At the time, the show was embraced by fans of Beavis & Butthead and King of the Hill as a worthy sardonic successor to Judge's animated quiver. But, critics often attacked its mockery of political correctness and progressive politics. Some pundits went so far as claiming such a show was inappropriate in the era of Obama.
In other words, it's only censorship when your side is the one being silenced.
The one-hour, two-episode King of the Hill finale should stand not just as the end of a great show that never got the attention it deserved, but as a finale that tried not to seek that attention.
The show came to a rather quiet end last Sunday during Fox's "Animation Domination" block that has done just that, thanks in part to brilliant shows like King of the Hill. It featured two episodes that treated their audience to some of the characters' humorous and heartfelt changes before sending it off into the depths of the TV land vaults.
Then it slapped them back into cold, harsh reality by following it up with an all new episode of nature's cruel mistake Family Guy, but that's hardly Mike Judge's fault.
Thank you, Mike Judge. I really needed a pick-me-up after watching that depressing video of Soleil Moon Frye dressing up like Punky Brewster to celebrate 1,000,000 Twitter followers. And this video of Beavis and Butt-Head promoting your new movie, Extract, did the trick.
Ah, "Master Bateman!" Sometimes it's the simple things that help you get through the day.
Every time The Goode Family aired on ABC, it felt badly out of place -- right up until its cancellation. Now, its producers are hinting that the show will live again on another network.
ABC canceled Mike Judge's latest animated series last week. It was hardly a shock considering the network moved it around its schedule more than a Three Card Monte dealer shifts the Queen of Hearts. ABC looked for a place to bury the Goodes -- then they killed them.
But, on the show's Facebook page, show-runners John Altschuler and Dave Krinsky claim the show will return on a new network.
It looks like The Goode Family and Surviving Suburbia won't be surviving. ABC confirmed that Friday night's airings of both episodes season finales are in fact their respective series finales. I've sampled both series at one point or another in their runs, and this fate was inevitable.
It was great seeing the "other" Bob Saget get some TV time, but Surviving Suburbia just wasn't good television. Maybe if you're a television fan who's never seen a family sitcom, then the formulaic plotlines and dialogue won't bother you. In a way, I had the same problem with The Goode Family.
However, with the latter, it seemed like they had the potential to grow into something better. I think in the beginning they were too bogged down by their schtick: a family of do-gooders, recycling and living green and all of that crap.
Mike Judge doesn't strike anyone as the kind of guy who's created a legendary animated duo and a cult hit movie. And, you certainly wouldn't size him up as a creative mind with two active series on first-run network TV.
The native-Texan is just too unassuming, soft-spoken and self-deprecating to show up at Comic-Con International last week to discuss TV's The Goode Family and King of the Hill alongside his new feature film, Extract.
But there he was in Press Room 28e, preparing for his panel and eyeing the Mythbusters Comic-Con bag I'd just picked up on the convention floor.
"I've got to get me one of those bags before I go out there," Judge said.
On behalf of a grateful TV Squad nation, I offered him mine. He accepted the bag graciously. Then we begin the interview.
Despite glowing reviews from our own Danny Gallagher, it looks like The Goode Family is moving. Specifically, it's moving to Friday nights at 8:30 P.M., which is affectionately known by some as the "death slot". No specific reasons for the move are given, but the words "super low ratings" are used in the article to describe its first two weeks, so that could be a clue.
I did catch the premiere episode of the show online and thought it was cute and an interesting 180 degrees from the Hank Hill lifestyle that Mike Judge has been working with for 13 years.
Of course, ABC has been cruel to good animated shows before (coughcoughClerkscoughcough). The show isn't canceled yet, but I give it six episodes. I actually think the show would have fared better on Fox, or given Judge's attempt from this show to skewer extreme liberals, perhaps on Fox News. It probably would have worked better than The 1/2 Hour News Hour.
The premiere episode of ABC's The Goode Family didn't do a great job of giving its titular family the kinds of three-dimensional emotions and motivations that make them more than just two-dimensional characters.
It seemed to doom the whole series to the bland, predictable taste of a tofu hot dog.
Last Wednesday's double feature of Goode Family episodes gave the family and even some of the lesser characters more depth and funnier situations. The Goode Family may not be so bad after all.
