Beatles Vs. Stones. Oasis Vs. Blur. Pete Doherty Vs. Anyone With A Sense Of Taste. The music world has always had its feuds. Of course, TV Land is bereft of such things, right? It’s all one multi-channel love-in, beaming programme makers linking hands across the airwaves, isn’t it?
Until now.
Creators of The Simpsons recently struck out at cartoon rival Family Guy, broadcasting an episode in which a cloned Homer was identified as, you guessed it, the "Family Guy".
Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane has taken the insult quite well, revealing how he was "definitely influenced" by yellow-skinned antics of those peculiar Springfield dwellers. "Because The Simpsons and Family Guy are really the only two shows of their kind of television," he shrugged, "there’ll be comparisons made."
He did, however, sign up to the growing consensus that Matt Groening’s finest… well, you know… simply isn’t as good as it used to be.
"In its prime, it was one of the greatest comedy shows of all time," he said. "But it’s not the show it was. It can’t be. You can’t do 16 seasons and be consistent."
It pains hecklerspray to say that we agree. Remember when Homer Simpson used to be a genuinely lovable character, rather than the vindictive oaf the scriptwriters favour of late? Remember when the jokes used to be fresh and off-the-wall rather than the obvious, ten-miles-on-the-horizon-a’coming misfires they are now?
Sure. You’ll still watch the show. But only because you can’t be arsed with The Six ‘O Clock News.
Needless to say, Family Guy has revenge on the agenda. And that’s a formidable set of knives to be sharpening, especially when we’re talking about a show which portrays a baby as a sociopath and Death as a drunkard.
So what do you think? Simpson or Griffin? Maggie or Stewie? Hey – why not leave your comments below? You might as well put ’em somewhere…
[story by C J Davies]
Shawn says
Futurama
Steve says
I believe that not only should we not just sit passively and wait until this tired, moldy, and irrelevent show comes to an end, i believe we should start a petition to knock its ass off the air. Family Guy is far more meritable in it shots at conventioal wisdom, ideologies across the spectrum, and contains far, far more laughter invoking moments. Simpsons seems to cater to conventional tastes and is increasingly not at all funny. There is no one I know among us respectable pop culture commentators who talks about or alludes to the Simpsons anymore. Granted, it must be said, in all fairness, that the Simpsons was once a GREAT show, that really made its mark. but enough is enough already, can it not just take its rightful badge of honour in television history and no lessen it by going way, way past its prime. Seriously, what is Matt Groining thinking? what, does he want to make the Simpsons the Saturday Night Live of animated cartoons? Is the guy in denial? Have corportate interests taken over the show to such an extent that Groining no longer has much of a say? Sitcoms with a similar substantial cultural impact, such as All in the Family, The Cosby Show, Seinfeld, etc, all knew the golden rule of “enough is enough”, a rule the Simpson’s creative team sadly do not seem to be aware of. They are under the delusion that their show is still funny–ha, ha now that’s funny!– and talked about. If Matt Groining or anyone associated with him,is listening, I (We) would like you to show us some understainding that your once great show has been going downhill for the last few seasons and that enough is–truly–enough, and put it to rest before it becomes the show that will be considered “excellent in the ninties, and lame in the 2000s.
tdjdragon says
simsons suck family guy RULES!!!!!!!
Ross says
The Simpson’s still takes the cake in my book. Let’s not forget that Family Guy already lost round one of this heavy weight fight, when fox first canceled the show. The Simpson’s however endured, while the show maybe in a slump right now it will rebound much like the stock market. The Simpsons still in my book takes the cake for subtle humor where family guy puts much more random things, such as peter breaking out with “that guy” or random cut to scenes that are meaningless towards the shows plot.
Steve says
“Let’s not forget that Family Guy already lost round one of this heavy weight fight, when fox first canceled the show.”
Fox canceled the show, but due to how great the show proved to be for many people, it was brought back almost 4 years after being cancelled–something no other tv show ever managed to do.
