Family Guy

I've just noticed that there isn't really another direct thread for Family Guy.
I think there was one similar, but I think that's asking a different question..
Sorry if it's been done before.



Personally, I'm sick of "Family Guy copied The Simpsons" comments being tossed and thrown around these forums.
Never once, while watching the show, did I ever see it as a Simpsons rip-off.
It wasn't until I noticed that people were getting really worked up about it, that I started to notice it.

But I think Family Guy is it's own show. Although it continuously parodies everything, and although it seems to leach off other shows, I've never considered it to be a clone of any TV show.

When it was cancelled, I personally think it should of stayed cancelled. At least it would of ended on a high note.
And the idea of The Simpsons having to compete with FG would hopefully perish too, then maybe it might return to the old style.

This is what I think of the characters:

Peter. It's hard to describe his character. He seems to have a new characteristic, or a catch-phrase every episode.

Now, he's just a little too over the top. They've really crossed the line with him; it actually isn't funny anymore. If they take him back to the Season 3 or possibly Season 4 standard, then I might enjoy his character again.
He just annoys me heaps. He's basically everything I'm against, and I find it extremely hard to get into his character after that.

Lois. She really annoys me.
I don't like her voice. And she seems to be a pretty cheap "Marge Simpson" rip-off.
Sometimes she "nags" but she doesn't do it in an innocent, or funny way like Marge, she does it in a bitchy, slutty way, and I find that pretty off-putting. That's how I generally see her character.

Chris. He's not much of a character. He usually has about one line an episode, and it's usually just a cheap joke to fill in time.

Meg. I love Meg. I love it how they're all really horrible to her.

But as the series progressed, they've started doing less and less of that. She's kind of becoming "accepted" into the Family now, so it isn't all that funny to watch her anymore.

Brian. I posted this in another thread, but I'll post it again.

Brian was always my favourite character. In the early seasons, he seemed to be the only "sane" character.
He was opinionated and actually had a soul. A good example of this, is the episode where he goes to jail for drinking from the water fountain or something.
And no, he shouldn't have a girlfriend. That might sound a bit...weird, but it just doesn't work for his character.
He's a dog, they're trying to make him into Peter II.

Stewie. Wow. Stewie's gone from being 100% evil to 94% cute, 6% evil.
It just doesn't work like that. You can't make him that cute, and that evil at the same time.
They did it somehow in the first two or three seasons, and they made it work brilliantly. I don't know how they did it, but that was one of the reasons I really latched onto this show.

But now, it's just like he's two different people. It gets really hard to like, feel for, or get into his character when he's being cute immediately after he's done something cruel or shocking.

I'll finish by saying: Although it isn't one of my favourite shows, I will never deny how brilliant it once was.
It was filled with such excellent, unique humour that I'd never really seen before.

I do not like to get into this, as I have had this discussion in person for hours on end. I feel that both sides of the argument are valid. While obvious connections can be made, and jokes are blatantly ripped off on a regular basis, the shows are on parallel paths on different planes stretching semi-infinitely to different ends. There is no doubt that without the Simpson's, Family Guy would not even exist, but it has drawn on the style of the Simpson's, paid its homage, and taken it into a realm more relevant to contemporary society, more approachable for the next generation of viewers in the next era of media.

You know, family guy has NOT had any clip shows as the Simpson's has to save money in the past.

Family Guy isn't as expensive to produce because the animation is a lot crappier.

Originally Posted by Starman

Meg. I love Meg. I love it how they're all really horrible to her.

But as the series progressed, they've started doing less and less of that. She's kind of becoming "accepted" into the Family now, so it isn't all that funny to watch her anymore.

Have we been watching the same show?

Originally Posted by hail to the chimp

You know, family guy has NOT had any clip shows as the Simpson's has to save money in the past.

Family Guy IS one big clip show of cutaway gags and throwbacks to the same gags over and over and over (at least until Stewie shoots them dead).

Originally Posted by Toli

Have we been watching the same show?

He was apparently watching the show in reverse order if he thinks that Meg goes from being hated to being accepted.

