T/S: The Simpsons vs Family Guy

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Shoot me if this has been asked before - i scanned the archives, but maybe somewhat ineptly.

I only got into Family Guy the last couple of months - catching a couple of episodes at my girlfriend's (i don't have sky) and then being given the DVDs for xmas. Another caveat: I have only seen really the first 8 or so seasons of Simpsons, give or take the odd episode again seen at my girlfriend's.

To me, Family Guuy is pretty derivative, and also somewhat hit & miss, but when the episodes connect they can be dazzling, and there are always little ten second snippets in each episode that are disarmingly brilliant. Also, in Brian and Stewie, they have killer characters, though the family themselves seem quite dull and autopilot.

I'll say The Simpsons, personally, for consistency, character development, being pioneers in this genre of crossover animation, and just because, okay? But i wouldn't throw Family Guy out of bed for eating crackers.

From me, to you...

― stevie (stevie), Monday, 5 January 2004 10:34 (twenty-one years ago)

I pretty much agree with your assessment of FG: it's sometimes funny, but the characters (save Stewie and Brian) are so completely devoid of, um, CHARACTER that it hardly even seems like a real show - more like a compilation of jokes. I have a hard time sitting through an entire episode most of the time.

― J.D. (Justyn Dillingham), Monday, 5 January 2004 11:18 (twenty-one years ago)

no comparison. Family Guy owes everything TO The Simpsons really. Family Guy took a lot less time to lose what little 'soul' it had as far as i could tell tho - seems to be driven much more by cynical cheap gags now - but at least it didn't start off looking and sounding awful (hindsight) which The Simpsons did (first season and some of second).

saw about 30 seconds of a recent Simpsons last night - Homer doing his usual pathetic whimpering while being terrorised by a bear - then everyone else laughing at him for being scared of a big grisly. usual charmless fare.

― stevem (blueski), Monday, 5 January 2004 11:22 (twenty-one years ago)

but i don't know how you can say Peter, Lois, Meg and er...the son, are devoid of character - their traits are clearly defined. Peter is not really any different from Homer - just less whiny. Lois a less irritating Marge, the kids being teenagers helps differentiate from the Simpsons of course, and excuses their lack of dimensions perhaps. all well and good to praise the talking dog and talking baby but how are they not going to seem good given their absurdity as concepts alone?

― stevem (blueski), Monday, 5 January 2004 11:27 (twenty-one years ago)

i actually prefer family guy to simpsons these days. i wouldn't say it owes everything to the simpsons. it uses it as a base format certainly, but takes far more risks, and when it comes off (i think its got better as its gone along, seasons 2 and 3 i thought were pretty consistent). and yes stewie and brian are really the lead characters in many ways. they have mystery about them. peter has a well defined character type but is still hilarious. the others are also well defined also and serve their purpose in the context of the show. also - quagmire is a genius character. theres that one episode where he finds the cheerleader tied up in the toilet cubicle - he just smiles and says "Dear Diary, JACKPOT!

but yeah i usually find family guy to be deeply funny. i guess it might not be up there with classic simpsons, but these days im more interested in family guy.

― Bob Shaw (Bob Shaw), Monday, 5 January 2004 11:35 (twenty-one years ago)

they have mystery about them

you mean the mystery 'how come they can talk?'

otm re Quagmire tho

― stevem (blueski), Monday, 5 January 2004 11:44 (twenty-one years ago)

they have mystery about them

you mean the mystery 'how come they can talk?'

more than that. they just surprise me more often as characters. theres a more depth there, like the way the writers play with your perception of stewie's sexuality.

― Bob Shaw (Bob Shaw), Monday, 5 January 2004 11:56 (twenty-one years ago)

In a way, the Family Guy had more freedom because it's the one that isn't the Simpsons, so it can do stranger things. It had a much looser hold on reality, and the best parts were 2-3 second cutaways, like Stewie's "sexy partys" or Peter lecturing on copyright then morphing into Mickey Mouse. None of which would matter if it wasn't funny, of course.

I think it was born cancelled, and made the most of it.

I haven't seen much modern Simpsons - I wouldn't pay for the DVDs like I did for The Family Guy and Futurama, because the ones covered by the DVDs are the ones that I've seen a million times and are always on Sky1, but then I realise I haven't seen an episode of the Simpsons in a year or so.

