''F Is for Family'' is an

adult An adult is an animal that has reached full growth. The biological definition of the word means an animal reaching sexual maturity and thus capable of reproduction. In the human context, the term ''adult'' has meanings associated with social an ...

animated sitcom An animated sitcom is a subgenre of a television sitcom that is animation, animated instead of being filmed live-action, and is generally made or created for adult animation, adult audiences in most cases. ''The Simpsons'', ''SpongeBob SquarePan ...

created by

Bill Burr {{Infobox comedian , image = Bill Burr by Gage Skidmore.jpg , alt = , caption = Burr in 2018 , birth_name = William Frederic Burr , birth_date = {{birth date and age, 1968, 6, 10 , bi ...

and Michael Price for

Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...

. It was produced by

Vince Vaughn Vincent Anthony Vaughn (born March 28, 1970) is an American actor. He is known for starring as a leading man in numerous comedy films during the late 1990s and 2000s. He was nominated for a Screen Actors Guild Awards, Screen Actors Guild Award ...

's Wild West Television, King of France Productions, Loner Productions, Gaumont Television USA and

Gaumont Animation Gaumont Animation (formerly known as Alphanim and Gaumont Alphanim) is a History of French animation, French animation studio owned by Gaumont (company), Gaumont founded in February 1997 by Christian Davin. The company's animated catalog compris ...

. Set in the 1970s, the series follows a dysfunctional suburban

Irish American Irish Americans () are Irish ethnics who live within in the United States, whether immigrants from Ireland or Americans with full or partial Irish ancestry. Irish immigration to the United States From the 17th century to the mid-19th c ...

family in the fictional town of Rustvale,

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

. ''F Is for Family'' premiered on December 18, 2015. On October 1, 2020, Netflix renewed it for its fifth and final season and the series ended on November 25, 2021 with a total of 44 episodes over five seasons. The first season contains six episodes; the next three contain ten episodes each; and the final season, eight. The series received consistently positive reviews throughout its run, with particular praise for its stark, comic portrait of 1970s America.

Cast and characters

Main

Bill Burr {{Infobox comedian , image = Bill Burr by Gage Skidmore.jpg , alt = , caption = Burr in 2018 , birth_name = William Frederic Burr , birth_date = {{birth date and age, 1968, 6, 10 , bi ...

as Francis "Frank" Xavier Murphy: a 39-40 year old disillusioned, hard working, brutally honest, short-tempered,

Korean War The Korean War (25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953) was an armed conflict on the Korean Peninsula fought between North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea; DPRK) and South Korea (Republic of Korea; ROK) and their allies. North Korea was s ...

veteran A veteran () is a person who has significant experience (and is usually adept and esteemed) and expertise in an job, occupation or Craft, field. A military veteran is a person who is no longer serving in the military, armed forces. A topic o ...

and

Purple Heart The Purple Heart (PH) is a United States military decoration awarded in the name of the president to those wounded or killed while serving, on or after 5 April 1917, with the U.S. military. With its forerunner, the Badge of Military Merit, ...

recipient, husband of Sue Murphy, and father of four who works as a

baggage handler In the airline industry, a baggage handler is a person who loads and unloads baggage (suitcases or luggage), and other cargo (airfreight, mail, counter-to-counter packages) for transport via aircraft. With most airlines, the formal job title is ...

, and eventually promoted to ground-operations manager, at the local airport. ** Burr also voices Father Pat. *

Laura Dern Laura Elizabeth Dern (born February 10, 1967) is an American actress. She is the recipient of numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, a BAFTA Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award, and five Golden Globe Awards. Born ...

as Susan "Sue" Murphy (née Chilson): Frank's 36-year-old wife, mother of four, and aspiring

entrepreneur Entrepreneurship is the creation or extraction of economic value in ways that generally entail beyond the minimal amount of risk (assumed by a traditional business), and potentially involving values besides simply economic ones. An entreprene ...

. *

Justin Long Justin Jacob Long (born June 2, 1978) is an American actor and comedian. He is known for his film roles, particularly in comedy and horror films, notably appearing in ''Galaxy Quest'' (1999), ''Jeepers Creepers (2001 film), Jeepers Creepers'' ( ...

as Kevin Murphy: The Murphys' eldest child; a typical 14-15 year old juvenile delinquent and aspiring musician. Kevin also has

aquaphobia Aquaphobia () is an irrational fear of water. Aquaphobia is considered a specific phobia of natural environment type in the ''Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders''. A specific phobia is an intense fear of something that poses ...

