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So a few weeks ago, South Park took yet another shot at Family Guy. I enjoy both shows, but I thought I'd comment on this "Cartoon War" that has erupted between the fans of each show.
Like I said, I like both shows, so you can obviously like one without hating the other. If I was forced to choose, I'd say that I am more partial to Family Guy. I think the arguments made against Family Guy are perfectly valid and true, but they simply don't make any sense. While checking out the IMDb.com forums (the haven for highly intelligent conversations), somebody actually argued that Family Guy sacrifices plot for the sake of humor and pop culture references. Are you kidding me? Is this a joke? Family Guy is a comedy!!! Would you rather watch an absolutely hilarious episode of Family Guy, or an episode of Family Guy that told a fantastic story?
Have you ever heard anybody say "Wow, last night's episode of Family Guy (or South Park, for that matter) had an awesome plot"? No. People either say "that episode was hilarious" or "that episode wasn't all that funny."
Who the hell cares if Family Guy's jokes have absolutely nothing to do with the plot? For the life of me, I will never understand this argument. I sit and wonder if, when people watch this show, they actually say to themselves "oh man, that joke would have been hilarious if it was integral to the overall story." If it's funny, that's all that should matter. Even the early episodes (which I don't think are nearly as funny as the ones aired since the show returned) were more about jokes than the actual plot.
I really enjoy South Park -- most of the time, anyway -- but I also think they often give themselves way more credit than they deserve. Don't get me wrong, the show can be deceptively sophisticated, but when you sacrifice humor for messages, you're completely missing the point of a cartoon comedy (and, as such, really have no right for criticizing a comedy for sacrificing story for humor).
Just take a look at Robot Chicken, a show that has found success and a devoted following by completely eliminating plot and only offering random comedic sequences.
Personally, I hope Family Guy never responds to these jabs, because honestly, it makes Trey and Matt (creators of South Park) come off as exceptionally insecure and threatened.
Like I said, I like both shows, so you can obviously like one without hating the other. If I was forced to choose, I'd say that I am more partial to Family Guy. I think the arguments made against Family Guy are perfectly valid and true, but they simply don't make any sense. While checking out the IMDb.com forums (the haven for highly intelligent conversations), somebody actually argued that Family Guy sacrifices plot for the sake of humor and pop culture references. Are you kidding me? Is this a joke? Family Guy is a comedy!!! Would you rather watch an absolutely hilarious episode of Family Guy, or an episode of Family Guy that told a fantastic story?
Have you ever heard anybody say "Wow, last night's episode of Family Guy (or South Park, for that matter) had an awesome plot"? No. People either say "that episode was hilarious" or "that episode wasn't all that funny."
Who the hell cares if Family Guy's jokes have absolutely nothing to do with the plot? For the life of me, I will never understand this argument. I sit and wonder if, when people watch this show, they actually say to themselves "oh man, that joke would have been hilarious if it was integral to the overall story." If it's funny, that's all that should matter. Even the early episodes (which I don't think are nearly as funny as the ones aired since the show returned) were more about jokes than the actual plot.
I really enjoy South Park -- most of the time, anyway -- but I also think they often give themselves way more credit than they deserve. Don't get me wrong, the show can be deceptively sophisticated, but when you sacrifice humor for messages, you're completely missing the point of a cartoon comedy (and, as such, really have no right for criticizing a comedy for sacrificing story for humor).
Just take a look at Robot Chicken, a show that has found success and a devoted following by completely eliminating plot and only offering random comedic sequences.
Personally, I hope Family Guy never responds to these jabs, because honestly, it makes Trey and Matt (creators of South Park) come off as exceptionally insecure and threatened.
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