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Christian Toto Loves “The Goode Family”
By Kyle | May 27, 2009
ChrisTo says “The Goode Family” is occasionally “hilarious” and “brilliant” in his writeup. The New York Times, meanwhile, makes the curious point that the show seems stuck in the mid-90s — the last time, according to the Times, that people with values like the Goodes’ could be mocked. Now, you see, we all know they’re right about wind power. (Which costs, like, five times as much as coal power. But it’s obviously worth it, right? You don’t mind if you energy bills quintuple, do you?) John Nolte takes down the Times here.
Topics: Barack Obama, Comedy, Politics, TV |
May 27th, 2009 at 11:40 am
Kyle, John Nolte made a great point about the NYTimes review:
“According to Bellafante, leftist environmentalism, which is personified by a belief in global warming, is now no longer a political issue - it’s now a conventional wisdom held by all reasonable Americans.
“Well, if that’s the case, doesn’t that mean that what Judge is really doing with ‘The Goode Family’ is mocking the mainstream values of a majority of Americans who share the same beliefs as his cartoon clan?
“And if so, when exactly did the left stop defining the mocking of mainstream American values as the very essence of cutting edge?”
May 27th, 2009 at 12:38 pm
To be cutting edge today you have to mock Obama and the Left. They are in power … and punk types and ‘brave’ comics are supposed to mock those in charge, right?
Right?
As I noted in my review, the second ep I was able to screen is a pretty big step down in quality. And you’re right, the show has to evolve into a true family portrait rather than rely on liberal talking points for all the humor.
May 27th, 2009 at 1:17 pm
Leave it to the New York Times to render something “unmockable.” And they say they aren’t religious.
May 27th, 2009 at 2:02 pm
Part of the problem this show could run into from a character standpoint is there is so much to make fun of it would be easy to fall into the trap of moving from one zinger to the next with no real character development in between.
I’m curious to see how long the show is given and if anyone else will pick it up once ABC lets it go. I’m even more curious to see if this fires up the pens of Conservative comedy writers. The fact is this is the way you have to beat the left who are more concerned with being cool or hip than being correct, you have to reduce them to a joke and strip them of the idea that they’re “cool”. Fortunately that is easy to do since you really only need to show them a mirror to do it.
May 27th, 2009 at 3:05 pm
OK, self-imposed embargo on reading about this show in advance goes into effect.. NOW!. La-la-la-la-la, *not listening*..
May 27th, 2009 at 5:41 pm
Brandon, you have all the dispassionate objectivity of a Nazi reichsmarshall.
May 27th, 2009 at 9:06 pm
Hunter, is there anything that doesn’t remind you of Nazis? You’re like John Cleese, goose-stepping around Fawlty Towers.
May 28th, 2009 at 12:27 am
Ahh. No. Majorly disappointed. Just watched the premiere episode.. Sadly unfunny and obvious jokes. No way is this the kind of show I expected from Judge. I feel sad because I truly look up to Judge and think he’s a majpr talent. ..Weird how lame and unhip “The Goode Family” feels, especially compared to (pardon me) “The Simpsons.” All the more pathetic because the writing name-drops “YouTube” and “Al Gore” and all sorts of quote buzzworthy unquote terms at every turn.. That just goes to to show you, great writing is not topical per-se. It just is. Good writing.
May 28th, 2009 at 10:25 am
Funny or not, I wonder about the show’s long term prospects. For us to care enough to keep watching, there has to be some sort of character progression, but for the show to maintain its premise, the character’s must be resoulte ultra-liberals. “King of the Hill” featured a protagonist who was largely set in his ways but was nowhere near the dogmatist shown here.
May 28th, 2009 at 10:42 am
Well said James. You have to want the character to suceed for the show to work but these characters are lunatics. While I was watching the show it felt like the writers hated these people too. About the only real angle I can see them working is the moderate daughter, Bliss, being the protagonist and falling for a Conservative type. You could then play the two extremes against each other.
May 30th, 2009 at 7:21 am
Now that I know Tonto likes it, I’ll be sure not to watch it. That’s a shame as it might be quite good/e.
May 30th, 2009 at 8:04 am
Jules
You have all the hate of Hunter without the entertainment value. Find some other site to be the resident troll…we’re all full up here.