Different author. Non Actor Peter Gallagher [NAPG] took over from his uncle near the turn of the century. He has actually been doing Heathcliff longer than the creator did. He decided to go anti-comic absurdist with it. It took two decades for the “joke” to really work but Heathcliff has more fans now than when his uncle retired. He has carved out a niche that no one else is occupied. Absurdist humor isn’t for everyone.

Then there is the issue of some idiot taking something that hardly makes sense and removing the only anchor point most people would have and making it even harder to “get”. So I get your frustration. It’s like watching Monty Python but four actors have been removed. You’re left with a dead parrot and wonder where the funny is.