Goddammit, Family guy

[Fish]

More and more lately, I've found Family guy to be kinda like that friend that keeps pissing you off, and you keep forgiving him because you guys have been friends for a long time, but as of late it's like he's a different person...

Point in case: the increased use of "long jokes" to basically fill time and allow their writers to basically take an extra smoke break. There have been times where the "run a joke so long that it gets funnier as it gets unfunnier" thing has worked, but this last episode...well, it featured a FULL THREE MINUTES of Conway Twitty. What, is this some kind of kaufman-esque joke on the views? "hehehe, they just watched a whole song that was completely unrelated to anything!" I feel like my trust as a viewer has been abused by the writers assuming that I'll be amused by minutes-long tangents about...nothing.


Dammit, Family Guy, you and I have had some good times. Even now, you make me laugh sometimes. But I can't help but feel like we're growing apart. I mean, "randomness ftw" is certainly a goal to strive for, but a man cannot be amused by randomness alone.

[Toothlessjoe]

Originally Posted by Fish

"run a joke so long that it gets funnier as it gets unfunnier"

I never did like that, it rarely works. Then again, I don't really like family Guy much. Give me American Dad.

[The Risen Ghost of Hitler]

I just downloaded the episode you're talking about and it was a pile of shit. Conway Twitty isn't funny, plus they've used that same 'joke' about 10 times now. The part where Stewie was on the roof and Brian started asking him interview questions didn't make sense. I just didn't get a lot of it and I normal love Family Guy.

It seems rare that there's a full episode that's funny all the way through. The only one I can think of is the A-Team one.

[Shrike]

I used to like family guy, but then my brain started working again.

[hooloovoo]

Originally Posted by Fish

There have been times where the "run a joke so long that it gets funnier as it gets unfunnier" thing has worked, but this last episode...well, it featured a FULL THREE MINUTES of Conway Twitty. What, is this some kind of kaufman-esque joke on the views? "hehehe, they just watched a whole song that was completely unrelated to anything!" I feel like my trust as a viewer has been abused by the writers assuming that I'll be amused by minutes-long tangents about...nothing.

Kaufman-esque is a good description. And I have a soft spot for that sorta thing in certain occasions, for example the Space Ghost episode where he abandons an interview to crawl after an ant- for over 5 minutes.

In this particular occasion though (since family guy is more mainstream), I wonder if something doesn't go on the behind the scenes- like the fox censors cut something based on objectionable content, so the writers give the network a big FU by pulling out the most random footage they have the rights to.

[crazzyass]

I'm waiting for a hardcore fan to pop in here soon...


Oh, and whoever said they preferred American Dad? What the fuck? I haven't seen it that many times but it seems to be a ripoff of Family Guy( done by the same writer...fail) but it seems a lot less funnier.

[ObsidianZ]

Yeah the latest episode was particularly shitty.

*ObZ

[Please insert username]

Originally Posted by crazzyass

I'm waiting for a hardcore fan to pop in here soon...


Oh, and whoever said they preferred American Dad? What the fuck? I haven't seen it that many times but it seems to be a ripoff of Family Guy( done by the same writer...fail) but it seems a lot less funnier.

yeah this American dad is just a rip off... personally i love family guy but some of the jokes are crappy..

[Frank]

American Dad is not a rip off of family guy, it is about 50 times better. It features real characters and stories as opposed to random flash backs every 10 seconds.

Family guy has gone downhill ever since they came back to TV. They tried too hard to bring back the jokes of certain characters. Pedo old guy, greased up deaf guy, the fighting chicken, meg jokes ect. They tried to follow The Simpsons way of things of having a large cast to avoid being a show solely about stewie/peter but failed miserably.

Conway twitty thing certainly pissed me off.

[water bottle]

I agree completely with OP.

[Siu3d]

O.J. fucking Simpson?! Are you kidding me?! Leave it to Family Guy to beat that dead horse till there ain't nothing left...

[water bottle]

Originally Posted by Frank

American Dad is not a rip off of family guy, it is about 50 times better. It features real characters and stories as opposed to random flash backs every 10 seconds.

This as well. American Dad has continuity and good plots. I really liked that episode in which Roger leads two lives without knowing about the other persona, that was great. Family Guy has no plot lines. It's so annoying when something convenient like the "gay gene" only lasting two weeks comes up. Have some fucking creativity, grr.

[13579]

Originally Posted by Fish

but this last episode...well, it featured a FULL THREE MINUTES of Conway Twitty. What, is this some kind of kaufman-esque joke on the views? "hehehe, they just watched a whole song that was completely unrelated to anything!" I feel like my trust as a viewer has been abused by the writers assuming that I'll be amused by minutes-long tangents about...nothing.

