The Great North

The Great North is an American animated sitcom created by Wendy Molyneux, Lizzie Molyneux, and Minty Lewis that premiered on Fox on January 3, 2021. The Molyneux sisters and Lewis serve as executive producers along with Loren Bouchard. The series features the voices of Nick Offerman, Jenny Slate, Will Forte, Dulcé Sloan, Paul Rust, and Aparna Nancherla.
In June 2020, the series was renewed for a second season ahead of its premiere. In May 2021, the series was renewed for a third season after airing its first-season finale. The second season premiered on September 26, 2021. The third season premiered on September 25, 2022. In August 2022, Fox renewed the series for a fourth season set to premiere in January 2024.
Plot
Beef Tobin is a single father living in the fictional town of Lone Moose, Alaska with his four children Wolf, Ham, Judy, and Moon, as well as Wolf's wife Honeybee. Beef's life is centered on raising his children and keeping the family together. He is sometimes overbearing and smothering, but his deep love for his family is a central theme in each episode in the series.
Voice cast
Main
Nick Offerman as Beef Tobin, the main protagonist who is a fisherman and divorced father of four. Beef is still coming to terms with being abandoned by his ex-wife Kathleen. He spent years pretending that she died tragically, despite all of the Tobin children knowing the truth. He is a supportive father who encourages his children to love and respect others, although he sometimes struggles with the many changes happening in their lives and worries that they will grow apart.
Jenny Slate as Judy Tobin, an artistically inclined sixteen-year-old and Beef's only daughter. Judy loves her family, sharing a deep bond with her "Alaskan twin" brother Ham (they are not actual twins, but were born 9 months apart). She dreams of exploring the world beyond their small, remote hometown.
Will Forte as Wolf Tobin, Beef's oldest son and Honeybee's husband. A sensitive and optimistic young man, Wolf longs to make his father proud, although his eagerness often puts him beyond his depth.
Dulcé Sloan as Honeybee Shaw, Wolf's wife. Confident and adventurous, she moved from her hometown of Fresno after falling in love with Wolf, and is now adapting to life in a small Alaskan fishing town.
Paul Rust as Ham Tobin, Beef's middle son. Ham is openly gay, which his family embraces. He shares a deep bond with his "Alaskan twin" sister Judy, and they often collaborate on creative endeavors. He enjoys baking, and secretly becomes the town's "cake lady" after the previous one was arrested. He is the lead singer of Messengers of Chaos, Lone Moose's first punk band.
Aparna Nancherla as Moon Tobin, Beef's youngest son, who shares Beef's stoic demeanor and passion for outdoorsmanship. Despite being only 10 years old, Moon is unafraid of the intimidating Alaskan wildlife, and is often seen building traps for various animals (from ruffed grouse to Bigfoot) or exploring the wilderness around the family home. Moon wears a bear-like onesie almost all the time, even to school.
Recurring
Tim Bagley as Principal Gibbons, the principal of Lone Moose School.
Sarah Baker as Police Chief Edna, the chief of police in Lone Moose, who also owns the town boatyard and a sticker store. Baker also voiced Mary, the owner of a dance studio in Death Cliff in the episode "Dances with Wolfs Adventure", and is credited as the voice of "Wine Woman" in "Tusk in the Wind Adventure".
Wyatt Cenac as various one-off characters, including Dr. Gary, a dentist and the son of Judy's orthodontist Dr. Helena; Colton the Croonin' Cod; TV weatherman Harry Hotfog; Horton, the owner of the Log Museum; and Ted Folly IV, the mayor of the nearby town of Ted's Folly.
Andy Daly as Cheesecake, a hard-partying friend of Wolf's who lives in a trailer behind a bar. Daly also voices Pete, the cashier at the Val-U-Buy, plus other characters.
Gabe Delahaye as Old Jody Jr., a sketchy, raspy-voiced resident of Lone Moose who claims to be able to get anything for anyone.
