Bless the Harts
Bless the Harts | |
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Genre | Animated sitcom |
Created by | Emily Spivey |
Voices of | |
Country of origin | United States |
Original language | English |
No. of seasons | 1 |
No. of episodes | 4 (list of episodes) |
Production | |
Executive producers |
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Producers |
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Running time | 22 minutes |
Production companies |
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Original release | |
Network | Fox |
Release | September 29, 2019 present | –
Bless the Harts is an American animated sitcom created by Emily Spivey for the Fox Broadcasting Company.[1] Debuting on September 29, 2019,[2] the series is executive produced by Spivey, Phil Lord, Christopher Miller, Kristen Wiig and Seth Cohen, and produced by 20th Century Fox Television. The animation production is handled by Titmouse, Inc.[3] The show's title is based on the Southern phrase "Bless your heart".[4] On October 18, 2019, the series was renewed for a second season.
Premise
Bless the Harts follows a family living in North Carolina who are poor in money, but rich in fun, laughter, and friends. The main protagonist is Jenny Hart (Kristen Wilg), who struggles to make ends meet. Her daughter Violet Hart (Jillian Bell) and mother Betty Hart (Maya Rudolph) live with her along with her boyfriend Wayne (Ike Barinholtz). Other recurring characters are also in the series.[1] The show's creator Emily Spivey has stated that it is based on her life growing up in High Point, North Carolina and is based in the state's Triad region (the name of the fictional town where the show is set, Greenpoint, is a portmanteau of Greensboro and High Point).[4][5]
Cast and characters
Main
- Kristen Wiig as Jenny Hart, a single mom who struggles to make money for her family[6]
- Maya Rudolph as Betty Hart, Jenny’s single mom. In "Jenny Unfiltered" her age is revealed to be 53.[7][8] Her husband Ed, Jenny's father, is dead and is mentioned multiple times throughout the series.
- Jillian Bell as Violet Hart, Jenny’s teenage daughter who loves art. Though sarcastic in terms of personality, she cares a lot for her family. She's 13 years old.[9][6]
- Ike Barinholtz as Wayne Edwards, Jenny’s boyfriend. Wayne is the comic relief character.[6]
- Kumail Nanjiani as Jesus Christ, who appears as a figment of Jenny's imagination and acts as her conscience.
Recurring
- Mary Steenburgen as Crystalynn, Betty's arch-nemesis
- Drew Tarver as Randy, the town oddball
- Fortune Feimster as Brenda, Jenny's coworker[10]
- Gary Anthony Williams as Leonard, Wayne's co-worker and friend
- Emily Spivey as Louise, Jenny's boss
- Oscar Montoya as David, Violet's best friend
Guest
- Fortune Feimster as Bobby-Nelle, Jenny’s neighbor
- Drew Tarver as Charles Lee
- Christy Stratton as Dawn, a stripper[11]
- Jeremy Rowley as Jimmy Lee and Mayor Webb
- Andy Bobrow as Norm
- John Solomon as Tracheo Steve
- Rich Blomquist as Daniel, Louise's husband who uses his cell phone a lot and fonds over Jenny, and Greg
- Jee Young Han as Binh Ly[12]
- Kevin Michael Richardson as Mr. Strikeleather
- Holly Hunter as Marjune Gamble
Episodes
No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | Prod. code | U.S. viewers (millions) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | "Hug N' Bugs" | Pete Michels | Erin Wagoner | September 29, 2019 | 1BPJ03 | 1.82[13] |
Jenny gets the family water shut off after her payment bounced, so she tries to sell toys for cash, not knowing her mother Betty is buying the toys she is selling. Meanwhile, Wayne discovers Violet's love for art and builds a building based on her drawings, only to get permits for it denied by the city hall. | ||||||
2 | "Can't Get There from Here" | Samantha Arnett | Emily Spivey | October 6, 2019 | 1BPJ01 | 2.99[14] |
