When did Family Guy start to suck?

[Drtooth]

Originally Posted by ThirdMarioBro

The point here is, you liked the show better when it was more tame. American Dad is five times more tame than Family Guy. The simple fact is that you do not approve of Family Guy's record levels of vulgarity and are not willing to admit it for the fear of being called a prude.

No, I want to see a plot. A Plot carefully thought out, carefully executed, and not something becoming more and more a sketch show with a plot-like linking device. Something American Dad does wonderfully. They are just as offensive as Family Guy, but they use it in a more co-hesive way.

Plus, when you keep pushing envelopes, and everything loses it's shock value, how do you do shock? Nothing's shocking or surprising anymore, that's my point. You just expect "oh yeah... dirty joke." I love it when they do those things, don't get me wrong, but what ground is there left to cover? It's all been done. They really could have paced themselves and saved the jokes for future episodes, but when you've made you're fifth AIDS or Holocaust joke, it just doesn't seem to have the sting that it used to, and it feels pasted in.

The cutaway gags went from 2 seconds long to some being over a minute long. I couldn't take it after season 4.

That's another thing that killed it. And the poorly set up non-sequitors like Sneakers O'Toole or that dumb thing about Uncle Sam's Nipples. I liked it when they were actual flashbacks or something, not poorly pasted in "This is the worst farming Movie I've ever seen since I was a video tape salesman on the moon." I think the Youtube Seth McFarline Cavalcade of Comedy is a far better way to use these. I mean, there's nothing wrong with the cutscenes when they were connected to what they were saying, or when they were just used to go to another scene. The Cutscenes are what make Family Guy. But they don't just make UP Family Guy.

[Ginny]

[QUOTE=Drtooth;678805I mean, there's nothing wrong with the cutscenes when they were connected to what they were saying, or when they were just used to go to another scene. The Cutscenes are what make Family Guy. But they don't just make UP Family Guy.[/QUOTE]

Like the one a couple weeks ago with the Christian Bale tape. I actually left the room. It really didn't even fit with the episode.

They have the Cleveland spin-off in production now, and I wonder if some of the writers left to go work on it. That could account for some of the lame moments as of late.

[ZariusTwo]

I heard they even hired writers for King of the Hill for that spin-off. It depends.

Many of the earlier writers left for several other projecs in between cancelations and other things.

[Drtooth]

Actually... I know what another problem is that I'm surprised no one mentioned yet. Everyone else is doing the same type of humor. i remember I was watching a cartoon from collegehumor over a friend's back (Something about a support group for breakfast cereal mascots), and all I could say was, "Dude... Family Guy did it. And before they brought it back too." And we watched one about Scooby Doo murder Mysteries, and I said... "That was on the FIRST episode of Family Guy!" No wonder I don't find all that stuff as funny... everyone's stealing jokes from Family Guy.

Plus, I think Robot Chicken gets right what FG gets wrong, and FG gets stuff right that Robot Chicken gets wrong....

[Ninjinister]

Last night was a perfect example of a crappy Family Guy episode - in fact, it was my least favourite of all time. There was two cutaway scenes within the first two minutes, and the first one was a dead baby joke. There was like a minute and a half of a Conway Twitty music video with no storyline attachment or involvement from the characters. And the plot was horribly outdated. The only part that I thought was funny was O.J. throwing Stewie like a football.

[Ginny]

Originally Posted by The Ninjinister

Last night was a perfect example of a crappy Family Guy episode - in fact, it was my least favourite of all time. There was two cutaway scenes within the first two minutes, and the first one was a dead baby joke. There was like a minute and a half of a Conway Twitty music video with no storyline attachment or involvement from the characters. And the plot was horribly outdated. The only part that I thought was funny was O.J. throwing Stewie like a football.

YES! I couldn't agree with you more. What was up with that stupid Conway Twitty video? I kind of chuckled at the Homer Simpson joke, but seriously, you are right, this was the worst ever episode.

[Ninjinister]

Yeah... the show's just basically nothing but a giant blowjob to music and popular culture geeks. There's no substance anymore. I even found that night's King of the Hill more interesting, and that usually is my least favourite program of the night.

[ThirdMarioBro]

I can understand missing the plot lines, and the Conway Twitty thing Sunday was too far. Still, I don't find my overall enjoyment of the show inhibited at all.

I will say one thing though. I don't miss "evil Stewie". They burned that out in season one, but I do miss his comedically rapid "putter putter putter" walk. Just an entrance was funny as hell with that. You barely see it now.

[GK Punk]

Which is funny, as I found this weeks episode to be one of my recent favorites. The Conway Twitty bit always kills me.

