Sarah Palin angry at Family Guy

[CitizenCain]

First of all, stop misrepresenting me. "Vastly" clearly refers to the characters other than the patriarch.

Secondly, and again, the basic characters (other than both male head of households being fat dumbasses) are very different, the focus of the shows are different (Simpons focuses more on the kiddies and the family dynamic, whereas Family Guy focuses on the adults, with the children generally being secondary characters, at best), and other than being comedies about an American family headed by a dumbass, they're really not all that similar.

By your logic, both shows are derivative rip-offs of the Jetsons.

[']['ear]

Baby = evil Bart

Dog = smartass Lisa

The mom is a nice gal, but is northeastern rather than Marge's generic.

So, could you define "vast?"

[Steely Glint]

Baby = evil Bart

er

[CitizenCain]

Baby = evil Bart

If Bart was a diabolical genius bent on world domination, yeah.

But I always go the impression that Bart was a dumbass petty troublemaker. Silly me.

Kind of like saying that Stalin and Madoff are practically the same character, because they both have sociopathic tendencies. No, actually, it's just one point of similarity while everything is is different.

Dog = smartass Lisa

I must have missed the Simpsons episodes where Lisa tackles her alcoholism.

The mom is a nice gal, but is northeastern rather than Marge's generic.

And wealthy, and kinky and from a wild past, and any other number of differences...

So, could you define "vast?"

Yeah, but I think I'd rather direct you to a dictionary.

[']['ear]

Apparently vast means "non-identical." Bravo, you have, um, "proven" your point with your usual panache.

[CitizenCain]

Enh. Whatever. Like I pointed out, by your logic, both shows are a Jetsons rip-off, because all three follow the same standard comedy family dynamic and have lots of skin deep similarities.

Warner Brothers should so totally sue Fox for that.

[Crowheart]

I must have missed the Simpsons episodes where Lisa tackles her alcoholism.

Missed it, huh?
It was "The Italian Bob" episode..

The Simpsons enjoy spending time in the village, and they continue to keep Bob's past a secret. However, when Lisa gets intoxicated at a party, she starts to spout off about him being an attempted murderer.

[']['ear]

[Steely Glint]

Seriously, how is Stewie (? I have seen one episode of Family Guy) like Bart? He's seemed more like a take on Sideshow Bob.

[']['ear]

There are similarities, but you're letting the voice deceive you. He supplies the deviltry.

[Steely Glint]

So, how is Stewie like Bart?

[']['ear]

Deviltry, hedonism, plays a similar role in plots. Family guy shuffles up the characters some, they're not identical. And the episodes play out pretty similarly. Very similar plot lines. I see it as a "the generation who grew up on the Simpsons has aged out, but we can play exactly the same card. Mix up the characters a little, dramatically change the animation look, run similar plots, and you've got a major cash cow."

It's about as different as "All in the Family" and "The Jeffersons." So what that one is white and one is black. It's basically one cashing in on the other by running a virtually identical formula.


So the characters aren't identical. Even dumb high school kids can figure out they should mix up some words when they copy something.

[littlelolligagged]

I'm not particularly interested in either, but Tear - before you start making major comparisons maybe you should watch more than a "few" episodes.'

[Steely Glint]

I don't agree about the similarity at all. "Plays a similar role in the plots" isn't enough, most shows of the same genre are formulaic to some degree and he is a completely different archetype. Episode structure for both seems standard sitcomm stuff.

I do agree that the jokes in the episode I saw where very much of the Simpson's school.

[']['ear]

Why? I had that visceral "this is the same show" reaction first time I saw family guy, and I get deja vu every time I watch again. Maybe it was merely that the Family Guy producers said "hey, an animated family sitcom was a gold mine for the Simpsons, so let's do the same!" But I think it goes past that. There are ways the plot spins out, ways characters relate. I'd bet that not only was the Simpsons generally emulated, I'd bet the Simpsons was carefully studied.

It ain't a dissertation. Who gives a shit, really? But I'm pretty confident of my take.


Edit: @Steely: the jokes are very similar, certain long plot sequences are very similar. It feels like people consciously changed elements to make it not too similar to the Simpsons. And hey, can you blame them? What is the average half life of a new sitcom? Come to think of it, The Family Guy is to the Simpsons what mainstream "alternative rock" is to the original grunge bands: Rip it off, but don't do so TOO obviously.

[Steely Glint]

Well, it's just that only these forums we generally like to give reasons for our take, and the ones you've supplied have been pretty weak. Since you do not seem to watch sit-coms, perhaps you are unaware of the generic tropes and story structures that both are drawing on.

[']['ear]

Could be. I find myself straining to care whether I can defend an offhand comment, and falling short. Nope. Don't really care.

And let's not get extreme. I've watched a fair amount of TV of various kinds. My wife is a big watcher of certain shows, so if not vomit-inducing I'll watch some with her, since she's really cute and I like hanging out with her on the sofa. I've watched far too many Friends, Seinfeld, yadda yadda yadda. I just don't do it that often. I'm also 41, which means I've had 15-20 more years to get sick of shows than some others here. And, I've been in different phases at different times of my life. I actually watched a LOT when I first got CFIDS. These days, if I turn on the TV I look for a movie, or for three months (mid-March to mid-June), basketball.

[Steely Glint]

What's that sort of standard simpon's joke, where they sort of set up an expectation on the part of the viewer, then play to it as quickly and as blatantly as possible, or play with sterotypes, then sometimes give the idea a twist as a punchline? I saw a lot of that in Family Guy. There was a gag with a sterotypical pirate with two wooden legs and arms who turned out to have them for reasons unrelated to seamanship. That was a very Simpsons joke. The humour is similar, though the characters really aren't, beyond standard comedy archetypes. Maybe that was where the sense of familarity came from?

[']['ear]

Yes, I'm sure that is a lot of it.

[EyeKhan]

Baby = evil Bart

Dog = smartass Lisa

The mom is a nice gal, but is northeastern rather than Marge's generic.

So, could you define "vast?"

2 Cents: too much reach. Not really worth arguing, eh?

EDIT: you guys got a lot of mileage out of this one.

[']['ear]

Hey, totally agreed. But people found it very important to prove me wrong.

[Catgrrl]

Family Guy does alot of the "lets cut to a clip that is unrelated to the episode at hand because it is funny" scenarios, so most of the show doesn't follow the plot. Maybe only 8-10 minutes of it actually relates. Alot of "remember that one time...." and then it cuts to that clip, then back again. I like Family Guy alot, but it can be repetitive.

Haven't watched the Simpsons in ages, though I used to alot when I was younger. Homer and Peter (the fathers) are the most annoying thoughtless characters in the world.

[Nessus]

Hey, totally agreed. But people found it very important to prove me wrong.

You proved yourself wrong, people just like pointing and laughing when that happens

[EyeKhan]

Hey, totally agreed. But people found it very important to prove me wrong.

And the tails side of course is you felt it very important not to be perceived wrong.