Low Key

Had a rough week? The cheerfully silly, R-rated weirdness of "Doom Patrol" might be just what you need. The DC Universe show is a little bit "X-Men," a little bit 1950s monster movie, and a lot of lesson-free fun. "Doom Patrol" follows Brendan Fraser as a lumbering robot man named, uh, "Robot Man," who joins a grimly goofy team of super zeroes who live together in Doom Manor under the guardianship of their "Chief," played by Timothy Dalton. The cast includes Diane Guerrero as Crazy Jane, April Bowlby as Elasti-Girl, Matt Bomer as Negative Man, Joivan Wade as Cyborg, and Alan Tudyk as their arch-nemesis, Mr. Nobody."Doom Patrol" has drawn many "X-Men" comparisons because Chief, like Professor X, uses a wheelchair, lives in a secluded mountain and leads a team of outcasts. But the first "Doom Patrol" comic actually beat the first issue of "X-Men" by three months, back in 1963.So turn off your brain and enjoy "Doom Patrol." You'll just laugh, wince, and watch a puff of green smoke emerge from a donkey'