God, the Devil and Bob

Did You Know?

• James Garner wrote in his memoirs that 'It's a shame we went out of business so soon because I loved playing God.'
• The series was well received in the United Kingdom, Ireland, and Latin America, where BBC Two, RTÉ, and Fox aired the entire series.
• The 2-disc DVD set includes commentaries, interviews, and audition tapes.

Synopsis

God and the Devil make a bet over the fate of the world. God wants to wipe out humanity and start over but decides he is not that kind of God. The Devil chooses one person, Bob Allman, a beer-drinking auto plant worker from suburban Detroit. If Bob does not prove he has made the world a better place, God will destroy it.

Characters

God, voiced by James Garner, looks like Jerry Garcia and acts like a chill, beer-loving guy. He’s unhappy with how things are going on Earth and has thought about wiping it out to start fresh—maybe a world where marsupials rule and humans are lower on the food chain—but he still wants to give people a fair shot. He and the Devil hang out a lot and seem to have moved past most of their old fights, though God keeps forgetting the Devil’s birthday. The Devil, voiced by Alan Cumming, pushes God to end the world and works against Bob’s efforts to save it. He sips margaritas, drives a purple Dodge Charger that Bob calls the coolest car ever, and is actually pretty needy and clingy, breaking down in tears when God ignores him or forgets plans like a golf game. He also throws nasty tantrums when he loses at games like bowling. Robert Downey Jr. was originally set to voice the Devil but had to drop out because of a drug relapse. Bob Allman, voiced by French Stewart, is a rough-around-the-edges prophet who drinks heavily, watches porn, and works at a Detroit auto plant. He’s a huge Red Wings fan and often doubts he’s up to the job of saving the world, but God believes in him and he comes through. He loves his family and works hard to protect them, though he also makes excuses to hit the bar or catch a game. The character was drawn to look like French Stewart. Donna Allman, voiced by Laurie Metcalf, is Bob’s wife trying hard to be a good mom, but she clashes with their daughter Megan. She doesn’t buy Bob’s story about working for God and thinks he’s just confused. After 14 years of raising kids, she’s gone back to college.