Originally Posted by General Jack D. Ripper

Family Guy isn't as expensive to produce because the animation is a lot crappier.

By today's standards, I'd suffice to say that 'Family Guy' is significantly better than 'The Simpsons' in terms of animation.

Brian was the only decent character... and then they made him racist. The show craps all over its characters and that's one of the (many) reasons I don't watch.

Family Guy has probably the worst characterization I've ever seen, at least out of the major adult cartoons (the others being The Simpsons, Futurama, American Dad, South Park, and King of the Hill).

Originally Posted by TheForbiddenDonut

By today's standards, I'd suffice to say that 'Family Guy' is significantly better than 'The Simpsons' in terms of animation.

Not sure if I agree with that all that much. They are pretty much equal I find atm.

Also to the OP I feel you have some valid points. I think one of my least favorite things about the new episodes is how Brian is nothing like he was in the earlier seasons.

Originally Posted by TheForbiddenDonut

By today's standards, I'd suffice to say that 'Family Guy' is significantly better than 'The Simpsons' in terms of animation.

In terms of "skilled" animation, Family Guy wins. No doubt. Family Guy has shown that it can be very, very good in that department; even if they don't usually show it.

In terms of "pleasing to the eye", The Simpsons wins. It's generally more detailed that FG, but FG has done a lot more things with it.

Originally Posted by Toli

Have we been watching the same show?

Well, I'll admit in the first season, apart from the episode where Peter "ruined cable", she was generally just a member of the family.

From Seasons 2-5, she was usually the butt of jokes. They were usually quite horrible to her, without being directly horrible.
e.g. When she was being kidnapped and screaming "Aaah! Dad! Help me!"
and without looking, he replies "Have fun at the dance, Meg".

Another example:
Peter: (Talking over intercom) Hey Meg! I see you there in the kitchen! Put my sandwich on whole wheat please...no, no, no, no, don't use that mustard, use the other mustard. (Peter looks at another screen and sees that the Burglars realize Meg is in the Kitchen) Oh god, Meg, they know you're there! Quick, scrape that mustard off, use the other mustard!

Or in another episode (I don't know which one, can someone tell me?), when they're all on the phone to each other, and then Meg comes on, and the rest of the family all make up excuses to leave; but without being rude or mean.

In Season 6, I've noticed that they, usually Peter, are just directly horrible to her. They just don't seem to care anymore..

Originally Posted by Luigi

Not sure if I agree with that all that much. They are pretty much equal I find atm.

Also to the OP I feel you have some valid points. I think one of my least favorite things about the new episodes is how Brian is nothing like he was in the earlier seasons.

I have an even bigger problem with Stewie. He was actually rather amusing when he was a diabolical genius who'd always try to kill Lois in some sort of comical fashion (not to say that beating her half to death the way he did to Brian in Patriot Games would be funny). Now every joke involves him being gay, talking about TV/movies/actors/actresses, having a short temper, and being an annoying baby. But yeah, Brian's characterization sucks in the new episodes as well. So does everyone else's, for that matter.

As for Meg's treatment, she was always a social outcast even in the early episodes and Peter was often negligent, but they didn't treat her like a human punching bag. Deep down, Peter loved her. In the new episodes, she's just a target for abuse and everybody hates her. She may've been the butt of several jokes in the early seasons, but it got worse in time.

Originally Posted by Sideshow Jay

He was apparently watching the show in reverse order if he thinks that Meg goes from being hated to being accepted.

Yeah. All I've noticed is that the hate for Meg on the show has seemed to go way up in the last 2-3 season.

I must ask, has there been any emotional/heartfelt scenes in Family Guy or has it always been one of the cartoons that shits on everything? Because I far prefer South Park for shock humour.

A few early episodes contain sentimental moments. They're nowhere near as touching as the sentimental moments on The Simpsons and Futurama or even the few that South Park has had, but they exist. They're practically non-existant in newer Family Guy episodes though.

Good question, Tinted.

The only thing in the show I've ever found to be 'heartwarming' would have to be seeing Brian drinking from the water fountain at the end of "Brain: Portrait of a Dog".
That whole episode could be considered 'heartwarming', but it's a tad too depressing for my liking.

