“Bob and Margaret” Created by David Fine and Alison Snowden; Starring Andy Hamilton and Alison Snowden; Run time 22 minutes; Originally aired Jun 22, 1998.
“Bob and Margaret was a joint production of Canada, the United States, and the United Kingdom. It centered on the married life of husband and wife Bob and Margaret. The series explored the struggles of everyday life, specifically the unique struggles of middle age.
The pilot “Bob’s Birthday” won the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film in 1994 and is provided below. The 11 minute short takes place on, as the title suggests, Bob’s birthday. Bob, a dentist, deals with patients while events around him and his looming birthday remind him of his own mortality. Meanwhile Margaret is at home preparing a surprise birthday party.
While at the office Bob hears a radio program discussing middle age while his assistant deals with a bug infestation in an office plant that results in the death of the entire plant. The culmination of the episode is when Bob arrives home, not knowing that all of their friends are hidden within, and proceeds to walk half naked around the house proclaiming his dissatisfaction with their lives, specifically his disappointment in all of their friends.
This scene features a perfect mix of humor and depression as Bob speaks openly about his feelings on their friends while his cartoon genitalia swing about and his friends sit in hiding, listening, unbeknownst to him.
The series went on to have 52 episodes that aired the world over. After season two a couple of major changes were made to the production. The titular couple moved to Canada where the show was able to explore culture clash and the voice of Bob was changed from Andy Hamilton to Brian George. This move was necessitated by funding pressures as certain Canadian tax benefits required there to be stories that took place in Canada.
“Bob and Margaret” ran for a total of four seasons from 1998 to 2001 and is still aired on various networks around the world. While the animation is lackluster and the situations mundane, the unique sense of humor makes the series entertaining and fulfilling.