‘Bless the Harts’ TV Review

By carolinianweb on October 9, 2019 • ( 0 )

Alissa Humphrey
Staff Writer

(Spoilers Ahead)

The newest addition to Fox’s Animation Domination block ‘Bless the Harts,’ was created by our distinguished alumna of ‘93, Emily Spivey. Who’s writing credits consists of King of the Hill, SNL, Up All Night (creator), The Last Man on Earth, and Parks and Recreation. So far, she has had quite the year within her work.

Along with her new comedy being picked up, she most recently a co-writer on the Netflix original film ‘Wine Country’ which premiered in May of this year.

Inspired by Spivey’s life in High Point, NC she gives us the fictional town of Greenpoint, NC, which is a combination of Greensboro and High Point. The show follows the Harts, a southern family who struggle to make ends meet. The shows pilot, ‘Hug N’ Bugs’ introduces us to Jenny Hart (Kristen Wiig), a waitress who works at The Last Supper to support her family. She lives with her angst-filled, but artistically empowered daughter, Violet (Jillian Bell), her goofy and lovable boyfriend, Wayne Edwards (Ike Barinholtz), as well as her kooky and over-the-top mother, Betty (Maya Rudolph.)

It’s only the first episode, so not much sustenance is given for the viewers. But we understand the formula for the animation and the foundation of who the characters are. In the firt few minutes of the show, Jenny cannot pay the bills and the water shuts down. She comes across a probable market in Betty’s storage unit filled with the topical Hug N’ Bugs. There is also a subplot of Wayne and Violet that gives some depth into their characters and who they are going to be. Wayne tries to become more of a father figure towards Violet and attempts a drastic measure to prove his love and worth. Also, Jesus (Kumail Nanjiani) comes and speaks to Jenny at her time of guidance at the Last Supper and it’s amazing! What’s better than an animated Jesus! It’ll likely be my favorite recurring thing, along with Betty trying to make sense of things and constantly mispronounce words.

The potential for the comedy to flourish is present with the chemistry between the goldmine cast and whatever antics the family gets into for them to grow. Spivey’s homage to North Carolina and all its southern glory is a gracious love letter. All we need is time. It’s imperative that this show gets the love it deserves, because I see it being the hidden gem of the 2019-2020 television season.

Watch ‘Bless the Harts’ on Fox on Sundays at 8:30 EST.