Just one look at Mike Judge's The Goode Family feels like Hank Hill and his clan are staring into a periscope that's peering into the Bizarro World. The only thing missing on the Goodes are goatees, including the dog.
It's just too parallel not to notice, and it's an unfair assumption to make. Even though they are from the pen of the same creators, they seem like two completely different shows on the surface. But the similarities end after the premiere episode.
The biggest difference is the first episode of King of the Hill was a gaff-guzzling vehicle for FOX, and The Goode Family's pilot felt more like a smart but bold-lacking hybrid for ABC.
I have to say that even though this trailer for Mike Judge's new (May 27) ABC animated show The Goode Family looks funnier than other recent animated shows, it also features a bunch of characters I just want to punch in the face. I know people like this, and I don't know if I can get though an episode of the show without hating the people I'm probably supposed to be rooting for (I sense these people are probably the type that don't flush their toilets more than a few times a week - gah). I think Brian Doyle Murray's curmudgeonly, un-PC character might be my favorite character on the show.
The network that brought you Family Matters, Cavemen and is still bringing you the parade of unfunny that is According to Jim wants to bring the sitcom back to its rightful throne on the airwaves.
ABC made a solemn vow to bring back more hit, half-hour sitcoms to the airwaves starting with the new TV season, according to Variety.
The network's heads made their announcement at last week's Television Critics Association gathering.
Question: how many shows can ABC have that are set in the world of the NYPD?
The network already has Life on Mars, and now comes news that ABC has cut the episode order for two other NYPD-based shows. One is Castle, which stars Nathan Fillion as a horror writer who helps the cops solve crimes (yes, another one of those shows). The other show is The Unusuals, which stars Amber Tamblyn and is a comedy about a police station. Maybe it's the new Barney Miller.
Both shows have had the order cut from 13 episodes to 10. They say it's not a quality reasons, it's just that they already have too many shows on the shelf, including Courteney Cox's new show with the horrible title Cougar Town and Mike Judge's new cartoon The Goode Family. They are also interested in picking up King of the Hill, which was just canceled by FOX.
ABC has already said no to a new Alyssa Milano sitcom, which Allison told you about earlier. I'm still kinda ticked they never gave Marlowe a chance.
Geez, for a show that was recently canceled there is sure a lot of news about it. First, we heard that King of the Hill was being canceled by FOX at the end of this season (though it will probably remain on the schedule through 2010 because of long-term production of episodes). Then, the lovely and talented Bob Sassone reported that the show could be picked up by ABC, who seems to be in the market for other network programs as of late. Now comes word that repeats (is that term now taboo?) of the Mike Judge series will be heading to Adult Swim's lineup.
That's right. Cartoon Network's older brother will be picking up the 11-year-old program, making it the next-to-last FOX animated series to air on its program schedule (The Simpsons would be the last, and I have no idea if it will ever make it to Adult Swim).
Jason told you about FOX's decision to cancel King of the Hill after 13 years. Now the Hollywood Reporter is, well, reporting that the show could come back on another network.
A source at ABC says that the network is interested in picking up the show for another season. And this isn't one of those wacky rumors that doesn't have any basis in reality. A spokesperson for 20th Century Fox has confirmed that another network is interested in the show, though they won't say which one.
This could work out well for show creator Mike Judge. He already has another animated show on ABC at mid-season titled The Goode Family. Hey, if Seth MacFarlane can have a bunch of animated shows on at the same time, why not Judge? Beavis & Butthead could come back!
Maybe NBC should pick up the show, and actually have a half hour comedy that has a track record and a fan base. Or maybe Cartoon Network would be interested in the show?
The Goode Family -- the Mike Judge show ABC did everything it could to kill -- has a new home at Comedy Central.
Every time 
It looks like 
Mike Judge doesn't strike anyone as the kind of guy who's created a legendary animated duo and a cult hit movie. And, you certainly wouldn't size him up as a creative mind with two active series on first-run network TV.
Despite 
The network that brought you Family Matters, Cavemen and is still bringing you the parade of unfunny that is According to Jim wants to bring the sitcom back to its rightful throne on the airwaves. 
Question: how many shows can ABC have that are set in the world of the NYPD?
Geez, for a show that was recently canceled there is sure a lot of news about it. First, we heard that King of the Hill 
Jason told you about 
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