The Goode Family
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| The Goode Family | |
|---|---|
 The Goode family. From the left: Gerald, Helen, Bliss, Che, and Ubuntu | |
| Genre | |
| Created by | |
| Original release | |
| Network | ABC |
| Release | May 27 – August 7, 2009 |
The Goode Family is an American adult animated sitcom that originally aired on ABC from May 27 to August 7, 2009. The series was created by Mike Judge, the creator of MTV's Beavis and Butt-Head and Fox's King of the Hill, and follows the life of an environmentally responsible but obsessive family.[2][3] The series takes a comic look at contemporary society, this time focusing on a liberal family instead of King of the Hill's conservative family.[4] Judge created the show along with former King of the Hill writers John Altschuler and David Krinsky. The show was cancelled after its first season on August 8, 2009.
The series was released on
Shout! Factory.[5]
Premise
In the fictional town of Greenville, California, the Goode family struggles with the modern social and environmental responsibilities of being
conservative
beliefs they typically despise, and raising modern teenagers. The pilot satirized both stereotypical "liberal" and "conservative" mindsets, including the ongoing derangement of the family's "vegan" dog (who has taken to eating neighborhood pets).
Characters
Main characters
- Gerald Goode (voiced by Mike Judge) – An administrator at a community college. He comes from a "long line of over-educated academic liberals". He rides a bicycle for transportation to protect the environment, and his trademark clothing is a cycling uniform. He is very fastidious and easily disgusted, both by animals and people. His voice and character traits resemble those of the David Van Driessen character from Mike Judge's earlier series Beavis and Butt-Head.
- Helen Goode (voiced by daddy issues". She is concerned about her social status among the other eco-conscious people in Greenville, and often tries to impress the wealthy wife of Gerald's boss.
- Ubuntu Goode (voiced by nature and nurture controversy. He sleeps in footy pajamasthat are decorated with big rig trucks. Despite his seemingly naive and childlike nature, he is really accomplished at both sports and machinery; he is a member of his high school's football team.
- Bliss Goode (voiced by Linda Cardellini) – Helen and Gerald's biological daughter. One of the characters with a sense of reason, she often disagrees with and mocks her parents' political stances, about which she is usually better-informed. She serves as the show's chief foil by poking holes in Gerald's and Helen's world view. In later episodes, she has tended to agree with her parents, and in some instances has usually helped them to achieve a common goal.
- Che (voiced by Dee Bradley Baker) – The family's dog, named after the communist revolutionary Che Guevara. The Goodes feed him vegan food which he dislikes. He craves meat and often eats neighborhood animals and pets.[6] As a consequence, "missing" flyers of neighborhood pets blanket street poles.
- Charlie (voiced by Brian Doyle-Murray) – Helen's politically incorrect SUV-driving father who mostly likes making fun of her lifestyle. He frequently ridicules Gerald and Helen for their beliefs, although he seems to favor Ubuntu more due to him being involved in the football team, and Bliss who seems to share his opinions.
Other characters
- Kent Jensen (voiced by Jonathan Slavin) – Gerald's boss at Greenville Community College, and Margo's husband.
- Kiki (voiced by Amy Hill) – The Goodes' next-door neighbor, 41 years old.
- Margo Jensen (voiced by Julia Sweeney) – Helen's arrogant rival who relentlessly puts down the Goodes (but mostly just Helen), 45 years old. She is an influential member of the Greenville community and embodies everything Helen wants to be, while at odds with Helen and vice versa. Helen seems to mostly get the best of her, and her purpose is to show the type of person who is holier-than-thou while being a faux personality who seizes on fads to increase her social standing.
- Penny (voiced by Masiela Lusha) – A neighbor who is single and childless, and makes occasional comments about her loneliness and desire to have children. Her beliefs fluctuate, and she will take liberal causes only to abandon them shortly afterwards to her personal benefit.
- Ray Johnson (voiced by Gary Anthony Williams) – An easy-going, country music-loving black neighbor of the Goodes who drives a gas-guzzling car and thinks of race as less important than the Goodes do, as an unexpected device. 43 years old.
- Mo (voiced by Laraine Newman) – A lesbian the Goodes are friends with, along with her partner, Trish. Mo worked on an oil rig and is 47 years old.
- Solosolo (voiced by Phil LaMarr) – Football quarterback at Greenville High School, and son of Kiki, 17 years old.
- Souki (voiced by Cree Summer) – A lesbian, 40 years old.