This. The last episode was shit, and throughout the whole Conway Twitty deal, I was actually thinking about you (As I'm pretty sure you've brought this up before, or somebody else has) and how true this is.

[metaphoria]

I think that episode of South Park with the manatee writing team really hit the nail on the head. Pretty much every Family Guy joke follows this formula.

1. "Blah blah blah, like the time..."
2. Flashback to situation involving random celebrity
3. Cliché joke involving said celebrity

I just can't watch it anymore.

[Mirana]

Thing is their still bringing in profits as long as they stay on the air, so it doesn't really matter to them. And they don't seem to care about their reputation either.

I never watch family guy anyway, even when I see a new episode and a boring 5 minute filler comes in I just switch to something else.

[Nero]

Don't watch it then.

[Orgasm Hut]

Season 7 was shaping up to a complete let down until last weeks Ep (S07E08), Holy crap they did something right for a change. They managed to add a lot of little bits to the main story (which admittedly was a little plain) and it turned out to an hilarious episode. Anyone else agree?

I really hope they have saved themselves for the season. Episode 9 has almost finished downloading so I'll see soon

Originally Posted by static_void

Family Guy has no plot lines. It's so annoying when something convenient like the "gay gene" only lasting two weeks comes up. Have some fucking creativity, grr.

I think you really had to ignore the main story,.

[Mantikore]

horrible show. i watched a few episodes and they were all crap

[ComradeAsh]

Ehhh, its good mindless entertainment for a good mindless 20 minutes.

It could be worse, you could watch ATHF for hours on end.

[Proots]

God - I hate Family Guy. So low brow, so stupid. If you're like, 10-15 I could understand liking it.

Here is EVERY FAMILY GUY EPISODE in a nutshell :

1. 80's montage
2. Flashback joke
3. Ultra - long joke
4. Intentionally forced, meaning to be funny morale


End. It's turned into one big "fart" joke, if you'll pardon the expression. Low brow. That's all I gotta say.

[Korivan i'Alagmarae]

yeah, new family guy pisses me off. i just fast foreward all that shit, since it isnt funny and isnt gonna get any more funny...

[dead]

Originally Posted by Toothlessjoe

I never did like that, it rarely works. Then again, I don't really like family Guy much. Give me American Dad.

I never really followed the whole 'i hate Toothlessjoe' movement at totse, and I haven't yet jumped on it here , but seriously? American Dad over Family Guy? I'm not advocating either honestly, but American Dad is horrendous- completely unfunny. There's better punchlines in Jimmy Fallon's monologues.... seriously. I can now officially say I hate you, Toothlessjoe.

[Kara]

FUCK YOU ALL! CONWAY TWITTY IS SECOND ONLY TO ELVIS AND JOHNNY CASH!

On that note, American Dad is just a pretentious Family Guy. For those of you that don't get Conway Twitty, I have nothing for you but extreme pity

[ysr2096]

You're expecting too much from the show. Stop expecting it to be good/bad/whatever and it'll be more entertaining.

IMO, the best movie/TV show/book is the one you expect the least from, but it delivers above your expectations.

Lower your standards and it'll get funnier.

Originally Posted by robyextreme

Thing is their still bringing in profits as long as they stay on the air, so it doesn't really matter to them.

If the show gets too bad and no one watches it, it'll get cancelled. I'm sure they care.

[Proots]

Originally Posted by ysr2096

You're expecting too much from the show. Stop expecting it to be good/bad/whatever and it'll be more entertaining.

IMO, the best movie/TV show/book is the one you expect the least from, but it delivers above your expectations.

Lower your standards and it'll get funnier.



If the show gets too bad and no one watches it, it'll get cancelled. I'm sure they care.

No.

I'm not going to try and act like a brain-dead sheep just to get a few laughs. Was Family Guy funny? Absolutely. But, now - every episode is basically the exact SAME THING. Stupid. Seth McFarlen needs to get new material/original ideas or GTFO!!!!!

[Blunderfail]

I really hated the joke with the beaver, I think it was. And how they're making jokes at how unfunny the joke is, and say something like "Hahaha Family Guy will be back after this". Does anyone know what I'm talking about?

It was funny and original the first time, and I thought "Haha. Sitcoms do that! Family Guy sure is funny" but now they use that type of joke ALL THE TIME and the joke itself has turned into the joke.

It's hard to explain. I'm kind of drunk but does anyone understand what I'm on about?

[Proots]

Originally Posted by Blunderful

I really hated the joke with the beaver, I think it was. And how they're making jokes at how unfunny the joke is, and say something like "Hahaha Family Guy will be back after this". Does anyone know what I'm talking about?

