The Great North

I originally wrote a review after sporadically watching the first season with time in between the episodes and an episode or 2 of the second season. And I didn't get the appeal, thinking it was a boring Bob's Burgers knock off.

But I think watching it staggered and a couple of duller season 2 episodes gave me a bad impression. Bc I continued to binge through the second season straight through and it just kind of hit me. It isn't the best show I've ever watched but it's really comforting.

I don't know if it's the Alaskan setting hitting suppressed dreams of giving up on the city life and just moving out to open nature or just seeing a family who even in a rougher physical environment and with an absentee mom still just love and support each other unconditionally. It makes me feel good watching the show.

It just feels nice to watch these characters and while it's rarely laugh out loud funny it's continuously humorous. Especially thanks to the talented voice cast.

And I think with all the hyperbolic and nihilistic comedy we tend to have these days or ones that are trying to have bigger messages and push boundaries (both of which I do enjoy a lot!), once in awhile it's nice to have a show that's, dare I say, wholesome.

But not without some edge and I don't mean it's conservative, it's not. It still occasionally tackles issues like homosexuality and race but the main conceit of the show is that this is a good hard working loving and open minded family who are just living their lives. Sometimes they learn lessons and sometimes they have more comical scenarios.

But it's a great way for my brain to relax from the stresses of how mad our reality has become or things in my life specifically. That everything works out with the right attitude and support of the people around you. Sometimes you just need that in your life and done in an entertaining way.

The first episode was a great introduction to who our main characters will be and what we can expect from them. I loved the Northern Lights animation where Alanis appears as herself. I am eager to see more episodes.

Despite the A list cast the first 10 episodes are hit and miss. It isn't really edgy or boundary pushing (yet) but it has it moments. I think one thing the writers did well was the charector creation. If the show lasts for 5 years + they have alot to work with. For instance the single dad thing, think of all the crazy/eccentric/plain funny relationships he can have. Remember aminated charectors are generally perpetually stuck in time so the more flexible the better.

One charector who isn't working at all IMO is Moon Tobin. He seems like he is suppose to be the offspring of Louise from BB and Stewie from FG (both really funny). Louise is probably my favorite animated charector period. Unfortunatly the charector comes off extremely derivative and even awkward at times.

A lot of promise here. Hopefully the show can find its groove in season 2.

The first episode was hard to get into, but from there it got better and better. I could really tell the show had the same writer's as Bob's Burgers because it was funny, while the characters still had a loving relationship with each other.

I enjoy Bob's Burgers more, but that show has had more time to grow, and I really feel this show has really great potential. I really love the single Dad approach, because that's not often seen in media, and I love the fact there's an openly gay family member who isn't the butt of the joke. It's all sweet and loving, problems happen of course. But they all love each other.

A lot of the reviews on here compare this show unfavorably with shows like Bob's Burgers, Family Guy, Rick and Morty, and the like. They're completely missing the point. Sure, The Great North is made by the studio that made Bob's Burgers and Executive Produced by Loren Bouchard, but, aside from the distinctly Bob's Burgers-style character designs, this has very little meaningful effect on the show (Executive Producers are usually pretty minor, offering their name and support to the show but doing very little of the day-to-day operations).

The Great North isn't funny like Bob's Burgers, Family Guy, and Rick and Morty because it's not trying to be like them at all; it's a one-of-a-kind show that's incredibly endearing and full of heart. We see a coming-of-age of Judy Tobin as she turns 16, for instance, but this stereotypical TV event is given a nuanced twist that makes it anything but stereotypical. Her coming-of-age is marked by her leaving her father's side to take a job pursuing her passion, but the twist is that her father, Beef, is simultaneously coming to grips with the loss of his wife. The typical coming-of-age story is given a strikingly powerful emotional note in this pairing, setting the tone for the whole show; it's a much more mature and emotionally nuanced show, compared to the comedy-focused youth-targeted shows like Family Guy and Rick and Morty, about a truly contemporary family. What makes this more special is that it's not the family of the popular imagination; much like a real family, it's a patchwork quilt of juxtaposed identities and very different people who all have to get along: a manly fisherman, a young woman who dreams of being an artist, a shy and nerdy movie buff, a smart but headstrong black woman, a gay teenager with his head in the clouds, and a demure 10-year-old who loves the outdoors. This diversity is not to be "woke." The ways the family doesn't conform to stereotypical TV families makes it feel so much more genuine, immediate, and relevant. Plus, Dulce Sloan gives a great performance as Honeybee.

If you like strictly youth-oriented animated shows with big helpings of silly, often juvenile comedy, so do I! And more power to you. But just understand that that is NOT what The Great North is, and if you come in expecting that, you won't like it. But it's actually a very good show. This is a show that might even make you cry (episode 2 made me choke up!).