Simpsons v. Family Guy*

* - Previously recorded. I heard a lot of Family Guy quips from the young guys this weekend, and it made me want to cry.

This argument actually comes up a lot, that the Simpsons lost their edge a long time ago and the golden age is long past. I won't debate that - the Simpsons golden age (roughly seasons 3-7) was ridiculously better than the stuff they're putting out now. But the stuff they're putting out now is still very high quality, if a bit more formulaic than you might like. But any program that has characters go off to church camp "to learn to be more judgmental" or uses backward messages in Boy-Band songs to recruit for the U.S. Navy has not completely lost its edge.

Family Guy is a good show, don't get me wrong - good characters, ridiculous plotlines, hilarious moments, etc. - but I have always felt that have a bit too much of a carpet bombing approach to comedy in that they throw 500 jokes in your face in an episode hoping that 200 will be actually funny. And yeah, those 200 are funny, and some will make you fall out of your chair laughing - but for me, anyways, that's accompanied by a lot of moments that just fall flat or are somewhat uncomfortable and embarrassing. Not Larry David embarrassing, but getting there.

I also think a lot of the humor on Family Guy is shock driven, outlandish for outlandish-ness's sake rather than thought-provoking. Not that there's anything wrong with that (hahaha) - i nearly fell off my couch laughing when Stewie (the eerily mature and evil baby) got locked in the women's dressing room, got excited at all the, um, nudeness and said, "oh, my wee wee seems to have undergone rigor mortis." I mean, yeah, I wasn't expecting that, and it's amazing that the censors didn't stop that, so it was hilarious. But when you get bombarded with tons and tons of jokes like that per show, it can feel a little cheap.

Also don't forget that the Simpsons has been around FOR-EVER. And, btw, has never been canceled - not that being canceled is always indicative of how good a show is (See: Arrested Development). But it might point out that enough people felt, at least initially, that Family Guy was too much of a Simpsons rip-off when it originally came out.

Again, I don't mean to overly knock the family guy; it routinely cracks me up, and their pop cultural referencing and general "anything goes" comedy approach are bold and occasionally inspired (like when the son got dragged through the produce section at the grocery store and his world turned into an A Ha video; I mean, that's priceless). But I would really argue that the two shows have wildly different philosophies - The Simpsons, Halloween episodes and the occasional meta-gag aside, is a family sit-com that happens to be a cartoon (a fact that they abuse for comedy on a routine basis). But part of the charm is that it ultimately feels real and/or represents elements of our culture that are definitely out there. Plus you really care about the characters, and they can and often do work episodes to play for the sentimental and emotional angle as much as anything. They'll then turn around and ultimately mock that, but still - there are episodes where the resolution b/w Bart & Lisa or Homer and Marge is really the big point.

I don't see that with Family Guy - i see a show more oriented around sight-gags and general cartoon universe mayhem (i mean, a talking dog and baby are fixtures of the show, come on) that uses its characters to achieve its comedic ends rather than treat them as human (or canine). And that's fine - i don't think it's a fault, I just think they are not trying to be that, especially now, which should further distance them from the Simpsons.

In sum - both very good shows, both animated families, but the shows really take a different approach to comedy. And both are good. Family Guy needs to be around for a long, long time before it will even approach the pantheon status of the Simpsons, though. I mean, I can have entire conversations of Simpsons quotes EASILY, and I can't do that with Family Guy just yet. Among other reasons, "rigor mortis" and "wee wee" just don't come up that often in daily conversation.

p.s. interestingly enough - the two shows have lightheartedly feuded with one another lately, both largely attacking the Peter = Homer angle. Good stuff, and I think both shows realize that direct comparison is really moot.