, as he almost drowned in a

motel A motel, also known as a motor hotel, motor inn or motor lodge, is a hotel designed for motorists, usually having each room entered directly from the Parking lot, parking area for motor vehicles rather than through a central Lobby (room), lo ...

pool as a child, an event that traumatizes him to this day. **Long also voices Chuck Sawitzki & Phineas. *

Haley Reinhart Haley Elizabeth Reinhart (born September 9, 1990) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress from Wheeling, Illinois. She first rose to prominence after placing third in the tenth season of ''American Idol''. In July 2011, Reinhart signed a ...

as William "Bill" Murphy: The Murphys' 10-11 year old prepubescent son who is easily the most normal member of the family, although he is often too nice and gets taken advantage of. He is, however, unafraid of standing up for himself from time to time with varying degrees of success. **Haley Reinhart also voices Frank Murphy as a child. *

Debi Derryberry Debi Derryberry (''née'' Greenberg; born September 27, 1960) is an American voice actress who has provided voices for a number of animations and video games. She is best known for voicing Jimmy Neutron, the titular protagonist of the Jimmy Neutr ...

as Maureen Murphy: The Murphys' 9-year-old daughter, whom Frank always refers to as "princess". She is an intelligent and inquisitive young girl with a passion for science and computers, although she, like Kevin, has a knack for getting herself into trouble on a daily basis. **Debi Derryberry also voices: ***Philip Bonfiglio: Babe and Marie's 10-11-year-old son, and best friend of Bill. He has a complex caused by his controlling mother and shows subtle signs of repressed homosexuality. He also seems to be repressing his anger with violent and gruesome drawings. *** Kenny: a friend of Bill and Maureen and is the younger brother of Ben. *** Bridget Fitzsimmons: Jimmy Fitzsimmons' crude, foul-mouthed 11-year-old younger sister, Maureen's friend. She was named after a bridge in Pittsburgh that her parents had sex under when she was conceived, initially implying that was how she got her first name, until her full name was revealed as "Bridget

South Tenth Street Bridge The South Tenth Street Bridge, most often called the Tenth Street Bridge, but officially dubbed the Philip Murray Bridge, is a suspension bridge that spans the Monongahela River in Downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The only cable suspension br ...

Fitzsimmons". *** Megan Murphy: a fourth child and younger daughter of the Murphy family. She is the youngest child of Sue and Frank, and the younger sister of Kevin, Bill and Maureen. She was born in the season four finale "Baby, Baby, Baby", being born in October 1974. *** Others *

Sam Rockwell Sam Rockwell (born November 5, 1968) is an American actor. He won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, for playing troubled police officer Jason Dixon in ''Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri'' (2017). He was nominated i ...

as Vic Reynolds: A 29-30 year old wealthy radio

disc jockey A disc jockey, more commonly abbreviated as DJ, is a person who plays recorded music for an audience. Types of DJs include Radio personality, radio DJs (who host programs on music radio stations), club DJs (who work at nightclubs or music fes ...

who was formerly addicted to

cocaine Cocaine is a tropane alkaloid and central nervous system stimulant, derived primarily from the leaves of two South American coca plants, ''Erythroxylum coca'' and ''Erythroxylum novogranatense, E. novogranatense'', which are cultivated a ...

. Despite his former hedonistic lifestyle, he admires Frank for having a wife and children, and is sincerely cordial towards him. Unbeknownst to him, however, his earnest attitude and way of life tends to rub Frank the wrong way. At the end of season 4, his child is born. He is shown to be an amiable and protective father towards his son.

