I am – Hercules!!


A new animated comedy from “Beavis and Butt-head” creator Mike Judge and fellow “King of the Hill” writer-producers John Altschuler and Dave Krinsky, “The Goode Family” looks at a clan virtually paralyzed by its desire to be as politically correct as possible in a highly PC neighborhood.

Lending voice to the project are Judge, Nancy Walls Carell, Linda Cardellini, Dave Herman and Brian Doyle-Murray.

Some parts are funnier than others, and some of it doesn’t make a lot of sense; wouldn’t a family obsessed with political correctness have learned decades ago that “African-American” is the new PC gold standard for labeling U.S. blacks?

The funniest thing about the pilot is a subplot about the Goodes’ pet, a dog driven to eat the pets of neighbors by his owners’ insistence on keeping him on vegetarian diet. But I also found laughs in the Goodes’ adopted teen son, who also has difficulty fully embracing to the family’s bleeding-heart regimen.

ABC has scheduled “Goode” after “Wipeout,” its huge goofy obstacle-course hit, and I can see how those who laugh at the reality pratfalls (and “Talk Soup” vet John Henson’s color commentary) might be plenty inclined to stick around for Judge’s latest effort.

“Goode” is good enough to get a season pass on my DVR.

Entertainment Weekly says:

… both smart and not very funny. …

The New York Times says:

… The voice of the patriarch, Gerald Goode, an administrator at a community college where even students qualify for tenure, is provided by Mr. Judge, who could not have improved on his tone of narcoleptic earnestness if he had apprenticed for “All Things Considered.” He is exceptionally funny in the role (as he was playing Hank in “King of the Hill”), and a lot of the writing is too. …

The Los Angeles Times says:

… A sitcom premise is a kind of booster rocket, meant to get the show into orbit. It's there to serve the characters rather than the other way around, as is largely the case here. "The Goode Family," which is nicely acted and well animated, works best when the cultural potshots give way to the more basic human needs of its characters: a mother's desire to be close to her daughter, or to her father (Brian Doyle-Murray as the resident voice of political incorrectness), in spite of "a lifetime of crippling negative comments," and a father's willingness to go outside his comfort zone to make his son happy, as when Ubuntu joins the football team. There's a show there.

The Chicago Sun-Times says:

… If you passionately loved "King of the Hill," you will cautiously like "The Goode Family." Tiptoe into it if necessary.

The San Francisco Chronicle says:

… Skewering the holier-than-thou can be hilarious, but joke after joke, episode after episode, it all gets a little too predictable. The Goodes ask WWAGD - What Would Al Gore Do - but of course they do, right? All of this was done essentially in reverse with "King of the Hill," and to better effect. …

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette says:

… As a comedy, it's not-quite good enough. "Goode" is smart but not as funny as its creators imagine …

The Newark Star Ledger says:

… while the jokes may be funnier than "King" has been in a long time, the new show also feels more uneven and strained. …

The Miami Herald says:

… a scathingly funny report from the front lines of America's culture wars. … will do for PC what 30 Rock does for corporate capitalism or Lost for commercial air travel: Leave it in ruins. …

The Boston Herald says:

… The production company behind “The Goode Family” is Media Rights Capital, which programmed CW’s Sunday night right into oblivion and is responsible for such dreck as the Bob Saget show “Surviving Suburbia.” The company finally has produced a decent show. Let’s see how long it lasts.

The Hollywood Reporter says:

… the best bits of the series are those that let the characters deliver the punch lines, not become one, and there aren't quite enough to go around. …

Variety says:

… a smart, wryly funny animated comedy … Ultimately, there's no substitute for amusing scenarios like the one with the dog, and clever writing, which "The Goode Family" boasts in abundance. " 'The View' is on," Gerald says trying to cheer up Helen, who's confused about what to tell Bliss regarding abstinence. "The pretty one is saying crazy stuff again." …

“Wipeout”: 8 p.m. Wednesday. ABC.
“The Goode Family”: 9 p.m. Wednesday. ABC.

“From The Earth To The Moon,” the entire extra-packed signature edition, has fallen to its lowest price ever: $11.99!! People were paying $49 for this set last year.