The creator of the hit Canadian television show Kenny vs. Spenny is back with another series that pushes the envelope. With a title like Testees, one would expect some outlandish material, and this series certainly delivers.

Kenny Hotz wrote, produced and co-stars in Testees, which focuses on the lives of Peter (Steve Markle) and Ron (Jeff Kassel), employees of Testico, where they basically serve as human guinea pigs. Their job is to test new pharmaceutical products, and hilarity usually ensues as they suffer from a variety of side effects.

The series aired on Showcase here in Canada. It also ran on FX in the United States, where it had the enviable timeslot of following It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. The series starts off in underwhelming fashion with an episode featuring Peter experiencing pregnancy- like symptoms from a pill that he was testing, while fellow testee Larry (Kenny Hotz) is "suffering" from an enlarged penis as a result of his test product. The humour in this episode is fairly low brow, and I was not looking forward to any more episodes after viewing this one.

However, the next two episodes I caught redeemed the series. The episode titled "Forget Me Nugget" sees Peter and Ron suffering from complete memory loss as a result of a pill they have taken. They struggle to piece together the puzzle of who exactly they are. They come to the conclusion that since they are in their thirties, live together, and there are no signs of women ever staying at their apartment, they must be lovers. Their friend Nugget takes this opportunity to mess with their minds, and manages to convince the guys to perform a live sex act in front of an audience that includes their parents.

The best episode of the series, however, is one titled "Her Fume." Peter and Ron are gung-ho when they learn that they have been chosen to test a pheromone that will allegedly make them irresistible to women. They soon find out that the pheromone has no effect on attractive women; however, older, heavier women are drawn to the two. These women turn into zombies, moving slowly towards their prey, making only grunting noises. Peter and Ron are in constant peril in this episode, which, aside from the classic Shaun of the Dead, may be the best zombie parody I have ever see.

While not every episode is as good as these two, I was pleasantly surprised overall by Testees. Sure, there is some gross-out humour, which is something you've got to expect from a show called Testees. The series also contains some rather clever writing, and has a great premise.

Testees: The Complete Series arrived recently on home video. The two disc set features 13 episodes, plus 22 webisodes.