Apart from those short insignificant scenes, Family Guy is just a cocky, Seth McFarlane offspring, that shits on everything. It parodies everything about other shows; it leeches off them, but who would of thought it'd leave out one of the most important aspects: Emotion.

Oh yeah, I forgot about Brian: Portrait of a Dog. That was always one of my favorite episodes partly because of the presence of emotion. The bulk of the show's emotion is in the seven-episode first season, now that I think about it. After that, emotional moments on the show are usually just along the lines of "Oh Peter! I love you!" "I love you too, Lois!" *they kiss and probably have sex*

My favorite Family Guy ep, Brian Wallows and Peter Swallows, has a nice bit of emotion to it (although in FG fashion, they have to mess it up with a tacky joke near the end).

I have to strongly disagree with the comment that Family Guy currently has better animation than The Simpsons. FG's animation is stiff and robotic--the characters rarely have any interesting gestures, they're range of emotions is far smaller than OFF's, and far too many scenes involve a couple of people sitting/standing around with hardly any movement at all. Call the Jean era boring or whatever, but the characters still have visual life to them, even when it's just two people having a chat. In a single, slow-paced bedtime conversation between Homer and Marge, The Simpsons would show a wider range of expressions than an entire Family Guy act.

And when it comes to "bigger" episodes like 24 Minutes, there's no contest in terms of visual appeal.

family guy is nothing like the simpsons, because the dog doesn't talk on the simpsons.

Originally Posted by TriforceBun

I have to strongly disagree with the comment that Family Guy currently has better animation than The Simpsons. FG's animation is stiff and robotic--the characters rarely have any interesting gestures, they're range of emotions is far smaller than OFF's, and far too many scenes involve a couple of people sitting/standing around with hardly any movement at all. Call the Jean era boring or whatever, but the characters still have visual life to them, even when it's just two people having a chat. In a single, slow-paced bedtime conversation between Homer and Marge, The Simpsons would show a wider range of expressions than an entire Family Guy act.

Well I personally find the characters on 'The Simpsons' to be very stiff and robotic, with character designs that have been tightened to the point that there are no longer a wide range of emotions. 'Family Guy' is pretty much the same in that regard, but facial expressions and gestures aren't as vital to its appeal as they are to 'The Simpsons'. 'Family Guy''s animation has better timing and a greater variety of directorial angles that has been entirely lost on 'The Simpsons'.

I agree that Family Guy's animation is stoic and robotic, to the point of brain damage. I find it really hard to watch. There's no poses, everyone stands stiffly straight up and yammers on. I think that at least the Simpsons are funnier looking, though I ALSO agree that the designs are so tight now that they lost a lot of possibilities for exaggerated emotional drawings. If I had to choose I'd say Family Guy is a LOT uglier, in terms of everything...design, color, movement, etc.

I've never been into Family Guy...I tried. It just seems to have no soul. I just watch the show blankly and can't laugh at anything. I don't hate it or anything, but it does absolutely nothing for me. When I say "soul", I don't mean sentimentalism or emotion...I just feel like no jokes come from a real place. It's more like "what will people think is funny" (i.e. trends) rather than "this is a personal funny joke to me." I'm not sure if that makes sense, but it's the best way I can think to phrase it...

And I'll admit I have not seen very many episodes, so feel free to call me out on being wrong or completely misinformed. I just know that I tried watching it for a while, and gave up.


Jordan

FG's animation style is much weaker over all than the Simpsons, especially with regards to characters' expressiveness, but it still has its moments... such as the chicken fights (the second in particular is elaborate and entertaining) or Stewie dancing with Gene Kelly.

Originally Posted by hallofeyes

I agree that Family Guy's animation is stoic and robotic, to the point of brain damage. I find it really hard to watch. There's no poses, everyone stands stiffly straight up and yammers on. I think that at least the Simpsons are funnier looking, though I ALSO agree that the designs are so tight now that they lost a lot of possibilities for exaggerated emotional drawings. If I had to choose I'd say Family Guy is a LOT uglier, in terms of everything...design, color, movement, etc.