Rob Delaney as Brian Tobin, Beef's elder brother. Brian moved to Anchorage and works as a hot-tub and jacuzzi salesman. He has a daughter, Becca, about the same age as Ham and Judy.
Ray Dewilde (credited in seasons 1 and 2 as Ray J. Dewilde) as Mayor Peppers, the mayor of Lone Moose and a member of the Sugpiaq tribe.
Brooke Dillman as Zoya, a resident of Lone Moose with an Eastern European accent who works at the Russian Restaurant. Dillman also voices Dell, a fisherwoman and sometime romantic interest of Beef's; Doris, Tusk Johnson's camera operator and eventual fiancée; and other characters.
John Early as Henry Tuntley, a friend of Moon's who wears a sweater-vest and glasses. Early also played the voice of one of Judy's teeth in "Brace/Off Adventure", a boat mechanic in "Beef's in Toyland Adventure", and Sherman the fish buyer in "Barrel Be Blood Adventure".
Ziwe Fumudoh (credited as Ziwe) as Amelia, a friend of Judy's who works part-time at her mother's pizzeria, DiGigantico's Pizza. Amelia's mother used to home-school her, until she found the math lessons too difficult.
Ron Funches as Jerrybee "Jerry" Shaw, Honeybee's friendly younger brother who first appears in flashbacks in the third episode, "Avocado Barter Adventure". Jerry moves to Lone Moose in the eighth episode, "Keep Beef-lievin' Adventure", and gets a job making public appearances in a Bigfoot mascot costume.
John Gemberling as Russell, a friend of Moon's and fellow member of the Junior Janitors. He frequently talks about how much he likes and admires his mom's boyfriend Jamie.
Patti Harrison as Debbie Van, a bratty frenemy of Moon's who is into figure skating. Her last name was given as "Gladu" in her first appearance in the episode "Keep Beef-lievin' Adventure", but changed to "Van" in subsequent appearances. Harrison also voiced Momma Marita in "Tasteful Noods Adventure".
David Herman as Gill Beavers, a boy with an unrequited crush on Judy, and Santiago Carpaccio, a tall, quiet resident of Lone Moose who speaks in a non-specific Southern European accent, plus other characters.
Aloysius Hootch as Delmer, an older Yup'ik man who owns an ice rink. In the episode "Wanted: Delmer Alive Adventure", it's revealed that Delmer acted as a father figure to Beef and his brother Brian due to their own parents being unreliable.
Princess Daazhraii Johnson (credited as Princess Johnson) as Esther Evanoff, Kima's mother and a professional smokejumper. Johnson also played Sunshine, the soprano of The Ketchikan-do's, in "Great Bus of Choir Adventure", and an annoyed movie audience member in "Mall-mento Adventure".
Charlie Kelly as Drama John, a classmate of Ham and Judy. Drama John frequently does things to create emotional drama for his family or anyone around him, such as throwing his birth certificate into a fire or joining an art club just so he can storm out of it. He is best friends with Bethany.
Martha Kelly as Bethany Bones, a classmate of Ham and Judy. Bethany speaks in a monotone voice, dresses in a punk/goth style, and has a variety of eccentric interests and beliefs, such as owning a "haunted" porcelain doll, planning for defence against pirate attacks, and asserting that reality is a simulation that makes everyone's choices for them (although she says in a later episode that Judy has free will). Bethany plays drums in Messengers of Chaos, a punk band Ham joins, in "The Great Punkin' Adventure". Moon develops a crush on Bethany when she works on the Tobins' fishing boat for her Career Day assignment in "Tasteful Noods Adventure". Bethany is best friends with Drama John.
Monique Moreau as Dr. French, Lone Moose's veterinarian.
Alanis Morissette as Alanis Morissette, Judy's interpretation of the acclaimed singer and her apparent imaginary friend who only appears in the Aurora Borealis. Judy often speaks to her for guidance on certain things. Serving to reference Morissette's role as God in Kevin Smith's View Askewniverse films Dogma and Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, Morissette is occasionally shown to exist separately from Judy's imagination.