- Jenn (voiced by Grey DeLisle) – Another lesbian, and Souki's partner. 41 years old.
- Treyvon (voiced by David Herman) – A teenage employee at One Earth, an organic supermarket frequented by the Goodes, Margo and Greenville's Liberal elite (the store is frequently seen featuring a large sign telling its shoppers what is good and what is bad; Farm-Raised Catfish constantly moving between good and bad). Treyvon is also an amateur filmmaker whom Bliss tries to befriend. He comes across as a suburbanite that thinks it is "cool" to make fun of others with illiberal beliefs.
- Mr. Heelo (voiced by Howard Kremer) – The manager of the "One Earth" supermarket, 38 years old.
- Trish (voiced by Julia Sweeney) – Trish is Mo's partner.
- The Average Guy (voiced by Mike Judge or David Herman) - A newscaster that does stories from the average point of view.
- Maffew (voiced by Phil LaMarr) – Leader of a gang of thugs.
- Dawn (voiced by Tara Strong) – Female member of Maffew's gang, 16 years old.
- Other Two Thugs (voiced by Phil LaMarr and David Herman) – Members of Maffew's gang.
- Principal Whitmore (voiced by Phil LaMarr) – Principal at Greenville Community College.
- Mrs. Glavin (voiced by Tara Strong) – Teacher at Greenville Community College.
- Tanya (voiced by Cree Summer) – Greenville Community College student who is in model congress.
- Isabelle (voiced by Laraine Newman) – Duncan's wife.
- Professor Mead (voiced by Oxford University, 45 years old.
- Michelle (voiced by Alyson Hannigan) – Director of community service at Greeneville Community College, 25 years old.
- Jeff (voiced by Diedrich Bader) – Teacher at Greenville Community College.
- Duncan (voiced by Gary Anthony Williams) – Isabelle's husband.
- Benny (voiced by David Herman) – Victim of the rival drug dealers.
Crew
The show is created by
show runners. The show is directed by John Rice, Seth Kearsley, Jennifer Coyle, and Anthony Chun, with Wes Archer as supervising director. Show writers include Jonathan Collier, Jace Richdale, Gene Hong, Owen Ellickson, Dave Jeser, Franklin Hardy, Leila Strachan, Brad Pope, Howard Kremer, Shane Kosakowski, Jordana Arkin, and Matt Silverstein
, in addition to Altschuler and Krinsky, and other writers.
Episodes
| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | Prod. code |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Pilot" | Wes Archer | John Altschuler, Mike Judge & Dave Krinsky | May 27, 2009 | GFA01 |
| Bliss takes drastic action and joins an abstinence group after hearing more than her fair share of safe sex talk from her mother. Ubuntu wants to learn to drive now that he has turned sixteen. | |||||
| 2 | "Goodes Gone Wild" | John Rice | Jordana Arkin | June 3, 2009 | GFA02 |
| Helen adopts an uncategorized animal in an effort to get Charlie to notice her good deeds. With no way of knowing how it acts and what it eats, she has quite an undertaking. Elsewhere, Gerald gets a helping hand from Che in order to get rid of the squirrels plaguing the college. | |||||
| 3 | "Gerald's Way or the Highway" | Seth Kearsley | Jace Richdale | August 7, 2009 | GFA03 |
|
Gerald takes over a traffic drugs , and Gerald unknowingly gets into a turf war with the dealers. | |||||
| 4 | "A Tale of Two Lesbians" | Anthony Chun | Franklin Hardy & Shane Kosakowski | June 19, 2009 | GFA04 |
|
Gerald and Helen offend a bingo . | |||||
| 5 | "Helen's Back" | Jennifer Coyle | Jonathan Collier | June 12, 2009 | GFA05 |
|
When Helen loses the ability to walk through a back injury, the family turn to a organic garden tour. Elsewhere Bliss and Ubuntu try out the 'trading up' scheme. | |||||
| 6 | "Pleatherheads" | John Rice | Matt Silverstein & Dave Jeser | June 3, 2009 | GFA06 |
| Ubuntu finds himself as the main man on the football team so Helen and Gerald need to learn what being a "football family" actually means. Bliss is worried she might not get into college so she goes to great lengths to give herself a better shot at getting in. | |||||
| 7 | "Public Disturbance" | Anthony Chun | Owen Ellickson | July 24, 2009 | GFA07 |
|
In an effort to bring public radio to the town, Gerald tries to get the other residents to become involved as well. | |||||
| 8 | "Graffiti in Greenville" | Seth Kearsley | Leila Strachan | July 3, 2009 | GFA08 |
