God, the Devil and Bob

Infobox Television
show_name = God, the Devil and Bob


caption = God, Bob and the Devil"
format = Animated television series
runtime = 30 minutes
creator = Matthew Carlson
voices = James Garner
Alan Cumming
French Stewart
Nancy Cartwright
Jeff Doucette
Laurie Metcalf
Kath Soucie
country = USA
network = NBC
first_aired = March 9, 2000
last_aired = March 28, 2000
num_episodes = 13
tv_com_id = 894
imdb_id = 0221751

"God, the Devil and Bob" is a short-lived animated television series that was broadcast on NBC in March 2000. It was created by Matthew Carlson.

The entire series was released on Region 1 DVD in the United States on January 4, 2005.

ynopsis

The series was based on God (voiced by James Garner) and the Devil (voiced by Alan Cumming) making a bet over the fate of the world. God wants to wipe humanity off the face of the planet and start over, but he realizes that He's "not that kind of God." The devil gets to choose one person, and if that person does not prove they have made the world a better place, God will destroy the world. The devil chooses Bob Alman (voiced by French Stewart), a beer-drinking, porno-watching auto plant worker from the suburbs of Detroit who, when asked to save humanity from complete annihilation, asks "What's in it for me?" After saving humanity in the pilot episode, the series revolves around Bob being God's "Go-To Guy" whenever He gets a great idea to help out the world.

Main characters

"God" (James Garner) is the laid-back, beer-drinking deity, who was somewhat based on Jerry Garcia of The Grateful Dead. Though He is distressed with the state of the world and is considering destroying it and starting over,even going so far as to design a new universe where marsupials replace humanity and humanity "is somewhere down the food chain". He wants to give humanity a sporting chance. Though He and the devil appear to have put much of their differences behind them, and are frequently seen socialising, God has a habit of constantly forgetting the devil's birthday. He often wears sunglasses and drinks light beer.

"The Devil" (Alan Cumming) is trying to persuade God to destroy the world, and is constantly trying to thwart Bob in his attempts to save it. He is a margarita drinker and drives a purple Dodge Charger described by Bob as the "coolest car [he's] ever seen". Despite appearances, the devil is needy and co-dependent, often reduced to tears when God ignores or forgets about him.

"Bob Alman" (French Stewart) is the pornography-watching, under-educated prophet/messenger of God. He is an auto plant worker from Detroit, and is a huge fan of the Red Wings. Despite his numerous failings, God has faith in him and Bob eventually pulls through. He clearly loves his family and goes to extreme lengths to keep them safe. As the series progresses, Bob appears to start to be on friendly terms with both God and the Devil, though the latter is still frequently antagonistic towards Bob.

"Donna Alman" (Laurie Metcalf) is Bob's wife who is constantly trying her best to be a good mother. She doesn't believe Bob's claims that he is working for God, and thinks he must be delusional. She has recently returned to college after fourteen years of parenting.

"Megan Alman " (Nancy Cartwright) is Bob and Donna's eldest child. She is thirteen, overly-rebellious, insistent, bad-tempered and unruly, yet still loves her family, very deep down.

"Andy Alman" (Kath Soucie) is Bob and Donna's six-year old son. He is a sweet and good-natured boy who looks up to his father. He is the only person that really believes Bob talks to God and the devil. At one point in the beginning of the show, he actually sees God.

"Smeck" (Jeff Doucette) is an imp-like demon, and is the devil's put-upon henchman apprentice. In spite of the abuse he suffers at the devil's hands, he remains loyal to his master. In episode seven, we learn the devil would fire him were it not for his union.

Episode list

*1: In the Beginning - Original US Air Date: March 9 2000
*2: Andy Runs Away - Original US Air Date: March 14 2000
*3: Date from Hell - Original US Air Date: March 21 2000
*4: The Devil's Birthday - Original US Air Date: March 28 2000
*5: Neighbor's Keeper - Original US Air Date: N/A
*6: God's Favorite - Original US Air Date: N/A
*7: Bob Gets Committed - Original US Air Date: N/A
*8: Lonely at the Top - Original US Air Date: N/A
*9: Bob Gets Greedy - Original US Air Date: N/A
*10: There's Too Much Sex on TV - Original US Air Date: N/A
*11: Bob's Father - Original US Air Date: N/A
*12: God's Girlfriend - Original US Air Date: N/A
*13: Bob Gets Involved - Original US Air Date: N/A

DVD release

20th Century Fox has released the complete series on DVD in Region 1 for the very first time. The 2-disc set features an extensive array of special features including commentaries, interviews and audition tapes.

Cancellation

Thirteen episodes were made but only four were broadcast in the United States before the series was cancelled, due to a combination of low ratings and pressure from conservative Christian groups [ [http://animatedtv.about.com/od/dvdandvideoreviews/gr/goddevilbob.htm "God, The Devil & Bob" - The Complete Series ] ] . The show however was well received in countries such as United Kingdom, Ireland and Latin America (including Brazil) where BBC Two, RTE and FOX respectively aired the entire series. The series was also broadcast on Australia's The Comedy Channel, but was not very successful.Fact|date=April 2007

References

External links

*imdb title|id=0221751|title=God, the Devil and Bob
* [http://wiki.dot-totally.co.uk/God,_the_Devil_and_Bob Liberty Wiki Entry]