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Ten Strikes: Why Family Guy is Awful


A look at ten reasons why “Family Guy” is absolutely terrible.




By Felix Vasquez Jr.
Ten Strikes returns with a look at ten reasons why the Family Guy needs to throw in the towel.

10. Quickly Dated Humor/References

Hey, remember Britney Spears and how she's said to be a horrible parent? Remember Kevin Federline? Well, we've seen them and everyone else spoofed repeatedly and I don't think we'll really remember it five years from now. "Family Guy" is too reliant on current event humor setting themselves up for nothing but a short shelf life placing the responsibility on the audience to explain to other people what these jokes even mean. "Who's the bald chick?" They'll ask. And we'll have to explain, and if you know the rules of comedy you'll know that if you have to explain a joke, it isn't funny. "Family Guy" is the "Meet the Spartans" of television.

9. Blatantly Preachy

With "South Park" you're almost always guaranteed a commentary about something involving the war, society, or religion through hilarious stories and great gags, but "Family Guy" cuts through all of the clever undertones and just blatantly breaks the fourth wall to preach to the audience. While I enjoy what they have to say about the FCC, and television monitoring, staring at the screen to preach is just sloppy. "Family Guy" will never be as clever as “South Park,” in fact they pretty much don't even attempt any subtlety and just place their characters together to chat about an issue while we watch. It's pathetic.

8. Robot Chicken did it better

Attn: Fox. Robot Chicken spoofed "Star Wars" better than you ever really could, and shockingly enough they did it first. They had no eighties references, and used the movies as a tent pole for rather brilliant gags. Not to mention that they actually spoofed "Star Wars"! Instead of, you know, placing characters into a situation that would give them a cheap excuse to have a thirty minute non-stop reference show. If you have to admit that Seth Green did it first, in the final scenes of the episode, then it's obviously an admission of guilt.

7. Meg Griffin

I have nothing against mean spirited humor when it's done right, but the incessant cruelty toward the character Meg is absolutely unfunny. Meg was always an unnecessary character who was written in the beginning as a self-absorbed and whiny individual. Once Lacey Chabert left, Meg became the family punching bag often bashed, insulted, used as an often annoying punch line for cruel jokes, and sometimes never even featured in an episode. The writers either have difficulty luring Mila Kunis back, or simply don't know what to do with Meg, anymore. So rather than write her off, they simply make her a target of violent behavior that's hardly humorous.

6. Spoofing Yourself = Jumping the Shark

When a series points out its own absurd qualities, then it's a surefire signal that the writers have all but given up trying to take the show seriously. When television series and movie franchises don't even take their own story methods with a stern determination anymore, it's obvious by then that it's time to give it a rest. Take for example the writers spoofing the massive cutaways as Stewie talks to Brian, looks to the camera and says "What? We don't have a clip for that? Oh okay, then." If even the writers are satirizing the cut away’s, it's time to step up and change things.


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Ten Strikes: Why Family Guy is Awful: COMMENTS

by Wraith

Friday April 04, @17:23pm
PEOPLE... seriously.
STOP... stop making this fatso think that he's important.
BIG deal he wrote something about family guy !?
Arguing against him is like screaming at a cockroach.
It's silly.

by TwofertheShow

Friday April 04, @08:20am
Wow. So this writers opinion is the gospel? First off, dated or not some of us happen to think its funny. Second, if you say SP isn't preachy, you clearly don't watch it enough. Third, lots of shows have spoofed Star Wars. Oh, and that would be before Robot Chicken. Your point is? As for Meg, what ever. The audience laughs, which is all that matters. Oh, and lots of shows spoof themselves. Again, FAIL. Oh, and TV shows made into movies are ALL just about making some money. This is getting long, sorry. As for stealing from the Simpsons, are you saying the Simpsons has never stolen a plot, or did you miss the whole 24 episode? All shows eventually snag plots from other shows. Heres a tip for ya.... musicals draw ratings, no matter the show. And some of them are even good. Family Guy, as many before, have had hit and miss musicals. Again, you like saying the Simpsons pioneered a lot of aspects of TV formula. Do you even know about shows like Fame? Or (as bad as it was) Coprock? On to cutaways (we're almost done here people) you say Mcfarlanes show was supposed to be short sketches for Mad TV, but do you even know how the Simpsons got its big break? As short animated sketches for The Tracy Ullman Show.... (GASP!!) in the eighties. And that brings us finally to the reason I decided to write this mini book. You say the eighties sucked, I say your too damn young to remember the eighties. What if I said the Nineties sucked? Does it matter? Nope, because your beloved Simpsons is infact doing a 90's grunge themed episode this coming sunday infact. Oh, and Family Guy is pretty much aimed at the adult community, therefor you wouldnt know most of the references on it anyway. Ill give you a box of donuts if you can tell me what show they spoofed when Brian had the red crystal in his palm and they came to get him because he was too old. Those of us who knew what that was, thought is was pretty funny.
I guess what Im getting at is, if your going to write a scathing review of something, you should know more about the genre then what two other popular shows are doing, and you should watch those shows first before putting them on pedastals. Its clear you dont like Family Guy. Some of us do. A commonly used phrase for people like you is , Opinions are like assholes. Everyone has one, and they all stink.

by Junkyard

Tuesday April 01, @17:47pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by beincheezy View Post
Are you just angry because "Family Guy" doesn't feature enough women who look like beef jerky?
Yes!



Finally.

by beincheezy

Tuesday April 01, @16:31pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Junkyard View Post
I'd like to point out that while all of you think you are qualified to comment on whether or not Family Guy is funny, not one of you has said anything that is even remotely amusing. The next person to post a comment that pwns either the writer or his detractors so hard that we all laugh, wins.

If you cannot think of one funny thing to say, than you are not qualified to speak out on matters of a show's inherent "funny-ness". Your response was not funny, therefore you FAIL and your opinion is invalid. NEXT.
Are you just angry because "Family Guy" doesn't feature enough women who look like beef jerky?

by Junkyard

Tuesday April 01, @11:17am
Quote:
Originally Posted by CrypticHill View Post
I love Family Guy, I watch it any chance I get. I love that they can't stand Meg...hehehe it's great!
FAIL
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