Another one of the things that sets The Great North apart from Bob's Burgers, in my opinion, is that the Tobins have a comparatively more mellow vibe than the Belchers. There's exaggerated personalities in both shows bc of course there is, they're sitcoms, but I find that there is a certain down-to-earth quality in the characters of TGN that we only see from time-to-time in Bob's Burgers.
It's not a North Western painting of the Belchers, it's a completely different media that gets its picture by using different strokes. Judy feels much more real than Tina does despite them existing in similar roles, characterwise. There is flanderization going on in Bob's Burgers, obviously, but that's not inherently a bad thing. And the Belchers aren't stagnant, they have multiple episodes where they dive into more nuanced experiences of childhood, parenthood, family, and growing up. ESPECIALLY true in Bobs' later seasons.
I think the differences between the shows come from the fact that they were made for a different time, essentially. No one says that Home Movies is anything like Bob's Burgers(at least not now) because the two shows are so vastly different in style and tone and direction. The Great North and Central Park also differentiate themselves from Bob's Burgers by moving in more grounded directions.
Bob's Burgers first episode had unsavory "jokes" about children and ended with a group of elderly women flocking to the restaurant because they believe they'd be eating burgers made from people.
The Great North's first episode has one repeated sex joke and ends with the Tobins laying to rest the fur bikini of their mother who ran off on them for Pennsylvania.
Both are still absurd but The Great North's appeal isn't in how out-there crazy they can be in order to get a laugh. The time when Bob's eas created was different, the writing was different, what we considered funny was different, even the audience was different. And that's reflected in the newer seasons of the show and how much the Belchers have matured as characters while still maintaining elements of weird chaotic energy. We had an episode focused on Rudy and the fear and sadness he feels due to his parents being divorced and his mother and father dating again, feeling like his family is shifting into something new and scary, all the while he's being pushed out of it. And then we get Zeke licking a wall of boogers to atone for his past bullying and ableism
Like Bob's has really come a long long way and has done so while maturing with its audience yet maintaining the core of what makes BBs ridiculous fun to watch.
The Great North takes those same elements and refines them and focuses them on the Tobins, and I think it's working perfectly. Seasons 2 and 3 really are where you feel like they've really established themselves.
Anyways, watch The Great North đŤ