Co-starring

Trevor Devall Trevor Devall (born November 10, 1972) is a Canadian voice actor. He worked for various other studios in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada for years, before he relocated to Los Angeles, California in 2013. Early life Trevor Devall was born ...

as: ** Bolo, one of Kevin's friends and bandmates. ** Goomer G. Goomer: Frank's creepy voyeuristic friend and next-door-neighbor and Evelyn's husband. ** Otto Holtenwasser: The Murphy's elderly neighbor who lived through the Holocaust. Ironically, for most of the series, the children mistakenly believe he is an ex-Nazi. ** Others *

Mo Collins Maureen Ann Collins (born July 7, 1965) is an American actress and comedian who was a member of the ensemble on FOX's sketch comedy series ''Mad TV''. Collins became well known for several characters during her tenure on the show. She was a ...

as: ** Jimmy Fitzsimmons: A delinquent teenager who frequently bullies Bill. He is shown to be scared of Kevin. As of season 3, he views Bill as his best friend after he saved his life. ** Vivian Saunders: Sue's employer and sometimes friend. She is often depicted as having narcissistic qualities. ** Brandy Dunbarton: the widow of the late Roger Dunbarton. She was the former

CEO A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a chief executive or managing director, is the top-ranking corporate officer charged with the management of an organization, usually a company or a nonprofit organization. CEOs find roles in variou ...

of Mohican Airways before its merger. ** Claire: a teenage girl from the Murphys' neighborhood. ** Ben: a friend of Kevin, Bill and Maureen's and the older brother of Kenny. ** Ginny Throater: A sometimes friend of Sue; she's a bit of a

Debbie Downer Debbie Downer is a fictional ''Saturday Night Live'' character who debuted in 2004, and was created and portrayed by Rachel Dratch. Dratch's character usually appears at social gatherings and interrupts the conversation to voice negative opinion ...

. ** Others *

Phil Hendrie Philip Stephen Hendrie is an American radio personality and actor. He is widely known for his voiceover talent throughout the radio and film industry. He came to prominence in the 1990s hosting '' The Phil Hendrie Show'', a radio talk show where h ...

as: ** Jim Jeffords: a smooth-talking television personality who was fired for his live on-air racist remarks. He later helps to expose the mayor for being corrupt. ** Reid Harrison: an aging overweight Robert Blake-esque TV star who plays Frank's favorite TV character; Colt Luger. ** Hobo Jojo (season 3–4): a hobo clown character Jim Jeffords played to host a local Saturday cartoon block during which children could play ring toss for prizes. ** Mr. Durkin (season 3–5): Kevin Murphy's summer school and regular school year math teacher who was known for abusing his students anytime they misbehave. He is shown to struggle with poverty. ** Others *

Kevin Michael Richardson Kevin Michael Richardson (born October 25, 1964) is an American actor. Known for his distinctively deep voice, he has mostly voiced villainous characters in animation and video games. In film, Richardson voiced Goro in ''Mortal Kombat'' (1995) ...

as: ** Chauncey "Rosie" Roosevelt: Frank's co-worker at Mohican Airways and elected

alderman An alderman is a member of a Municipal government, municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law with similar officials existing in the Netherlands (wethouder) and Belgium (schepen). The term may be titular, denotin ...

who unlike his predecessor, genuinely cares for the people in the community he represents. ** Others

Recurring

* David Koechner as Robert "Bob Pogo" Pogrohovich, Frank's morbidly

obese Obesity is a medical condition, considered by multiple organizations to be a disease, in which excess body fat has accumulated to such an extent that it can potentially have negative effects on health. People are classified as obese when ...

, selfish,

chain smoking Chain smoking is the practice of smoking several cigarettes in succession, sometimes using the ember of a finishing cigarette to light the next. The term chain smoker often also refers to a person who smokes relatively constantly, though not nec ...

former boss and friend. In season 5, when he convinces Mrs. Dunbarton to sell Mohican Airways, he opens up a fast food restaurant that ends up a flop due to the restaurant's less than appealing menu. *

Kevin Farley Kevin Prindiville Farley (born June 8, 1965) is an American actor, singer, comedian, writer, producer and director. He is the younger brother of American comedian and actor Chris Farley. Early life, family and education Kevin Farley was born i ...

as: ** Babe Bonfiglio, a neighbor, one of Frank's friends, husband of Marie, and father of Phillip and Anthony. ** Carl, a baggage handler, Red's best friend, and one of Frank's co-workers. ** Dick Sawitzki, owner of the town's electronics store and an old friend of Frank's dad. ** Others *

Gary Cole Gary Michael Cole (born September 20, 1956) is an American actor. He began his professional acting career on stage at Chicago's Steppenwolf Theatre Company in 1985. His breakout role was playing Jack 'Nighthawk' Killian in the NBC series '' M ...