― Andrew Farrell (afarrell), Monday, 5 January 2004 12:12 (twenty-one years ago)

When The Family Guy wasn't fast, it could be very slow, though. There was a lot of holding on the same joke for longer than we're used to. This often fell flat, but occasionally produced comedy gold (like the scene where Joe starts crying at the bar after leaving the force and the other three in turn leave quietly - Quagmire by slipping below the table and rolling away, Peter by clambering out the window behind him etc).

― Andrew Farrell (afarrell), Monday, 5 January 2004 12:24 (twenty-one years ago)

i like that Family Guy is actually more grounded in reality - not quite King Of The Hill, but of course there's always a completely surreal incident - rarely does it form part of the overall story arc of the episode though (unlike The Simpsons from 5th/6th season onwards)

― stevem (blueski), Monday, 5 January 2004 13:23 (twenty-one years ago)

I'll say The Simpsons, personally, for consistency, character development

You say this because you've only seen up to season 8.

Quagmire strikes me as a perverted Dale Gribble, in which case I'll go with Dale. Sha-SHA.

― Leee Smith (Leee), Monday, 5 January 2004 22:17 (twenty-one years ago)

One of the greatest episodes of "Family Guy" ever is the Y2K holocaust episode. BEST ENDING EVER.

Still not as good as Sealab 2021 or Aqua Teen Hunger Force.

― Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Monday, 5 January 2004 22:22 (twenty-one years ago)

Favorite family guy quote (possibly), after they both attend a concert in full makeup, peter finds out that lois has just been pretending to like kiss all these years in order to please him:
Peter: Ya even choose to be Peter Criss. No one wants to be Peter Criss, not even Peter Criss!

― Bob Shaw (Bob Shaw), Monday, 5 January 2004 22:58 (twenty-one years ago)

Family Guy's brilliant moments numbered about, oh, 11 for the entire run, but they stood up to anything in the last two or three seasons of Simpsons. Stewie wondering aloud (er, I guess that's redundant in this case) about how marvelous it would be if he turned out to be a homosexual was flipping hilarious.

― Eric H. (Eric H.), Monday, 5 January 2004 23:17 (twenty-one years ago)

and let us not forget the awesomeness that is the 5 minute long chicken fight

― bill stevens (bscrubbins), Monday, 5 January 2004 23:36 (twenty-one years ago)

"Oh look! He runs like a Welshman! Doesn't he just run like a Welshman!"

― Andrew (enneff), Monday, 5 January 2004 23:49 (twenty-one years ago)

http://www.planet-familyguy.com/characters/pics/evilmonkey_tn.jpg

The sad thing is he wasn't always evil

― Ferrrrrrg (Ferg), Tuesday, 6 January 2004 01:07 (twenty-one years ago)

Actually what Stevie said at the top of the thread is exactly what I think, prving once again that I am either perceptive or entirely uninteresting. Probably the latter.

― latebloomer (latebloomer), Tuesday, 6 January 2004 01:11 (twenty-one years ago)

Im gonna turn this water ... into FUNK!

― Mr Noodles (Mr Noodles), Tuesday, 6 January 2004 01:58 (twenty-one years ago)

I pretty much missed the rest of that episode crying with laughter at that

― Ferrrrrrg (Ferg), Tuesday, 6 January 2004 02:08 (twenty-one years ago)

I don't know what it is about the Family Guy, but I can't fucking stand it. It's one of those shows then sends me diving for the remote control to GET THIS OFF MY TV NOW. I just find it obnoxious and awful on some primal level that I can't even explain. Sort of like Billy Joel. (I admit that I overuse "Billy Joel" as an example of All Things Wrong With the World.)

I don't despise the Simpsons at all, though it's certainly not as good as it once was. So, the Simpsons win!

― Salmon Pink (Salmon Pink), Tuesday, 6 January 2004 02:25 (twenty-one years ago)

Damm the broccoli, damm you and damm the Wright brothers!
...
So broccoli, mother says you're very good for me, while I'm afraid I'm no good for you!

― Mr Noodles (Mr Noodles), Tuesday, 6 January 2004 02:54 (twenty-one years ago)

I might find Family Guy funnier if there wasn't something about the character designs that creeped out/nauseated me.

