Family Guy: Am I the only one who *doesn't* like it? (1 Viewer)

[Mike Miskulin]

nah, I agree, The Family Guy is not for everyone. But for those who do like it, the show is the greatest on the planet. I like to look at it as Random Humor. One joke to the next with common thread holding them together. I enjoy the fact that the Family Guy is not PC. However, it is not mean for mean's sake....eh, I could go on, but I don't think anyone would care in this thread
Suffice it to say: I like the show. If you don't like it, that's okay too!
Nothin' but love here.
mike.

 

[Jeff Gordon]

Only the Family Guy would have a cut scene where they show PacMan in his living room being consoled by the ghost-characters from the game. "Oh, look, we're turning blue. Come on don't you wanna eat us? Aw, it's not working, let's go to Q-Bert's house."

Hilarious...Almost as good as the Deaf Athletes missing the Special Olympics because they don't hear their alarm going off. In poor taste...Absolutely. Funny? Definitely!

 

[Morgan Jolley]

Family Guy just sucks in our opinions. There are reasons behind it that I and others here have, but when you get to the simplest reason, its just that we don't like it. Some do, we don't.

I will agree that South Park has depth to it in the ways previously described. Stone and Parker are really good writers and can come up with good material (plus a few dirty words).

 

[Jason Quillen]

I dont think this is a debate that will change anyones mind. Some people like family guy, some dont. I personally think its the funniest cartoon on the air right now, but thats just me. I'm just glad I have a region free player and Family Guy S1 is out in the UK and S2 is on the way.

I'm not even going to get into the debate of if its a 'ripoff of the simpsons' or not.

JQ

 

[Jeff Gordon]

Family Guy is out on DVD?????

 

[Jason Quillen]

Just in the UK (maybe other regions too, I dont know). Or if you have a multi-region player and order from amazon.co.uk or blackstar.co.uk

JQ

 

[Ryan Peddle]

quote:

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Jokes like Arnold Swartz. and sly Stallone staring as homosexuals in a blockbuster movie.

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What was the context? Portraying someone as a homosexual is in itself not very funny, unless there's some twist to it. What was the twist here?

The context was that hugely stereotypical british guys took over the local PUB and Peter started to think they would take over other things, like blockbuster movies, to which Peter thought of a movie and it was Arnie and Sly are sitting is a little row boat in the middle of a seet little pond, and acting very very homosexually.

The thing is, some may find the scene funny, some may not, but it is the "out of nowhere" angle it comes in at.

Same with the Spiderman, Pacman, WillyWonka, Peewee's Playhouse, NGR gunn assosiation, Dukes of hazzard, Batman, Krypton Sucks,...and there are so many more, but they come outta nowhere, that's what make them so funny to the fans.

 

[Ike]

See,

I guess it's me, but it's not really un-PC, especially not compared to South Park. If it was really un-PC, I'd probably watch it, but I haven't really seen anything that made me go, "They can do that?" like with South Park. And I saw that attempt at racial humour where Peter finds out he's black.

 

[Trace Downing]

All this talk of "context" about Arnie and Sly just seems to illustrate the point I made about arrested development.

Why do you think that "manly men" can't be gay? Just what does "acting very homosexually" mean? And how is either of this funny?

First I agree that portraying someone as gay is not really funny without context, probably why I hate Will & Grace.

What does that mean? That if they're not negative portrayals, it can't be funny?

As a contrast, The Simpsons had an episode that WAS funny, and didn't marginalize a group of people with negative stereotypes. They instead used the stereotypes in a reverential way that the eventual outcome was positive. I'm talking about the one where Homer caught Bart in a Hawaiian dress, dancing to a Motown song. He then took Bart to a Steel plant, in an effort to butch him up, where all the workers were gay, and at quitting time, the factory turned into a disco. That was funny.

 

[John Besse]

The Family Guy is the most original animated series I have ever seen. It kills the Simpsons, since that show is way past its prime. Futurama is the only other show that comes even close to the Family Guy.

How could you possible hate a show that brings up so much humor from the past. There are so many orignal jokes that make me laugh. Everyone I know likes the show, and I really can't see how you could'nt. When was the last time you thought about Pac Man, let alone had a good laugh about it? For me it was last Thursday night when Family Guy was making a joke out of it!

Come on that show is fantastic!

 

[Morgan Jolley]

Family Guy is just not funny. The jokes can come out of nowhere and be funny, but they aren't.

South Park is so horrendously disturbing and shocking that it is funny. The drama, the writing, the dialogue, the characters, everything is funny. Family Guy has one person with a really badly planned out personality who is supposed to be the big joke of the whole series. He's stupid, we get it, but he is the only one who does anything. The kids will get in the show and such, but the father is the only one who does anything that we're supposed to laugh at, and its just not funny.

Another thing I saw was that the funny stuff can wear off. The Willy Wonka thing was funny, but less than 1/3 through, it became boring. I wanted them to do something I didn't expect or at least move the story faster. The whole thing was predictable and not even funny.

When Family Guy starts to have 180 uses of the "s" word in one episode for no reason, maybe the "out of nowhere" comedy concept will work, but until then, its not funny.

 

[Ryan Peddle]

South Park is so horrendously disturbing and shocking that it is funny.

I'm not sure what is so "shocking" about Southpark. With the exception of some of the content of the movie and the overabudance of censored swearing, I don't find it shocking, and I do like the show very much.

