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"Family Guy"; am I the only one...


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"Family Guy"; am I the only one...
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psmith2.0
Mr. Vieira
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Tennessee
 
2007-12-09, 23:28

...who finds it completely idiotic?



I've watched it a bit the past few months (it's always on, it seems).

I like that little baby who is mean (he's kinda cute), but the show is so heavy-handed and it seems every line of dialogue is a set-up for some far-fetched schtick or bit. You can see it coming for miles away...it's really ridiculous.

What's the story on this show? I've not been a fan or follower, and have only been aware of it, watching it a few times (just because of that baby and talking dog, who seem to not be viewed as a little baby and talking dog by anyone around them).

But it's really an awful, awful show...or am I just missing something?



I'm not a big fan of the whole "cartoons for grown-ups" thing, and am not a fan of "The Simpsons", "King of the Hill", "South Park", etc. so does that have something to do with it? I'm just not wired to find this sort of thing enjoyable or funny?

But even beyond that, it's just so..."desperate".

It tries so hard - and goes so far - to make some joke or pop culture reference or zinger.



What's the consensus here...am I on to something, or am I all wet? Does this show have fans here at 'Nova? Is it funnier than I'm seeing?
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torifile
Less than Stellar Member
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Durham, NC
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2007-12-09, 23:29

Neither me nor my wife find it to be particularly funny. I don't have any strong negative feelings towards it, but I could take it or leave it. BTW, I used to be a big Simpsons fan, but I've stopped watching it in the past few years. Maybe I'm just getting old...
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psmith2.0
Mr. Vieira
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Tennessee
 
2007-12-09, 23:34

It just seems so...I don't know, silly. And tries so hard. To the point that every time a character delivers a line, I'm expecting the scene to cut to some schtick or satire, based on what was just said (and I'm usually right to think so, because it does...they telegraph this stuff from 400 miles out). And it's never actually "standalone funny".

I don't see anything truly funny about a caricature of Bruce Willis delivering some obscure line of dialogue form one of his "Die Hard" movies funny, in and of itself (or even in the context of it being weirdly paired with a "Family Guy" character or situation.



I have no real negative feelings toward it either, other than simply wondering "how in the hell is such a shitty, weak and predictable show actually on the air?!?"

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bender0069
Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2007
 
2007-12-09, 23:35

My husband loves family guy, but I can't stand it. It will occasionally make me chuckle, but most of the time I'm surfing the net while he watches it. I do have to admit to being a Simpsons fan.

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Perfecting_Zero
Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2006
 
2007-12-09, 23:35

I appreciate the Machiavellian humor that they write into Stewie's character. But yeah, the show has quickly become formulaic in its method. I'm still a fan, though!
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Capella
Dark Cat of the Sith
 
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: Rochester, NY
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2007-12-09, 23:37

I've seen a few episodes, and while Stewie the homicidal baby is funny, as a whole I find it foolish. I can also safely claim I have never seen a full episode of the Simpsons; I've only seen episode clips because someone in my class used clips for their presentation. I don't find such shows amusing, instead idiotic and pointless. But what can I say, I've never really been in-touch with the so-called 'mainstream'.

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Banana
is the next Chiquita
 
Join Date: Feb 2005
 
2007-12-09, 23:38

I still like Simpsons and whenever I watch an old episode, I still laugh out loud, which tells me that they did something right there. I understand that Simpsons has jumped the shark in later episodes, but can't comment as I haven't watched later episodes (I only have DVD for first three seasons).

That said, I am in same camp as Pscates- I can take it or leave it WRT King of Hill, Family Guy, South Park, and so on. There may be one or two scenes that resonates, but beyond that, they are pretty much unmemorable.
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psmith2.0
Mr. Vieira
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Tennessee
 
2007-12-09, 23:38

Yeah, the little baby makes me chuckle sometimes (but it's as much physical as anything he says; I just think he's got a cute football head, and to see him walk through an airport or bar just makes me laugh a smidge). But that's the only aspect of the show I find remotely humorous or entertaining, the little baby with the haughty accent and old-timey villainous leanings (the way he phrases things sometimes makes me chuckle, imagining those words coming from a little baby).

But...what's the deal with the rest of it?

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turtle
Lord of the Rant.
Formerly turtle2472
 
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Upstate South Carolina
 
2007-12-09, 23:39

I'm not a fan of any TV show actually. I don't even have TV in my house. There is far more to do out there than veg in front of the tube...like sit here all night chatting with all of you. Oh then there's my wife too...

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FFL
Fishhead Family Reunited
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Slightly Off Center
 
2007-12-09, 23:43

Quote:
It just seems so...I don't know, silly. And tries so hard. To the point that every time a character delivers a line, I'm expecting the scene to cut to some schtick or satire, based on what was just said. And it's never actually "standalone funny".

I don't see anything truly funny about a caricature of Bruce Willis delivering some line of dialogue form one of his "Die Hard" movies funny, in and of itself (or even in the context of it being weirdly paired with a "Family Guy" character or situation.


