God, the Devil and Bob is an American animated sitcom which aired on NBC from March 9 to March 28, 2000, leaving nine episodes unaired. It was created by Matthew Carlson. The entire series was released on Region 1 DVD in the United States on January 4, 2005. Reruns of the series began airing on Cartoon Network's late night sister time-sharing network, Adult Swim, on January 1, 2011, with the network airing the nine remaining episodes of the series from January 8 to March 26, 2011. Thirteen episodes were made, but only four were broadcast in the United States before the series was canceled due to a combination of low ratings and pressure from religious activists, despite receiving mostly positive reviews from critics and audiences alike. James Garner wrote in his memoirs that "It's a shame we went out of business so soon because I loved playing God." The show, however, was well received in places such as the United Kingdom, Ireland, and Latin America (including Brazil), where BBC Two, RTÉ, and Fox, respectively, aired the entire series. It was once broadcast on the now-defunct Philippine channel Maxxx.

Synopsis

The series was based on God (voiced by James Garner) and the Devil (voiced by Alan Cumming) making a bet over the fate of the world. God wants to wipe humanity off the face of the planet and start over, but he realizes that he's "not that kind of God." The Devil gets to choose one person, and if that person does not prove they have made the world a better place, God will destroy the world. The Devil chooses Bob Allman (voiced by French Stewart), a beer-drinking, porno-watching auto plant worker from the suburbs of Detroit who, when asked to save humanity from complete annihilation, asks "What's in it for me?" After saving humanity in the pilot episode, the series revolves around Bob being God's "Go-To Guy" whenever he gets a great idea to help out the world.

Characters

Episodes

Season 1 (2000–11)

Home media

20th Century Fox Home Entertainment has released the complete season on DVD in Region 1. The 2-disc set features an extensive array of special features including commentaries, interviews and audition tapes.