The Big Picture: It Seems Today ...

[Drakmeire]

I understand what Family guy was going for but felt the "Lowest Common Denominator" approach to be a bit of a mess. If the show actually had some subtly I could get behind it but since it insists on slamming you over the head with all its jokes and references it just becomes exhausting; Guys it's OK if a joke misses for a little but later makes sense when you think about it. That's smart comedy. Don't drag out the joke or go into detail explaining it.
On the subject of reference humor: Just acknowledging something exists doesn't count as a joke. You need to poke fun at the smaller pieces rather than say "Hey Street Fighter is a thing, let's just redo a Street Fighter fight completely straight but use our characters without any joke other than it being recognizable".
Oh, rant continuing: Repetitive jokes. Hey here's a celebrity. How can we make fun of them? How about we give them a huge body part. There, Done!

 

[Clovus]

I've always assumed that some people hate Family Guy because it's appealing to some awful, dumb people. Like, in the vid, how he mentioned the first 3 seasons being required frat, dude-bro viewing. My 17-year-old brother likes Family Guy, and that makes me think I'm doing something wrong when I enjoy it.

Anyway, this isn't really a problem because I think the show works on multiple levels. Like, the Meg-is-ugly jokes, for example. I've always thought they were funny because they were riffing on how Tracy Gold's character was treated on Growing Pains, or similar characters. Also, just because they're over the top. I'm guessing that some people think it is funny because making fun of "ugly people" is hilarious. If my main exposure to Family Guy was seeing it while being around those people, then I'd develop a dislike of the show pretty quickly.

 

[NinjaDeathSlap]

When it isn't wallowing in stretching out the punchlines of its least funny jokes in the hope that, maybe if they hold the awkward silence just for 1 minute longer, somebody somewhere might laugh, Family Guy is up there with the best of them.

 

[Miroluck]

Is Bob intentionally trying to be unlike everyone else on the Internet?
"Simpsons are still funny (they haven't really changed, it's just perception / whoops, guess they did actually change - but it was totally necessary!)",
"Mass effect 3 endings are good (even though I never played the games)",
"South Park sucks (how dare they make fun of Scientology and not of Mormonism? Scientologists are totally cool!)".

"The Simpsons has been dead since season 10"
There's a reason people say that. If mr. Chipman would look for reasons and evidence instead of letting his preconceptions decide that for him, he would know why.

 

[linforcer]

When that title card for that old cartoon showed I just paused it and went "OH MY GOD!"

I remember as a kid quoting that cartoon as a kid, but I had no idea....

 

[Lord Garnaat]

Generally I agree with Bob's opinions, but I'm just going to go out and say that Family Guy really is one of the worst shows on TV right now, and probably the worst example of TV animation there is. The jokes are as pointless and jarring as they are unfunny, more like the endless pop-culture references of the "Movie movies" than anything else. The animation is cookie-cutter and lazy, every single character is either totally one-note or completely unlikable, with Brian the super-cool, ultra-smart, always right, can do no wrong, atheist, liberal jerk who MacFarlane insists on using to trumpet every single issue he decides to get on his soapbox about being the worst offender.

It's a show that has absolutely no effort put into it at all, just pure, mindless trash that MacFarlane can use to churn out more money and take over more slots on the evening animation block, same with all of his other shows that are just lame rehashes of the same formula. If the people behind Family Guy ever had any talent, it was suffocated a long time ago by trying to shoehorn in pointless drama, political filibusters, and awful cut-away gags.

 

[JoeyMousepadd]

I'm so out of touch, I didn't know it was uncool to like Family Guy.

 

[IamLEAM1983]

Pretty much a textbook case of "To each his own".

I'm not too hot about Family Guy, as I'm one of these weird folks who believe that political correctness isn't necessarily something that should be made fun of. Having a character who's stuck in a wheelchair is one thing, but turning around and having Brian bite a "special kid" for petting him too hard? I don't know - it's like the show does everything in its power to attract my attention one moment, and then tries its hardest to offend me the next. Considering, I tend to default to an indifferent "Meh" when confronted with McFarlane shows.

