I'm a big fan of "Bobs Burgers" so when "The Great North" finally arrived on Disney Plus, in the UK, I started it pretty quickly. Though I eventually warmed up to it, at the start I wasn't initially that impressed with the show.
In Alaska, Beef Tobin (Nick Offerman) fisherman and outdoors type, raises his four children alone since his wife left them. Those children are Wolf (Will Forte) whose love for his father is only eclipsed by his love for his fiancé Honeybee (Dulce Sloan); Ham (Paul Rust), a baker and dreamer who is the "Alaskan twin" for; Judy (Jenny Slate) artistic dreamer of the family, whose love for her family is at odds with wanting to escape the small town; and Moon (Aparna Nancherla) forever in a bear onesie but already with a passion for Alaskan life.
The art style of "The Great North" is what could be considered Wilo Productions signature style, seen as it is in "Bobs Burgers" and "Central Park". I really think it's a lovely balance of speed and quality. The vocal performances are good, each character has their own focus episodes of the season and I keep wanting to praise an individual, but then another actor rolls around in my mind and I feel they should get the praise instead. It's a strong ensemble.
The first few episodes weren't great through. It takes a while to settle into its rhythm but does get increasingly funny as the season runs on. It's not as musical as "Central Park" is or as "Bobs Burgers" has become, so it's more reliant on pure jokes to get it's laughs. It's again firmly in the sweet comedy mould that has proven popular in recent years and generally the resolution of each episode is as wholesome as it can get.
If you can get through the first few, and the opening credits which disappoint every time I see them, the rewards are there.
