Family Guy

[Nathan]

I was surprised not to see a thread for this already.

Whaddaya think of this show?

I watch it, and get a laugh out of it, but it's not one of my most-favoritest shows.

It's indisputably a gag-driven show, not a character-driven one, and that wears thin after a while. It's just a bunch of **** being pitched at the wall, rapid-fire. Some of it sticks, some doesn't. The plots are rickety constructs on which to hang the gags, most of them far enough out of left field to give the viewer whiplash.

And the characters are just cardboard cutouts. There are really only two unique characters, Brian and Stewie. Brian doesn't do a lot for me for some reason. Stewie is the one character I like, simply because he's so weird and wacky and ... well, if you don't "get" his appeal I don't think I'll be able to explain it to you.

I don't find Peter Griffin a sympathetic character at all. Al Bundy is a lovable moron. Homer Simpson is a lovable moron. Peter Griffin is just a moron, plain and simple. 100% pure selfish ignorant dumbass.

Thoughts?

[SilverZ]

I think you nailed why it works for some people and why it turns others off perfectly... its gag driven with some flimsy stereotypical characters. It happens to click with me. I like that it goes into quirkier parody areas than The Simpsons.

There's another barrier that blocks the show's appeal for many - the art direction. I find the characters to be ugly and unoriginal. I had to really work to get beyond that.

But I love Stewie and find the purely unappealing nature of Peter funny. There are moments that go so abstract or obscure that I have to like it. I mean, they're tackling The Great Space Coaster soon. That's random.

[Famine]

I love the show. Stewie and Brian give me the most hillarious times of my TV watching life, but thats because I like stupid humor.

Kevin

[Nathan]

I think you nailed why it works for some people and why it turns others off perfectly...

Thanks.

There are moments that go so abstract or obscure that I have to like it. I mean, they're tackling The Great Space Coaster soon. That's random.

You're right, a lot of it is just so bizarre I laugh despite realizing how stupid it is.

Like the episode where the kids are all doing toad; Peter mentions one time he did drugs and things got "way too real". Cut to footage of a real actor with a Peter Griffin mask on.

[Matt_Fury]

I like the show, mainly because I can recall a lot of the older pop-culture references.

[Angry Ewok]

I love Family Guy...

Favorite moments?

For me, my favorite moment is absolutely the one where Burt and Ernie are in bed together... god that's too funny, "Stop eating cookies in the god damn bed!"

Another favorite is Disney drawing Mickey Mouse nude, "I'm gonna make you a star!"

Who can forget the Kool-Aid guy, too.

Ah, memories.

[Hemish]

Diamonds,
She'll pretty much have too....
LMAO

[JohnH]

I have the two Family Guy DVD sets, and I find myself putting them in regularly to give them a viewing.  I know the humor is crude and gag-driven, but it gives me a laugh pretty much every time.  For me, two things give it the kick in the bum that I like.  First, the way a conversation can take a complete 180 in a matter of seconds, but yet it all makes sense.  For instance - Lois tells Peter he can be the director (or producer, I forget) of the theater presentation, and ten seconds later you get "I love Mexicans!  I'll do it!"  You have to see it to understand.    More than anything though, it's the various references to once-popular TV shows, movies, etc, and the twisted turns some of them take.  "You're asking if they've ever done a Sesame Street in which the Count kills somebody and then sucks their blood for sustenance."  The Ernie & Bert reference mentioned earlier is another good good example.

I think I'm going to watch some of it now.  

John

[John C]

Quagmire is the best.  Giggity Giggity Giggity!
I laugh at everything he does.  Like when he drugged the bachelorette in the hot tub and dragged her off only to notice the cameras were on him.  Or the time he took Chris around to cheer him up and the car crashed.  The air bag blow up dolls were hilarious.

[Ben]

I'd watch it more if it weren't for Lois' voice. Not only is it shrill, she's got that accent.

But I dig the obscure and not-so-obscure pop culture references. The Stormtrooper at the shooting range and Flint were just priceless.

[DualSaberMaster]

I absolutley love the show.  It's the only show, I truly laugh at till it hurts.  Anyone else remember when they re-enacted the Medal of Yavin scene with Peter and Chewy walking side by side with trumphets blarring?    Or when Quagmire is about to get a beat down by the black guy (forgot his name).  They switch to scared face shots of Lois, Meg, and than the Emperor "Yes, let the hate flow through you".  Halarious!

Gotta love a show that uses Star Wars parodies in almost every episode. 

[BillCable]

Anybody still watching Family Guy?  The past two weeks have been hilarious.  The Bill Clinton episode (now playing on Adult Swim) could well be the funniest episode ever... certainly the best since they came back.

Clinton:  Wanna NAFTA?
Lois:  What's a NAFTA?
Clinton:  'Nother afternoon f***ing that ass

And I actually, literally laughed out loud at tonight's episode.  At the "scare Jew."  It's rare that a TV show can do that for me.  And the rest of the episode wasn't too shabby either.

[John C]

The Quagmire scene made me laugh pretty hard.  The transformer was funny too.

[Madcow]

"Form up Crippletron!"  Priceless...

[Matt]

I hate Family Guy, but I also hate Randy Newman, which means that I love Family Guy making fun of Randy Newman.

Red-headed lady, reachin' for an apple.
Gonna take a bite. . .  duh, nope, nope.
She gonna breathe on it foist. . .  wipes it on her blouuuse. . .