As for my experience with The Simpsons and Futurama, I'd say it's pretty limited. I've grown up watching Seasons 5 to 8 of the show on a mostly infinite loop, thanks to the fact that the station that aired the episodes in French never bought the licenses for anything prior or since - and the backlog for serious Simpsons fans is immense.

The only Matt Groening show I've followed with any degree of serious effort would be Futurama in its pre-cancellation days. I swear Billy West is the new Mel Blanc.

 

[Racecarlock]

Family Guy is one of my favorite TV shows. It is never afraid to do something over the top. Never. Wanna go back in time? Family Guy does it. Wanna explore parallel dimensions? Family guy does it. Want to see peter take on an evil mustache version of himself. Family guy does it.

The chicken fight scenes are just nuts. Seth Macfarlane really needs to make an action movie, because he knows how to put an action scene together. He even had an apache in a sewer once. That was badass.

In fact, I would say that family guy and american dad have an equal sense of adventure to futurama. American dad had an episode where stan goes to heaven and has an angel chase. That was awesome. Family guy doesn't leave the house often, but they did a great rocky parody and their star wars stuff is great too.

I can't hate a series that isn't afraid to do something nuts. That's why I still like Saints Row.

 

[PinkiePyro]

lol oh bob...

but I also like family guy though I prefer american dad

 

[JarinArenos]

Since when is this a thing? Everyone I know has a vague "yeah, it's pretty funny at times" opinion of the show with no real strong standouts. I'd never even heard anyone particularly insult the show, much less call it the "worst" anything. Is this like... an east-coast TV-community thing?

 

[Weresquirrel]

*Shrug*

Whatever floats your boat. I'm not really a fan of Family guy, but I don't think I've seen many episodes past the first season. Then again, I find myself unironically liking Drawn Together, which is probably guilty of far worse crimes against quality than Family Guy is.

I have recently gotten into Archer in a big way though. I rank that and the Venture Brothers in the top tier of animated comedies.

 

[Scribblesense]

I don't like Family Guy because it doesn't feel like it was made for me. I was born in the South and lived most of my life in the Midwest, so the New England point of view that so heavily informs all of Family Guy just feels alien to me. I have much more in common with the characters of the Simpsons (especially Lisa) then I do anybody in Family Guy.

Plus, I don't like Family Guy's style of parody, where they continually bash you over the head with their own personal morality, and I don't like jokes that are funny just because they are offensive or referential. The entire Star Wars/Family Guy parody just makes me cringe nonstop.

 

[Frezzato]

"...recalling a time when fan films were about genuine affection and not just demo reels for aspiring effects technicians."

Thank you, Bob, for saying what I've been keeping to myself for these past ten years. I'll go one step further and say that I'm tired of seeing "fan films", which I find to be mostly derivative, unimaginative works. It's cool to see people have skills, but for crying out loud, you have talent, create your own damn IPs.

 

[Smeatza]

The first season of Family Guy was at best average, but since then it's been at least good.

Spoiler: This joke

serves as an example of how good the earlier seasons could be.

I don't mind the direction it's taken in recent years, but I could do with less of the filler, dragging out the jokes unnecessarily. The fight between Herbert and the Nazi was painful.

 

[Piorn]

Wait, are we still denouncing and persecuting people for their tastes?
Also, here in germany they just show episodes without any season label or number and in no specific order, so I have no idea if the show gets better, worse, or both.

 

[SonOfVoorhees]

I enjoy Family Guy, dont really give a crap if people hate it. Seems like you seem to be ashamed to like that show with all that confessions rubbish. Isnt the whole point being that enjoy what you enjoy and damn what every hater thinks?

 

[JOSHxUSEDxSPACExJUMP]

I think family guy has its moments, I like it, but can be turned off it from childish humor and it has a tendency to ruin its pacing, but it makes me laugh, not every episode but hey if I get a laugh every other episode then that means its not bad