You sound just like Cartman:
Quote:
Don't you ever, EVER compare me to Family Guy, you hear me Kyle? Compare me to Family Guy again and so help me, I will kill you where you stand! Do you have any idea what it's like? Everywhere I go: "Hey Cartman you must like Family Guy, right?" "Hey, your sense of humor reminds me of Family Guy, Cartman!" I am nothing like Family Guy!

When I make jokes they are inherent to a story! Deep situational and emotional jokes based on what is relevant and has a point, not just one random interchangeable joke after another!
—Eric Cartman, Cartoon Wars Part I
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Critici...vs._South_Park
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psmith2.0
Mr. Vieira
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Tennessee
 
2007-12-09, 23:49

Ha...exactly!

But I don't watch "South Park" either, so I'd never know such dialogue/sentiments existed...



Yeah, maybe that's it. It's just so disjointed and separate from the story, like it's tacked-on jokes and riffs, just to get an easy, effortless laugh, even if it has nothing to do with anything actually going on. The "out of the blue" stuff is what bugs me, I think.

It's like Dennis Miller, who goes 40 miles around the bend to drop in an obscure, hip-sounding pop culture or historical reference...rather than, oh, just trying to be funny without all the window-dressing or academic/hipster cred.



I have friends - well, "friends" is kinda strong...more like "dipshit, no-taste-having acquaintances" - who watch this (and all the others) and are constantly riffing on it, repeating bits and telling me how much I'm "missing out".

So I started watching it some, mainly just to shut them up, and I've sadly discovered all my friends are mentally deficient and too easily amused...



Not sure which is worse, but it's obvious I need to snag some new friends...

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Eugene
careful with axes
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Hillsborough, CA
 
2007-12-09, 23:56

Family Guy and American Dad aren't funny, period. It's like a comedian that tries to mug the camera...a Jim Breuer or Dane Cook type. Give me a Mitch Hedberg-type show any day.

Last edited by Eugene : 2007-12-10 at 00:06.
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Kickaha
Veteran Member
 
Join Date: May 2004
 
2007-12-10, 00:00

Gee, and here I am wanting to be Stewie when I grow up...
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Luca
ಠ_ರೃ
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Minnesota
 
2007-12-10, 00:04

There was an episode of South Park (Cartoon Wars, parts 1 and 2) where they went to the Family Guy studios and discovered that the jokes were actually written by manatees that had been trained to move blocks (each of which contains a component of a joke) from one side of a tank to the other. For instance, "Laundry" + "Winning" + "Date" + "Mexico" + "Gary Coleman."

I have to say, although Family Guy was funny at first, as it went on I sort of lost interest. It really is just the same thing over and over again. It's just a series of "like that time when..." sequences, repeated ad nauseam.
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Kickaha
Veteran Member
 
Join Date: May 2004
 
2007-12-10, 00:08

Yeah, I had a period where I thought it was stupidest thing ever... then it grew on me, then I never missed it, then it just got repetitive, and now... meh. I can take it or leave it.

Except Stewie.

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Brad
Selfish Heathen
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Zone of Pain
 
2007-12-10, 00:11

Quote:
Originally Posted by Kickaha View Post
Yeah, I had a period where I thought it was stupidest thing ever... then it grew on me, then I never missed it, then it just got repetitive, and now... meh. I can take it or leave it.
x2

Nowadays, late at night I'll turn on Family Guy to help shut my brain down.
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psmith2.0
Mr. Vieira
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Tennessee
 
2007-12-10, 00:16

I have fallen asleep to it, sure enough, here lately. It's just so mindless and non-engaging that I can have it going (just to have some pleasant, non-creepy/violent sound in the room to fall asleep to) on the 30-minute sleep timer.

I'll be lying there, listening to it a bit, and I'll hear a line of dialogue and I'll instantly think "I know where this is going...", and I'll raise my head and look at the TV and, sure enough, they're doing some out-of-the-blue, pop culture schtick, shoe-horned into the scene in the most ham-fisted way imaginable.



I'll just flop my head back down and do a and think about trying to find something better to fall asleep to...
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Sauvblanc
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Mel-Bun!
 
2007-12-10, 01:45

I actually know one of the guys who was the writer/producer of the show, met him through a mutual friend, turns out he's also an alumni of the university where I did my PhD. I've watched it on and off. The trend seems to be that the ones in which he was the writer (the early ones) were pretty good, and in a way reflect his very offbeat, if not weird sense of humor. The later ones where he's not involved so much seem to be a little...meh. The writers who took over seem to be overreaching a little bit. Don't watch it so much these days...

Specialists are people who know more and more about less and less until they know everything about nothing. Generalists are people who know less and less about more and more until they know nothing about everything. I'm somewhere in the middle.
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drewprops
Space Pirate
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Atlanta
 
2007-12-10, 02:10

I had a friend who worked as an assistant on a different cartoon show on Fox that was on before Family Guy, back the first time around when it ran. This friend made me swear allegiance to the first show and ignore Family Guy. Then his show got canceled and a year or two later I caught some episodes of Family Guy and I ended up giggling and "liking it" for what it is.... sometimes terrible, sometimes okay, sometimes very funny.

