Just what the Internet needed: a discussion of declining quality in an animated sitcom.
Not only is Family Guy terrible but it's extremely offensive...
- Thread starter Thespeckledkiwi
- Start date
Family Guy has established itself in my mind as absurdist humour, animated Dadaism. I'm perfectly happy to go with the flow and laugh where I laugh.
Fictitiously yours, Trent Roman
Fictitiously yours, Trent Roman
Thespeckledkiwi
Vice Admiral
Bull-fucking shit. There is offensive, and there is offensive for the sake of being offensive.
The one thing that got me was when Lois was running for mayor and Joe used his power as a police officer to get the rape victim into voting for Lois...
You think rape is funny? You think abusing women is funny? There is so much I can stomach of that. South Park does it totally different because it drives the story, Family Guy, not so much.
I think Family Guy is funny although I don't think it's very "well written" - it's a collection of good gags held together by thin plots and intermittently funny characters.
As for offensiveness, I don't find very much "offensive" but I do think some of their racial humor is irritating simply because it isn't particularly funny, but only tired and obvious stereotypes. For example, the Cleveland-R2D2 in the Star Wars episode liking grape kool-aid and things of that sort - not funny. We've all heard those jokes a thousand times.
I don't care what anyone says, though - I don't think joking about something necessarily means you agree with it. So jokes on FG about things like rape and molestation - though not always funny - don't bother me because they in no way indicate complicity, support, or acceptance of those things. The terrible and "unmentionable" stuff is a part of life and the world just like the more easy to joke about stuff, and as far as I'm concerned everything is up for grabs.
But overall I still like the show as an entertaining diversion - it's just not great art.
As for offensiveness, I don't find very much "offensive" but I do think some of their racial humor is irritating simply because it isn't particularly funny, but only tired and obvious stereotypes. For example, the Cleveland-R2D2 in the Star Wars episode liking grape kool-aid and things of that sort - not funny. We've all heard those jokes a thousand times.
I don't care what anyone says, though - I don't think joking about something necessarily means you agree with it. So jokes on FG about things like rape and molestation - though not always funny - don't bother me because they in no way indicate complicity, support, or acceptance of those things. The terrible and "unmentionable" stuff is a part of life and the world just like the more easy to joke about stuff, and as far as I'm concerned everything is up for grabs.
But overall I still like the show as an entertaining diversion - it's just not great art.
Thespeckledkiwi
Vice Admiral
The problem I find is that there is a thin line between funny and offensive and that it is easily crossed. I mean would you joke about the Holocaust victims (especially the ones sent to Death Camps?) or the Trail of Tears (Native American point of view).
To me, rape, sexual abuse, spousal abuse is a very tacky subject to begin with but as I mentioned, South Park does a better job (for the most part) because it takes both side of the view and runs with it. IE: NAMBLA, Priest Molestation (that was an absurd but hilarious episode).
There is no rhyme or reason for ANY of it in Family Guy. Most of the time it's a flashback or other side track thing moving away from the plot.
To me, rape, sexual abuse, spousal abuse is a very tacky subject to begin with but as I mentioned, South Park does a better job (for the most part) because it takes both side of the view and runs with it. IE: NAMBLA, Priest Molestation (that was an absurd but hilarious episode).
There is no rhyme or reason for ANY of it in Family Guy. Most of the time it's a flashback or other side track thing moving away from the plot.
I agree...FG has changed. Back in the day, the sight gags and quickies were just that - quickies, but now they're extended - and done for the sake of being vulgar...and, yes, as a matter of fact, in the old days, those "side tracks" did advance the plot, insofar as, quite often part of the plot involved starting in one place and winding up in a completely, totally different one - and that was the point...or, alternatively, some jokes, for example Mort the Druggist, acted in a stereotypically Jewish manner...it was about the people of Rhode Island, rather like John Waters' films were about Baltimore. Frankly, there are times now when it comes across as all preachy like they said MASH did in its last seasons...that is, it's become preachy about being vulgar for vulgarity's sake, as if it's trying to give the middle finger to anything and everything. Sorry, not funny. It's become arrogant, not ironic, lewd, not edgy.
I've tried staying out of this thread so as to not appear bitter. But yeah, I can agree with that. I don't feel it's well written at all, and mostly it's just shock value for shock value's sake. Most of the time I don't even think they are trying, nor does it hold up to repeat viewing. I know all the FG fanboys are going to come out of the woodwork to call us a buch of haters and whatnot, but it's not that I'm hating on it, just don't think it's as great as everyone makes it out to be.
