I Don't 'Get' Family Guy

[W. R. Prescott]

Why do people like Family Guy?

I've seen all the episodes. I'm 16, an athiest and generally un-offendable. I'm the immature target audience, aside from drunk frat boys and 40 year olds in a mid-life crisis. But the show...it's just...there are no jokes. Seriously. NO. JOKES. The jokes are jokes that have already been made, that the show repeats.

Here's the ur-example: the Star Wars Family Vacation 'reference.' When there's the big lazer-shootout and out of nowhere, with no setup or payoff, the Griswald family pull up and repeat the 'Bad neighborhood, roll up windows' gag. That's a funny movie, and it's a funny joke. But nothing more happens. There no callbacks, no jokes and it is NOT a reference.

This happens ALL the time. These are not references, they are not clever and they are not comedy. The joke is repeated verbatim from the source. I'm frustrated now. Why is this show still on? NOTHING FUNNY happens.

When you watch a recording of Jon Pinette, you are basically doing the same thing. The TV is Family Guy, repeating the joke for you. John Pinette is funny. The TV itself is not. That's Family Guy.

Are any other people as annoyed at this repetitive, plotless wet towel as I am? Please enlighten me.

[Silvan Arrow]

It's okay, I don't get it either. There's too much perverted and/or violent humor there for my tastes. Plus, I don't watch much TV anyways, so I don't feel like I'm missing out or anything.

[Guest]

This is why its freakin' funny:



THAT IS FUNNY!

EDIT:

And lets not forget these favorites:

[Jorick]

The humor is in the absurdity. Some people get it, some don't. For instance, I find Family Guy funny, but most sitcoms don't even make me smile. It's all about personal taste.

[Dio the Awesome]

Blech. I'm in the dislike group. The entire episode segways into something completely random and without point. This can be done well, but it seems like Family Guy does it with the subtlety of a bowling pin. There are funny moments sure, but given the choice between family guy and the Simpsons, i pick the latter. At least the Simpsons can tell a coherent story.

For better off the wall absurd humor, watch Invader Zim.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b1NyGmn4D80




Poop, the first one is unembeddable, so just click the link. ^.^

[Silvan Arrow]

Hahahaha...I love Gir! Best absurd humor ever ^_^

[Fate Flyer]

Onenitedrive and I kind of feel the same way about Family Guy. I don't think it's funny. I much prefer Futurama, when it comes to humorous American cartoons.

Aw, Gir. I loved Invader Zim.

[Weiss]

I'm on the same boat as Jorick. I don't even crack a smile at sitcoms or even most "funny" movies. For instance, I think that Will Ferral's movies are incredibly idiotic and without an ounce of humor. On the other hand, Futurama and, even more so, Family Guy make me smile, at the very least. If you can watch that last clip that DJ Agenda posted and not find it hilarious, I will question your sense of humor and then respectfully agree to disagree on what is and isn't funny.

I also never saw the appeal in the Simpsons. I didn't find it humorous or even entertaining. I guess that's just another example of how some things that are extremely popular just don't appeal to a select few because of personal tastes.

[W. R. Prescott]

See first clip posted. That is NOT a joke. It's totally juvenile humor - nothing witty or original, excessive violence with no real reason or setup. It's never refered to again, never has any effect on the story and has nothing original or interesting to say. Violence can be funny, but isn't inherently so.

Absurdity and excessiveness can work (see Monty Python) but it needs to be consistent. Remwmber with Python how everything was ridiculous in some way? Then in Family Guy where much of the humor comes from everyday stuff. Celebrities aren't ridiculous, they're totally normal and detract from the absurdist feel, while the occasional absurdity detracts from the everyday-humor a la The Simpsons.

Also I could mention the political 'gags' which are all just Brian saying Republicans are stupid and everything the show supports is wonderful.

[Weiss]

Not everything funny has to be a joke. Granted, it works for Stand-Up Comedians, but that first clip is just slapstick humor taken to a violent extreme. You can't really say it has no setup, though, or that it's never referred to again. The entire episode contains parts of the setup, and even the two scenes shown in that clip occur at different times. Just because it's not a joke doesn't mean it isn't funny. If nothing else, the fact that Brian has the crap beaten out of him twice and then the situation, wrought with gratuitous violence, is drawn to a close with a calm statement like, "Alright, let's go the bank," could be called the punchline.

Absurdity and excessiveness don't need to be consistent to be funny. When it becomes the norm, you start having trouble figuring out when you're supposed to laugh and when you're just being set up for another joke. Family Guy is an overwhelming amount of absurd humor strung throughout the episodes, but you also have the downtime where more subtle humor is employed. For instance, in the episode where Peter basically takes over the directing for Lois' play. What he does with the play is completely ridiculous, but the theme of the episode itself isn't particularly outlandish. If you try to make a multi-season animated sitcom with nothing but completely absurd humor, it's going to flop, because people won't relate to what they're watching at all.

As for the political gags, when have you ever seen a political joke that wasn't someone taking a jab at one party or another? Even stand-up comedians do that all the time. You have beliefs, and you want to get them out into the world. If you're famous, it's just easier to do, and if you can do it in joke form, you're subtly changing the views of a large audience, because people will be more likely to listen to you and accept your views if you present them in an entertaining way. Political humor will always be in poor taste from one perspective or another, but that doesn't detract from the fact that it's often very funny when you understand the punchlines.

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