They finally brought back the other show but by then my friend had a normal job and couldn't afford to go back and be an assistant anymore. At least I got some original scripts from the old show.... pretty keen geek prize that I treasure to this day... wherever those things wound up in my storage area....

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Wyatt
Veteran Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Near Indianapolis
 
2007-12-10, 07:24

When Family Guy is good, it's very good. When it's not at the absolute top of its game, though, it's usually terrible. There's not much middle ground, IMO.

Twitter: bwyatt | Xbox: @playsbadly | Instagram: @bw317
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spotcatbug
Veteran Member
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Clayton, NC
 
2007-12-10, 08:03

I don't normally like the show, but I am so glad I happened to stumble upon the Star Wars episode. It was absolutely brilliant.

My feeling about the show is that the writer/s is/are very, very lazy. They have lots of talent. If they were to put in the effort, every episode could be great. Most often, they go for the easy, not-really-funny-when-you-think-about-it shock-laugh. Like, "What would be the strangest, most-shocking (but not too shocking for the censors!) image I could get on the screen right now. Let me write this scene to get me there and I'm done."

If you watch the Star Wars episode, you'll see it's very different from the usual episodes in terms of the intelligence of the humor.

Ugh.
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bassplayinMacFiend
Banging the Bottom End
 
Join Date: Jun 2004
 
2007-12-10, 09:27

I've caught a few episodes when hanging at my friend's house and there is usually something on each episode that causes me to laugh my ass off. Not saying the entire show is a laugh riot but there's almost always a scene that does something to tickle my fancy. These are the repeat episodes though. Don't believe I've watched any of the episodes that have come out since it was brought back from the dead.
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kieran
@kk@pennytucker.social
 
Join Date: Jan 2005
 
2007-12-10, 09:34

There's usually a few parts of each episode that make me laugh. I usually watch it when I'm doing something else, like cleaning, listening to music, just to watch it at sporadic times.

I used to love it, and I have the movie on DVD that I watch every once in a while.

When it's a good episode, it's hilarious, but when it's bad, it's really bad.

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Souflay123
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Los Angeles, Ca
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2007-12-10, 11:24

I just bought the family guy freaking party pack! it is a great show!
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Moogs
Hates the Infotainment
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: NSA Archives
 
2007-12-10, 11:47

What the hell.. I posted a decent length response to this and its gone AFAICT.

Anyway, no Scates, you're not alone. Fox cartoons are a stale, formulaic collection of turds for the most part... basically rehashing various aspects of Simpsons culture with different names and faces. They follow the same kinds of stereotypical characters, through the same kinds of idiotic situations to try and make the same kinds of Sunday afternoon couch potatoes (the ones who look like Al Bundy, with one hand wedged in the front of their pants for six straight hours, the other hand with either cheap beer or pork-rinds) laugh.

...into the light of a dark black night.
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joveblue
Veteran Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Melbourne
 
2007-12-11, 00:12

Family Guy is fantastic! I have every season released so far on DVD (except the latest one which I haven't had a chance to get yet), and have watched them all at least a couple of times. I love the randomness of it! Stewie and Brian are both great characters, but I think Peter takes the cake with his utter stupidity (in a bit of a Homer-esque way). Also love American Dad, Simpsons, South Park, Futurama... King of the Hill is absolutely awful... I just don't get it...
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RowdyScot
Ice Arrow Sniper
 
Join Date: Apr 2005
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2007-12-11, 00:17

Family Guy is the same repeated meme over and over again. I don't understand how anyone actually finds it funny after seeing it more than twice.
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Dave
Ninja Editor
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Bay Area, CA
 
2007-12-11, 01:41

Family Guy got cancelled, then Fox caught the backlash and brought it back. The pre-cancelation eps are pretty good, or at least not bad. The post-cancelation eps have a different team of writers or something, and they just don't really do anything for me.
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Ebby
Subdued and Medicated
 
Join Date: May 2004
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2007-12-11, 02:11

ok. everyone badmouthing Family guy from this post on gets bad rep points.
It rocks. End of story.

J/K But I love that show. especially if I just need to burn a few minutes. It is a better watch-with-friends show I admit because there are so many catchy lines.

^^ One more quality post from the desk of Ebby. ^^
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alcimedes
I shot the sherrif.
 
Join Date: May 2004
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2007-12-11, 03:49

I could never watch it after the South Park episode tore it to shreds. It dissected the show live in front of your face, and left its innards strewn everywhere.

Killed it.

Plus they stole Stewie, the only funny character.

Quote:
... Stewie, the football-shaped-headed child who loathes his mother and invents diabolical weapons on Fox's Family Guy, bears a striking resemblance to a comic-strip character: Jimmy Corrigan, the Smartest Kid on Earth, a football-shaped-headed child who fears his mother and invents things to escape from her. Chris Ware has been drawing Jimmy since 1991... Says Ware, "I don't want a book of seven years' worth of my stuff to become available and then be accused of being a rip-off of Family Guy.

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