The Simpsons VS Family Guy

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YSSMAN

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I was recently browsing the IGN website when I stumbled upon this gem, Idiot Box: Family Guy vs The Simpsons. After reading, I figure it is a topic worth discussion.

(BTW: This one is worth reading guys)

Like the commentators, I too would have a hard time choosing between the two. I mean, these are cultural icons in America, and at least in my opinion, have managed to define the feelings of a generation on a given show. It is hard to say that they represent the same generation, given that The Simpsons has been on the air for 18 years now, Family Guy on-and-off for about nine years.

One criticism leveled at The Simpsons has been that the show just isn't what it used to be, and to that I would completely agree. I can recall a time in my life where missing an episode of the show was social suicide. The shows were socially and politically relevant, carried storylines that we would generally care about, and truly were some of the funniest things we would ever see on TV. The scary thing is that most Simpsons fans would openly admit it, and yet they all march along holding onto their show hoping that it never leaves them.

Family Guy on the other hand has one advantage, its recent, relevant, and has a wave of new fans behind it. That said, people say that the earlier episodes were funnier, and I could see where that would be possible, but even then, on the whole Family Guy is funny no matter what. Then there are the gross accusations of plagiarism of shows like The Simpsons, the infamous "Cartoon Wars" episodes of South Park in which we get the "Manatee Jokes" term from, etc.

...I'm torn between the two. For God sakes, The Simpsons has pretty much been around my entire life, and it is so hard to let go of some of the characters and some of the single episodes. And yet, a part of me wants the show to die. Its been 18 years, there has to be an end somewhere...

...And yet, Family Guy is no better. There are a lot of episodes that are incredibly funny, the kind that make you laugh so hard it hurts, and yet there are episodes that aren't very funny at all. Momentary comedy is something that works for today's ADD generation, but not necessarily for those of us who are still normal...

If we were to consider the cutting-edge episodes of the respective shows' heydays, I think the battle would be a little one-sided, in favor of The Simpsons. But with the shows the way they are today, I'd have to take Family Guy just because it seems the writing staff is still alive, and for the most part, still cares.

I dunno. My heart says The Simpsons, my brain tells me to go with Family Guy. The investment of time in The Simpsons makes it a classic, and more recent comedic animated series' have cut it down a notch or two (or twenty), make it hard to give up. But my brain prevails. Family Guy it is. The Simpsons is still worth watching, but I think I've moved on...

---

So what do you think?

...And this does bring up an interesting idea: Should we do a TV-battle similar to the "Best Car" setup not too long ago?
 
YSSMAN
If we were to consider the cutting-edge episodes of the respective shows' heydays, I think the battle would be a little one-sided, in favor of The Simpsons.
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👍 That's it right there. Even though the show is comparatively lousy now, Seasons 3-7 of The Simpsons are pretty much untouchable. Family Guy is great, but The Simpsons era in the mid-90's was TV perfection. Family Guy also gets demerits in my book for too many irrelevant "this is like that time..." jokes.
 
Simpson's was always my favorite, always loved it. I had heard of this 'Family guy' and saw pictures of this oval head shaped baby that talked also a Dog that talked and dismissed it. "Bah weird"

A couple years ago a member of GTP was always going on about how great this 'Family Guy' was to me and I finally caved and started watching some episodes, and boy am I glad, Family Guy is awesome (In most cases), at the moment I like Family Guy more than the Simpson's but the Simpson's has a special place as one of the cartoons I watched often through my teen years.

Saying that I still do really like and enjoy watching the Simpson's.

SERGE.DENAYER
i dont know family guy.
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Sorry to hear :(

Maybe some day you will.
 
to be honest, both are good but I think both of them have run their course. Especially Family Guy. The first few seasons were very good. Now half the season is totally over the top.
 
I'm not much of a Simpsons fan anymore, I think it's really gone downhill. I'll go weeks without a laugh from the show, and it never used to be that way. I used to laugh throughout the whole show and be quoting it all week. The glory days of The Simpsons are just gone, everything is played out and they can't think of anything clever. I mean last weeks episode where Selma and Abe have a relationship, that wasn't even funny, it was stupid.

Oh well Family Guy is still pretty good, but not where it was years ago. I do enjoy it more however.
 