The show has gotten more offensive with it's jokes sicne it returned. I particularly remember a joke in the first new episode (I think that was the one) where Peter and Lois are in bed and Peter keeps going on about dirty stuff and them "rape" humor comes in. It was so unforgivably bad that the two times I watched it in re-run I had to mute the TV and look away. I was disugsted. At least when "South Park" does jokes along those lines, they are related to the plot strongly or funny. FG just seems to do it to try to get your to be squeemish -- and I don't appreciate that.
And there have been way too many of those annoying "This is worse than that time I (insert punchline here)" gags. They were occassionally funny in the original series, in here they are like human bile for an Oreo cookie filling.
But I can say I like how they've advanced characters some and had more complex character plot lines. And I got to say it: I like the running gag of stuff crashing into Cleveland's house and him going, "What the hell?! No, no, no, no, no...".
And the "Stewie Kill Lois" two-parter was just pure fun. And Ron Jones getting to parody his "Star Trek: The Next Generation" scoring for "The Best of Both Worlds" musth ave been a huge delight for him.
And there have been way too many of those annoying "This is worse than that time I (insert punchline here)" gags. They were occassionally funny in the original series, in here they are like human bile for an Oreo cookie filling.
But I can say I like how they've advanced characters some and had more complex character plot lines. And I got to say it: I like the running gag of stuff crashing into Cleveland's house and him going, "What the hell?! No, no, no, no, no...".
And the "Stewie Kill Lois" two-parter was just pure fun. And Ron Jones getting to parody his "Star Trek: The Next Generation" scoring for "The Best of Both Worlds" musth ave been a huge delight for him.
I still like it, I still watch it, I still think it's funny (albeit in an extremely tasteless, offensive and juvenile manner). Yes, the writers have taken an approach akin to chucking every joke they come up with at the wall and seeing if it sticks, but that's always been their style, hasn't it?
Obviously there's a market for this program based on the ratings and box set sales, so there's a significant chunk of people out there who enjoy the random, and yes, very offensive humour of FG.
If the OP hates FG, fine, but why do I see these threads nearly every other month? I absolutely loathe reality television programs in just about every form, but I don't go around starting threads on how horrible and vacuous they are.
Oh and I'm not a mindless FG-defender, in a review thread of a recent episode in this forum I was pretty harsh, calling the episode "horrible" and stating that "I didn't laugh once. Not even a smile."
Funny enough, I'm at work right now and we have a Fox television fibre feed (for TV stations) showing...Family Guy! I Think I'll punch it up on the big monitor right now...
Obviously there's a market for this program based on the ratings and box set sales, so there's a significant chunk of people out there who enjoy the random, and yes, very offensive humour of FG.
If the OP hates FG, fine, but why do I see these threads nearly every other month? I absolutely loathe reality television programs in just about every form, but I don't go around starting threads on how horrible and vacuous they are.
Oh and I'm not a mindless FG-defender, in a review thread of a recent episode in this forum I was pretty harsh, calling the episode "horrible" and stating that "I didn't laugh once. Not even a smile."
Funny enough, I'm at work right now and we have a Fox television fibre feed (for TV stations) showing...Family Guy! I Think I'll punch it up on the big monitor right now...
I don't mind jokes being offensive, as I truly feel humour can be found anywhere. But when you do make an offensive joke, it better be the funniest thing I've ever heard. Sadly, alot of the time (particularly recently) Family Guy's jokes just aren't funny. And their attempts at offensive humour just come off as being offensive since the supposed "joke" just wasn't funny.
Family Guy was an awesome show before it was cancelled. I used to laugh my ass off, sometimes even giggle during the episodes, and I watched them over and over again until I had them memorized. Now I can barely get through an episode once and sometimes I don't even bother. The episodes just aren't funny anymore. Hell, out of the Family Guy episodes I saw in the 07-08 season the only ones I liked were the Star Wars parody Blue Harvest and the one where Peter met a talking cow voiced by Ricardo Montalban.
The only good thing I can say about modern-day Family Guy is that no matter how bad it gets it's still a squillion times better than American Dad. That show is just bad.
Family Guy was an awesome show before it was cancelled. I used to laugh my ass off, sometimes even giggle during the episodes, and I watched them over and over again until I had them memorized. Now I can barely get through an episode once and sometimes I don't even bother. The episodes just aren't funny anymore. Hell, out of the Family Guy episodes I saw in the 07-08 season the only ones I liked were the Star Wars parody Blue Harvest and the one where Peter met a talking cow voiced by Ricardo Montalban.
The only good thing I can say about modern-day Family Guy is that no matter how bad it gets it's still a squillion times better than American Dad. That show is just bad.
I liked it during it's first round because it was so NOT PC Funny.
However, in this second incarnation, it is trying WAY too hard to be NOT PC Funny, is overshooting the mark as a result, and in the end comes off as simply obnoxious and offensive.