I've never been into Family Guy...I tried. It just seems to have no soul. I just watch the show blankly and can't laugh at anything. I don't hate it or anything, but it does absolutely nothing for me. When I say "soul", I don't mean sentimentalism or emotion...I just feel like no jokes come from a real place. It's more like "what will people think is funny" (i.e. trends) rather than "this is a personal funny joke to me." I'm not sure if that makes sense, but it's the best way I can think to phrase it...

And I'll admit I have not seen very many episodes, so feel free to call me out on being wrong or completely misinformed. I just know that I tried watching it for a while, and gave up.


Jordan

I think one aspect where the show has soul is its mix of "class" and "crass". Like there seems to be an affection for theater and broadway style musical numbers on the part of the writers. Furthermore, Family Guy's target demographic shouldn't even care about this stuff. I find amusing the juxtaposition between these classier bits and the constant tasteless gags.

I really think that 'Family Guy' and (current) 'The Simpsons' are equally terrible, but the way too bright coloring, stiff animation, bland expressions, and static angles are far more repulsive to me than the animation in 'Family Guy', because it still has far more flexibility and much better timing than current 'Simpsons' does.

Alright, here's what I'm talking about specifically:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_8Bcu2djfaE

This is a clip from a more recent episode where Lois and Peter watch the extended opening from the Maude TV show. The gag, of course, is that the opening is ridiculously long, causing the Griffins to get frustrated. Watch how little animation there is in a full 1.5 minute clip. The characters have barely any expression changes, and Lois's stance remains the EXACT same throughout the whole clip (she doesn't even slink back).

By contrast, here's a clip from the most recent Simpsons episode, Homer of Seville:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EbEymtX-Ku0

Now, I found it tough to find a recent clip online with OFF just sitting around like the Griffins (for an accurate comparison) but the first half-minute or so simply has the family in the car. Ignore the dialogue and just watch how many gestures and facial changes go about in the car scene. There's even an interesting angle from the steering wheel, looking up at Homer. And at the funeral, when Homer says "You don't think you know me, but you do!", his physical interaction with the guy looks pesky enough to be genuine.

I didn't even like last week's ep (gave it a C- or something), but I definitely think OFF still has the edge in animation quality. Granted, the scene in the first Family Guy clip was a bit more static, but it's so un-creatively shot (one single, basic camera angle, no transitions a la War of the Simpsons when Marge is complaining about Homer) that it's a good representative for the laziness that goes into FG's animation.

EDIT: Alright, here's the first part of last week's FG for comparison.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ihhoHd8sR4

The doctor scene has more of the stuff I'm complaining about--lack of expression, stiffness, boring camera angles, characters in basic "standing" poses like a couple of planks, etc. Jillian talking to Peter has even more of this.

Wohhh that 2nd Family Guy clip is awful!! I didn't even know the animation was THAT boring. Everyone looks half asleep. South Park has better animation than that...


Jordan

Yeah Family Guy's animation sucks compared to the Simpson’s, I’m stunned anyone could think otherwise. Plus on the whole directorial angles thing, FG uses the same side view with the characters front side angle, 95% of each new episode now, while the number of different stuff the Simpson’s has consistently done on each and every show is in the many. If you flip threw one of the latest Family Guy episode and then pretty much any episode of Simpson’s you'll see what I mean. The character models on the Simpson’s have become a little too plain over the years, but at least they are expressive to an extent, while the characters on FG barley move, and when they do it is one of 3 stock movements.

I guess I didn't realize how terrible 'Family Guy''s animation had become, because having mainly watched some of the older shows on adult swim, I found it to be pretty decent and more pleasing than I've found most season 18 episodes. I assumed that it hadn't changed much since (I was wrong). However, 'The Simpsons' is still very weak compared to the way it used to be and I stand by that.

I agree that The Simpsons' look isn't as vibrant as it was in the past. A little intentionally-off-model squash-and-stretch for OFF can go a long way in expressiveness (such as Homer's freak-out in The Shinning).