F Is for Family

Looking for something to watch I stumbled upon this show with no expectations and really liked it. Its funny, has interesting characters, and unique animation. If you grew up in this 70's or have parents that did you'll love this show. The family lives a basic suburban life set in the 70's. A high moral and short tempered father tries to support his family on a small budget while also trying to gain the respect of bis 14 year old son.. The show has plenty of laughs while still setting a serious tone at some points. Don't watch this show expecting something like family guy or American dad, the humor is much more guided and even manages to teach small life lessons. Netflix Originals have always been solid and then have outdone themselves yet again with F is for Family.

There is a lot of Honeymooners/All In the Family hate around this...and that is fine, I completely understand that. But, I really don't see the "All in The Family" vibe save for the fact it's set in the '70s and has a Honeymooners vibe with the father.

Either way, it starts off kind of slow and dull, but in a way that allowed me to think "OK, I'll give it a chance," and from there it builds in a way that most adult cartoons do not, that is it builds in more of a cartoon sit-com drama than a straight episodic comedy.

The story lines have a clear arc that you hardly ever get in animated shows like this, and it builds on the arc while remaining darkly amusing.

And it kind of sneaks up on you, it goes from dull because you are expecting Family Guy or the Simpsons...to compelling because F is for Family is actually trying to tell a story and not just be another cartoon.

You find yourself bored, then hooked on story arcs and the compelling and identifiable characters.

If you hate it, I think you hate it because you were expecting a straight animated comedy, and if you love it, I think it's because you found it dramatic and compelling with the humor coming from the characters.

They really did a great job on this, it's not the cartoon you'd expect and the pay off is there in spades.

It's worth a shot and you'll come to love it.

The characters in this show are so multidimensional and well written. I actually care about them. As for the language, I find it hilarious. It gives realism to the show. There are many details of the '70s that are spot on. The coffee mugs, some of the wallpaper. This type of visual recollection, is great. This is the best animated adult show, I have had the pleasure to enjoy. It pulls no punches, and touches on some very real feelings and issues, adults and children face then and now. It's not for the easily offended. Thanks for making an excellent show. I certainly hope we get more episodes. With the quality of writing, I imagine this would be full-time job, and the creator Bill Burr is a comedian who performs full-time as well. I hope he can do both. This show is a great treat.

F is for Family has become one of the most satisfying TV shows of any kind I've seen in a while.

I thought it was going to be just another animated family sitcom but it was so much more. A powerful saga of the things people had to deal with at this time which is still very much what we deal with now only worse. I know it doesn't sound interesting off the bat to hear about marital trouble and employment anxiety but it's all done with humor, pathos and a lot of vitriol. As the tagline to Heavy Traffic went: "It's funny; but it's not a comedy. It's animated; but it's not a cartoon." And a similar thing applies here.

But of course it is a cartoon.

The first episode is by far the worst. Not because it's badly written, quite the opposite. It's just painful. But once you get past that, it improves every season. They were to keep creating meaningful conflict and the more you know the characters and see them develop the more vivid it becomes.

There is a lot of powerful imagery, both through the use of dreams and hallucination but also in reality. It's very visual in a way that justified every second of animation.

A lot of the bigotry did get under my skin but I suppose it was supposed to. It remains something I like this show in spite of. The weakest aspect of the show were gags that reference the future like when Frank remarks "1985?! There'll be a black president by then". They're just kind of smug when this show is better at humorous character driven story-telling than the pure joke. Leave that to Family Guy (another great show).

There is no show quite like it. It made me think a lot more about a lot of things we face in daily life like feminism and made me feel profound empathy for a character I normally wouldn't.

It can't be a coincidence that 'F Is For Family!' is set in the same year as the program it most resembles, 'Wait Till Your Father Gets Home!'

It has the same format, characters, problems and the same over-burdened dad leading the way. Younger viewers may see elements of Peter Griffin and Hank Hill, but Frank Murphy is Harry Boyle with a hot temper... which is exactly who (what) Bill Burr is!

Here is an avenue of comedy that is difficult to make an impact in. There are many cartoon family sitcoms and thousands of episodes to choose from. But NetFlix has finally liberated this genre by allowing adult themes and language into the mix. (I wonder what Denis Leary would have done with an opportunity like this 30 years ago!)

There are some great gags for the grown-ups... one of my favorites is the 'Castle Of The Elfin King' L.P. in episode 2 of the first season. All King Crimson fans should find a safe space immediately!

Bill Burr does a good job of exploring the ideas that Family Guy would have had if it were let off its 'Fox TV' leash. This is the selfish world view of a today's adult - cast into a world of yesteryear when fathers quietly sacrificed their lives and feelings for their families. So that's initially a rather odd concept to embrace.

And the swearing! Even though people do swear a lot in real life conversations, it's still odd to see the profusion of profanity in this program... but after a few episodes, it becomes more natural and less annoying.

Great fun and Bill Burr followers will be delighted!