Dr. Horrible is, if anything, earnest. Lacking in his execution of world conquest? Perhaps. Sweet and open enough to make you want to root for and — believe it or not — sing with the super villains? Absolutely. This villain wears his heart on his sleeve and is worth singing along with.
“I’m just trying to change the world,” is one of his first lines into the first act of a three-part musical wonder written and directed by Buffy, Angel, and Firefly creator Joss Whedon. And by god if the incredibly talented Neil Patrick Harris doesn’t have us rooting him to do so. He’s trying to both make it as a super villain and to get the girl, and he’s doing both of them in such a sweet, earnest, and great/believable way that it’s truly worth singing about. So go watch!
Act I went up two days ago but didn’t get much traction because the clamor broke the internets, but as of this morning when Act II went up, it seems to be doing fine. Act III is coming up on Saturday the 19th.