(seasons 1–2) as Roger Dunbarton, the owner and founder of Mohican Airways. In the season 2 finale, he was accidentally killed from blood loss when he was hit by debris on the runaway at the airport he owned. *

Joe Buck Joseph Francis Buck (born April 25, 1969) is an American sportscaster for ESPN. The son of sportscaster Jack Buck, he worked for Fox Sports from its 1994 inception through 2022, including roles as lead play-by-play announcer for Fox's Nati ...

as: ** Lou Gagliardi, the president of the International Brotherhood of Baggage Handlers, Skycaps, Roadies and Circus Roustabouts. He is also the current owner of Captain Chucklethrust's. ** Jimmy's dad ** Rock concert MC ** Woodshop teacher ** Mohican Airways commercial VO. *

John DiMaggio John William DiMaggio ( ; born September 4, 1968) is an American actor. His various voice roles include Bender on ''Futurama'', Jake the Dog on ''Adventure Time'', Marcus Fenix in the ''Gears of War'' series, Dr. Drakken on '' Kim Possible'', ...

(season 2) as Scoop Dunbarton, Roger Dunbarton's racist, brain-damaged, and moronic nephew. He was originally a

minor league baseball Minor League Baseball (MiLB) is a professional baseball organization below Major League Baseball (MLB), constituted of teams affiliated with MLB clubs. It was founded on September 5, 1901, in response to the growing dominance of the National Le ...

player until one night in

St. Louis St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a populatio ...

when he got drunk after pitching a

no-hitter In baseball, a no-hitter or no-hit game is a game in which a team does not record a hit (baseball), hit through conventional methods. Major League Baseball (MLB) officially defines a no-hitter as a completed game in which a team that batted in ...

and got kicked in the head while trying to carve his name onto the back end of a

Clydesdale horse The Clydesdale is a horse breed, breed of draught horse which originated in the seventeenth century, and takes its name from the Clydesdale (district), Clydesdale district of Scotland. The first recorded use of the name "Clydesdale" for the bre ...

. For this reason, he has a massive dent in his head. At the end of season 2, he accidentally kills himself and Roger Dunbarton when he steps on a bomb in a briefcase during an attempted hijacking of a plane at (formerly called) Mohican. *

Allison Janney Allison Brooks Janney (born November 19, 1959) is an American actress. Known for her performances across the screen and stage, she has received List of awards and nominations received by Allison Janney, various accolades, including an Academy A ...

(seasons 2–3) as Henrietta Van Horne, the founder of Plast-A-Ware * T.J. Miller (seasons 2–3) as Randy, Bill's shady boss for his paper route. *

Michael K. Williams Michael Kenneth Williams (November 22, 1966 – September 6, 2021) was an American actor. He rose to fame for his acclaimed portrayals of Omar Little on the HBO drama series ''The Wire'' (2002–2008) and List of Boardwalk Empire characters, Alb ...

(season 2–5) as Smokey Greenwood, a vending machine product distributor and owner of the Champagne Chariot Vending Services, and one of Rosie's good friends. (Season 5, episode 6 was dedicated to Williams) * Josh Adam Meyers (season 2–5) as "Howlin'" Hank Howland, a radio DJ who works with Vic at WKWOK 109.5. *

Jessica DiCicco Jessica Sonya DiCicco (; born June 10, 1980) is an American actress. She is known for voicing in animated television series and video games. Her first voice role was the announcer for Nickelodeon's educational channel Noggin. DiCicco has since ...

(season 2) as Haircut Girl, a teenage girl only ever referred to as Haircut Girl due to the fact that she gives out free haircuts. *

(season 3) as Chet Stevenson, an Air Force veteran with untreated

PTSD Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental disorder that develops from experiencing a traumatic event, such as sexual assault, domestic violence, child abuse, warfare and its associated traumas, natural disaster, traffic collision, ...

and an abusive personality who becomes a new neighbor of the Murphys. * Matt Jones (season 3–4) as Nuber, Kevin's summer school classmate. * Jamie Denbo (season 3–5) as: ** Marie Bonfiglio, mother of Philip and Anthony ** Alice Goldman (season 4–5), Kevin's Jewish classmate and girlfriend who comes from a loving family. * Al Ducharme (season 3–5) as Anthony Bonfiglio, younger brother of Phillip Bonfiglio who shows signs of

autism Autism, also known as autism spectrum disorder (ASD), is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by differences or difficulties in social communication and interaction, a preference for predictability and routine, sensory processing d ...