I stopped watching a long time ago and do not plan to buy any of the dvd sets from round two.
However, in this second incarnation, it is trying WAY too hard to be NOT PC Funny, is overshooting the mark as a result, and in the end comes off as simply obnoxious and offensive.
I stopped watching a long time ago and do not plan to buy any of the dvd sets from round two.
Well said.
I really don't see how people can take what's done on a cartoon so seriously. It's sad when fiction is taken as reality. I think it may explain the limited sense of humor.
Not an iota of original thought in this thread. Just a rehash of Cartoon Wars. Yeah, I saw it too. It's a funnier argument when Matt and Trey make it.
All in all, I enjoy both shows for different reasons. And both shows are hit and miss. FG's randomness lends to a higher rewatchability.
South Park's achielles heel is that sometimes it's too topical. A rerun addressing something like Terry Schiavo just isn't funny the second time around. And of late, their non-topical episodes haven't been too funny. This season was pretty unfunny, and I say that as a fan. I really only liked the Obama episode. "Elementary School Musical" should've been a lot more clever than it was.
Both shows are offensive. Both shows pride themselves on being antiPC. If you don't like one why watch it? If you find something offensive, don't watch. The View downright angers me because those annoying hens send a bad message to women. Guess what? I don't watch the View. I ignore it. I forget it exists. Why can't people do that for shows they hate?
All in all, I enjoy both shows for different reasons. And both shows are hit and miss. FG's randomness lends to a higher rewatchability.
South Park's achielles heel is that sometimes it's too topical. A rerun addressing something like Terry Schiavo just isn't funny the second time around. And of late, their non-topical episodes haven't been too funny. This season was pretty unfunny, and I say that as a fan. I really only liked the Obama episode. "Elementary School Musical" should've been a lot more clever than it was.
Both shows are offensive. Both shows pride themselves on being antiPC. If you don't like one why watch it? If you find something offensive, don't watch. The View downright angers me because those annoying hens send a bad message to women. Guess what? I don't watch the View. I ignore it. I forget it exists. Why can't people do that for shows they hate?
Thespeckledkiwi
Vice Admiral
As I said, exodus, would you laugh at jokes made about the actual Holocaust? There are nice cheeky references that are done by other shows that are in -- well funny tastes (but just as tactless, still funny because it is relevant).
I don't take cartoons seriously. I absolutely ADORE and love cartoons. That's all I ever really watch for the most part. Kim Possible, X-Men (we get re-runs here of that), My Life as a Teenage Robot, Fairly Oddparents, South Park, Invader Zim, Venture Brothers, Danny Phantom I watch a lot of cartoons.
Why do I watch Family Guy? I really don't. I watch the Simpsons but keep the television on for the most part as background noise when I'm doing stuff. If the plot looks interesting, I might check it out but rarely I do that even now. I had high hopes for the Road to Germany (the last two Roads were done okay).
Family Guy to me is a worse version of Marry with Children...
BTW we don't usually start one on Family Guy, it's usually the Simpsons. Family Guy has gotten a LOT worse since it's return and I don't know what the cause of this is. Either Fox is too afraid to corral McFarlane or Fox just doesn't give a crap about what it airs anymore.
It isn't taking things seriously, it's making fun of tragic events that are often understated or glossed over in society.
As Family Guy creator Seth McFarlane said at Harvard, in character as Stewie, in response to the criticisms from Trey Parker and Matt Stone of South Park that the flashbacks and other "vignettes" have nothing to do with the plot and make no sense:
"The boys at South Park are absolutely correct: those cutaways and flashbacks have nothing to do with the story. They're just there to be 'funny.' That is a shallow indulgence that South Park is quite above, and, for that, I salute them."
What he said. What a bunch of prim and proper pussies. George Carlin is spinning in his grave.
Though I watch the rebroadcasts on Adult Swim, and am generally entertained what usually takes me right out of it is when it become political propaganda.
Brian always seems to link whatever's going on to 'Evil Republicans' or they find some manner to bash 'hicks'.
Like I said I still watch it but that to me gets tired real fast.
Sharr
Brian always seems to link whatever's going on to 'Evil Republicans' or they find some manner to bash 'hicks'.
Like I said I still watch it but that to me gets tired real fast.
Sharr
Maybe the show hasn't changed one bit since being uncancelled. All I know is that during the first three years, I laughed quite a bit. Since the moment it came back, I haven't laughed more than once an episode and usually have been offended/disgusted by more than a few things I've seen. Okay, I laughed at Blue Harvest, and look forward to the two follow-ups of that coming out, but the series proper has lost me and I haven't watched it in a year.
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