Raves Continue! The absolute best animated comedy series: THE FAMILY GUY - A must buy! (1 Viewer)

[Stephen Ford]

Jamie,

Set up your own anti FG thread then and see how empty it is.

No posts were deleted.

 

[Tyler DJW]

The range of negative and highly positive comments really reflect how varied peoples' tastes are. I fell in love with FG when I saw the premier episode and lost track of it when they messed with the scheduling. I'm thrilled to have it on DVD.

When Futurama came out on TV I was very disappointed. I never watched it. I've since picked it up on DVD and think it's brilliant. I have no idea why my personal tastes changed so much in so little time but they did.

Simpsons will always be #1 for me.

 

[Rob Speicher]

Ron, wait until you get around to Volume 2. "Screwed the Pooch" contains more gut-busting laughs in the first 8 minutes than most shows have in entire episodes, not to mention the rest of the episode.

 

[Ronald Epstein]

I'm on the waiting list for Volume 1 at the library. But based on all the overwhelming (and seemingly unanimous) praise, I was considering a blind purchase of Volumes 1+2 tomorrow. But now, thanks to Jaime's insights, I think I will be patient and wait to view the library's copy first.

Martin, good call. That's a smart thing to do.

Do me a favor -- be certain to check back in on
this thread and tell us what you thought of the
show once you see it.

I promise, we won't remove any comments
because they are negative

 

[Dan Rudolph]

Jaime, what you call poor story structure, I call unconventional story structure. THat was one of the main things I loved about the show. You have about 10 minutes of plot, often inconsequential. The whole thing is just to set up a bunch of wacky gags and flashbacks.

 

[Jaime_Weinman]

There absolutely were posts that vanished from this thread. It's even referred to in what is now post # 54:

In what used to be post #40 here, before "the great disappearance"...

It might be that some of the posts got lost when the forum was down at some point; I don't know. In any case I never thought, nor meant to imply, that anybody was deleting posts to "hype sales." I thought that someone might be deleting negative posts as unduly negative or "thread-crapping," and my argument would be that when a thread encourages people to buy something, it's legitimate (not thread-crapping) to offer an alternative opinion. This isn't a "Family Guy Appreciation Thread." (And of course if I start a thread telling people to buy a show I like, it's equally legitimate for someone to post to that thread and say, no, I think this show is no good and here's why I think that.)

 

[Andrew Bunk]

I'm really on the fence about this show. I've really never given it a shot (only saw 5 minutes here or there).

I think the "better than the Simpsons" comments are what actually turned me away. This show, along with many others, would simply not exist if it was not for the ground broken by the Simpsons. I agree that the the last 3-4 seasons of the Simpsons have been hit or miss, but anyone that thinks the Simpsons was never consistently funny has either never seen or has forgotten season 4-8; some of the best TV ever.

That said, I still feel I should check the show out a little more. I think for me the Simpsons has made me have extremely high expectations for other animated comedies. I love Futurama, but that seems like a no-brainer as it's also Groening. Never really got into South Park or King Of The Hill. I've seen some funny bits here or there in those shows, but nothing to make me keep coming back. I guess with those 2 and FG, I just keep seeing what was borrowed from the Simpsons. And yes, I realize the irony, since the Simpsons itself borrowed from shows like the Flintstones (and acknowledged it as well).

I may try to get some of the FG discs from Netflix, but from what I've seen of FG, it doesn't seem blind-buy worthy to me. Obviously I'm in the minority with that opinion in this thread, and I would love to be wrong when I finally get to see the DVD's.

 

[Tony-B]

i think in the afternoon it is on tbs or tnt.

Yeah. It is on TBS at 2:30 PM eastern. It's also on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim at 11:00 PM eastern.

 

[Malcolm R]

There were a bunch of posts that disappeared all across the forum when it crashed a month or so back. But if the posts that were lost were all negative, it's just coincidence.

 

[Jaime_Weinman]

Jaime, what you call poor story structure, I call unconventional story structure. THat was one of the main things I loved about the show. You have about 10 minutes of plot, often inconsequential. The whole thing is just to set up a bunch of wacky gags and flashbacks.

Well -- and this is purely a matter of personal taste, of course -- I have a hard time following the same characters for a whole half-hour, let alone a whole series, without more story interest than that. I just lose interest in a Family Guy episode very quickly because there's just nothing to make me care what happens to these people by the end of the first act, let alone by the end of the show. If it was a sketch comedy show with different characters in every act, or if it did three seven-minute short cartoons with these characters and called that a show -- but it uses the form of a sitcom and I kind of expect more story interest than I see in the show. I'll admit, though, that by the third season they seemed to have gotten a bit better at telling stories -- so maybe I'd have a different perspective on the show if it had run longer and the writers had achieved a better balance between gags and characterization.

This is, again, personal taste; I've just come to prefer sitcoms that are willing to sacrifice a gag or two and find comedy in the characters. That's why I've come to prefer the early seasons of The Simpsons (seasons 1 and 2) to many of the later seasons. Which is definitely an oddball opinion since a lot of people are of the opinion that that show didn't hit its stride until season 4 or so.

 

[Ronald Epstein]

Jaime,

What's the point if Family Guy is well
structured or not. What's the point if you care
about what happens to the characters or not by
the show's end?