. * Eileen Fogarty (season 3–5) as: ** Evelyn, Goomer's wife and one of Sue's friends. **Nguyen-Nguyen Stevenson, Chet's former Vietnamese wife/murderer and former neighbor of the Murphys'. After killing her husband, she was sent to prison. **Eileen Murphy (season 5), the daughter of William Murphy and Nora Murphy, and the younger sister of Frank Murphy. **Rachel (season 5), One of Alice's friends. *

Jonathan Banks Jonathan Ray Banks (born January 31, 1947) is an American actor. He played FBI Special Agent Frank McPike in the television series '' Wiseguy'' (1987–1990). For his role, he was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supportin ...

(season 4–5) as William "Big Bill" Murphy, Frank's 73-year-old father who had relentlessly bullied and abused Frank, which caused Frank to resent him greatly as an adult. He acts kinder as an old man, but refuses to acknowledge his past abuse. At the beginning of season 5, he passes away. * Alex Moffat (season 4) as Sandy Calabasas, Vic's new boss at the radio station. *

Phil LaMarr Phil LaMarr is an American actor and comedian. He was one of the original featured cast members on the sketch comedy television series '' Mad TV'', where he stayed for five seasons. His voice acting roles in animated series include the Sam B of ' ...

(season 4–5) as Curtis Higgins, the new African-American television personality, replacing Jeffords as part of an appeasement to people of color after Jeffords was terminated for racist comments on live TV. ** Others * Joe Pera (season 4–5) as Alaquippa Ed, a foil and rival to Frank as manager of Alaquippa Airways, the main competitor to Mohican Airlines. In Season 5, Bob Pogo, in an act of delirium, convinced Mrs. Dunbarton to sign a deal that effectively sold Mohican to Alaquippa, merging the two into "Alahican" Airlines, thus making him Frank's supervisor. *

Cree Summer Cree Summer Francks (born July 7, 1969) is an American-Canadian actress and singer. She is best known for her extensive work in animation, voicing characters such as Elmyra Duff in ''Tiny Toon Adventures'' and related media, Susie Carmichael ...

(season 4–5) as Darryl Roosevelt, Rosie and Georgia's son. *

Fred Melamed Fred Melamed (born May 13, 1956) is an American actor. After spending most of his early career primarily as a renowned voice over artist, and occasionally playing small roles in films, notably in seven films directed by Woody Allen, he establish ...

(season 5) as Dr. Erwin Goldman, A psychologist and the father of Alice Goldman. *

Danny Burstein Danny Burstein (born June 16, 1964) is an American actor and singer. Known for his work on Broadway theatre, Broadway stage, he's received numerous accolades including a Tony Awards, Tony Award, a Drama League Award and two Drama Desk Award, Dram ...

(season 5) as Officer Glanney, A Police Officer and Bill's boss for the Rustvale Police Department. *Micah Mason (season 5) as Officer O'Rourke, Glanney's co-worker for the Rustvale Police Department. *

Chris Edgerly Chris Edgerly is an American voice actor. Life and career Edgerly provided the voice of Peter Potamus on the Adult Swim animated series ''Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law'', in addition to several guest voices on the TV series ''Drawn Togeth ...

(season 5) as: **Buster Thunder Jr., A daredevil who goes for the jump on the ramp when he failed and the successful made a land on the ramp. He was a parody of

Evel Knievel Robert Craig Knievel (October 17, 1938November 30, 2007), known professionally as Evel Knievel (), was an American stunt performer and entertainer. Throughout his career, he attempted List of Evel Knievel career jumps, more than 75 ramp-to-ra ...

. **Others

Guest

Kurtwood Smith Kurtwood Larson Smith (born July 3, 1943) is an American actor. He is known for playing Clarence Boddicker in ''RoboCop'' (1987), Robert Griggs in '' Rambo III'' (1988), and Red Forman in ''That '70s Show'' (1998–2006) and '' That '90s Show' ...

as Stanley "Stan" Chilson: Sue's father *

Carol Kane Carolyn Laurie Kane (born June 18, 1952) is an American actress. She gained recognition for her role in '' Hester Street'' (1975), for which she received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress. She became known in the 1970s and 1980s in ...

as Marilyn Chilson: Sue's mother *

Amy Sedaris Amy Louise Sedaris (; born March 29, 1961) is an American actress, comedian, and writer. She played Jerri Blank in the Comedy Central comedy series '' Strangers with Candy'' (1999–2000) and the prequel film '' Strangers with Candy'' (2005), wh ...

