Fox’s 10 Best Animated Shows of All Time, Ranked by Variety | TVLine
Fox’s Animation Roots
Fox’s history with animation began with The Simpsons, which first appeared as vignettes on The Tracey Ullman Show before becoming its own series. Its success helped lead the network to invest in more animated programs, including King of the Hill and Family Guy.
In 2005, Fox introduced Animation Domination, a Sunday-night block devoted to several hours of cartoons. The network also tried more unusual fare, though not every series succeeded; Allen Gregory is cited as a misfire.
Lucas Bros. Finds Its Niche
Created by comedians Kenny and Keith Lucas, Lucas Bros. Moving Co. stars fictionalized versions of the brothers in absurd misadventures. The situations often have little to do with moving, ranging from buying a pager to encountering the imagined Freedom Town.
The series leaned into the brothers’ ’90s enthusiasms and offbeat sensibility. It ran for six episodes on Fox, then moved to FXX for 11 more before cancellation, becoming a brief highlight in the network’s animation history.
Golan’s Macabre Comedy
Golan the Insatiable premiered on November 23, 2013, the same day as Lucas Bros. Moving Co. Both were part of Animation Domination High-Def, a late-Saturday block aimed at cartoons less suited to the network’s Sunday primetime lineup.
The story pairs interdimensional warlord Golan, voiced first by Josh Miller and later by Rob Riggle, with goth girl Dylan, voiced first by Mary Mack and later by Aubrey Plaza. The pair stir up trouble, while Oak Grove’s residents tend to regard Golan as an annoyance. The series lasted two seasons and also featured Maria Bamford, Ken Marino and Matt Silverstein.
The Great North’s Warmth
The Great North shares an animation style with Bob’s Burgers and was created by Lizzie Molyneux-Logelin and Wendy Molyneux, who worked as executive producers on that series. Still, it has its own focus: a loving father raising his family in the Alaskan wilderness.
Beef, voiced by Nick Offerman, is presented as a contrast to animated sitcom fathers such as Homer Simpson and Peter Griffin. He may sometimes smother his family with affection, but the show portrays his care for them as sincere.
Key points
- The Simpsons began as short vignettes on The Tracey Ullman Show.
- Fox launched its Animation Domination Sunday-night block in 2005.
- Lucas Bros. Moving Co. aired six episodes on Fox before moving to FXX.
- The Great North centers on Beef and his family in the Alaskan wilderness.