Bob and Margaret

1998

Seasons & Episodes

  • 4
  • 3
  • 2
  • 1
  • 0

EP1 New Lease on Life Sep 13, 2001

7.4| 0h30m| TV-PG| en
Synopsis

Bob and Margaret is a Canadian/UK animated television series that was also shown in the United States and all over the world. The series was produced by Nelvana, a Toronto animation studio, and created by Canadian David Fine and Brit Alison Snowden. The series was based on the Academy Award winning short film Bob's Birthday, featuring the same main characters, which won the Best Animated Short Film Oscar in 1994. The series is one of the few Canadian TV shows to ever have regular American exposure. In Canada, it was the highest rated Canadian made animation series ever when it aired in prime time on Global Television. The show revolved around a married English couple named Bob and Margaret Fish, a middle class 40-ish working couple with no children and two dogs named William and Elizabeth. Bob is a dentist and Margaret is a chiropodist. Bob and Margaret struggle with everyday issues and mid life crisis. Stories often revolve around the mundane, but in a way which is eminently relatable. From the trials of shopping to dealing with friends who annoy them, but owe them a dinner. In the first two seasons, Bob and Margaret lived in England, in the South London community of Balham. For the third and fourth seasons, however, they moved to Toronto, Canada, allowing the writers to explore the humour of culture clash. The move was actually inspired by the realities of funding, with certain Canadian tax benefits dependent on stories actually based in Canada. As such, to keep the series funded, the move was necessary. The creators of the series chose to take an executive role on these latter two seasons, reviewing scripts and consulting, but not involved in the detail they were for the first two seasons. Snowden continued to provide the voice of Margaret, but Bob's voice, originally played by Andy Hamilton, was replaced by Brian George.

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Trailers & Clips

Reviews

AniInterview Sorry, this movie sucks
SnoReptilePlenty Memorable, crazy movie
Stoutor It's not great by any means, but it's a pretty good movie that didn't leave me filled with regret for investing time in it.
Curapedi I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.
csicilia Bob and Margaret are the 'living' proof that a story-line is more important than anything. This series should be called "Wit and Intelligence" instead of Bob and Margaret. What a difficult task! To make you really LAUGH showing you no other thing but normal neurosis in a couple of very normal lives! Gee! I don't get the people who criticize Bob and Margaret here. I bet you that they adore the fact that 'Seinfeld' is about nothing, because Seinfeld is American, but they just hate another product that can be so successful worldwide as Bob and Margaret (and which also deals with "nothingness") because is foreign! Sorry, people, I know two things: If you wrote against Bob and Margaret there are two options: a) You are not intelligent, so, it's OK you wrote against it. b) You ARE intelligent, but you hate yourself and your weaknesses and you are just incapable of laughing at them so you hate this show because it reminds you of them. It's OK too! Bob and Margaret is pure genius! Kudos to a series that REALLY REALLY REALLY could be renamed "Wit and Intelligence"!!!!!!!!
Patsy-9 I can understand why some people don't like Bob and Margaret. It is a remarkably cerebral cartoon that's occasionally fairly serious in tone, occasionally a real downer, and where nearly every episode breaks down on some level to a debate of the finer points of ethics.Consider, though, that all of the above can also apply to Seinfeld.It helps to have a certain familiarity with British culture. That there are people out there like Margaret's parents, who barely acknowledge their daughter and her accomplishments, and profusely thank Bob for "taking her off their hands," and who wouldn't dare ask for something as presumptuous as food. Or Canadian culture - that the vulgar and obnoxious cousins Cookie and Melvin occasionally strike depressingly close to home.As for the move to Canada, it doesn't particularly matter. Even in London, Bob and Margaret were forever alien in anything they attempted to do. Making them literal aliens is a reasonable next step.
twinstar-2 reading the comments for this show really show that Americans can just be so crude. British television is a different kind of humour - often it's a chockful of sarcasm and wit. it is an aquired taste, and it takes brains and attention to get it. unlike easy jokes on the Simpsons, King of the Hill, and South Park. just because it's a cartoon doesn't mean it has to be "cartoon funny". i love the Simpsons, and others mentioned too, but for different reasons. "Bob and Margaret" is a proper sitcom and i love it.big ups the UK!
Op_Prime This show is tasteless piece of garbage that isn't even close to being funny. Yes, I know South Park can be tasteless too, but it's at least funny. Nothing about this show is good. It should be nominated for worst animated show award. I'm sure it would win. Don't bother asking for improvements people. Ask for it's cancellation.