― nate detritus (natedetritus), Tuesday, 6 January 2004 03:19 (twenty-one years ago)

Bart >> Chris
Marge << Lois
Maggie <<<<<<<<<<<<<< Stewie
Flanders <<<<<<<<<<<<< Quagmire
Mr Burns >> The Guy Who Runs the Toy Company

The real close calls would be Lisa vs Meg and especially Homer vs Peter.

― Lord Custos Omicron (Lord Custos Omicron), Tuesday, 6 January 2004 03:24 (twenty-one years ago)

Santa's Little Helper <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< Brian

― Mr Noodles (Mr Noodles), Tuesday, 6 January 2004 03:25 (twenty-one years ago)

too true...
but Snowball <<< Santas Little Helper.

Important advantage for The Family Guy: The weird cutaway sequences dropped in, almost Monty-Python-esque in their deranged brilliance.

― Lord Custos Omicron (Lord Custos Omicron), Tuesday, 6 January 2004 03:26 (twenty-one years ago)

You must be this beautiful to ride the Quagmire

― Mr Noodles (Mr Noodles), Tuesday, 6 January 2004 03:32 (twenty-one years ago)

One of my favourites:

"More tea Mr. Bike?"

― Andrew (enneff), Tuesday, 6 January 2004 03:41 (twenty-one years ago)

Don't forget: Lucy Chabert/Mila Kunis >>>>>>>>>> Yeardley Smith

― Leee Smith (Leee), Tuesday, 6 January 2004 04:03 (twenty-one years ago)

Hey Andrew, who is Aaron and who is Scurge?

― Mr Noodles (Mr Noodles), Tuesday, 6 January 2004 04:09 (twenty-one years ago)

Aaron and Scurge.

― Andrew (enneff), Tuesday, 6 January 2004 04:19 (twenty-one years ago)

Sweet! Just noticed the login times and was hoping it wasn't something I was doing. Paranoid much am I?

― Mr Noodles (Mr Noodles), Tuesday, 6 January 2004 04:21 (twenty-one years ago)

Hey, do you have any clue how to get rid of that ----------- file?

I was playing around at work and finally guess I made it with a pipe but for the life of me I can't mv it or rm it. Unlink worked at work but not here.

― Mr Noodles (Mr Noodles), Tuesday, 6 January 2004 04:23 (twenty-one years ago)

I have no idea what yr talking about, but the phrase "made it with a pipe" is disturbing me greatly.

― Kim (Kim), Tuesday, 6 January 2004 04:26 (twenty-one years ago)

We're redirecting this thread but oh well.

― Mr Noodles (Mr Noodles), Tuesday, 6 January 2004 04:30 (twenty-one years ago)

I use Midnight Commander (mc), an ncurses-based file mamanger based on Norton Commander (oldschool!), to delete weird files.

― Andrew (enneff), Tuesday, 6 January 2004 04:31 (twenty-one years ago)

There was this one line with Cleveland...

"I wuz gonna go home to Lo-retta and treat her tender..."

― ModJ (ModJ), Tuesday, 6 January 2004 04:32 (twenty-one years ago)

...and have deleted the aforementioned '---------' file.

Alllright.

― Andrew (enneff), Tuesday, 6 January 2004 04:32 (twenty-one years ago)

< SNIDELY WHIPLASH>"ncurses! Filed again!"< /SNIDELY WHIPLASH>

― Lord Custos Omicron (Lord Custos Omicron), Tuesday, 6 January 2004 04:33 (twenty-one years ago)

ncurses scarred me for life once.

― Mr Noodles (Mr Noodles), Tuesday, 6 January 2004 04:35 (twenty-one years ago)

Must resist urge to rip Family Guy DVDs at work.

― Mr Noodles (Mr Noodles), Tuesday, 6 January 2004 04:37 (twenty-one years ago)

Whooo hoo Andrew!

― Mr Noodles (Mr Noodles), Tuesday, 6 January 2004 04:39 (twenty-one years ago)

Diamonds...

she'll pretty much have to

― stevem (blueski), Tuesday, 6 January 2004 11:48 (twenty-one years ago)

"It turns out that when I landed on him, I severed his spine"

"Guess you'll have more competition at the next Paralympics, then?"

"No, he's dead."

― Andrew Farrell (afarrell), Tuesday, 6 January 2004 11:54 (twenty-one years ago)

twelve years pass...

http://kaible.tumblr.com/post/144125327049

― ulysses, Thursday, 12 May 2016 00:39 (nine years ago)

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