If the show makes people laugh, isn't that the
entire point?

For me, I just enjoy the fact that I have something
in my life to watch after a long day of work that
makes me belly-laugh or two.

Ron, wait until you get around to Volume 2. "Screwed the Pooch" contains more gut-busting laughs in the first 8 minutes than most shows have in entire episodes, not to mention the rest of the episode.

Rob, I cheated tonight and put this episode on.
What a winner! Certainly one of the top 3 episodes
I have watched to date. Thanks for recommending it.

 

[Jaime_Weinman]

the entire point?

Nothing, obviously, is wrong with a show that just makes you laugh... and if Family Guy made me laugh a lot, I wouldn't be grousing about it. But I really don't laugh much when I watch the show, and I think part of the reason for that is that the jokes aren't hanging on anything like story or characterization. Whereas with a King of the Hill or early Simpsons, which might not have as many jokes, I laugh more because there are so many things that are funny for other reasons than pop-culture referentiality or outrageousness. And I laugh more as the episode goes on and the story unfolds, whereas with Family Guy the best stuff often comes in the first act (with a falling-off in interest as the episode goes on and it becomes clear that there's no story). And Family Guy doesn't exactly have a huge variety of jokes (IMO). I don't think the cutaways are so brilliant as to justify their getting in the way of the story (I don't think they ever did a fantasy sequence that I found as funny as, say, Homer Simpson in the land of chocolate -- and that's partly because Peter is such an inexpressive character that he can't be animated funny like Homer can).

One last thing I'll say, and I'll stop the bashing (and I'm sorry if I seem to be hammering on the show, but obviously it's my problem and no one else's if I don't find it funny): What I find a little puzzling is that people will sometimes tell me that a) Family Guy is a great, brilliant show, and b) It's just mindless entertainment, the jokes are there for their own sake, and I shouldn't expect storytelling or caring about the characters. There are shows that I find funny even though I don't think they have good storytelling or characters I can really care about -- but I would never call them great shows. At most I'd call them guilty pleasures. I mean, part of the success of The Simpsons was in showing that an animated show could do more than just make people laugh, that it could also make people care, and do sharp, coherent satire. That makes for a great sitcom, I think.

 

[JustinCleveland]

I'm on the other side of the fence... I rarely watch TV, because I don't want to follow a complicated plot or a bunch of stories that drag for weeks. I want to watch a show, laugh, and move on with my life. I don't want to miss a show and not be able to catch up.

Family Guy, like the Simpsons, was generally lacking a drawing plot, but was a great single-serving show.

 

[Matt Stone]

That makes for a great sitcom, I think.

Sorry for the cliche, but there's more than one way to skin a cat.

Obviously personal opinion factors largely into this so I don't think you can simply say X+Y=Great Sitcom.

 

[Ronald Epstein]

I have made it to disc two of the Season 3
set and the episodes have picked up momentum. I
am thoroughly enjoying what I have watched thus far.

You'll either get some of the jokes or won't. For
instance, in Mr. Saturday Knight...


Peter is looking for a job and recalls the time he
worked with THE ELECTRIC COMPANY. A flashback shows
a little skit from the 70s ELECTRIC COMPANY TV show.


It's moments like these I just bust out laughing.
The reason? I forgot about that show. In fact,
the only people who will get that joke is those of
us that grew up during the 70s and remember watching
it. It's just one of those rare moments that your
funny bone gets tickled as your mind is reminded of
a forotten moment in your life.

 

[Andrew Bunk]

Well, you got me. Netflix had a wait time for the first disc, and Best Buy was running a good deal on both sets combined, so I went ahead and bought the sets. I'll try and check them out soon. I guess for ~$60, it's not that big a risk. Worse case scenario, I'll sell 'em off. Plus, Fox has been great with releasing a lot of TV on DVD, so I feel like it's worth giving them some more cash. The last series I blind bought due to overwhelmingly postive word of mouth was Babylon 5, and so far that's been pretty good, and I'm only 1/2 way through the first season.

Now Fox just needs to give us the Simpsons faster!

 

[Erwin]

The show may have borrowed some humor from the Simpsons, but it was very funny. I really like the Different Strokes references. The show was as risky as South Park only it was more funny and it was animated What about the episode where the family gets an unemployment check for over $100,000

 

[Ronald Epstein]

Andrew,

Get back to us.

If we can convert yet another individual our
mission is a success.

 

[Jeremy Allin]

Add me to the list of converted...well persuaded. I'm going to purcase both sets shortly without ever having seen a complete episode. I've been hearing nothing but positive remarks from friends and others around here.

 

[Andrew Bunk]

Will do-my goal is to watch what is there without any preconceptions or comparisons clouding my viewing. I got sold on 24 in a similar fashion last year (Ron's rave), so hopefully this will be a repeat.

On a related note, I can't wait to check out 24 season 2. Like a dope, I sold off my 24 season 1 set last year. Even though I thoroughly enjoyed it, I wasn't sure I'd watch it again, thinking the novelty had worn off. Now I'm wishing I hadn't. I'll likely take advantage of the Best Buy deal on those sets as well.

TV on DVD is very addictive!