The Great North

Voice cast

Nick Offerman provides the voice for Beef Tenderloin Tobin, a fisherman who is also a divorced father of four. Beef is still processing the fact that his ex-wife Kathleen left him. For years, he told everyone she had died in a tragic accident, even though all of his children knew the truth. He is a caring parent who teaches his kids to treat others with kindness and respect, but he often feels overwhelmed by the changes in their lives and fears they might drift apart. Jenny Slate voices Judy Tobin, Beef’s only daughter, a sixteen-year-old with artistic interests. Judy is very close to her family, especially her brother Ham, whom she calls her “Alaskan twin” (they are not actually twins, having been born nine months apart). She wants to see the world beyond their tiny, isolated town. In the season five episode “Jude-Night Run Adventure,” her middle name is given as “Trudy.” Will Forte voices Wolf Tobin, Beef’s eldest son and the husband of Honeybee. Wolf is sensitive and hopeful, always trying to earn his father’s approval, though his enthusiasm sometimes gets him into trouble. In the season five episode “Bots on the Side Adventure,” Wolf says his middle name is “Giggles,” which turns out to be Beef’s go-to name for anything he has to label. Dulcé Sloan voices Honeybee Shaw-Tobin, Wolf’s wife. She is confident and loves adventure, having moved from Fresno after falling for Wolf, and is now getting used to life in a small Alaskan fishing community. Paul Rust voices Ham Tobin, Beef’s middle son. Ham is openly gay, and his family fully supports him. He shares a strong connection with his “Alaskan twin” Judy, and they often work together on creative projects. He loves baking and secretly takes over as the town’s “cake lady” after the previous one is arrested. He also fronts Messengers of Chaos, Lone Moose’s first punk band. In the season three episode “Boy Meats World Adventure,” Ham’s middle name is revealed to be “Piercebrosnan.” Aparna Nancherla voices Moon Tobin, Beef’s youngest son, who has his father’s quiet, tough attitude and love for the outdoors. Though only ten, Moon is not scared of Alaska’s dangerous wildlife and frequently sets traps for animals like ruffed grouse or even Bigfoot, or explores the woods near home. He almost always wears a bear-like onesie, even to school.

Production

The animated series was first announced on September 28, 2018, created by Wendy and Lizzie Molyneux along with Minty Lewis, with Loren Bouchard serving as an executive producer. Fox officially ordered the series on May 9, 2019, with Fox Entertainment handling production, Bento Box Entertainment providing animation, and 20th Television managing distribution. The rights to the show are split between Fox Corporation and 20th Television, the latter of which was part of the same corporate group as Fox until it was sold to Disney in March 2019. A premiere was initially set for 2020, announced on May 13, 2019, but this was adjusted to a mid-season slot in the 2020–21 television season on May 11, 2020, later narrowed to February 2021. Before the show aired, Fox renewed it for a second season on June 22, 2020. The premiere date was confirmed as February 14, 2021, on December 18, 2020, part of Fox's Animation Domination block, with a special preview announced for January 3, 2021, on December 22, 2020. The day after the first-season finale, May 17, 2021, Fox renewed the series for a third season. The second season debuted on September 26, 2021, and the third on September 25, 2022. A fourth season was ordered and premiered on January 7, 2024. On January 27, 2024, co-creator Wendy Molyneux announced a fifth season had been picked up. Fox canceled the series after five seasons on October 3, 2025, to make room for American Dad! returning to the network. The initial cast, announced on September 28, 2018, included Nick Offerman, Jenny Slate, Megan Mullally, Paul Rust, Aparna Nancherla, Will Forte, and Dulcé Sloan. On June 22, 2020, it was revealed that Alanis Morissette would voice herself in the series.

Broadcast

In Canada, Citytv broadcast the show for its first season and again for its final two seasons. Starting in 2024, CHCH and Citytv both carry it because of scheduling conflicts. American viewers can stream it on Hulu, and it is sold on all major digital platforms. In India, it airs simultaneously on Disney+ Hotstar, thanks to a deal between 20th Television and Star India. The series streams on Disney+ through the Star hub in certain regions and on Star+ across Latin America. Denmark saw the show debut exclusively on Xee on July 9, 2021, before moving to Disney+ on March 9, 2022, where only the first season and the first three episodes of the second season were available.

Reception

The first season of The Great North received a perfect 100% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes from 15 reviews, with an average score of 7.9 out of 10. The site’s critics described the show as feeling as comfortable as a night by the fire with amusing company, calling it a wonderfully funny part of Fox’s Animation Domination block. On Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, the season earned a score of 77 out of 100 from 10 critics, a result that falls into the “generally favorable reviews” category.

Daniel Fienberg of The Hollywood Reporter highlighted the cast’s performances and the show’s humor, drawing comparisons to Bob’s Burgers. He noted that the series makes only passing gestures toward Indigenous representation and suggested it should develop that aspect further in later episodes. Still, he wrote that with its memorable characters, familiar Bento Box Entertainment animation style, running jokes in the credits, and catchy songs at the end of episodes, the idea of Bob’s Burgers reimagined by someone who has watched Northern Exposure is not a negative thing. Margaret Lyons of The New York Times also praised the humor, remarking that the show strongly recalls Bob’s Burgers and feels like a spin-off even though it is not one, in a positive sense. She added that like many comedies, it becomes funnier as it progresses but maintains a silly sweetness from the very beginning.

Joyce Slaton of Common Sense Media gave the series 4 out of 5 stars. She commended its positive messages and role models, describing some characters as lovable, supportive, and tolerant. She also praised the humor and the diversity of the cast, noting that a strong sense of sweetness runs through the comedy, especially in how family love is central and powerful. She observed that the show clearly enjoys oddball characters and that its humor is gentle and never mocking. Ben Travers of IndieWire awarded the series a B+ grade, calling it a worthy successor to Bob’s Burgers. He said the show manages to maintain its own identity despite similarities to Bob’s Burgers, and he praised the animation’s color palette. He also pointed out that The Great North is the only animated Fox comedy to feature a Black family member, adding that after many years of producing shows similar to The Simpsons, Fox is now successfully building on its other, kinder animated sitcom.