Kristin Wiig and Maya Rudolph are like chocolate and caramel: Great on their own, even better together. Lucky for us, the Saturday Night Live alumni have joined forces once again on Fox’s new animated sitcom Bless the Harts.
Also reuniting with former SNL writer Emily Spivey — who created the show based on her own experiences growing up in the south — Wiig and Rudolph star as the matriarchs of the titular Hart family. Set in North Carolina, Bless the Harts is basically a cross between King of the Hill and Parks and Recreation: A funny, quirky look at a small southern community that’s warm-hearted rather than cynical. Wiig plays Jenny Hart, a waitress at a religious-themed diner whose conversations with Jesus Christ (a sublime Kumail Nanjiani) help point her moral compass in the righteous direction. Rudolph plays her mother Betty, a fiery, proud woman who spends her days downing wine and smoking heaters.
Adopting convincing southern accents, the duo flex the easy chemistry that was on display throughout Bridesmaids. In the pilot episode, they bicker over a secret storage space housing dozens of collectible dolls that Betty refuses to part with, while the upcoming Halloween episode (airing Sunday, Oct. 20) finds them at odds over what to do with Jenny’s father’s cremains.
While the pair remain funny as ever, Bless the Harts, like Bridesmaids, is just as good when supporting characters take center stage. Ike Barinholtz (The Mindy Project) plays Wayne Edwards, Jenny’s sweet but slow-minded boyfriend, while Jillian Bell (Workaholics) plays Jenny’s artistic daughter Violet. Each episode is funnier than the last — par for the course with new comedies — and, like Parks and Rec, the colorful town folk help flesh out the surrounding community.
Still, the show is anchored by Wiig and Rudolph and given how hilarious they can be even in small roles — shouts out to my man Leroy — it will be fun to see where Bless the Harts takes them. As we learned from Bridesmaids, Wiig and Rudolph aren’t afraid to go there.
Watch Bless the Harts Sundays at 8:30pm ET/PT on FOX (in select markets).