But family guy is the KING of abusing stereotypes in races, sexuality, family, and occupations.

The whole NGR racial angle was completely shocking. "guns do'nt hurt people, dangerous minorities do" was the last line of the NGR commercial.

I'm not trying to make people like it. I'm just trying to understand how people that watch and like both Southpark and the Simpsons, actually don't like FG. Maybe the jokes go by to fast for some. Maybe the pacing is to fast. Maybe its the lack of major storylines.

But I love FG and will stand proud in defence to have it stay on the air over such "family comedies" such as MitM, That 80's show.

 

[Ike]

I'm not sure what is so "shocking" about Southpark. With the exception of some of the content of the movie and the overabudance of censored swearing, I don't find it shocking, and I do like the show very much.

Really? I wouldn't say shocking, but comparitive, Family Guy should be on PAX. Plot lines from South Park:

Mr. Garrison is ashamed that his father didn't molest him as a child. In the climatic scene, we hear (and begin to see) his father enter the room, and begin to have sex with him. We later find out that it was just Kenny G.

Cartman, feeling childish, decides to join an adult group. He joins NAMBLA, a group of child molestors. He convinces the whole group to join, and in the end scene, a group of naked men chases around a group of screaming boys.

In one episode, Butters finds out that his dad is going to male porn and sex houses. He finds him masturbating (blurred, but obvious), and then tells his mother. His mother goes crazy, and decides to kill Butters. She tries to drown him, but he ends up surviving.

That's not including many, many more episodes. What has Family Guy done that's really all that shocking? Not to mention, South Park's crippled character-Timmy-is actually a point of conversation, and not just being laughed at. He tests what is acceptable humour, and what's not.

Again, Family Guy feels like it's dirty comedy dreamed up by network execs.

 

[Chad Ellinger]

Family Guy's strength lies in its ability to point out and deliberately defy the ridiculous political correctness of current television humor. I wouldn't call Family Guy's humor "shocking," but it does go places other network comedies don't. No other show I've seen has lines like:

"Lois, I know you're a feminist and all, and I think that's great. But this is grown-up time and I'm the man."

Or scenes like the mock "Diamonds are Forever" ad, with the caption "She'll pretty much have to."

The Simpsons used to push these same boundaries, but has since lost its satiric edge. South Park features a lot of sophisticated humor and satire, and then proceeds to ruin it with immature "fart joke" humor that goes on for way too long ("Mr. Hanky" comes to mind).

Of course, shows like Family Guy are destined to fail on network television because they simply don't have mass market appeal. Kudos to FOX for at least giving it a try.

 

[Ike]

The Simpsons used to push these same boundaries, but has since lost its satiric edge. South Park features a lot of sophisticated humor and satire, and then proceeds to ruin it with immature "fart joke" humor that goes on for way too long ("Mr. Hanky" comes to mind).

That is South Park's gem in it's crown-that it's stupid and smart at the same time.

While making a joke about poop, they are also dealing with commercialism in Christmas, Christmas fables, etc.

And I disagree that The Simpsons lost it's satiric edge. It's not as obvious, but it's there.

 

[chris c]

I absolutely loathe this show. I just don't find it funny. FWIW, I love all Simpsons, some South Park. Oh, I don't really care for Futurama, although I did see one episode that was really good.

 

[John_Lee]

Maybe I'm mixed up, but wasn't part of the Schwarzenegger/Stallone bit not so much that they were or weren't gay, but that they were starring in a Merchant/Ivory production? Kind of like seeing Schwartz/Stallone on the big screen as Frasier and Niles.

 

[Don Black]

Part of maturity is knowing how to separate fact from fiction. Laughing is healthy and humor can be found in many places. I find nothing wrong in mocking religion, family, sexuality, criminality, etc. provided that its not malicious.

Family Guy provides cutting edge humor that typically can't be found on television. It does so mockingly, with a clever twist, and actually causes people to think about the punchlines.

I will miss it and am baffled why others won't.

 

[Ike]

Part of maturity is knowing how to separate fact from fiction. Laughing is healthy and humor can be found in many places. I find nothing wrong in mocking religion, family, sexuality, criminality, etc. provided that its not malicious.

Family Guy provides cutting edge humor that typically can't be found on television. It does so mockingly, with a clever twist, and actually causes people to think about the punchlines.

But that's the thing-there are already 2 (!) animated shows that, are in my mind, more willing to go out on a limb and mock everything you listed and more. Cutting edge? No way.

 

[Morgan Jolley]

Family Guy also uses jokes that are old, worn out, or common knowledge, like a gay joke between Peppermint Patty and that chick from Charlie Brown. Its not funny because everyone knows the joke already.

FG also does what SNL does: it drags the jokes out too long. Sometimes a well placed crack is funny, but when they drag it on, it gets annoying.

The stories to the episodes suck. No continuity, no purpose, no comedy. South Park has crazy messed up storylines (and usually multiple ones per episode that are tied together; another proof of intelligence) and the Simpsons can move from one thing to a totally unrelated thing easily, which shows that those shows are well written. If the story of the show sucks, then its unsalvagable (sp?).

South Park was made by two film students who read up (literally) on how to make TV shows. They know what they are doing. They have made several movies and are excellent at making fun of stuff in a totally messed up way. That is why they are able to make a good show. They take a social issue, relate it to the characters, throw in some well placed fart jokes, and somehow it comes out really good. FG does the same thing, only minus the continuity and comedy.