F Is for Family

F is for Family has become one of the most satisfying TV shows of any kind I've seen in a while.

I thought it was going to be just another animated family sitcom but it was so much more. A powerful saga of the things people had to deal with at this time which is still very much what we deal with now only worse. I know it doesn't sound interesting off the bat to hear about marital trouble and employment anxiety but it's all done with humor, pathos and a lot of vitriol. As the tagline to Heavy Traffic went: "It's funny; but it's not a comedy. It's animated; but it's not a cartoon." And a similar thing applies here.

But of course it is a cartoon.

The first episode is by far the worst. Not because it's badly written, quite the opposite. It's just painful. But once you get past that, it improves every season. They were to keep creating meaningful conflict and the more you know the characters and see them develop the more vivid it becomes.

There is a lot of powerful imagery, both through the use of dreams and hallucination but also in reality. It's very visual in a way that justified every second of animation.

A lot of the bigotry did get under my skin but I suppose it was supposed to. It remains something I like this show in spite of. The weakest aspect of the show were gags that reference the future like when Frank remarks "1985?! There'll be a black president by then". They're just kind of smug when this show is better at humorous character driven story-telling than the pure joke. Leave that to Family Guy (another great show).

There is no show quite like it. It made me think a lot more about a lot of things we face in daily life like feminism and made me feel profound empathy for a character I normally wouldn't.

The first episode started off a little shaky, but after you get through the second episode you will be hooked. Don't get me wrong the first episode isn't bad and is really easy to watch, I just didn't find it very funny. Don't worry though, as the show goes on and the characters develop the laughs will start pouring in.

Overall it's a great show that any fan of Bill Burr will enjoy. For what it is it's very well written as the show follows a story arc, which is something most comedic animated series don't usually do. I really hope more episodes are in store, because in my opinion this has the potential of having a very nice run.

There is a lot of Honeymooners/All In the Family hate around this...and that is fine, I completely understand that. But, I really don't see the "All in The Family" vibe save for the fact it's set in the '70s and has a Honeymooners vibe with the father.

Either way, it starts off kind of slow and dull, but in a way that allowed me to think "OK, I'll give it a chance," and from there it builds in a way that most adult cartoons do not, that is it builds in more of a cartoon sit-com drama than a straight episodic comedy.

The story lines have a clear arc that you hardly ever get in animated shows like this, and it builds on the arc while remaining darkly amusing.

And it kind of sneaks up on you, it goes from dull because you are expecting Family Guy or the Simpsons...to compelling because F is for Family is actually trying to tell a story and not just be another cartoon.

You find yourself bored, then hooked on story arcs and the compelling and identifiable characters.

If you hate it, I think you hate it because you were expecting a straight animated comedy, and if you love it, I think it's because you found it dramatic and compelling with the humor coming from the characters.

They really did a great job on this, it's not the cartoon you'd expect and the pay off is there in spades.

It's worth a shot and you'll come to love it.

I don't know why this show doesn't get the attention it deserves. Every character is hilarious and original. One of the funniest shows out there but people don't seem to care about it as much as they do for other popular animated shows.

The characters in this show are so multidimensional and well written. I actually care about them. As for the language, I find it hilarious. It gives realism to the show. There are many details of the '70s that are spot on. The coffee mugs, some of the wallpaper. This type of visual recollection, is great. This is the best animated adult show, I have had the pleasure to enjoy. It pulls no punches, and touches on some very real feelings and issues, adults and children face then and now. It's not for the easily offended. Thanks for making an excellent show. I certainly hope we get more episodes. With the quality of writing, I imagine this would be full-time job, and the creator Bill Burr is a comedian who performs full-time as well. I hope he can do both. This show is a great treat.