Family Guy!!!!

The simpsons is great don't me wrong, but it has lost it recently. I have never wanted to turn Family Guy over, or stop watching. I often do with the simpsons now.
 
Wow, is it even a question? The Simpons' early to mid seasons absolutely trump anything Family Guy has ever produced.

The Simpons is (or was) probably the best comedy on TV. Not even my beloved South Park is better when you consider the life of the shows.
 
Considering I would never watch the Simpsons when I was younger because the first one I saw was a treehouse of horror, I guess it must be good if I watch it now. Family Guy isn't bad, but they use to much content not related to the episode.

Any way you can add a poll?
 
I don't watch neither shows on TV, but I also think that older Simpsons were simply untouchable. Family Guy, I have seen season 1 through, maybe the 3rd season on DVD. It was also hilarious, but did not come close to the Simpsons in their prime IMO.

Having said all that, if I was to watch a whole season of one of the shows on DVD, I'd watch Family Guy. It's bit edgier.
 
Well seeing as over 50 percent of the time the TV in our house in on WNYW, we always watch Family Guy, but as of lately, we have been switching from The Simpsons over to NBC or Comedy Central to watch Scrubs.

Right now, Family Guy and The Simpsons fall behind Scrubs in my little world of television.

But some of the Simpsons earlier episodes are brilliant, like the Prohibition episode, and the 300th episode, and umm... that other one.
 
Just some observations:

The problem with The Simpsons now is that they've made all of the characters incredibly stupid (stupid people are funny, no?). The actors are also overacting and exaggerating their own characters. Combine all that with lousy writing, and you've got an injured horse that probably needs to be put down.

The problem with Family Guy is that they rely heavily on shock value and recycled humor/concepts. Throw in a tasteless joke, and it is possible to make an unfunny episode. The show has lost momentum recently, and considering that most of the original staff is still working there, that's not good news.
 
I think I will always love The Simpsons more, there are just so many classic episodes and classic quotes.
 
Dont get me wrong The Simpsons is still brilliant. But i just love Family Guy that much more. In England we don't have a proper time that it's on the TV, so we generally have to wait for the DVD. And the family Guy dvd's are the only dvd's i have gone out to get the day they come out and pay full(ish) price for.
The only time Family guy is a bit duff, is when some of the humour or references make no sense to people outside of America. But that's usually rare. I've never seen an episode of Family Guy i havent laughed at frequently. The simpsons is knowhere near as funny as it used to be. But maybe once Family Guy gets to 300+ episodes it'll be like that too.
 
555
The only time Family guy is a bit duff, is when some of the humour or references make no sense to people outside of America.
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So references to:

- '80s Television Series'
- Former Presidents
- Road To... movies
- Obscure television actors/actresses

...etc?

There are references that even I don't understand, and I consider myself to be fairly well-versed in pop-culture here in America...
 
Kylehnat
Just some observations:

The problem with The Simpsons now is that they've made all of the characters incredibly stupid (stupid people are funny, no?). The actors are also overacting and exaggerating their own characters. Combine all that with lousy writing, and you've got an injured horse that probably needs to be put down.
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The Simpsons is my favorite show of all time, and though their episodes have been garbage for years now, I agree with your sentiment. Along with Homer somehow becoming stupider and less human with each passing season, you always see somebody acting really out of character these days (Marge's breast implants) and it's such a shame. The writers are not only ruining the show with their awful writing, but they're ruining classic characters by changing them and putting them in these stupid new episodes. Now they're making a movie too, which I will watch because I'm such a fan of the show, but I bet it won't be very good, I absolutely love simpsons frm season 1-10, and then until 12 the episodes are still bearable, after season 12 though, it turned into complete garbage.

Family guy will never make anything that comes close to classic simpsons and I think everybody agrees on that.

Right now though, South Park is the best of the 3, since the newer Simpsons episodes are no competition
 
I've heard a lot of people say that South Park is better, and to some extent I would agree. Given the way in which SP is done, it allows itself to be a lot more relevant, which in turn often makes it a lot funnier IMO. I believe in the making-of show (Going Down to South Park?) they said it takes about a week or so to make an episode of SP, compared to the month or more than it presumably takes for Family Guy or The Simpsons.

