Courtesy of Comedy Central.

This summer, a new animated series, Bob and Margaret, is appearing on the air in England, Canada, the United States and elsewhere. It features a husband and wife in their mid-40's who, along with two pet dogs, manage to deal with the day-to-day stresses of their ordinary lives. Created by
Alison Snowden and David Fine (aka Snowden Fine), the series is based on the creative duo's 1995 Academy Award winning short film, Bob's Birthday. In the United States, Bob and Margaret debuted on Comedy Central on June 22, 1998. It airs Mondays at 10:30 p.m. (ET/PT), following another animated series, Dr. Katz: Professional Therapist. Judging from "Burglary," the one episode I had seen as I wrote this review (which was before the show's debut in the U.S.), it seems that the series has promise. The dry humor I generally associate with British comedy is certainly there, with unexpected narrative developments adding twists to the story in interesting ways. I laughed out loud several times, which is either an extremely good sign or an extremely bad sign, as most of the series I have laughed at have been canceled because no one else seems to think they are funny.

The Broadcasting Hurdle
In an article from the January issue of Televisual, a commentator posed the question: "Is this the U.K. answer to The Simpsons?" In more ways than one, this is an interesting point to query. As practically everyone knows, The Simpsons has been instrumental in demonstrating that prime time animation can be a success. In the United States, King of the Hill is perhaps the most fortunate beneficiary of this `revelation', having reaped its own rewards as a huge prime time hit on the Fox Network, where The Simpsons also airs. Nonetheless, at the 1997 International Animated Film Market (MIFA) held in conjunction with the Annecy festival, a panel of international animation executives discussed the viability of prime time animation in their own countries, which included the United Kingdom, Germany and France. They lamented the fact that it remained difficult to convince broadcasters that an adult-oriented animated series had a place in a prime-time slot.

Margaret, Bob and their dogs,William and Elizabeth.Courtesy of Comedy Central.

However, within recent years British television has broadcast many innovative animated works aimed at older viewers, including two series: Crapston Villas (created by Sarah Ann Kennedy) and Pond Life (created by Candy Guard), both of which were launched in 1996. These series were given support by British television Channel 4's Clare Kitson. For some time, it seemed that the fate of Bob and Margaret's position in British programming was uncertain. The Televisual article quoted Fine as he explained that "the slot C4 gives the series could make or break it. I hope that they don't put us out at 5:30 or something like that, but I think they are clear that it's made for adults, and should be shown at around 9 p.m." If broadcasters are willing to support it, Bob and Margaret may become the first series produced outside the U.S. to gain financial success and international attention in prime time. I'm not sure Bob and Margaretwould ever rival the success of The Simpsons,but I think it has the potential to make a strong showing.