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Sunday, January 31, 2010: Family Guy

by Rachel Stein January 31, 2010 6:01 AM
Sunday, January 31, 2010: Family Guy

Okay, I'll admit I often talk about how crappy Family Guy is, and we can all agree that everyone hates Seth MacFarlane. Still, I find myself watching old episodes all the time, and maybe even a new one every few months. There hasn't been a single Family Guy that didn't make me laugh at least once, which says something about the show's writers. Between classics like "Peter, Peter, Caviar Eater" (Season Two, Episode One),"The Kiss Seen Around the World" (Season Three, Episode Eight), and newer episodes like "Road to the Multiverse" (Season Eight, Episode One), it's clear that they are a talented group of people.

The most frustrating thing about Family Guy is that most of the writing is extremely lazy, with easy cut-away jokes pinned onto weak, unimaginative storylines. As an extremely popular, Emmy-nominated, prime-time series, Family Guy has license to say and do whatever its writing staff can dream up. And yet they choose to rely on cheap jokes and recycled plotlines? Week after week, the writers are letting down the millions of fans who have been exceptionally loyal from the very beginning, who spent so much money on DVDs that Fox brought the show back after a one-year hiatus. It's offensive, and not in that edgy way they're going for.

There's a new Family Guy episode tonight at 9:00 PM on Fox. Instead of looking up what it's about, since it rarely matters, I've instead written a Mad Lib that I assume covers its action:

Peter finds out that he's (Race/Religion/Gender/Weight) and has a feud with (Former Star of a '70s/'80s/'90s sitcom). In the end, though, after a wacky turn of events, it ends up that he was actually just (Adjective) all along. Meanwhile, Brian and Stewie find themselves caught in a (Synonym for "Homoerotic") situation. Guest Starring (Actor We Kind of Like) as the voice of the ghost of (Supporting Character)'s (Horrible, Disgusting Noun).

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15 Comments

January 31, 2010 2:09 PM
Craig
Reply

You're probably going to be hearing from Seth McFarlane's attorney, because I think you stumbled upon their actual plot generator there.

January 31, 2010 2:33 PM
tvgirl48
Reply

They've stopped even bothering with plots really. But I agree that there is always one thing in Family Guy that makes me laugh out loud. In the new episodes, it's ONLY one thing. It really bothers me because the show can have moments of cleverness like it used to, but most of the time they just don't bother.

January 31, 2010 3:34 PM
Mara
Reply

I have to admit, the whole subplot with Stewie and the Star Trek TNG cast had me laughing so hard I couldn't even breathe.

Not to mention the Spies Like Us homage. (For whatever reason, when he was 9 or 10, that was my brother's favorite movie and he watched it almost every other day. So he loved the episode)

February 1, 2010 1:15 AM
Anonymous
Reply

I seriously think that the whole taking over Fox's Sunday-night animation lineup thing was a huge part of an elaborate plan concocted by Seth MacFarlane and his yes men to play a joke on the Fox execs and quite possibly, America. It started with the realization of the fact that a bunch of beer-guzzling frat boys still stuck in their 12-year-old mindsets loved Family Guy with such a rabid devotion that they wouldn't sit idly by when the show was canceled.

It was probably then when they realized they've got a pretty sweet gig that will make them filthy rich, so they concocted a master plan to take over Fox's Sunday-night animation lineup, beginning with pushing out King of the Hill for the clone of FG, American Dad. And now? Three of the Fox's Sunday primetime shows are MacFarlane's. Practically 1 1/2 hours of "The Seth MacFarlane Show."

Seth and his cronies are probably smoking hundred-dollar bills at his mansion and having a laugh at our expense for being total suckers.

Also, his shows are blatantly elitist. Every time I catch an episode, I get the impression that I have to be in a certain circle to "get" the jokes and such, and if you don't, well, bully for you. It's as though he was this one nerd that was picked on by bullies throughout his high school years, and now he's a gazillionaire, so it's revenge of the nerd. He takes potshots at everyone and everything and acts as though it's so witty and clever that you're supposed to laugh with him if you want to be "one of his friends" because he thinks it's so very hilarious, and if you're not, then you're a humourless, spineless Republican douchebag or whatever.

Could be just me, though.

February 1, 2010 8:00 AM
Babs
Reply

You guys are amazing with your hate!!!! Good lord, the show came back, not once, but twice and you still talk trash about it. There are devoted fans who look forward to that one laugh a night, which is by far better than a lot of shows out there. Does it make you feel better to join in on the trash-Family-Guy bandwagon?? I bet you secretly watch the show any chance you get. Come out of the darkness just admit you like the show are insanely jealous of Seth MacFarlane's success.

February 1, 2010 8:58 AM
hugo
Reply
replied to comment from Babs

well said! And not everyone hates Seth MacFarlane. I like Family Guy because in-between the plot-genrator generated plots, it satires the stupid and retarded side of America and American pop culture in general. Maybe that's why much of the American media likes to hate on them? Anyway, how many shows get away with doing that?

February 1, 2010 11:04 AM
cat
Reply

I agree with Babs and hugo.

February 1, 2010 11:30 AM
Leek
Reply

Psst, Rachel. Check your date in the headline there. It's almost like TWoP has given up on proofreading altogether.

February 1, 2010 1:23 PM
Anonymous
Reply
replied to comment from hugo

Blah blah blah. That's like the top stock answer given to those outside the "circle" by MacFarlane sheep.

February 1, 2010 1:37 PM
Court
Reply

The whole "FG writers use 'insert random names/places/objects' formula to make their jokes and use over-used sitcom plots" was funny back when South Park mocked it FOUR YEARS AGO.

February 1, 2010 1:48 PM
l.d.
Reply

I agree with Babs, Hugo and Cat. Do the good people at TWOP not understand satire?

February 1, 2010 1:55 PM
KDS
Reply

My kids an I were late to the FG party and enjoy catching the older eps on Adult Swim. Maybe it's because I've only watched it for the past year or so, or maybe it's because I just enjoy it for what it is and don't over-analyze it, but I adore it. My favorite thing to do is laugh, and if I'm going to criticize everything that attempts to make me laugh, I won't get to do it as often.

July 8, 2010 12:44 PM
Daniel
Reply

You're missing the point with Family Guy. They are PARODYING all the shows that are lazy and have weak plot points. The show is very clever.

August 3, 2010 3:44 PM
usmaan
Reply
replied to comment from Craig

shut the fuck up

February 11, 2012 4:20 PM
Harvey Katzen
Reply

I think I figured out the twist! M Night Shyamalan has been dead since 2003 and that's why all his movies suck.

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