...I probably could level SP as the reason why I don't find The Simpsons as funny as what it used to be, and maybe I'm not alone...
 
South Park goes for the big jokes and ridiculous overall ideas in an actual story, rather than a scattershot of little jokes every minute like Family Guy. Both can be good, but the latter tends to get old after a few episodes, and I think South Park just has funnier writing.

Now that I think about it, the Simpsons used to be kind of a happy medium between the two extremes, with hilarious results.
 
Zrow
South Park goes for the big jokes and ridiculous overall ideas in an actual story, rather than a scattershot of little jokes every minute like Family Guy. Both can be good, but the latter tends to get old after a few episodes, and I think South Park just has funnier writing.

Now that I think about it, the Simpsons used to be kind of a happy medium between the two extremes, with hilarious results.
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I miss the older South Park episodes. Don't get me wrong, I still love the social commentaries and the way they take on current issues, but it's lost that little bit of 'southparkishness' it used to have. Everything now is overly dramatic and it's getting tiresome. It went from working off of the great quirkiness of each character that would tie into some underlining message; to this giant theater presentation. Take the most recent episode for example. Look at Stan, Kyle, and Kenny. There was no life there, at all. What happened to Kyle's crude and adult one liners? When Cartman was explaining to his mom about the picture, I was just waiting for some sort of joke revolving around how slutty Cartman's mom is but nope, nothing.
I think Family Guy is tapping into a new kind of cartoon fan, a fan which loves it's pop culture references and randomness (this may be simplifying the cartoon just a bit). Cartoons like Harvey Birdman, Aqua Teen Hunger Force, Family Guy and the like are leading the way for a new generation of cartoons. The Simpsons and Space Ghost kinda paved the way for it back in the 90s but the style has exploded recently. Too bad the Simpsons have lost it awhile ago.
 
I agree that the Simpsons is off to me it seems like that they have some good story ideas but they don't folow through. Family Guy is good but they tend to be off putting from time to time. I feel like Seth Mcfarlane has put his best writers on American Dad which feel right now is better than both theSimpsons and family Guy.
 
I would rather watch The Simpsons - and nothing BUT The Simpsons - for 30 years than watch ONE 30-minute episode of Family Guy. It's just awful. The Simpsons may have lost their edge, but their absolute worst episode is still hundreds of times better than the best Family Guy.
 
Totally agree, Family Guy is utter garbage and I have no idea why it appeals to so many.

Since most of us agree that the Simpsons has lost it, when did the series jump the shark in your opinion?
 
First of all, American Dad is super, super lame. Also, don't group Harvey Birdman and Aqua Teen Hunger Force in with Family Guy just because they're in the same timeslot on Adult Swim - the former two are good underrated shows, and completely different than Family Guy (read: weird).

Speaking of underrated... how great was Futurama? And I hear it's coming back in 2008?
 
Family Guy appeals to many people because of it's offensive humour, I like a good offensive joke. They are always willing to push the edge of what you can say on network TV.

Futurama was awesome, I loved that show. I hope it does come back.
 
I used to like Family Guy, but it seems to have run out of jokes after a few years. The Simpsons are still funny, although it's lost a bit of its edge. I own the first nine seasons, so there's really no comparison.

At least I still use that fake e-mail from time to time.
 
I think overall i prefer Family Guy because so many people love the simpsons. I always have to be different. I get Family Guy isn't liked by as many people, GOOD!
 
Depends, go to any US college campus and students will more then likely prefer Family Guy over the Simpsons.
 
Max Powers
Since most of us agree that the Simpsons has lost it, when did the series jump the shark in your opinion?
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No question: the Spinoff Showcase at the end of Season 8. I remember watching that episode for the first time, and thinking "wow, that was horse****." The show never recovered.
 
Duke
I would rather watch The Simpsons - and nothing BUT The Simpsons - for 30 years than watch ONE 30-minute episode of Family Guy. It's just awful. The Simpsons may have lost their edge, but their absolute worst episode is still hundreds of times better than the best Family Guy.
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While I think on the whole you're right, there are some episodes of Family Guy that are quite good. The first few were a trip. And the "Stuck together, torn apart" episode was very funny.

I guess I'm just not so extreme to either side.
 

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