It's premiere's tonight, and I'm surprised there isn't already a thread. The previews look interesting enough.



The rest of the review is here.

I have my reminder set. Wish i had DVR, but I hope it's funny.

I liked it but I think missed some written gags(signs etc)

I liked it as well, but I fear I'll forget to watch it most weeks.

I didn't think it was funny.

I loved it, I was raised by hippies and so much seemed familiar. Way awesome.

I thought it was hilarious. I loved all the little details and sight gags, like the constantly-changing electrical sign of good and bad items, and the American Flag Lapel Pin of Evil.

I never heard of this show before tonight. I don't think I'll watch it every week, but I liked it. I didn't like the brother, though. The kids reminded me of the kids on Family Guy.

I thought some parts were funny. It seemed kind of forced, though. I really hope that was mostly due to the fact that this was a pilot. It makes since to introduce us to everyone's quirks right off the bat. I'm bothered by the fact that the oaf son has an ethnic name. Not that the name bothers me so much, but he's being hailed as "African-American" (I'm black and I despise that term) and seems to be the most slovenly of the bunch. I'm not trying to picket or anything, but I would be lying if I said I didn't notice that little hint of a stereotype. Or maybe that was the creators' intention?

I'll definitely watch this show more, though. I'm a Mike Judge fan.

They adopted the son from Africa, so of course they gave him an African name and (baed on his clothing) made sure to imbue him with great pride in his African heritage. He didn't appear any more dimwitted than Bobby Hill.

I thought it was amusing overall, but will need to see what other storylines will be like.

I got all of that. The name and the clothes aren't what bother me.



Didn't he, though? Bobby Hill was pretty dim, but you could actually understand what he was saying. This Umbuntu kid is cro-magnon. Between his grunts and gestures, I could kind of, maybe, make out a dialogue. If anything, he sounds like one of those slack-jawed kids Bobby went to school with.*shrugs*

Anyway, I'm not one to play on racial sensitivity, but I do think it's strange that the most "ethnic" of the characters seems to fit into a common black American stereotype of being inarticulate and lazy.

I thought he looked exactly like that kid with the nasal voice who always picked on Bobby at school. I wish I remembered his name. He was friends with the red haired kid.

I was thinking the same thing, but I didn't want to be lame a put down the wrong character's name. Dooley? I'm taking a stab in the dark...

Clark. I always used to get Clark and Dooley confused. The only thing that helps me out now is the Christmas photo episode that introduces the rest of the Dooley family.

The show had some good moments. I definitely noticed a change for the better as they headed into the second half of the episode, so I'm sure they are just getting the kind of dull introductions out of the way so we can focus on the humor

I would be lying if I said I never wondered how new terms are created and then considered acceptable in a group.

But he did save the day, in the end. Even if he used up too much gasoline.

There's a meeting in Memphis! Also, I need one of those signs that tells me what's good or bad for the environment today.

The important thing is that he felt bad about it.

Not a bad pilot. Needs room to grow. I also agreed with this blog post:

But I liked the woman on the loudspeaker at the Whole Foods-type place: "Helping you minimize the impact of your existence." And "the customer in the SUV is in Aisle Two." I'm starting to feel bad for the dog, though.

A review from the Miami Herald.

I feel bad for that dog, too. No offense to any vegans, but forcing a dog to have a vegan diet is bordering on animal cruelty - unless there are health problems that are solved with such a diet, of course.

I agree. Dogs aren't meant to be vegan or vegetarian.

The show was okay. My husband and I don't think it'll last until July 4. It really seemed more like it should've been on Fox though.

I thought Umbuntu was meant to be dim-witted at first. I thought he was going to wreck the car. Then it turned out he could drive the thing like a Nascar racer (which I guess is the ironic point) and he sounded less stupid at the end than he did in the beginning.

I recall that Theresa Heinz Kerry (who is also white and born in Africa) refers to herself as "African American"--without the hyphen. Maybe they can make some hay out of that.

