helping of freedom against the forces of evil!''

What starts out as a mostly straight spoof of [[DomCom family shows]] [[GenreRoulette progresses to spoofing police shows, hospital shows, action shows, and so on]]. Then things get ''even weirder'', into a MindScrew unlike the family sitcom it seemed to be. See the whole short [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QrGrOK8oZG8 HERE]], all eleven mind-scrambling minutes of it.