“Office Space” is a contemporary classic of cubicle culture, and “Idiocracy” is a disturbingly prescient pseudo-comedy about the dumbing down of the world — they’re both excellent movies. But I’ve never quite connected with Mike Judge’s TV work. I’m not really feeling it with his latest effort, ABC’s “The Goode Family,” either.
All of Judge’s shows start off with stereotypes — the dumb teenagers of “Beavis and Butt-Head,” the Texans of “King of the Hill” and now the Earth-Firsters of “The Goode Family.” His characters are colorful: Beavis and Butt-Head didn’t have many redeeming qualities, but they did peg a certain type of mid-’90s slacker pretty well. But B&B’s antics and the propane-loving Hills got old for me after a few episodes; same thing with the Goodes. I feel like I’ve met them before, from the bicycle-outfit-wearing dad to the vegan dog named Che.
What’s mildly clever at first — Che, who doesn’t get meat in his dog food, is chowing down on neighborhood pets — is rather boring by the 10th iteration. “Office Space” and “Idiocracy” had great momentum, but Judge’s TV shows get stuck in an unsurprising loop.
It’s especially glaring when you consider the wit of “The Simpsons” or the anything-goes approach of “Family Guy.” By comparison, “The Goode Family” puts you to sleep. It would play exactly the same as a live-action sitcom (sample plot: the normally restrained mom becomes a football nut when her son joins the team).
There are clever bits, like when the daughter takes a community college class and is horrified that all of her classmates are elderly. And the societal observations are accurate, if not illuminating: The mom wants to be Earth-conscious, but when she goes shopping, she finds the organic veggies and much more expensive than the big-farm produce.
Look, it’s not that “The Goode Family” isn’t smart. It’s just that it’s not funny.
Anyone think “Goode” is any good? Share your thoughts in the comment thread.