I remember on Animal Cops, a Russian woman in a highrise in NY said her cats were vegetarian. They were going blind because they were only eating rice and potatoes. But the dog on this show seems to suplement his diet with plenty of neighborhood critters.

I think someone on the writing staff has read the Purity Ball thread here on TWoP.

I also felt so sorry for the poor meat starved dog, but how long until he eats a human?

I thought it was hilarious. I live in Humboldt County, CA, and these people are my neighbors. Very nice and open-minded, but uptight in their own little way. I loved it.

By the end, I was thinking that Umbuntu taking it slow wasn't a sign that he was stupid. It was more that he just moves and has to think and speak a bit carefully around the crazy people (ie. his parents) because he truly loves them but doesn't buy into their lifestyle 100% and doesn't want to hurt their feelings by seeming less than green.

I enjoyed it but until about halfway through I thought the father was a son. He's just drawn younger than the mom.

The grandpa with his SUV and his steak was funny. Not for the same reasons, but I know well the little cringes when your dad's viewpoint is so opposite from your own.

Loved the mom boozing her troubles away. Loved the dad going right along with hiding from the documentary guy. "If the Declaration of Independence was written today, it would be a documentary." Hee.

Everything about the grocery trip was great. The enless apple choices with the increasing prices. The ever-changing screen that can't decide if farm-raised fish is bad or good. The shunning for not having a bag, to everyone else then just copying her and carrying the groceries. Ah, peer pressure and conspicuous consumption, probably best illustrated at a "Whole Foods"-type place.

If I can remember this is on, I'll watch it.

Loved the football episode last night. When the mother says then we should kill it, refering to the pig I laughed so hard I almosted choked. I thought the dad was an ass, he kept saying he was doing this to be closer to his son, and that the son had tried to do everythign that was important to the family, but he all he did was try to change the football team. The yoga was funny thou. Loved the lesbians our son thinks football is gay ha

I should have gone to that school where they offer students tenure. Sweet gig--go to college, then never do an honest day's work for the rest of you life.

ETA: George Will, of all people, seems to like it.

I loved Bliss's reaction when she learns she can't go to community college even if she wanted to: "YES! Wait, NOW what am I gonna do?" Heh-heh.

I can see the similarties in Gerald the sigh that he does is exactly like Hank. Oh how I miss Hank

I was a little disappointed with the pilot, because I was really looking forward to this show. I'm a big fan of the Mike Judge oevre. But the problem with the pilot is the same problem a lot of pilots have - they need to cram in the whole rationale/theme of the show in 22 minutes in order to "sell" it, so the jokes seemed a bit heavy-handed.

That said, I really liked the two shows that ran last night. There was more character development and the plots were richer/funnier.

I will say though, it's disconcerting to hear Mr. Van Driesen's voice, coming out of a character that doesn't look like Mr. Van Driesen. (Although I'd imagine Mr. Van Driesen is probably conducting a life not unlike the Goodes...)

My suspicions were confirmed by viewing the second and third episodes -- this show is a reverse King of the Hill. The main characters are the "normals" and conservatives (the father, football boosters) are kooks. Whereas in Hank Hill's universe, the conservatives would have been familiar and Gerald would have been a freak. If so, rather than be a show that purely mocks liberals, it might be one that (more-or-less) treats them sympathetically, the way KotH treated the Hills sympathetically. That could be a sign that Judge sees "greenism" in ascendance, rather than just a tired 90s cliche.

I dunno if Judge has a "side", or if he simply enjoys finding the humor in the eccentricities of all kinds of people. I haven't watched all seasons of King of the Hill, but I liked most of the characters even while disagreeing with them and figuring that I wouldn't get along with some of them in real life (TV provides the safe distance, heh) and so far I like the Greenes too (I dunno if I'd be able to take it as far as they do).