Jenny picks up a second job as a stripper in order to make extra cash to send Violet to art school. Meanwhile, Wayne buys ostriches with his truck on collaterial to also help Violet, only to find out that they can't lay eggs. | ||||||
3 | "Jenny Unfiltered" | Bryan Francis | Rich Blomquist | October 13, 2019 | 1BPJ02 | 1.47[15] |
After Betty tells the family the story of her old rich boyfriend, Violet takes Betty to visit his heir when he died, which doesn't go according to her plan. Jenny takes both political sides of a statue at her job and earns extra cash, but regrets it after her speech causes a riot in the town square, burning some of the town in process. | ||||||
4 | "Cremains of the Day" | Michael Baylis | Julia Lillis Cohen & Jeremy Rowley | October 20, 2019 | 1BPJ04 | 2.79[16] |
Jenny tries to honor her deceased father on his favorite holiday, Halloween, by letting go of his remains left at the family home, but doesn't think she is ready to let them go. Violet and Leonard take Wayne ghost hunting to conquer his fear of ghosts. | ||||||
5 | "Trash Twins"[17] | Unknown | Unknown | November 3, 2019 | TBA | N/A |
6 | "Pig Trouble in Little Greenpoint"[18] | Unknown | Unknown | November 10, 2019 | TBA | N/A |
7 | "Myrtle Beach Memories"[19] | Unknown | Unknown | November 17, 2019 | TBA | N/A |
Production
Development
On September 25, 2018, it was announced that Fox had given the production a straight-to-series order for a first season consisting of thirteen episodes. The series was created by Emily Spivey who was also expected to executive produce alongside Phil Lord, Christopher Miller, Kristen Wiig, and Seth Cohen. Production companies involved with the series were slated to include 20th Century Fox Television and Lord Miller Productions.[1] It has been confirmed that the show will loosely share the universe with King of the Hill.[7] The series debuted on September 29, 2019,[2] and was renewed for a second season on October 18.[20]
Casting
Alongside the initial series announcement, it was reported that Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph, Jillian Bell, and Ike Barinholtz had been cast in series regular roles.[1] On January 11, 2019, it was announced that Mary Steenburgen and Drew Tarver had been cast in recurring roles.[8]
Reception
Critical response
On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the series holds an approval rating of 82% based on 11 reviews, with an average rating of 6.5/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "With an exceptional cast and a big heart to boot, Bless the Harts's particular worldview won't be for everyone, but it fits quite nicely into Fox's Animation Domination line-up".[21] On Metacritic, it has a weighted average score of 70 out of 100, based on 10 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[22]
Ratings
No. | Title | Air date | Rating/share (18–49) |
Viewers (millions) |
DVR (18–49) |
DVR viewers (millions) |
Total (18–49) |
Total viewers (millions) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | "Hug N' Bugs" | September 29, 2019 | 0.7/3 | 1.82[13] | 0.1 | 0.30 | 0.8 | 2.12[23] |
2 | "Can't Get There from Here" | October 6, 2019 | 1.2/5 | 2.99[14] | 0.1 | 0.20 | 1.3 | 3.19[24] |
3 | "Jenny Unfiltered" | October 13, 2019 | 0.6/3 | 1.47[15] | 0.1 | 0.22 | 0.7 | 1.69[25] |
4 | "Cremains of the Day" | October 20, 2019 | 1.1/5 | 2.79[16] | TBD | TBD | TBD | TBD |
References
- ^ a b c d Andreeva, Nellie (September 25, 2018). "Fox Orders 'Bless The Harts' Animated Series Starring Kristen Wiig & Maya Rudolph From Emily Spivey, Lord & Miller". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved September 25, 2018.
- ^ a b Petski, Denise (June 24, 2019). "Fox Sets Fall Premiere Dates: Emmys Kick Off The Week, '9-1-1', 'The Masked Singer', 'Empire', More". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved June 24, 2019.