It was funny and original the first time, and I thought "Haha. Sitcoms do that! Family Guy sure is funny" but now they use that type of joke ALL THE TIME and the joke itself has turned into the joke.

It's hard to explain. I'm kind of drunk but does anyone understand what I'm on about?

I get the gist of what you're saying. And, it's true.

Family Guy is full of suck these days.

[Morb]

I like Family Guy, and I'm a sucker for the stuff they do on there, like the long jokes. But yeah, I happened to turn on that last episode during the Conway Twitty thing. At first, I was laughing and thinking, "Heh, they're doing the Twitty thing again."

But then it just went on and on... and on. They might have gone a little too far with that.

Originally Posted by Frank

American Dad is not a rip off of family guy, it is about 50 times better. It features real characters and stories as opposed to random flash backs every 10 seconds.

Family guy has gone downhill ever since they came back to TV. They tried too hard to bring back the jokes of certain characters. Pedo old guy, greased up deaf guy, the fighting chicken, meg jokes ect. They tried to follow The Simpsons way of things of having a large cast to avoid being a show solely about stewie/peter but failed miserably.

Conway twitty thing certainly pissed me off.

Come on, Frank. American Dad may not be exactly a rip off of Family Guy, but it isn't the Futurama of the Simpsons. Although American Dad is getting better (god it sucked at first), I always get the feeling that the whole reason the show exists is to provide a place to put all the material that ended up on the cutting room floor of Family Guy. They save all the best stuff for Family Guy, and dump everything else into American Dad.

Personally, I would like American Dad a lot better if I liked the characters, but I don't like any of their personalities. There's not a single character who has the basic comic appeal of any of Family Guy's main characters, they're all just stereotypes (the right-wing patriot dad, the ditzy mom, the hippy daughter, the geek son. I think they just tossed the fish and the alien in there because they realized none of the other main characters were very interesting.)

[Fish]

Originally Posted by Morb

Although American Dad is getting better (god it sucked at first), I always get the feeling that the whole reason the show exists is to provide a place to put all the material that ended up on the cutting room floor of Family Guy. They save all the best stuff for Family Guy, and dump everything else into American Dad.

Personally, I would like American Dad a lot better if I liked the characters, but I don't like any of their personalities. There's not a single character who has the basic comic appeal of any of Family Guy's main characters, they're all just stereotypes (the right-wing patriot dad, the ditzy mom, the hippy daughter, the geek son. I think they just tossed the fish and the alien in there because they realized none of the other main characters were very interesting.)

That's a pretty accurate assessment, IMO. It completely smacked of rip-off at the start, and even though it's kind of evolved it's own sense of being, it's still got a bit of "family guy aftertaste" if you ask me...

And about the characters...yeah, that's pretty much why I don't watch American Dad - the characters are a little too archetypal.

Good post.

[Dog]

That's actually exactly what turned me off to the newer episodes when I tried watching them. I'm sure it isn't easy to come up with fresh stuff for a show like this, but that isn't an excuse for them to just add minutes of ridiculously unfunny filler.

[DEADBEATDAD]

People still watch family guy?

[LuKaZz420]

Originally Posted by DEADBEATDAD

People still watch family guy?

I watched until the third season then stopped, that show was never great, it was watchable in the beginning then it just went silly.

I never liked American Dad either, if I want to watch something with a story and some continuity I just re-watch King of the Hill.

[mr.blunt]

I don't even fuck around with new family guy episodes, I just watch the reruns that play all day and look for some of the good, classic family guy. If it's a rerun of some newer episode, I usually watch something else. I haven't really agreed with that show for the last few seasons as it sucks gigantor testes.

[Frank]

Originally Posted by Morb

I like Family Guy, and I'm a sucker for the stuff they do on there, like the long jokes. But yeah, I happened to turn on that last episode during the Conway Twitty thing. At first, I was laughing and thinking, "Heh, they're doing the Twitty thing again."

But then it just went on and on... and on. They might have gone a little too far with that.



Come on, Frank. American Dad may not be exactly a rip off of Family Guy, but it isn't the Futurama of the Simpsons. Although American Dad is getting better (god it sucked at first), I always get the feeling that the whole reason the show exists is to provide a place to put all the material that ended up on the cutting room floor of Family Guy. They save all the best stuff for Family Guy, and dump everything else into American Dad.

Personally, I would like American Dad a lot better if I liked the characters, but I don't like any of their personalities. There's not a single character who has the basic comic appeal of any of Family Guy's main characters, they're all just stereotypes (the right-wing patriot dad, the ditzy mom, the hippy daughter, the geek son. I think they just tossed the fish and the alien in there because they realized none of the other main characters were very interesting.)

