The Great North never chased the spotlight of its flashier FOX animated shows like Family Guy or The Simpsons, and that’s part of what made it unique. Even the show’s frigid Alaskan setting evoked that general outcast persona. It’s always been an underappreciated animated sitcom that deserved more love, but unfortunately, The Great North didn’t endure beyond five seasons.
After FOX canceled The Great North, there was no better time than to look back on the Tobin family’s funniest antics. Co-created by Bob’s Burgers’ Loren Bouchard, The Great North was stacked with a killer cast, from Nick Offerman, Will Forte, Jenny Slate, Dulcé Sloan, and many more.
Yawn of the Dead Adventure
Season 2 Episode 3
When a sudden blackout traps Judy, Ham, and Moon at school, the episode takes what could be genuine terror and uses it to reveal how the Tobin kids process fear: through imagination and exaggeration. The kids’ overreactions, the teachers’ confusion, and Wolf’s domestic side plot all feel authentic within the show’s logic and relationships. It’s exaggerated, but never arbitrary.
“Yawn of the Dead Adventure” deepens as the blackout’s fantasy peels back the kids’ ordinary insecurities. Moon’s frustration at being treated like the youngest becomes the real crisis, his fear less about monsters than being underestimated, while Wolf’s frantic effort to repair Beef’s ruined shirt mirrors that same impulse to fix what doesn’t need fixing.
Even as an animated Halloween episode—and the show’s first spooky outing—the episode never forgets that its characters are trying to hold their small worlds together. Even though the episode title riffs on the classic zombie film Dawn of the Dead, it’s not a zombie episode by nature; rather, the monster is the catalyst of the kids’ paranoia.
Any Court in a Storm Adventure
Season 4 Episode 12
When a blizzard traps the Tobin clan and guests inside their house, Beef imposes a naval-ship regime to maintain order—until a half-eaten box of candies turns the household against him. It’s not the first time the Tobins have been snowed in together, but this particular episode is a great example of when the Tobins, despite loving each other, are at each other’s throats.
Beef’s descent into captaincy is both ridiculous and telling; he’s terrified that if he loosens his grip, everything falls apart, and it certainly doesn’t help that Jerry framed him. That’s exactly why Moon’s mock trial of Beef is so funny: by letting the family air grievances in absurd legal form, they expose long-standing resentments and descend further into claustrophobic madness.
Tasteful Noods Adventure
Season 2 Episode 7
When Ham lands a job at MommaPoppa’s Ristorante during Careers Week, he discovers the owners reuse half-eaten pasta, and Judy’s attempt to find her first byline collides with Ham’s moral quandary. This episode’s premise turns that awful business practice into a philosophical question: what does integrity cost when nobody seems to care?
The real sting occurs after Ham and Judy expose the restaurant’s corruption—only to see the restaurant reopen three days later. I love the hard lesson that the kids learn—sometimes doing the right thing doesn’t change the world—but even when their innocence is chipped away, the episode ends with Wolf exclaiming he’d still eat there. It’s one last jab at the audience, acknowledging how hypocritical and shifty our moral stances can be.
A Knife to Remember Adventure
Season 3 Episode 1
When Wolf and Honeybee sneak off to Crocodile Rob’s—the outback-themed spot Beef banned because of old Kathleen baggage—the episode turns a running joke about “dad’s rules” into a confession about grief disguised as guidance. Watching the kids test every other forbidden place reframes Beef’s bans even further, of how a father unintentionally transferred his anguish to his kids.
Beef’s talk with Londra, where he admits the good memories hurt more than the bad, was a tender start to season 3, reminding us of the show’s sincerity. The family’s simple solution—to make new experiences together—was a lovely reset that lets Beef drop his emotional armor. Overall, it’s a fantastic episode about letting go of the past.
My Fart Will Go On Adventure
Season 1 Episode 11
As Wolf and Honeybee’s Titanic-themed wedding nears, Judy discovers their estranged mother Kathleen has RSVP’d “maybe,” prompting a decoy wedding scheme that collapses when Beef finds out. Ultimately, as the plan crumbles, it forces the Tobins to stop protecting each other with half-truths and start protecting each other with honesty—that Kathleen is the one missing out on family experiences.
This episode earns its ranking because it defines the show’s early thesis—joy doesn’t require perfect conditions, just the people you love. Meanwhile, it also nails the elaborate lengths that the Tobin family will go to protect each other. Usually it takes a season or two for a show to find its identity, but The Great North found it by episode 11.
