F is for Family is Netflix’s new series that aired on December 18th, 2015. There are six episodes in the first season. The show was created by comedian Bill Burr and writer Michael Price (known for The Simpsons). The story centers around a family in the 1970s.
Bill Burr himself does the voice for Frank Murphy, the father of the family with a job as a baggage handler at an airport. He’s a Korean War veteran and very quick to anger, constantly screaming at his family. Frank’s wife, Sue (Laura Dern), is always trying to keep her husband happy, while struggling with her own depression and emotional instability from being an isolated stay-at-home mom.
The show also follows Frank and Sue’s three children and their antics. Their oldest child, Kevin Murphy (Justin Long), is a punk kid who doesn’t care about school. Bill Murphy (Haley Reinhart) is the younger son, who is very shy and meek. Maureen (Debi Derryberry), the young daughter, is a rebel who hangs out with the neighborhood delinquents, but her father still thinks she is the golden child.
Each episode has it’s own central story. The plot lines often focus on Frank’s job and his anger, Sue’s attempts to create her own career path, and the trouble that Kevin, Bill, and Maureen get into.
Rotten Tomatoes gives season one of F is for Family an 82 percent rating stating, “While the humor relies on vulgarity, the strength for F is for Family is the substantial heart.” Indeed, the humor is very vulgar and consists of a lot of cursing (thanks to it being straight-to-Netflix, I assume), but I enjoy that kind of humor. I do find myself laughing quite often at this show, or at least smiling in amusement. If you’re looking for a pretty entertaining and funny show, F is for Family is a good choice.
There is a part of the Rotten Tomatoes review that I disagree with. I didn’t really find much “heart” in the show, let alone a substantial amount. The characters are boring, or, in Frank’s case, extremely unlikeable. While Frank’s temper towards his family is arguably “funny,” it comes off extremely verbally and emotionally abusive. His family is terrified of him to the point that Sue is always attempting to play mediator so that he doesn’t have a temper tantrum. He tries to stop Sue from working, and even consciously sabotages her efforts. He rarely ever shows much love or affection to his family. I found myself feeling very uncomfortable after watching this show because of Frank’s abusive attitude. Coupled with the fact that the family barely seems to like each other at all, for me, there is no “heart” to this show.
Even though F is for Family is funny, it’s not a show I’m particularly looking forward to watching again.