Megan Mullally as Alyson Lefebvrere, Judy's boss at the photography studio and an artist in her own right. Mullally also voices recurring characters Dorothy Tuntley (the mother of Moon's friend Henry) and Vera Warren (an angry older resident of Lone Moose).
Ruby Nicazio as Quinn Notti, Moon's classmate and a fellow member of the Junior Janitors.
Mark Proksch as Councilman Roy Fletcher, a member of the Lone Moose town council. Roy's pet eagle, Toby, is also a member of Lone Moose's three-member council, giving Roy effective legislative control of the town government. Roy is passionate about government regulation and bureaucracy, using vacations to research Alaska law; he is also very socially awkward, but his civic-mindedness makes him help his fellow Lone Moosers any way he can.
Judith Shelton as Londra Pennypacker, a mild-mannered fisherwoman whose boat is moored close to Beef's. In a running gag, the Tobins are regularly too busy to stop and talk to Londra.
Mindy Sterling as Junkyard Kyle, a mechanically adept woman in a pink jumpsuit who runs a local junkyard. Sterling also voices Sandy Flarts, the Lone Moose school superintendent, in "Period Piece Adventure".
Robin Thede as Diondra Tundra, a TV reporter for Channel 36 News. Thede also voices Dr. Helena, Judy's orthodontist, in "Brace/Off Adventure".
Paul F. Tompkins as Theodore Golovkin, a teacher at the Lone Moose school with a brusque manner, an obsessive-compulsive disorder, and a passion for film noir, home-brewed kombucha, and model trains. He is in a relationship with Ms. Anderson, another teacher at Lone Moose School.
Julio Torres as Crispin Cienfuegos, Ham's boyfriend, who moved to Lone Moose from Michigan with his family and has a part-time job at the smoothie stand at the mall. Judy had an unrequited crush on Crispin for the first six episodes of the first season, ending when Crispin took Ham to the Thomas Wintersbone Memorial Ladies' Choice Dance in "Pride & Prejudance Adventure". In his last three appearances in season 3, Crispin's voice was played by Juan Castano.
Ariel Tweto as Kima Evanoff, Judy's best friend and a Native Alaskan. Kima shares much of Judy's idealism and passion, but is more level-headed. Kima's last name was initially shown in the show's credits as "Brewper", before it was established as "Evanoff" in "Rear Genius Adventure".
Reggie Watts as Quay, a cool classmate of Ham and Judy who also plays guitar in Messengers of Chaos; in "The Great Punkin' Adventure", Ham takes over from Quay as lead vocalist of the band after Quay also joins a madrigal choir.
Brian Wescott as Walt Evanoff, Kima's father and a climate scientist. Wescott also played Dink, the baritone of the Ketchikan-do's, in "Great Bus of Choir Adventure".
Kelvin Yu as Steven Huang, a classmate of Ham and Judy and Judy's love interest in the first season; by the season 2 episode "Stools Rush In Adventure", Judy and Stephen are no longer romantically involved. Steven plays bass under the name "Steven the Psycho" in Messengers of Chaos, Ham's punk band. Yu also plays an actor portraying former Lone Moose Mayor Parsnips in "Rear Genius Adventure", and is credited as the voice of Seaman Sammy in "From Tusk Til Dawn Adventure".
Guest
Episodes
Production
Development
On September 28, 2018, it was first announced that the series was in development, from creators Wendy and Lizzie Molyneux and Minty Lewis, with Loren Bouchard also set to executive produce. The series was officially given a series order by Fox on May 9, 2019, with Bento Box Entertainment, Fox Entertainment, and 20th Television serving as the production companies.
On May 13, 2019, it was announced that the series was set to premiere in 2020, but on May 11, 2020, this was revised to a premiere mid-season the 2020–21 television season. Later, a February 2021 premiere was announced. On June 22, 2020, Fox renewed the series for a second season ahead of its premiere.