Cillian Me Softly Adventure
Season 3 Episode 2
On Lone Moose’s Emergency Day, a dinosaur-attack drill turns Wolf and Honeybee’s first fight—sparked by how to pronounce “Cillian Murphy”—into a town-wide obstacle course. The episode uses a pretend disaster to surface actual stakes: fear of being left, fear of being wrong, and the comfort of naming both out loud.
It’s a ridiculous premise that strikes at the reality of early marriages. Couples get into arguments, and instead of either Honeybee or Wolf turning the situation toxic—as so many toxic TV couples do—it’s instead an honest situation that disturbs them. One worries the other will leave, while the other attempts to find distractions. And while Moon’s dinosaur attack submission commences, the absurdity brings them closer together.
XMas with the Skanks Adventure
Season 3 Episode 10
At Lone Moose’s annual gift swap, the kids scheme to reclaim Skanky—the lewd dancing tree—while Moon hides a mistreated reindeer that’s about to give birth. The episode uses a cheap dancing tree to crack open everything Beef’s been avoiding all these years after the divorce, and if you haven’t picked up the pattern, the best Great North episodes typically involve Beef’s repressed, quiet guilt.
Beef’s hatred of Skanky doesn’t have anything to do with the toy itself; he feels ashamed about failing to provide for his kids when money was tight. But the heart of this story comes from the kids’ affirmation that, in their minds, that was one of the best Christmases ever. Not only is this one of the best animated Christmas episodes in recent memory, it rivals even the best Bob’s Burgers holiday-themed episodes.
Skidmark Holmes Adventure
Season 2 Episode 6
Judy’s murder-mystery party implodes when the pizzas are swapped with soiled underwear, turning her carefully planned evening into an actual whodunit while Alyson pointedly invites herself on a date with Beef. Most animated shows keep the world small in the first few seasons, focusing mainly on the family members and a few side members. Then, gradually, the world expands.
“Skidmark Holmes Adventure” is that type of episode, where Lone Moose feels more alive. This episode introduced more of Ham and Judy’s friend group, and a murder mystery party was a great scenario to bring out the side characters’ personalities. I love episodes that expand the show’s world, and after watching Kima and Gil ultimately have Judy’s back, it made me want to see more of them in future episodes.
The random inclusion of Judy’s imaginary friend—Alanis Morrison—is always a great gag, too!
Game of Snownes Adventure
Season 1 Episode 10
A blizzard swallows Lone Moose, scattering the Tobins in whiteout conditions that blur the line between danger and a routine storm. The episode works so well because it treats the storm as both a physical threat and an emotional test; it’s an unstoppable force that exposes how fragile the family’s sense of safety really is.
Every character earns their standout moment, too: Honeybee’s calm resourcefulness as a survivalist, Judy’s determined search, and even Wolf’s clumsy ingenuity. Beef’s snowflake hallucinations are particularly memorable because of Rhys Darby, who lends his iconic, high-pitched New Zealand charm.
The B-story with Jerry and Alyson mirrors the A-story, of two people trying to adapt to a new kind of isolation and finding warmth in friendship. By the time 38 Special’s iconic “Hold On Loosely” plays, the show has earned its irony: the only way to hold your family together is to stop gripping so tight.
Code Enough Said Adventure
Season 3 Episode 4
It should be no surprise that a blizzard episode takes the number one spot. Many recurring bits in sitcoms run the risk of running their course—Bob’s Burgers gather-round short story episodes come to mind—and just like a gourmet dessert, a recurring premise should always leave the audience wanting more. And that’s exactly what The Great North accomplished with Moon Court episodes; they never missed.
The episode traps the Tobins with nothing but each other and a dwindling sense of civility, and it uses that claustrophobia to distill everything that makes The Great North work. The power outage strands them, forcing each of their quirks into confrontation. Beef’s endless rewatching of Enough Said becomes a kind of emotional metronome, both steady and suffocating.
And the final reveal—that Beef had another copy all along—might as well be the thesis for the entire series. The Great North is a show that recognizes how Beef’s control is mostly theater, how the family’s dysfunction is the only place they feel safe, and how their affection always sneaks through after an exhaustive argument.
- Release Date
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2021 – 2025-00-00
- Network
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FOX
- Directors
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Neil Graf, Karen Hyden, Mario d’Anna, Damil Bryant, Joel Moser, Will Strode, Tom King, Carlos Ramos, Casey Crowe
- Writers
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Matt Lawton, Gabe Delahaye, Laura Hooper Beck, Charlie Kelly, Mike Olsen, Kevin Avery, Kashana Cauley, Asha Michelle Wilson, Carlee Malemute, Carrie Clifford, Marina Cockenberg, Kit Boss, Michelle Badillo
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Gary Cole
Elwin Kreb (voice)
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Kelvin Yu
Mayor Parsnips (voice)