Not nearly as extreme as the Goodes, but I knew from the promos I'd have lots to laugh at in this. I eat mostly organic (aside from family dinners and I never worry about it when at restaurants), try to eat local (but not much grows in Canada in the winter and there're only a few things you can get from greenhouses--definitely not gonna deprive myself of oranges and grapefruits, which don't grow in Canada at all as far as I know), and don't use harsh chemical cleaners or care products (vinegar and water cleans the mirror and windows better than Windex, without the nasty chemical smell). I'd like a hybrid or fully electric vehicle some day (or whatever they come out with that's better--solar or whatever, awesome if they can make it work and safe), but just finished paying off my SUV this month (I bought it back in 2005, the space was useful for work-related stuff, was way less thoughtful of some of this stuff, and I like sitting up high in a truck, I'm a tall person, can't stand the low-to-the-ground of cars). It's not justifiable, much as I'd love to severely cut down on gas use or eliminate it all together (yeah, I know that electric wouldn't solve all our problems, that everyone using electric would mean more strain on the grid and a need for more power plants, most likely not all clean energy types).

I dunno, there was other stuff in the ep that was fun to see reflected back.

The enforced veganism of their dog is so wrong though (and I ain't a vegan or vegetarian myself, jury's still out on what's better, but I can't see giving up meat any time soon, I only hate pork).

Missed this week's two episodes. Hopefully they're on the site for download (which network's airing it in Canada again ? City, CTV, or Global ?)

Me too. I think Gerald is sort of the mirror image of Hank. They've both got very specific ideas of how the world's supposed to be, and the world around them never quite matches up.

There's plenty of mockery to go around. Hank's near-religious devotion to propane and his lawn isn't exactly "normal." The Hills and the Goodes are mocked more gently than the supporting characters, but everyone gets hit a little.

I would love to see Hank Hill meet Gerald Goode. I'm sure they wouldn't know WHAT to make of each other.

Hank would call Gerald a sissy.

Whenever I hear Gerald's voice, all I can hear is Hank's voice except in a higher pitch. I don't know what it is; it's probably because King of the Hill is still so recent in my mind. I didn't make that connection between Gerald's voice and Mr. Van Driesen from "Beavis and Butthead" (Wow, it's been a long time) but I refreshed my memory with some clips on YouTube and I can definitely see the similarities! Except, I doubt Gerald will be busting out his acoustic guitar anytime soon, mmmkay?

I have to say, the characters are really growing on me, all except for Helen. In that episode with Gutterball, there was a scene where her dad was chasing after Gutterball and Helen appeared from the doorway on her hands and knees and was like, "Chase after me!" All I could think was, "Really?" I mean, Peggy Hill certainly had her moments but was she ever that stupid?

Someone upthread mentioned that they wanted to catch the episodes they missed. I was on vacation when the first three aired and wanted to catch them before number 4 aired so I looked for them online. For anyone else who missed them, you can find them at: http://abc.go.com/primetime/thegoodefamily/index but you have to agree to their terms of use in order to see full episodes. You can see clips, but the way that abc offers them is odd and irritating so that they can cram in commercials every couple of minutes.

Gutterball, eeeeewwww.

I want to chime in on the vegan dog issue. I'm a vegetarian, mostly for environmental reasons having to do with factory farming, overpopulation, pollution, and scarcity of resources. I also have a touch of "Disneyland vegetarian" syndrome (someone who doesn't want to eat cute animals because they are cute.) I have three cats. I feed my cats cat food that has meat in it because they are cats and cats need meat. You can find pet food that doesn't use factory farmed meat, or treat their test animals inhumanely so there is no excuse to force an animal into a vegetarian or vegan diet that is contrary to the dietary needs with which they have evolved. That sounded more rant-esque than I intended, but it is a pet-peeve of mine.

I can’t believe I’ve never realized this before, but I’m betting it has to sting a little that ABC placed the new show by Mike Judge (the director/writer of Idiocracy) directly following “Wipeout” (a.k.a. the real life version of “Ow My Balls”).