as Samantha, the Lamaze teacher with contempt for men. * Daryl Mitchell as Chipsy White, the greatest stand-up comedian and actor on There's a Fairy On My Shoulder. *

Will Sasso William Sasso (born May 24, 1975) is a Canadian comedian, actor, and podcaster. After a starring role as Derek Wakaluk on the Global teen drama television series '' Madison'' (1994–1998), Sasso had his breakout as a regular cast member on the ...

as Mayor Anthony Tangenti: Rosie's new boss and Mayor of Rustvale who is corrupt and is in cahoots with the mob. *

Neil Patrick Harris Neil Patrick Harris (born June 15, 1973) is an American actor, singer, writer, producer, and television host. Primarily known for his comedic television roles and dramatic and musical stage roles, he has received List of awards and nominations ...

as Louis Chilson: Sue's gay brother * Joe Pera as Alaquippa Ed: Frank's former rival airport manager and eventual manager when Mohican and Alaquippa merged. *

Snoop Dogg Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr. ( ; born October 20, 1971), better known by his stage name Snoop Dogg (previously Snoop Doggy Dogg), is an American rapper, record producer, and actor. Rooted in West Coast hip-hop, he is widely regarded as one of t ...

as The Rev. Sugar Squires. *

Rich Sommer Rich Sommer (born February 2, 1978) is an American actor, best known for his portrayal of Harry Crane on the AMC drama series ''Mad Men'' (2007–2015) for which he earned two Screen Actors Guild Awards along with the ensemble cast. He is also ...

as Cliff Haskins: The Owner of Invasive Industries. ** Others *

Cissy Jones Cissy Jones is an American voice actress. Jones's voice has appeared in games such as ''Firewatch'', '' The Walking Dead'', ''Life Is Strange'', ''Grand Theft Auto V'' and '' Darksiders III''. She voiced the part of Lois Lane in the 2018 game ...

as Hannah: One of Alice's friends. * Nia Renée Hill as Georgia Roosevelt: Rosie Roosevelt's wife. *

Patti LuPone Patti Ann LuPone (born April 21, 1949) is an American actress and singer. After starting her professional career with The Acting Company in 1972, she soon gained acclaim for her leading performances on the Broadway and West End stage. Known f ...

as Nora Murphy: The mother of Frank and Eileen Murphy, and paternal grandmother of Frank's children, Kevin, Bill, Maureen and Megan Murphy. Nora is also the ex-wife of William Murphy, having been married to him for about twenty years before divorcing. Nora is also the wife of Earl Gribble.

Episodes

Production

The series was announced in October 2014 as part of a partnership between

Gaumont International Television Gaumont Television (formerly known as Gaumont International Television) is the American television division of the French film studio Gaumont. It was launched on September 12, 2011 as an independent studio based in Los Angeles, designed to produ ...

, and Wild West Television. The show is a "family comedy" based on the standup of

Bill Burr {{Infobox comedian , image = Bill Burr by Gage Skidmore.jpg , alt = , caption = Burr in 2018 , birth_name = William Frederic Burr , birth_date = {{birth date and age, 1968, 6, 10 , bi ...

. Moreover, the show takes place in the 1970s, "a time when you could smack your kid, smoke inside, and bring a gun to the airport". Burr voices the Murphy family patriarch, with

as his wife,

as his eldest son,

as his daughter Maureen, and

as his young son. The first season consists of six episodes, shown in a serial manner, written by

Bill Burr {{Infobox comedian , image = Bill Burr by Gage Skidmore.jpg , alt = , caption = Burr in 2018 , birth_name = William Frederic Burr , birth_date = {{birth date and age, 1968, 6, 10 , bi ...

and Michael Price. Price is best known for his

Emmy The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the year, each with their own set of rules and award catego ...

and Writers Guild award-winning work on ''

The Simpsons ''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening and developed by Groening, James L. Brooks and Sam Simon for the Fox Broadcasting Company. It is a Satire (film and television), satirical depiction of American life ...

''. The series is directed by Ben Marsaud (director of '' Counterfeit Cat'' & former storyboard artist on ''

The Amazing World of Gumball ''The Amazing World of Gumball'' (also known simply as ''Gumball'' or by its abbreviation ''TAWOG''; retitled ''The Wonderfully Weird World of Gumball'' beginning with its The Wonderfully Weird World of Gumball, seventh season) is an animated si ...