[VaughnMichael]

Originally Posted by The Ninjinister

Last night was a perfect example of a crappy Family Guy episode - in fact, it was my least favourite of all time. There was two cutaway scenes within the first two minutes, and the first one was a dead baby joke. There was like a minute and a half of a Conway Twitty music video with no storyline attachment or involvement from the characters. And the plot was horribly outdated. The only part that I thought was funny was O.J. throwing Stewie like a football.

I can't lie I laughed more at the Simpsons episode that night than I did Family guy and that's rare!

[GK Punk]

Simpson's was pretty good this week.

[Ginny]

It sure was! I'm a conspiracy theory buff, so I loved that whole element, but there were some classic funny bits. The whole Homer with Maggie, Santa's Little Helper, and the rat poison bit cracked me up.

[Drtooth]

Originally Posted by The Ninjinister

Last night was a perfect example of a crappy Family Guy episode - in fact, it was my least favourite of all time. There was two cutaway scenes within the first two minutes, and the first one was a dead baby joke. There was like a minute and a half of a Conway Twitty music video with no storyline attachment or involvement from the characters. And the plot was horribly outdated. The only part that I thought was funny was O.J. throwing Stewie like a football.

Oh man, good thing I skipped out on it then... (not by choice. These boxes SUCK!) I swear, If I see the Conway Twitty joke or another one of Cleveland's bathtub falling out of his house, I'm quitting it completely. There's a difference between running gag and excessive, and they've passed excessive a long time ago with those two.

[Buslady]

i didnt like when they started to joke about serious things like child abuse/spousal abuse. when stewie kept trying to get lois to clobber him...that's just wrong. the dumpster babies thing was in extremely poor taste as well

LOL aside from the story, whatever it was....oh yeah OJ...lame...

I like Conway Twitty LOL but that was pretty..misplaced.

[Drtooth]

You must be referring to the one where Stewie discovers that he's a masochist, right? I really loved that one, myself. Seems the abuse thing is the only thing left that was shocking, but now... well, they've done it... I like it when they get shocking, but they can be CLEVER with their shocks... like Peter eating chips in Anne Frank's attick, signaling the Nazis... or someone shooting the head off of a JFK Pez dispenser. It essentially went from.. "HOLY CRAP!!! They did THAT?!?! I can't believe they did that! HAHAHAHAHAHAH." to "Oh... yeah, they did that again... heh..."

But I have to say, I would tend to agree that evil Stewie was pretty flat... but to trade him for annoyingly over effeminate Stewie that says unfunny things with an accent (Simpsons territory really) is a lateral move. I mean, what made Stewie Griffen: the Untold Story so great was that we saw the character move and grow, and then discover himself. Something they've done with most of the characters until recently (last few seasons). I will say, I like how Chris actually continues to grow and become a character despite the fact the rest of the Family gets flatter and flatter.

[ThirdMarioBro]

Originally Posted by Drtooth

Oh man, good thing I skipped out on it then... (not by choice. These boxes SUCK!) I swear, If I see the Conway Twitty joke or another one of Cleveland's bathtub falling out of his house, I'm quitting it completely. There's a difference between running gag and excessive, and they've passed excessive a long time ago with those two.

Oh boo-hoo. Cleveland's bathtub is one of the funniest recurring gags ever. I love how the show is so random that you only know its coming about a half second before something hits the house.

Besides, that will end when Cleveland's spin-off starts.

[VaughnMichael]

Originally Posted by ThirdMarioBro

Oh boo-hoo. Cleveland's bathtub is one of the funniest recurring gags ever. I love how the show is so random that you only know its coming about a half second before something hits the house.

Besides, that will end when Cleveland's spin-off starts.

I agree it is funny, as is Cleveland but I'm not sure he warrants a spin-off series.
But I guess we'll be the judges when it airs.

[ThirdMarioBro]

I have high hopes for it, but of course if nothing else, I'll just laugh at the sound of Arianna Huffington's voice coming out of a bear.

[CudleyCowlick]

Hello Darlin'
nice to see you
its beeeeen a looooong tiiiiime
you're just as lovely
as you used to be...


There are few gags in modern cartoon history that beat the Conway Twitty videos in Family Guy. The first time I laughed so hard I stopped breathing and blacked out and each time it only gets better, only because I never think they're gonna do it again. The longer it goes on, the funnier it gets.

The show has never been my favorite but I don't think it's going downhill, every season has had its winners and losers. I'll keep watching (and waiting for another Conway Twitty video)

[ThirdMarioBro]

I still think the last one went way too long, but damn if the Twitty cuts aren't funny as hell. The randomness is the fun of it. You never know when something like that is coming.