The football episode was a huge improvement over the pilot. It fleshed out the characters so they're more than just liberal stereotypes, and didn't get all of its humor from lame environmentalist jokes. I was disappointed by the pilot, but the football episode makes me think that this show might turn out to be decent.

The pet adoption episode was a step backward, though. Too gross and too stupid. And it brought back the vegan dog joke that was beaten to death in the pilot. The one element I liked, though, was the militant animal rights group. One of my favorite things about "King of the Hill" was the way it showed divisions among groups that look uniform from the outside. ("I'm not a redneck and I'm not from Hollywood. I'm something else. I'm complicated") So I liked the distinction between the wishy-washy Goodes and the hardcore militants. They share the same basic goal, but have different beliefs and methods. It still wasn't a good episode, though.

Gerald is basically Mr. Van Driesen aged 10 years.

That was just painful to watch. I kept hoping that the ending would somehow redeem the episode, and the ending helped, but it didn't redeem it.

I understand mocking leftist ideology, but the episode really made fun of people who want to be nice and try to do good.

I missed the preview. Why is the African son caucasian? I like him. He is inarticulate, but has a brain even though he has trouble speaking.

The African son is from white South Africa. The Goodes didn't specify they wanted a black baby when they arranged for an African adoption and ended up with him. They've treated him as something of a project- show that he can overcome what they see as his racist Afrikaans heritage. (trying not to get political here, but like any other group, many Afrikaans were, some weren't, and I don't want to lump such a large group all together)

Are you talking about the episode where the "pen pal" takes refuge in their house? I agree. The writers can't figure out whether they want to gently mock the family or make them out to be clueless assholes. The idea that the wife would be okay with her "friend" sleeping in a shed, or with letting her act like a servant? And why did they need to hire three gardeners; couldn't Gerald and the kids have pitched in a little more?

Yep, that's the episode.

In the next episode I could have sworn that the lesbian couple had a painting on their wall that looked a hell of a lot like *Hank's colon.

I don't think this series is going to make it. It doesn't look like anyone is watching or that it's creating much buzz.

*From King of the Hill

We couldn't finish the lesbians episode because we were cringing too much. What happened at the end?

It was cringe-worthy.

The butch lesbians showed up at the Goode's house during game night. Mrs. Goode explained the party away as a spontaneous celebration that occurred when the cyst fell off of Mr. Goode's lung by itself. The butch lesbians came in, hit on the pretentious lesbians, and generally behaved naively and crassly. The other guests, pretentious lesbians included, began to insult the butch lesbians. Mrs. Goode tried to herd them out before their feelings could get really hurt, but the pretentious lesbians made a nasty mullet remark before they could go. Mrs. Goode then stood up for them and said that the pretentious lesbians owed them an apology. The pretentious lesbians left in a huff, followed soon after by the rest of the guests.

The daughter got dumped by the butch lesbians' red-neck son.

It doesn't help that ABC booted it to a different night and time without any notice.

What was the last Summer series that was a big hit? I remember when they only showed the last season of The Drew Carey Show over the summer and no one was watching it.

I keep having to catch the show in reruns the next day. I've liked bits of each episode, but it doesn't have a big enough hold on me yet that I will make the effort to catch the initial airing and that makes me worry that it isn't going to last

I think, with the volunteerism episode, the show may have finally found its rhythm. The characters are solidified in their roles but not flat (well, ok, Gerald is like Peggy, only an extreme liberal and really, really passive and more outward in his social ineptitude). And the episodes have a much smoother story arc. The first few felt like four acts of four different stories with the shifts in tone and focus.

I also believe that it's probably too late to pull in enough viewers to go past season 1.

Ubuntu's draft speech:



It's like a Zen koan. I believe that if we mediate on it, will will achieve oneness with the universe. Also, I want a T-shirt.

Real life imitates the Goodes: Remember the line from pilot, after Gerald tells his boss that he needs money to hire more minorities? "Or we could just fire three white guys. Everybody wins!" Meanwhile, in the New York legislature: