With nine seasons completed and season 10 currently airing, Family Guy is not an unknown TV show. The show has undergone criticism for its constant cutaway scenes, political incorrectness, and underdeveloped plots. However, this has not stopped the show from receiving millions of views every week on Fox.
Now the show is criticized for "not being funny" – that the jokes are getting old, that the setup is the same every week, and it can never live up to The Simpsons.
I believe Family Guy is still a funny show. Watching the Griffin family and their neighbors every week gives me 30 minutes to just laugh, to take a step back from stress.
Seth MacFarlane, the show's creator, has no problem bringing up recent pop culture references as well as problems in the world. He infuses humor in these issues. Sometimes the risqué humor makes me think twice about laughing. I start to laugh and think – am I a horrible person for laughing?
The answer to that is no. Sometimes laughing at yourself is good. For example, when the show attacks Italian Americans like my family, we all cannot help but laugh. We don't take offense to our background being attacked.
Family Guy pokes fun at all sorts of groups. The Amish, Italians, Asians, Muslims, and the handicapped are all joked about at least three times per season. No group is safe from the humor.
I think that the cutaway scenes are so random it's funny. These scenes are what the show is known for. You can always feel when these scenes are coming and you just say, "Oh God, who are they making fun of now?"
If you take those scenes away, will Family Guy still be relevant? Will the weekly views plummet? This is not a risk that should be taken. I don't think the show would keep its viewership if these scenes were taken away, especially with younger age groups becoming interested in the show.
Honestly, I watch the show for Stewie and Peter. Peter is the clueless family man with an attraction to idiotic tendencies. In one episode, I remember Peter made a waterslide down the stairs and I had to watch it again for pure enjoyment. Stewie is the standout character – an evil talking baby who often raises questions about his sexuality. His personality makes him a fan-favorite and his character is very quotable.
Sure, the show has immature parts like farting jokes and sexual humor, but it's done in a way that is still funny. A little bit of immaturity is good anyways, right?
Also, Family Guy does have some deep-rooted lessons within the hilarity. In the most recent episode, a talking dolphin took refuge in the Griffin house after a fight with his wife. Peter ends up helping the dolphin get his wife back after a heartfelt monologue. Most of the Family Guy episodes do have "morals" at the end, although they are never taken seriously.
Family Guy remains a huge part in American pop culture even after competing against greats such as South Park and The Simpsons. The show has faithful viewers even among controversy of political correctness. I think that today, people should be able to laugh at politically incorrect jokes and not feel bad about it. A joke is a joke – don't take them seriously.
If you're disgusted at the show, you don't have to watch it. There are plenty of other shows out there for your enjoyment.
But I am going to embrace my slight streak of immaturity that keeps me sane and continue watching the show. Besides, quoting Herbert the Pervert and Quagmire with my friends is fun.
Giggity.
Email: feliciah@buffalo.edu
