The Goode Family

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...

I only became aware of this show after being told about Tubi TV app by my Lyft driver. I started watching and I was immediately hooked. Why did this only last 1 season? Maybe because no one knew about it. Either way, this show is pretty GOODE for watching at work or just passing the time. I heard Bliss' voice instantly knew it was my girl Linda C from Freaks and Geeks! Anywho, this show is pretty decent. It's no Beavis and Butthead or King of the Hill but it did the trick.

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...

Never has the show been more relatable than 2024 when all our groceries are overpriced, paper straws are the norm and vegan burgers are in every food chain. Especially love the returning joke of reusable bags. The mom is a classic Vegan Karen mom we all know in 2024 .

Mike as usual presents a male husband protagonist that is funny and grows on you. I like Gerald he seems like a very loving husband who rides a bike we all know one.

Mike did a great job it's a shame the show appeared on tv before it's time; no one saw the true relationship the public could of had with the show. Maybe in the reboot of King of the Hill we will see the Goode Family again... I hope.

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.