‘F Is for Family’: Bill Burr Said Vic Had the Life He Fantasized About
Comedian Bill Burr has done plenty of work in film and television as well as in galaxies far, far away. But his animated Netflix show, F Is for Family, ranks among his most personal projects to date. No show is ever made by one person, but Burr’s point of view and life experiences inform much of what happens in the series and how the show is produced.
F Is for Family recently came to an end after a five-year run, but some fans still hope for a spinoff to keep the laughs going.
‘F Is For Family’ is a cartoon fantasy of Bill Burr’s life
In conjunction with the release of season four of F Is for Family, Burr did a filmed AMA (Ask Me Anything) for Reddit. The 53-year-old answered questions about the show, his comedy career, and his favorite cheese. (He prefers a milder cheese, like a shredded mozzarella if you must know.)
The first question received was about which of the main characters is his favorite. Burr went to explain what he likes about a few of them. He sees the most similarities between himself and Frank Murphy, the foul-mouthed patriarch of the family, as well as middle child Bill Murphy. Burr’s time as a music-obsessed teenager inspired the Murphy family’s eldest child, Kevin Murphy. However, Burr was more into underage drinking than Kevin, who uses drugs.
But the character who Burr fantasized about being when he grew up is Vic. The successful radio DJ’s early role in the show involves being an easygoing antagonist juxtaposed against the cynical and short-tempered Frank, who frequently parties with attractive women. It’s easy to see why a young boy would see that lifestyle and think, “I want to be him when I grow up.”
Burr’s role in ‘F Is For Family’ goes far beyond what we see on screen
It should not come as a surprise given what Burr said in the video, but he provides the voice for Frank. He also voices Father Pat, the local priest who tries to keep Bill on the straight and narrow. Burr’s work on F Is for Family goes well beyond reading lines.
The comedian is the co-creator of the show alongside writer and producer Michael Price. The pair has a writing and story credit on every episode. Many of the storylines in the show build upon Burr’s childhood in the ’70s growing up in a working-class town as part of an Irish-American family. But the fictional town, appropriately named Rustvale, is set in Pennsylvania, rather than Burr’s home state of Massachusetts.
His understanding of the area largely comes from visiting the state for comedy gigs over the years. Plus, broadly speaking, small towns near the East Coast have several overlapping issues and scenarios. Some credit should also go to the other, lesser-known writers for F Is for Family; Henry Gammill, Joe Heslinga, and Samuel Stefanak all contributed their writing to over half of the episodes.
Does the conclusion of ‘F Is for Family’ create room for a future spinoff?
The final episodes of F Is for Family were released at the end of November 2021. Much of the season revolves around saying goodbye and starting fresh. The previous season ended with Frank’s wife Sue, voiced by Laura Dern, giving birth to an infant son.
It also included the collapse of “Big Bill” Murphy, Frank’s father who verbally abused him as a kid. The final words of “Big Bill” were “box 16.” Frank spent several episodes trying to figure out what this meant and digging through his residual trauma.
In the finale, Frank learned that his dad didn’t say “box 16.” He actually said “Bach 16,” Big Bill’s favorite piece of music and the song he wanted to be played at his funeral. Disappointed but committed to granting his father’s wish, Frank played the song at his tombstone, coming to terms with their relationship in order to move forward with his life.
The ending does leave the possibility of catching up with the Murphys at some point in the future. However, there are currently no plans for a renewal of F Is for Family.
