A lot of the reviews on here compare this show unfavorably with shows like Bob's Burgers, Family Guy, Rick and Morty, and the like. They're completely missing the point. Sure, The Great North is made by the studio that made Bob's Burgers and Executive Produced by Loren Bouchard, but, aside from the distinctly Bob's Burgers-style character designs, this has very little meaningful effect on the show (Executive Producers are usually pretty minor, offering their name and support to the show but doing very little of the day-to-day operations).
The Great North isn't funny like Bob's Burgers, Family Guy, and Rick and Morty because it's not trying to be like them at all; it's a one-of-a-kind show that's incredibly endearing and full of heart. We see a coming-of-age of Judy Tobin as she turns 16, for instance, but this stereotypical TV event is given a nuanced twist that makes it anything but stereotypical. Her coming-of-age is marked by her leaving her father's side to take a job pursuing her passion, but the twist is that her father, Beef, is simultaneously coming to grips with the loss of his wife. The typical coming-of-age story is given a strikingly powerful emotional note in this pairing, setting the tone for the whole show; it's a much more mature and emotionally nuanced show, compared to the comedy-focused youth-targeted shows like Family Guy and Rick and Morty, about a truly contemporary family. What makes this more special is that it's not the family of the popular imagination; much like a real family, it's a patchwork quilt of juxtaposed identities and very different people who all have to get along: a manly fisherman, a young woman who dreams of being an artist, a shy and nerdy movie buff, a smart but headstrong black woman, a gay teenager with his head in the clouds, and a demure 10-year-old who loves the outdoors. This diversity is not to be "woke." The ways the family doesn't conform to stereotypical TV families makes it feel so much more genuine, immediate, and relevant. Plus, Dulce Sloan gives a great performance as Honeybee.
If you like strictly youth-oriented animated shows with big helpings of silly, often juvenile comedy, so do I! And more power to you. But just understand that that is NOT what The Great North is, and if you come in expecting that, you won't like it. But it's actually a very good show. This is a show that might even make you cry (episode 2 made me choke up!).
