'THE GOODE FAMILY' Anyone watch? (1 Viewer)

[Inspector Hammer!]

Did anyone see the premiere last night? It was funny enough but also a tad on the bizarre side.

 

[WillG]

Found it mildly amusing. Although it was fun to see a show goofing on the political left. I never really watched King of the Hill all that much, so I don't know if that show was somewhat in the same vein.

 

[Andy Sheets]

King of the Hill was similar but IMO was less harshly satirical - even at its meanest moments it was affectionate toward the main characters and their way of life in ways I didn't really detect in The Goode Family.

I thought this show had some funny stuff but some things fell flat. The characters seem to have potential - the dad really does remind me of Hank Hill in that they're both well-meaning guys that are just trying to get along - but based on this one episode I'm not sure about the mother, who I wanted to slap many times

But it's just the first episode, plenty of time to settle down, cut down on what doesn't work and expand on what does.

 

[Rocky F]

Basically, The Goode Family is the flip-side to King of the Hill. The Hills were traditional and conservative, and Hank Hill's aversion to anything "politically correct" was one of the cornerstones of the show. The Goode's, on the other hand, go out of their way to be PC, even when they recognize that political correctness sometimes is contrary to common sense.

I enjoyed the show, but I don't see it having a long run, definitely nowhere near KOTH's 13 years.

 

[Inspector Hammer!]

I actually saw a lot of Judge's Beavis and Butt-Head hippy teacher Mr. Van Dreasen in the father.

 

[Andy Sheets]

Yeah, the voice is nearly identical. I remember when King of the Hill premiered, some Beavis and Butthead fans noted that Hank's voice was basically Mr. Anderson's.

I was reading about the show online and apparently some environmentalists are fuming about the "mockery of the movement". I wouldn't even say that's accurate, though, because the show doesn't mock progressive values so much as people's tendency to get kind of obsessive-compulsive about such things. If there's a deeper message to the show, it's that people need to relax and accept they can't possibly cover all those bases all the time.

 

[Gwon Chang]

I really enjoyed it. I've been on a Freaks and Geeks binge recently and was pleasantly surprised to hear Linda Cardellini voicing the daughter, Bliss. Looking forward to future episodes.

PS: is Nancy Carrell Steve Carrell's wife (Nancy Wall, right?). She sounded familiar, from her Office appearances.

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

To me it was like The 70's Show versus That 80's Show. The former mocked the cultural touchstones of the decade but created an engaging cast of real characters to carry it. That 80's Show didn't really have anything to get it past the cultural satire.

King of the Hill definitely mocked Texas-style conservative family life, but it did a careful job of establishing the world of the neighborhood and creating real characters out of the Hills. You got the impression you were supposed to like them, for all of their failings.

The father and daughter in this show have potential, but the mother is incredibly grating and the son seems to be a one not joke. I don't think I'll be back unless I hear word that it's improved dramatically.

 

[Greg_S_H]

I enjoyed it, but it's definitely a typical rough-around-the-edges sitcom pilot. I've already set up a series recording and hope it finds its legs.

 

[AnthonyC]

It was pretty good--unlike Sit Down, Shut Up, it wasn't trying too hard and never felt desperate to get the joke across. It was clever enough and definitely worth continuing with.

Normally I find this too gimmicky, but I would love to see Hank Hill brought into their neighborhood somehow.

 

[MatthewA]

I agree. The premiere wasn't great, but I think given enough time it will get its sea legs. Whether it will get that time is another thing altogether.

 

[Greg_S_H]

Gutterball was one disgusting little dude! I may have nightmares tonight.

 

[mattCR]

Everything to do with gutterball was.. ick! But the whole storyline with "Animals NOW!" was awesome. I laughed my a-- off as they explained they were boosting household pets to free them into the wild. The bit about "Well, they are crackheads, what you gonna do?"

The football ep was OK, but I didn't enjoy it as much.

 

[Greg_S_H]

That was great. I split a gut when Gutterball made his return. "I have a lifesize cutout of Hank Williams I'm done with!" "That used refrigerator can be a fort for children!"

Is it weird and wrong that I find Margo kind of hot?

 

[Greg_S_H]

I love this show. Ray's a hoot. I just wish it was on Fox, as it's hard to imagine ABC running an animated program for long.

Edit: Aha! I just checked out the wiki, and the Goodes get a second season! Unfortunately, it won't air until next summer. Still and all. . . .


Edited by Greg_S_H - 8/1/2009 at 07:35 pm GMT

 

[mattCR]

Great news about a second season. Some of the episodes have been classic. The entire episode on Pubic Radio as a scam killed me. Loved every minute of it

 

[Greg_S_H]

Allow me to quote Beavis: "Dammit, dammit, son-of-a-bitch!" ABC canceled this. Altschuler and Krinsky vow they will take it to another network. We shall see.

http://www.tvsquad.com/2009/08/10/goode-family-producers-pledge-to-return/

 

[MatthewA]

I kind of get the feeling ABC set this show up to fail. The Friday night death slot (the days of the network's dominance of Friday thanks to TGIF are long since dead and buried) and in summer no less. And it really should have been on Fox as a badly-needed counterpoint to "American Dad!"