 | ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. |
 | OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
The Goode Family
Common Sense Media says
Smart satire about ultra-"green" family best for teens+.
Parents say
QUALITY
Kids say
QUALITY
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that this comedy may be animated, but it's not meant for young kids. Created by King of the Hill's Mike Judge, it centers on an ultra "green" family and explores the inherent conflict in the their struggle to resist modern consumer society. There's some drinking and some honest and open talk about sexuality, but on the whole the series is fairly clean. Still, kids may not get much of the humor, and the satire will definitely be appreciated most by teens and up.
What's the story?
THE GOODE FAMILY are doing their best to live a good life. They're vegans; dad Gerald (voiced by creator Mike Judge) rides his bike whenever possible and drives a hybrid when he can't; mom Helen (Nancy Carell) shops organic; and they all struggle to act politically correct at all times. When in doubt about whether something is good for the Earth, they have a simple test: WWAGD -- What Would Al Gore Do? Adopted son Ubuntu (David Herman), a hulking white lad from South Africa (they wanted to adopt an African baby, but to their chagrin weren't specific enough on the application forms) is happy to join in, but teenage daughter Bliss (Linda Cardellini) often finds herself mortified by her parents' dedication to a socially conscious lifestyle. As the show makes clear, it's sometimes a challenge to live according to your ideals; or, as Helen often ponders, "Why is being good so hard?"
Is it any good?
Judge is best known for his earlier animated show King of the Hill, which skewered, in a loving way, middle America (and he's also the guy who brought us Beavis and Butt-head). He brings the same affection to this series; the Goodes are a loving family just trying to do the right thing in a world that makes it much easier to succumb to consumerism. They're all decent people at heart, though their efforts to live responsibly -- mirroring the real-life choices of many outspoken activists -- are ready-made for mockery.
The premise is perfect, and so is the execution -- especially the details. When Helen picks up some apples at the local One Earth market, for example, she has to choose between conventionally harvested ($3.99 a pound), organic ($5.49), sustainably harvested organic ($6.99), locally grown sustainably harvested organic ($8.49), and fair trade locally grown sustainably harvested certified organic (for the oh-so-reasonable price of just $10.99 a pound -- a bargain considering the benefits to the world). No wonder it's so hard to be good! But it sure is fun to watch them try.
What families can talk about
Families can talk about living a socially conscious lifestyle. Are you interested in trying to minimize your impact on the planet?
Do you think it would be easy to give up meat or driving or fruit that’s not produced in a sustainable manner? What are some other choices that people might make in the name
of living a green, politically correct life?Do you think this can be
taken too far -- do some of these choices seem too extreme? Is this
show celebrating the "green" lifestyle, satirizing it, or both?
- Show:
- All members
- Parents
- Teens & kids
AGE
This is a great show. It shows how vaccuous the Enviro-freaks are and the constant ribbing of their knee jerk - follow the bumper sticker mindset is all about. The satire is very amusing and gets funnier every episode. My whole family and the neighbors - who are dyed in the wool lefties - LOVE it. The father is such a nice guy - someone we all would love to have as a neighbor even though he is always looking to boost his enviro-credentials. The one upsmanship of the mother with her other lefty friends is sweet. Watch it and you will love it too. The daughter is the non-conformist - a normal high school kid and she and the grandfather offer the counter culture jabs at the Goode families oh-so-PC controlled lives. Using rainwater to shower in the front yard - growing an organic garden in the front yard are so funny - as most of the enviro freak movement is all about showmanship of how much "the True Believers" are personally doing to save the planet, not if it is actually doing any good. Very cool show.
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AGE
Crude, rude, and explicitly bad cartoon iffy for 17-year-olds!
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AGE
Program is misrated.
Program should be TV-14-V instead, from my examinations.
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AGE
This show is based off a character from Beavis and butthead, just like king of the hill, only king of the hill does it better.
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AGE
The people who wrote this missed the point. This show portrays the politically correct liberal family as the idiots they are.
The message is clear: People who are OCD about political correctness are embarrassing themselves with their idiocy. amen.
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| TV rating: | TV-PG |
| Network: | ABC |
| Cast: | David Herman, Mike Judge, Nancy Carell |
| Genre: | Comedy |
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