The Goode Family

I only discovered "The Goode Family" (TGF) this past week and have been gobbling up past episodes with abandon through YouTube. What a hoot they are.

Nobody remembers that the term "political correctness" was actually coined by the Left before it was hijacked by the GOP and the right-wing in the late '80's. Originally it was meant as a humorous check on ourselves and a term of endearment and self-mocking rather than the derisive put-down of others it mutated into. I like to think that TGF is a continuation of that gentle spirit of PC which softens the edges of political rhetoric that can cut deeply and easily alienate.

Episodes around the politics of being a "football family," public radio, One Earth food stores (a stand in for Whole Foods), eco-terrorism, graffiti tagging and cult icons of frugality and consumer waste hit many of the right spots. For someone who has spent the majority of his adult life in Madison, WI, New York City and Seattle, WA while visiting Portland/Eugene, OR and Berkeley, CA, these shows really do touch on life in these communities no less in need of skewering than people in suburbia or Texas.

While I wouldn't say that the series is yet a subcultural must-see, it bears watching and deserves getting picked up and given more time to develop. TGF reminds me of the first season of Seinfeld where they were just getting characters and themes established. While not as out-and-out shocking and stupid (in a funny way) as Beavis & Butthead, TGF is clever and there is some potential here for very good humor.

The opening paragraph is a little off-topic rant/opinion dump, If any potential reader is interested in the review itself, I would recommend skipping it.

It's sad how prematurely this show was scrapped due to low ratings. Now, I'm sure people can find a whole bunch of reasons "The Goode Family" never amassed the necessary popularity to survive, but I personally see it as tragic case of preconceptions determining public opinion. Now, I'm not from the USA myself, so any political BS people throw around about satirical shows such as this one was never that interesting to me. If I'm not mistaken, the main creative force behind the show (Mike Judge) once stated, that his work is more about people's way of thinking and social processes - not political events. Even so, people just love to label things as "conservative" or "liberal" to simplify them. It really sucks when folks can't appreciate a good joke, or a piece of art in general, just because they have a stick up their arsenal about some recent political event that no one will give a fudge about in 5 years or so. Quite sad, indeed.

The show itself is based around episodes with individual plot lines - there is no connection between episodes, save for the characters and setting. The humor is varied, ranging from lighthearted jabs at different stereotypes that doesn't really stand out that much from other satirical shows to slapstick moments which work surprisingly well and occasionally - surprisingly cynical and nuanced humor, which is the highlight of the show.

The series does have several shortcomings, some of the running jokes, namely the dog not being fed properly, could have been handled better. Some of the supporting characters aren't developed properly and don't fulfill the potential their overall concept had planned. Out of the 13 episodes created, the later ones show more refinement and potential, (especially the "lime dew" one) proving the series had a good starting point. Sadly, corporate pulled the plug.

In its unfinished state the series exists as more of a curiosity, but I would still highly recommend seeing it, as it still shows time, effort and creativity was put into it, what little there is.

Obviously Mike Judge is a comedy genius. He created two smart and hilarious animated sitcoms BEAVIS & BUTTHEAD and KING OF THE HILL. Shows that appeal to both teens and adults. After KING was unfortunately cancelled by Fox (big mistake!), Judge took on another animated sitcom, THE GOODE FAMILY. Like a lot of viewers, I didn't care for the show at first but as I watched a few episodes it started to grow on me. The show is meant to be a political satire taking a shot at liberals and their common environmentally friendly lifestyle however this show takes that lifestyle so far to the point of comedy. I feel that if THE GOODE FAMILY stayed on the air for at least one more season it could developed into a fantastic show that could've become a hit. Did THE SIMPSONS or FAMILY GUY start off great in it's first season? No. Those shows grew over time into their own unique humour and style. So give THE GOODE FAMILY a chance, it's a pretty good show if you take the time to watch all thirteen episodes. Perhaps the show will obtain a cult following! Judge has brought us another brilliant piece of animation, shame that it couldn't last...

I think animation lovers will know Mike Judge only too well from 'Beavis and Butthead' and 'King of the Hill'. Very different shows but they grew on us. King Of the Hill in it's prime was wonderful and now in auto-pilot is still amusing to watch. I love both shows and wish B & B could make a comeback minus the music videos. Mike's new show 'The Goode Family' is a little more like KOTH. In the sense that it feels like a sitcom with live actors except that it's animated. The pilot episode was amusing through out with some good dialogue and interesting characters. The title character Gerald Goode is voiced by Mike Judge doing a reprisal of the hippie teacher from B & B. The consensus on the web seems to be that the show is too risqué with it's hyper-liberal goody two shoes family at the heart of the story. Others plain don't like it. I think like Mike's other two shows, this one needs some time. Give it a season, if it's still good...

Witty,erudite,scathing and very very funny. Anyone who has seen Idiocracy,Office Space or King Of The Hill will know Mike Judge as a satirical iconoclast of the highest stripe.

In this,his new series he once again hits societal taboos square on, scoring bull's eyes everwhere he aims!

The Goode family are a painfully earnest PC family striving to accommodate every "right on" trend that rears its pompous head in modern America. From the side splittingly creepy father/daughter abstinence mock marriage plot line to the harpy like eco-moms backbiting in the local one world market to 'Che' the long suffering forced vegan of the family(it's the dog!)Judge once again shows that he is one of the most underrated of comic writers working today,

All of the Judge trademark touches are here as well as the real beating heart of all his work namely the realism(broadly speaking)of his characters,sure the family are precious and trendy wannabe hipsters but Judge invests them with real warmth and treats them with the same sympathy and understanding that made Hank Hill and the rest of the Arlen citizens so accessible and likable.

Like KOTH the characters in this show are all grounded in the real world(unlike almost every other cartoon series out there)and as a result the situations the family finds itself embroiled in are all too familiar and all the funnier for it.

Style wise the animation is close to KOTH and is all the better for it,the pilot shows great promise and i have my fingers crossed that the summer debut and the Wednesday night slot do not portend an early demise for this show that already has so much potential.

UPDATE:6/12/09 Well it seems i was unfortunately prescient when i mentioned the possibility that the networks would not give this show a decent runout and it seems they have shifted the show to a Friday night and the start time to a half hour earlier,one can only hope this is not the beginning of the end for this very tasty show,only time will tell. I urge everyone to put the word out about this show or its gonna be this years Stroker and Hoop!