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Gary Larson's Tales from the Far Sidemarked a definitive moment for Larson's strip. Known for its art style, eerie settings, and often-confusing jokes, the comic strip quickly became a worldwide phenomenon. At its height, nearly 2,000 newspapers published the strip, and 4,000 panels were eventually released throughout its run, which continues sporadically today.
With so much love and respect for his bizarre world, Larson did not just restrict his characters to the comic medium. In 1994, he agreed to create a made-for-TV special that would see his animated world brought to the small screen. Tales from the Far Side has fallen into the depths of history over the past few years, but it continues to define the franchise.
The Far Side Was Not Just a Comic
Larson's world is best defined through his comic strip. The single-panel strip earned widespread renown during its lengthy run from December 1979 to January 1995. Larson never spent much time with individual characters, instead preferring to rely on an ever-changing cast and increasingly bizarre situations to create a sense of wonder and intrigue.
The Far Side's dark sense of humor set it apart from touching strips like Peanuts or Calvin and Hobbes. While those strips certainly explored darker themes, they never depicted the sheer amount of horror and death as Larson's bloody strip did. After all, Larson even went so far as to depict a baby being eaten by a snake. It was unique among mainstream strips and helped revitalize the field of cartooning.
Strips are where Larson's world began, but it is not where it completely ended. The Far Side stretched into TV as well. It leaped from its traditional medium into a 30-minute special that aired as a made-for-TV movie. While created by Larson, it was directed by Marv Newland, and it starred Kathleen Barr (Ed, Edd n Eddy), Doug Parker (Beast Wars: Transformers), Lee Tockar (G.I Joe), and Dale Wilson (My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic).
The release marked the beginning of the end for The Far Side, as Larson would step away from the comic strip shortly after its release. Still, given that it helped to elevate The Far Side to the level of Peanuts, as two adapted strips, it marked a serious moment of growth for the beloved strip.
Tales From The Far Side Is Worth Watching
Tales from the Far Side is not a typical animated special. The special reflects Larson's art style, while also featuring occasional live-action elements. Like Larson's comic strip, it depicts a series of clips that have few genuine connections. The characters are introduced and then fade away, never to be seen again.
Even The Far Side's various farm animals make sparing appearances for just a minute before stepping back. They have little development, as the special instead focuses solely on the darker aspects of their existence. The world around them is far more consistent and plays a larger role in the story.
The anthropomorphized animals, the bizarre features of every human character, and the inspiration from classic movies and shows stand out far more than any individual character. The fact that the special borrows so much from Larson's strips is what makes it so fascinating. It is a near-direct adaptation — even going so far as to avoid having characters speak too often.
The characters simply react with body language and wordless sounds when they are abducted by aliens, raising cows from the dead, and relaxing on a miniature plane for insects. When a news reporter tries to speak, it has an eerie effect, sounding like language but carrying no meaning at all.
It's an extremely interesting way to depict Larson's world. The animation helps adapt a bizarre and somewhat horrifying strip to the screen without losing anything that makes it so great.
Tales From The Far Side Had a Hidden Sequel
The first Tales from the Far Side special was released on October 26, 1994, as a celebrated Halloween special. It came just a few short months before the strip ended with Larson's January 1, 1995, retirement. It did not mean that he was done producing content, however.
While he would later return to the strip after agreeing to enter the internet age, he also revisited the special to produce a sequel.
Tales from the Far Side II was released in 1997, and its predecessor was renamed to Tales from the Far Side I.Although it was not released domestically on TV, it reached the American market through DVD and VHS sales. It was also released internationally, drawing attention in the U.K. markets. The specials never had a sequel, and Larson only returned to the franchise to create new strips in 2019.
That meant over two decades during which Tales from the Far Side II was the last work Gary Larson created and released publicly,set within his strip's bizarre universe. Though the sequel was released with limited fanfare domestically, it was still a milestone.
Where To Watch Tales From The Far Side
Anyone who enjoyed The Far Side should watch the specials. Unfortunately, that in itself is something of a challenge. Tales from the Far Side is not available for streaming. While they did air on TV, they are not currently airing on any channel, and they have also failed to appear on any streaming platform, major or minor.
The specials cannot even be found in full on YouTube or many other reputable on-demand sites. The specials have seemingly been lost to time, leaving it as a relic from the height of the strip's popularity. While streaming is seemingly impossible, there is still one way to find the specials online. Gary Larson's The Far Side website features a DVD collection of the two Tales from The Far Side releases.
The disappointing element, however, is that the DVDs are currently out of stock. Used copies can still be found on numerous online marketplaces, but the official storefront has been unable to keep up with demand. Viewers who do find copies online will need to own a DVD player, which is a limitation nowadays.
Those who own digital video game consoles may still be able to access it even without a standalone DVD player, but they will still need to find copies in the first place. Unfortunately, Tales from the Far Side is not widely available and may continue to elude potential viewers.