''). Season 2 premiered May 30, 2017. On June 28, 2017, the show was renewed for a third season. On July 1, 2018, Burr confirmed season three. On November 30, 2018, the third season was released. On January 24, 2019, the show was renewed for a fourth season, which was released on June 12, 2020. On October 1, 2020, Netflix renewed the series for the fifth and final season which was released on November 25, 2021. Many references are made to the city of

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, second-most populous city in Pennsylvania (after Philadelphia) and the List of Un ...

in the series, a city that Burr has visited frequently on his stand-up tours and shares a hatred of the

Philadelphia Flyers The Philadelphia Flyers are a professional ice hockey team based in Philadelphia. The Flyers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Conference. The team play ...

with local sportscaster Mark Madden. This has included the characters flying over the Pittsburgh

exurb An exurb (or alternately: exurban area) is an area outside the typically denser inner suburbs, suburban area, at the edge of a metropolitan area, which has some economic and commuting connection to the metro area, low housing-density, and rela ...

Steubenville, Ohio Steubenville ( ) is a city in Jefferson County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Located along the Ohio River west of Pittsburgh, it had a population of 18,161 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The Weirton–Steubenville m ...

on their way to

Cleveland Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–U.S. maritime border and approximately west of the Ohio-Pennsylvania st ...

and said jokes about Pittsburgh being made in Cleveland, the character of Bridget Fitzsimmons wanting to run away to Pittsburgh, and the airline Alaquippa Airlines being named after the Pittsburgh suburb of

Aliquippa, Pennsylvania Aliquippa is a city in Beaver County, Pennsylvania, United States, along the Ohio River. The population was 9,238 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is located northwest of Pittsburgh and is part of the Pittsburgh metropolitan ar ...

Analysis

''F Is for Family'' has been described as "a direct attack on the ideals and assumptions we associate with the

American Dream The "American Dream" is a phrase referring to a purported national ethos of the United States: that every person has the freedom and opportunity to succeed and attain a better life. The phrase was popularized by James Truslow Adams during the ...

". Throughout its 5-season run, the series satirizes and explores several issues exclusive to the socioeconomic and cultural upheaval of 1970s America, including those with or within

marriage Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

labor Labour or labor may refer to: * Childbirth, the delivery of a baby * Labour (human activity), or work ** Manual labour, physical work ** Wage labour, a socioeconomic relationship between a worker and an employer ** Organized labour and the labour ...

economy An economy is an area of the Production (economics), production, Distribution (economics), distribution and trade, as well as Consumption (economics), consumption of Goods (economics), goods and Service (economics), services. In general, it is ...

war War is an armed conflict between the armed forces of states, or between governmental forces and armed groups that are organized under a certain command structure and have the capacity to sustain military operations, or between such organi ...

masculinity Masculinity (also called manhood or manliness) is a set of attributes, behaviors, and roles generally associated with men and boys. Masculinity can be theoretically understood as Social construction of gender, socially constructed, and there i ...

feminism Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideology, ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social gender equality, equality of the sexes. Feminism holds the position that modern soci ...

sexism Sexism is prejudice or discrimination based on one's sex or gender. Sexism can affect anyone, but primarily affects women and girls. It has been linked to gender roles and stereotypes, and may include the belief that one sex or gender is int ...

domestic abuse Domestic violence is violence that occurs in a domestic setting, such as in a marriage or cohabitation. In a broader sense, abuse including nonphysical abuse in such settings is called domestic abuse. The term "domestic violence" is often use ...

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political corruption Political corruption is the use of powers by government officials or their network contacts for illegitimate private gain. Forms of corruption vary but can include bribery, lobbying, extortion, cronyism, nepotism, parochialism, patronage, influen ...

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and

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Disillusion of the American Dream

In an essay on why the series is the perfect satire on the American Dream, Author Jack C. Fisher argues that Frank Murphy personifies the general disillusionment with the Dream that took place during the economic stagnation of the early-1970s: "Take everything you think you know about what it means to work hard, get ahead, and achieve your goals in life. Then, kick it in the gut, spit on it, and throw it through a brick wall. That's Frank Murphy's life. That's what ''F Is for Family'' is all about." He writes that Frank's belligerent personality is a byproduct of that said disillusionment and cites the transformation he goes through in the series'

opening sequence A title screen (also called an opening screen or intro) is the method by which films or television programmes present their title and key production and cast members, utilizing conceptual visuals and sound (often an opening theme song with visua ...

as reflecting who he used to be: "an upbeat, optimistic man who reflected the spirit of his time and his country".

