Netflix renews ‘Dear White People’ and ‘F is for Family’
After cancelling some of its newest shows last month, Netflix has announced new episodes of comedy-dramas Dear White People and F is for Family.
Dear White People premiered globally in April and boasts an ensemble cast, including Logan Browning (Powers), Brandon P. Bell (Ascension), Antoinette Robertson (Hart of Dixie), and DeRon Horton (Lethal Weapon). The stars are set to return, with showrunner Yvette Lee Bowser back to steer the ship for Lionsgate.
The satirical and, at times, absurd series follows on from the 2014 feature film of the same name, in which student Sam White starts a radio show to highlight racism in her Ivy League college. Each episode now focuses on a key character, to shed light on the more complex and profound issues of being black, with plenty of wit and plot twists.
Critics have praised the show for putting young black people’s perspectives at the center of the narrative. However, it’s also been criticized for overuse of clichés. Only time will tell if season two can fulfill the concept’s promise.
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F is for Family was created by Bill Burr and centers on a dysfunctional family in the 1970s, before political-correctness was invented. Netflix ordered a third season less than a month after its second premiered.
Burr co-created the show with Michael Price, Emmy-winning writer best known for The Simpsons, and its list of executive producers includes Vince Vaughn (Wedding Crashers). The impressive names don’t stop there, with Laura Dern (Blue Velvet), Justin Long (Drag Me to Hell), Debi Derryberry (Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius), Haley Reinhart (Step Up Revolution), and Sam Rockwell (Moon) providing voiceover for the series.
Last season saw ill-tempered family patriarch Frank struggling to find a job, while his wife Sue was lucky to work as a secretary for a sexist firm. Episodes are serialised, so storylines and characters evolve over the season, giving more depth to the narrative and relationship struggles.
F is for Family has been praised for the nuanced and smart brand of humor everyone wants from an adult animation, while also being particularly poignant and insightful.
