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F is For Family Season 1 Review

     F Is for Family is a cartoon exclusivley on Netflix that takes place in the 1970s and follows the Murphy Family as they struggle to maintain their lower middle-class existence.  F Is for Family is unapologetic for how vulgar it is, but deep down this show has a lot of soul.  F Is for Family is also a great show because it gives stand-up comedian, Bill Burr, the show’s creator and voice of Frank Murphy the shows main character, a perfect outlet for his comedic anger that made him one of the top stand-up comedians in the country.
     F Is for Family’s intro set to the song “Come and Get Your Love” by Redbone and tells a story in itself. The intro starts with a young Frank Murphy fresh out of high school taking off and flying onto the air ready to take on the world and achieve his dreams.  However, he’s hit with a draft notice and shortly after that, pieces of responsibility he never intended for himself fly through the air hitting him in the face all the while his appearance changes from a slender young man to a balding beer bellied man as he crashes down into his house.  The intro is funny, yet terrifying, because this happens to everyone once they reach adulthood. Their lives quickly become out of their control and they can only helplessly watch as the best years of their lives pass them by.
      The five main characters in F Is for Family all have separate storylines that converge throughout the show.  Frank is a baggage handler for the local airport and has been recently promoted into management.  Management at the airport wants Frank to prevent the other baggage handlers from going on strike.  However, Frank struggles to satisfy the demands from management and his former colleagues. Frank is a part of management, but he still considers himself one of the boys.  Frank’s parenting style is also shown.  He verbally abuses his children in order to motivate them and threatens to beat them whenever they get out of line.  However, almost all of this is directed at Frank’s two sons and not his daughter.  Frank’s wife Sue (Laura Dern) runs the household with almost no help from Frank and is starting a part time job selling a product called Plast-a-Ware (a parody of Tupperware).  Sue’s new job causes her to come into conflict with Frank who wants her spend all of her time at home because he wants to spend as little time with his children as possible.  I imagine this is what it was like in the 70s.  Frank believes his role in the family is to be the breadwinner and to discipline his children.  Sue is expected to do everything else.  Kevin Murphy (Justin Long) is the oldest son of Frank and Sue and is in a rock band and has no interest in school.  Kevin’s clashes with his parents over his school work serve as Kevin’s main story.  Bill Murphy (Haley Reinhart) is the middle child of Frank and Sue.  Bill’s sensitive nature and becoming a victim of the school bully is explored throughout the show.  F Is for Family is unlike any other show that I’ve seen when it comes to shining a light on bullying.  It conveys how powerless Bill feels against the bully and how psychologically damaging these experiences are to him.  Maureen (Debi Derryberry) is Frank and Sue’s youngest child.  Although Franks and Sue treat her like a princess, Maureen is just as rambunctious as her older brothers.  She’s also a tomboy who tries to do things normally associated with boys much to Frank’s bewilderment.
      Another side character is Vic (Sam Rockwell), who is the Murphy’s next door neighbor. He works at the local radio station, has a hot girlfriend, makes a lot of money, and is relentlessly optimistic. Frank can’t stand him because that’s what he wanted out of life.
      F Is for Family tackles many of the social issues of the day such as mothers working more and more outside the home and the fact that many Americans live in utter fear of losing their jobs due to corporate downsizing (this issue is still relevant today).  It also critiques the nostalgia that Baby Boomers and Gen Xers have toward the ‘Good Old Days’.  This show demonstrates that it’s probably a good thing that the ‘Good Old Days’ are over.  F Is for Family is not an easy watch like Family Guy or The Simpsons. It requires a certain mindset while watching.
       Overall, I thought the first season of F Is for Family was pretty solid.  It gets off to a somewhat slow start, but picks up the pace near the end.  Another flaw in the show is that it’s based largely around Bill Burr’s rage filled performance.  As a result, the humor tends to lag whenever he’s not around.  F Is for Family is also only six episodes long so you can easily binge watch this in one day.

Rating:  ***1/2         
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