Masculinity in crisis

In an essay on the series, cultural historian Shalon van Tine argues that the primary theme explored in ''F Is for Family'' is the "changing nature of masculinity in the 1970s", mostly depicted through Frank Murphy's perspective: "Frank believes in hard work and feels that the traditional family structure is ideal, but throughout the show, he learns the hard truth that the American dream is a lie. Much of his persona is based around the notion that he must be a 'good man'—one who served his country in the Korean War, married his girl when she got pregnant, works a dead-end job to provide for his family, and raises three rowdy kids to stay out of trouble. Yet, Frank's masculinity is constantly challenged, beginning with him losing his job." "For the average man in the Seventies, and for most of the twentieth century for that matter, losing his job meant losing his identity. The concept of 'being a man' was heavily wrapped up in one's

work Work may refer to: * Work (human activity), intentional activity people perform to support themselves, others, or the community ** Manual labour, physical work done by humans ** House work, housework, or homemaking ** Working animal, an ani ...

and ability to provide for his family"; Van Tine notes that after losing his job at Mohican Airways, Frank also begins to lose his traditional attributes of masculinity such as a

rugged individualism Rugged individualism, derived from individualism, is a term that indicates that an individual is self-reliant and independent from outside (usually government or some other form of collective) assistance or support. While the term is often associat ...

and having the higher likelihood to initiate sex, until he completely loses his "male confidence" and feels too ashamed to even file for unemployment. When Frank's housewife, Sue Murphy, picks up a job and succeeds at where he is failing, Frank feels so emasculated and insecure at the shift in

gender role A gender role, or sex role, is a social norm deemed appropriate or desirable for individuals based on their gender or sex. Gender roles are usually centered on conceptions of masculinity and femininity. The specifics regarding these gendered ...

s that, in one instance, he tries to sabotage her promotion. In a later confrontation, he confesses to wanting to see her fail, saying "As a man, I have to do better or what am I?".

Reception

''F Is for Family'' has received consistently positive reviews throughout its run. On

Metacritic Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...

, it holds a score of 75 out of 100, based on 14 reviews, indicating "Generally favorable reviews".

Season 1

The first season was released to positive reviews. On

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review aggregator, review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee ...

, it holds a rating of 85% based on 20 reviews, with an average score of 6.5/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "While the humor relies on vulgarity, the strength of ''F Is for Family'' is its substantial heart." In his review for ''

The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...

'', David Fienberg called the series "entertainingly honest", praising the writing, animation and voice acting. Zack Handlen of ''

The A.V. Club ''The A.V. Club'' is an online newspaper and entertainment website featuring reviews, interviews, and other articles that examine films, music, television, books, games, and other elements of pop-culture media. ''The A.V. Club'' was created in ...

'' described it as a "bitter, but deeply empathetic portrayal of suburban malaise and depression that also doubles as a very funny TV show". Emily St. James of '' Vox'' wrote that "''F Is for Family'' is quite a bit of fun" adding, "it isn't a bad way to kill a few hours".

Season 2

The series received further critical acclaim with its second season, which holds an approval rating of 89% on Rotten Tomatoes based on 9 reviews with an average rating 7.1/10. The consensus on the season reads: "''F Is for Family'' is a little grouchier and wiser in its second season, evoking an era of American decay with warm pastel hues and articulating blue collar angst through Bill Burr's blustery delivery". In his review for IndieWire, Ben Travers praised the season for its dramatic shift in genre, writing "''F Is for Family'' illustrates why it's important to see series for what they are, rather than through the genre lens thrust upon them."

Season 3

In a positive review of the third season, Merrill Barr of ''

Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine founded by B. C. Forbes in 1917. It has been owned by the Hong Kong–based investment group Integrated Whale Media Investments since 2014. Its chairman and editor-in-chief is Steve Forbes. The co ...

'' concluded: "Overall, the third season of ''F Is for Family'' continues to deliver on the things that make it such a worthy and unique addition to the Netflix landscape."

Awards and nominations

References

External links