3. Earthworm Jim
Brainchild of Doug Tennapel and first realised as the 16-bit platformer video game of the same name, the EWJ series may well be the pick of this group, if your criteria are unceasing surreality and non sequitur. Of course, it bears explaining that without these criteria, the base premise of an ordinary earthworm that accidentally becomes the wielder of a cybernetic super-suit and thence a hero of galactic proportions falls apart pretty quickly. Fans of the game series will recognise some characters readily; the villainous Psycrow, Evil the Cat, and Bob the Killer Goldfish feature prominently. Characters with minimal game presence, such as Evil's minion HenchRat, Professor Monkey-for-a-head, and Princess Whats-her-name, are all significantly stepped up in contribution to what is an excellent realisation of an original concept. The script is good, the gags are great, the character dynamics are consistent and a further source of laughs because of, rather than in spite of the chaos - and Jim unleashes merry hell in the form of a barrage of weapon fire at opportune moments. There's a lot to like, and it would be great if the Earthworm Jim style of nonsense was back on our screens once more.