- ^ Ramin, Zahed (September 20, 2019). "Southern Smiles: Emily Spivey Spills the Beans on 'Bless the Harts'". Animation Magazine. Retrieved September 25, 2019.
- ^ a b DeCwikiel-Kane, Dawn (September 26, 2019). "New Fox show, 'Bless the Harts,' draws on creator's High Point roots". News & Record.
- ^ Matsuoka, Sayaka (September 25, 2019). "Full of 'Hart': Fox's new animated show spoofs the Triad".
- ^ a b c Thorne, Will (May 13, 2019). "Fox 2019-2020 Primetime Schedule and New Series". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 15, 2019.
- ^ a b de Moraes, Lisa (February 6, 2019). "'Bless The Harts' Borrows Mega Lo Mart From 'King Of Hill', Ostrich From Emily Spivey's Childhood – TCA". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved February 6, 2019.
- ^ a b Petski, Denise (January 11, 2019). "'Bless The Hart': Mary Steenburgen & Drew Tarver To Recur On Fox Animated Series". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved January 11, 2019.
- ^ "Jillian Bell calls new FOX show cool new take on family comedy". Retrieved 27 October 2019.
- ^ https://twitter.com/fortunefunny/status/1178410958609424384
- ^ "Jenny Unfiltered". Retrieved 27 October 2019.
- ^ "Bless the Harts voice cast absolutely packed with celebs". Retrieved 13 October 2019.
- ^ a b Welch, Alex (October 1, 2019). "'60 Minutes,' 'NCIS: Los Angeles,' and 'Sunday Night Football' adjust up: Sunday final ratings". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved October 1, 2019.
- ^ a b Welch, Alex (October 8, 2019). "'Sunday Night Football' adjusts up, 'The Simpsons,' 'Bless the Harts,' and others adjust down: Sunday final ratings". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved October 8, 2019.
- ^ a b Welch, Alex (October 15, 2019). "'Kids Say the Darndest Things, 'Sunday Night Football' adjust up, 'Shark Tank' adjusts down: Sunday final ratings". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved October 15, 2019.
- ^ a b Welch, Alex (October 22, 2019). "'Sunday Night Football' adjusts up, 'The Simpsons,' 'Bob's Burgers,' '60 Minutes' adjust down: Sunday final ratings". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved October 22, 2019.
- ^ "(BHR-105) "Trash Twins"". The Futon Critic. Retrieved October 9, 2019.
- ^ "(BHR-106) "Pig Trouble in Little Greenpoint"". The Futon Critic. Retrieved October 19, 2019.
- ^ "(BHR-108) "Myrtle Beach Memoirs"". The Futon Critic. Retrieved October 26, 2019.
- ^ Ausiello, Michael (October 18, 2019). "Bless the Harts Renewed for Season 2". TVLine.
- ^ "Bless the Harts: Season 1 (2019)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved October 20, 2019.
- ^ "Bless the Harts: Season 1". Metacritic. Retrieved October 20, 2019.
- ^ Porter, Rick (October 8, 2019). "TV Ratings: Where New Series Stand in First 7-Day Numbers". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved October 8, 2019.
- ^ Thorne, Will (October 15, 2019). "Live+7 Ratings for Week of Sept. 30: 'Evil,' 'Stumptown,' and 'Emergence' All Double". Variety. Retrieved October 15, 2019.
- ^ Thorne, Will (October 22, 2019). "Live+7 Ratings for Week of Oct. 7: 'This Is Us' Overtakes 'Masked Singer'". Variety. Retrieved October 22, 2019.
External links
- 2010s American adult animated television series
- 2010s American sitcoms
- 2019 American television series debuts
- Animated television series about families
- English-language television programs
- Fox network shows
- Television series by 20th Century Fox Television
- Television series by Fox Entertainment
- Television series by Fox Television Animation
- Television shows set in North Carolina