H. Jon Benjamin has me rethinking the way I feel about cartoons. First came Archer, where he voiced a rather incompetent spy, accompanied by Jessica Walter, Chris Parnell and Aisha Tyler. Now, with the premiere of Bob's Burgers (8:30 Sundays on Fox), he's done it again.
Benjamin plays the title character, and although the additional voice work (especially that done by two of my Flight Of The Conchords favorites, Kristen Schaal and Eugene Mirman) is quite good, Bob is the glue that holds the family and the show together. The writing is sharp, just bordering on offensive - not in the Family Guy way where the mere fact that you're offended is supposed to inspire laughter, but in the good way, where you laugh because it's funny, and then feel slightly guilty afterwards.
But - and it's hard to write about something as ephemeral as a voice - Benjamin's voice is what makes me sure that I'll be tuning in for at least the next few weeks. It's a funny show, but his delivery takes it just beyond funny to classic. It's telling that Benjamin can voice both the smooth, good-looking Archer and Bob, the schlubby father of three, with both characters working to a pitch-perfect degree. It's not just that his voice is mellifluous, which it is, but also that it's got this dry tone to it...I really can't describe it. His voice. Is awesome. And that's all you really need to know.
And, ok, Kristen Schaal is doing some heavy lifting as the precocious youngest child, Louise, but each character does bring something special to the mix. All in all, an extremely strong pilot, and they should be proud of themselves for getting me invested in a cartoon that isn't The Simpsons or South Park. Watch it now!
And if that just whet your appetite for more H. Jon Benjamin, go check out Archer before the new season starts. Last time I checked you could stream them on Netflix...
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