Futurama was nothing like the Simpsons. As for American Dad's characters being stereotypical what do you think Family Guy's cast is? It's like they threw the talking baby and talking dog in just because the other characters weren't very interesting.

Fact is American Dad is a well written show with plots and comedy that doesn't just appeal to people like you who are "suckers" for 10 minute long unfunny gags and flash backs. Stories, character development, plot twists, something other than meg is ugly and plain jokes. American Dad > Family Guy.

They save the best stuff for Family Guy? Is that why every season of Family Guy since American Dad hit the scene has been shit while American Dad seems to be a solid change of pace?

Hating on American Dad is just like the people who don't even buy a bands new album yet they boldly claim it's no where near as great as the bands first album.

[Blunderfail]

Originally Posted by mr.blunt

I just watch the reruns that play all day and look for some of the good, classic family guy.

Am I the only one who thinks "classic" family guy was a shit ripoff of The Simpsons? Everyone always likes the older episodes of Family Guy better -- But as crap as new Family Guy is, AT LEAST IT'S GOT AN ORIGINAL STYLE! People are fucking stupid on the Internet. No matter how crap the first seasons are of a show, they'll like that better than the later ones.

[Proots]

Originally Posted by Blunderful

Am I the only one who thinks "classic" family guy was a shit ripoff of The Simpsons? Everyone always likes the older episodes of Family Guy better -- But as crap as new Family Guy is, AT LEAST IT'S GOT AN ORIGINAL STYLE! People are fucking stupid on the Internet. No matter how crap the first seasons are of a show, they'll like that better than the later ones.

Not trying to be a dick - but , you're wrong.

NOTHING about "Family Guy" is original.

[Blunderfail]

Originally Posted by Midge

Not trying to be a dick - but , you're wrong.

NOTHING about "Family Guy" is original.

Yeah,I know - I meant the "style". Like, there's no other show with no plot and random flashbacks every 5 seconds, etc. At least that's original... (Not saying it's good - but tbh, new Family Guy does make me laugh more than new Simpsons, but I do think that new Simpsons is better on the whole)

[Morb]

Originally Posted by Frank

Futurama was nothing like the Simpsons.

That was my point, I didn't make that very clear the way I wrote it (my bad). My point was that Futurama was a very different show from the Simpsons (and was also a quality show), while American Dad seems very much like Family Guy (and is not nearly as good).

I guess we'll have to agree to disagree about this otherwise.

[Fish]

Originally Posted by Morb

That was my point, I didn't make that very clear the way I wrote it (my bad). My point was that Futurama was a very different show from the Simpsons (and was also a quality show), while American Dad seems very much like Family Guy (and is not nearly as good).

I guess we'll have to agree to disagree about this otherwise.

This is quite true. Futurama and Simpsons cashed in on eachother only insofar as the fact that they were made by the same people. In practice, there were actually very few similarities as far as character types/plotlines/etc. The genius of Futurama was that it gave them a completely new setting and entirely new opportunities for plot lines and jokes.

Sadly, the Macfarlane posse didn't realize this or didn't care: there are direct parallels between the characters on FG and AD, and sometimes even carbon-copy jokes between the two. Again, I usually try to limit my complaining and just opt to not watch AD, but more and more, it feels like now Family Guy is becoming a crude caricature of it's former self.

[Morb]

Originally Posted by Fish

Again, I usually try to limit my complaining and just opt to not watch AD, but more and more, it feels like now Family Guy is becoming a crude caricature of it's former self.

You may be right (I think the Simpsons have been getting that way for years, although that may be due to the fact that evidently many of the writers there haven't ever been fans of the show or even bothered to watch most of the episodes).

Family Guy to me is a great show with a lot of great gimmicks, I love the random humor, the long jokes, the flashbacks, all that stuff. I think they make it work, and all I know is Family Guy still makes me laugh more than any other show.

But that kind of stuff inherently is going to get stale after awhile, and maybe it's beginning to with Family Guy. I always pictured Family Guy as the sort of show that has maybe a good solid 5-8 seasons in it, but after that they should quit on a high note rather than run the well completely dry. In this respect, American Dad may have a long shelf life by comparison (that's the sort of show that could go on as long as they can keep improving it), but I doubt it will ever make me laugh as much as Family Guy.

Before my friends all moved away to Las Vegas, we used to all get together on Sunday evenings to watch the Fox lineup, and I realized that Family Guy lends itself to that setting more than most shows. We'd laugh during the Simpsons and King of the Hill and American Dad, but Family Guy was something special (we had an absolute ball watching that). I've never seen a show loosen up a room like that one.

Maybe it's time Family Guy called it quits, but part of me wants it to go on forever (like the Simpsons).