Boy, leave it to the Religious Right to ruin things for everyone. It gets a little silly that whenever a new show comes on, or a movie comes out, there is opposition from somebody. They either get blasted for having stereotypical characters or being blasphemous. Thankfully the networks don’t always respond to these nuts and some of the better shows get to stay on, “Family Guy” for example. This was a show that went out of its way to offend just about anyone, yet it aired for two seasons and is now returning because of high DVD sales. But for all the shows that make it through the deluge of protests, there are a ton of shows that get the axe after one of two episodes and, in rare cases, before they ever get on the air. Case in point is a little heard of animated series called “God, the Devil and Bob.” Created by producer Matthew Carlson (who also worked on “The Wonder Years” and “Malcolm in the Middle”) came up with an idea of Biblical proportions.

The series set forth the premise that God had grown tired of the world and was starting to consider it a failed experiment. He decides to give it one more chance however, if he can find one person who can prove humanity is worthy saving. The Devil, being a gambling kind of guy, proposes a wager that he can find someone who can prove the world isn’t a total loss. Unfortunately, the Devil chooses Bob Allman, certainly one of the unlikeliest of candidates. He drinks too much, loves porn and has a less than benevolent soul.

No sooner did the first episode air back in 2000, and every religious protester alive (and possibly dead) crawled out of the woodwork and lambasted the Network for allowing such a sacrilegious series to air. Even the great (and I use the term loosely) Jerry Falwell spoke out and claimed that the series was proof that no matter how far the networks go in their continuing exploration of offensiveness and sacrilege, there is always a new echelon of blasphemy on the horizon.

This alone was enough to get me interested in seeing it for myself. Now, don’t get me wrong. I don’t have it in for the Religious Right. I happen to be a Christian myself, but I’m of a rare breed of ‘self-thinking’ Christians. I have a pretty good sense of the difference between right and wrong (so nothing I see on TV is going to make me rob a bank), and as far as being offended… can’t happen. Nothing offends me; everything is up for grabs in the arena of humor. Unfortunately, “God, the Devil and Bob” came and went so fast that I never had the chance to see a single episode.

It wasn’t until just last week, when a new DVD set featuring all 13 episodes of the series crossed my desk, that I finally had a chance to se what all the hoopla had been. My understanding is that only one episode aired before it was summarily cancelled, (I’m sure Falwell popped a cork off a bottle of non-alcoholic champagne the moment that report came in…) which now after seeing the series was real shame. “God, the Devil and Bob” was as irreverent as it was funny. Granted, it didn’t have that ‘roll on the floor until your sides explodes’ kind of humor, but instead offered a more cerebral sensibility. The jokes weren’t always broad, and every now and again you really had to pay attention to catch the jabs, but it was funny.

Carlson made an interesting choice when designing the artwork for the characters. God, who was voiced by James Garner, strongly resembled Jerry Garcia, while the Devil, voiced by Alan Cumming, looked a bit like…well… Alan Cumming. (Why is it that all evil guys have a British accent?) Even Bob, looked an awful lot like French Stewart, the actor providing the voice. It was a great cast, delivering some great material. “Sacreligious?” Hardly… “Blasphemous?” Please… “Offensive?” Only to those with wayyyyy too much time on their hands.

This is not to say the series was perfect. As I watched the 13 episodes of “God, the Devil and Bob”, I noticed that the humor did fluctuate a bit, but I’m sure it more a matter of the producers getting handle on their creation. With each episode, it got a little better and I’m sure if it had gone an entire season it would have been great. I will say I especially enjoyed an episode where Bob goes to Hollywood to attempt to rein in the amount of sex on television, and he runs into Sarah Michelle Geller.

The new DVD includes some audio commentary on several of the episode by the show’s creative team as well as a featurette on the making and breaking of the series. There’s also a great interview segment that allows the show’s animated main characters to air their views. This is the best of the features.

While “God, the Devil and Bob” may not have been the best animated series ever, it was definitely funny enough to warrant a longer run. Hmmm, I wonder if sales are strong enough, will Fox decide to bring this one back??

Episodes:
In the Beginning
Andy Runs Away
Date From Hell
The Devil’s Birthday
Neighbor’s Keeper
God’s Favorite
Bob Gets Committed
Lonely at the Top
Bob Gets Greedy
There’s Too Much Sex on TV
Bob’s Father
God’s Girlfriend
Bob Gets Involved

Created by: Matthew Carlson
Starring (the voices of): Alan Cumming, French Stewart, Laurie Metcalf, Nancy Cartwright, Kath Soucie, James Garner
Extras: Audio Commentary on Selected Episodes, “Series Overview” Making of Featurette, “Revealed” Character Interview Featurette
Specifications: Full Screen, English Dolby Surround
Studio: Fox
Release Date: 1/4/2005
Region 1
MPAA Rating: NR
Website
Website

We'll give God, The Devil and Bob a B.