| Helen becomes a graffiti artist in order to make Bliss do some actual work, because she has been lying to her about the work she's been 'doing'. When her work begins to get noticed, Helen realizes she will need to come out of the shadows if she wants to get recognition for what she has done. | |||||
| 9 | "A Goode Game of Chicken" | Jennifer Coyle | Gene Hong | July 10, 2009 | GFA09 |
| Gerald eats a meal that contains chicken even though it is not supposed to. He decides to take on Cranky (a chef) to protest what happened. Elsewhere, nobody can find Che so they assume he is missing. | |||||
| 10 | "Freeganomics" | John Rice | Brad Pope & Howard Kremer | June 26, 2009 | GFA10 |
| Helen gets the support of 'Freegan' Heinrich in order to get more people to come to the Eco Festival. After realizing what sort of person he is, they have difficulty getting him to leave their home. | |||||
| 11 | "Trouble in Store" | Seth Kearsley | Jordana Arkin | July 31, 2009 | GFA11 |
| Helen is banned from One Earth on the day of Gerald's big meal, after 'stealing' something from the store. | |||||
| 12 | "After-School Special" | Anthony Chun | Franklin Hardy & Shane Kosakowski | July 17, 2009 | GFA12 |
| When Helen and Gerald stop paying attention to their own kids due to mentoring at-risk children, Bliss and Ubuntu start causing trouble of their own. | |||||
| 13 | "A Goode Man is Hard to Find" | Jennifer Coyle | Dave Jeser & Matt Silverstein | August 7, 2009 | GFA13 |
| Gerald is under the impression that he is to become a sperm donor, and Charlie teaches Ubuntu about being a man after he gets his first facial hair. | |||||
Future ideas and concepts
While the show is still officially canceled, Media Rights Capital ordered an additional 10 episode scripts, which is customary in prime time television in order to get a show immediately back into production in time if another season is ordered. Showrunners John Altschuler and Dave Krinsky have mentioned these ideas for possible future episodes:
- Bliss asserts her own identity further. John and Dave believe she can become funnier.
- Brian "Bri-Bri" Kennedy may return as a greedy businessman who convinces Helen and Gerald that his schemes are "for the Earth and stuff."
- More plots involving Mo and Trish, and their enemies Jen and Suki.
Cancellation
On August 8, 2009, ABC Entertainment President Steve McPherson explained that the show, along with Surviving Suburbia, had officially been canceled due to low ratings.[7][8]
On November 1, 2009, Mike Judge announced that ABC was not interested in a second season of The Goode Family, despite its success. In 2009, the series ended on August 7, 2009 after the season one episode "A Goode Man is Hard to Find".
In 2010, reruns of The Goode Family aired Monday nights at 10pm on Comedy Central, beginning January 4. It was to be evaluated for new episodes.[9] It departed the network's primetime schedule after four weeks, returning occasionally in low-trafficked timeslots.[10]
Reception
When first airing, the show received mixed reviews. A reviewer for the Monica Lewinsky jokes went. Sometimes you’ve just got to grab your cup of fair-trade coffee and move on."
See also
References
- ^ Garvin, Glenn (27 May 2009). "'The Goode Family' skewers political correctness".
- ^ "The Goode Family: doomed to failure?". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2010-11-08.
- ^ "The Goode Family". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2010-11-08.
- ISBN 978-1538103739.
- ^ Lambert, David (October 4, 2012). "The Goode Family - 'The Complete Series' of the Short-Lived Animated Show by Mike Judge". TVShowsOnDVD.com. Archived from the original on October 6, 2012. Retrieved October 4, 2012.
- ^ "The Goode Family". TV.com. 2008-05-15. Retrieved 2008-08-08.
- ^ McPherson Declares "Goode Family", "Suburbia" Dead, The Futon Critic, August 8, 2009
- ^ "The Goode Family" and "Surviving Suburbia": ABC Prez Says Sitcoms Canceled, TV Series Finale, 8 August 2009.
- ^ Garvin, Glenn. "New life for 'Goode Family'", Los Angeles Times, 4 January 2010.
- ^ Goode Family Facebook Page
External links
Wikiquote has quotations related to The Goode Family.
- Official website
- The Goode Family at Amazon.com
- The Goode Family at facebook.com
- The Goode Family at IMDb
- SitcomsOnline Review of The Goode Family
Further reading
- Salon.