On December 18, 2020, it was confirmed that the series would premiere on February 14, 2021, as part of Fox's Animation Domination programming block. On December 22, 2020, a special preview on January 3, 2021, was announced. On May 17, 2021, the day after the first-season finale was broadcast, Fox renewed the series for a third season. The second season premiered on September 26, 2021. The third season premiered on September 25, 2022. A fourth season has also been picked up.
Casting
On September 28, 2018, when the series was first announced, a cast of Nick Offerman, Jenny Slate, Megan Mullally, Paul Rust, Aparna Nancherla, Will Forte, and Dulcé Sloan was presented. On June 22, 2020, it was stated that Alanis Morissette would voice herself in the series. In February 2021, more cast members joined the crew in guest roles; Judith Shelton appears in the first episode as Londra Pennypacker, a lady who works at the dock; Julio Torres as a boy named Crispin Cienfuegos who works at the mall at a smoothie shop and whom Judy has a crush on. In the third episode, Gabe Delahaye voices the barterer Old Jody Jr. in a guest role.
Broadcast
In Canada, the series aired on Citytv for its first season.
The show is available to stream on Hulu in the United States, and for purchase on all major digital stores. In India, the series is simulcasted on Disney+ Hotstar because of 20th Television's output deal with Star India.
The show is available to stream on Disney+ via the Star content hub in selected territories.
In Denmark, the show initially premiered exclusively on Xee on July 9, 2021. The show was later added to Disney+ on March 9, 2022, with the first season and the first three episodes from the second season included.
Reception
Critical response
On Rotten Tomatoes, the series holds an approval rating of 100% based on 15 reviews, with an average rating of 7.90/10. The website's critics consensus reads, "As cozy as a night spent relaxing by the fireplace with your favorite funny people, The Great North is a delightfully hilarious addition to Fox's Animation Domination lineup." On Metacritic, the series has a weighted average score of 77 out of 100 based on 10 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews."
Daniel Fienberg of The Hollywood Reporter praised the performances of the actors and complimented the humor of the series, comparing it to Bob's Burgers, while noting that the series made token references to Indigenous representation and said it should embrace those more in future episodes, writing, "Then again, with memorable characters (captured in that familiar Bento Box Entertainment style), running credit gags and catchy episode-closing songs, I don't think Bob's Burgers as reimagined by somebody who just watched Northern Exposure would be such a bad thing anyway." Margaret Lyons of The New York Times praised the humor of the show, saying the series recalls Bob's Burgers and seems to act as a spin-off, writing, "This new comedy by some of the folks from Bob's Burgers isn't technically a spinoff, but it might as well be — in a good way! [...] like many comedies, it gets funnier as it goes along, but it has a silly sweetness from the start."
Joyce Slaton of Common Sense Media rated the series 4 out of 5 stars, praised the depiction of positive messages and role models, calling some of the characters lovable, supportive, and tolerant, and complimented the humor and the diversity of the cast, writing, "There's a strong streak of sweetness in this comedy, particularly in the way that family love is strong and central. The show clearly has a love for oddballs, and the humor is gentle and non-mocking." Ben Travers of IndieWire gave the series a B+ grade, called The Great North a "worthy successor to Bob's Burgers," stating the series manages to keep its own identity even across its similarities with Bob's Burgers, praised the animation of the show for its color palette, while noting The Great North is the only animated Fox comedy with a black family member saying, "After decades spent churning out Simpsons clones, Fox is finally building off its other, nicer, animated sitcom — with encouraging results."
Ratings
Accolades
In 2021, The Great North was nominated for Best Animated Series for the 27th Critics' Choice Awards.
References
External links
2020s American adult animated television series
2020s American animated comedy television series
2020s American sitcoms
2020s American LGBT-related animated television series
2021 American television series debuts
American adult animated comedy television series
American animated sitcoms
American LGBT-related sitcoms
Animated television series about families
English-language television shows
Fox Broadcasting Company original programming
Television series by 20th Century Fox Television
Television series by Fox Entertainment
Television series by Fox Television Animation
Television shows set in Alaska
Television shows written by the Molyneux sisters
Television series about single parent families