“The Simpsons still in my book takes the cake for subtle humor where family guy puts much more random things, such as peter breaking out with “that guy” or random cut to scenes that are meaningless towards the shows plot. ”
There’s a fairy deel of subtle humour on Family Guy too. And the random scene need not be connected to the plot (if you notice, simpsons does this sometimes too). It is a non-sequiter gag in a often non-sequiter, absurdist show. Other shows that utilized the random scene cuts were funny too, for instance the ones on Dream On. It’s a technique to evoke laughter, it is only what any good comedy show should do: to use any means necessary to evoke real laughter. Let the simpsons’ countdown Begin!!………………………………………
Steve says
you had to covet what was mine, didn’t you !!?? didn’t you??!!!
The ruiner
is a collector
is a defector
serving his shit
to his flies
lies. lies, lies,….
……and other things that Trent Reznor “sings” aboutttttt.
booopom bum booooom bam bum booomb
hapiness in slavery
I found that you may find a penis in slavery/
Steve says
I dare any one who reads this message to respond to me.]
Family guy and Simpsons sok now.
I altered my entire worldview….
…no family guy eeze good.
jeffrycrac says
la, la, la. lucky there’s a family guy
lucky.///effei cry…..
WHY ISN’T ANYONE HERE WITH ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!111
HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!111
HELLLLLOPPPPPPPP!~!!!!!!!!!!1111
wHERE HAVE ALL YOU LOSERS GONE
YOU MUCUS COVERED CUM COVERED BRAINDEAD NETPHILES.
WHAT AM I….A TROLL. fuck the stigma of TROLL!
I’d do you if you answer me, that’s why you don’t answer, i’d do you!!
Homer is a horrible horrible…..Marge is too perfect for a woman.
the movie 300 sucks…
heh heh this is fu.
jeffrycrac says
Please daddy, don’t get drunk this X- mass.
Hey,…hey, hye hye you know what’s a great movie?” Peter asks Meg. “Boys in the Band. Oh Oh I LOVE that movie. L-O-V-E LOVE!…..that movie.
(punches Meg out of the way to play arcade game, he says, “Move!”
Any ladies out there? Talk to me! Come on talk to me. FORGET YOU I’M NOT ADDICTED TO YOUR FEMALE BEAUTY AND SEX! I’M A LIBERATED MAN!
Sincerely,
Seth MacFarlane
Warren Farrell says
Je Reject~!!~~[with steam~~~]~~ the use of my 1974 book on varied masculinity.
Sexism is not a one way street.
Women are human being’s; men are human doings.
….And other such the like pertaining to my area of studlies…err!!!..I meAN!. area ‘o’ studies—well je close enough!!
ja.
Love all,
as alway,
und still,
Warren (The Great) Farrell
(www.notoWillFarrell;yestoWarrenFarell) —
(and I do enjoy a long,tall, cold class of Family guy and je reject the crass of the Samples…errr..Sampson’s [Close enough ol’ war,Cleese enuff]
tomvale13 says
STEVE SAID:
i believe we should start a petition to knock its ass off the air. Family Guy is far more meritable in it shots at conventioal wisdom, ideologies across the spectrum, and contains far, far more laughter invoking moments. Simpsons seems to cater to conventional tastes and is increasingly not at all funny. There is no one I know among us respectable pop culture commentators who talks about or alludes to the Simpsons anymore.
TOM SAID:
Petition?
Us respectable pop culture commentators?
wisdom, ideologies, spectrum?
Swing it, Shake it, Move it, Make it WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?
They’re cartoons, both good ones at that. You want a petition to take a show off the air that millions of people more than likely still enjoy, when instead you and your fellow “respectable pop culture commentators” could simply JUST NOT WATCH IT?
Why dont we start petitions for everything we dont enjoy; for instance my first one would be to revoke your internet access for having to read your long, poorly constructed comment.
But then again it is your opinion.
Good luck to all those; like you – deeply immersed in the many spectrums of respectable pop culture commentator world, may your wisdom and idealogies live on in the spirit of every baby or, more aptly – in the bottom of every toilet.
Thaaaanks.
Steve says
Ha, can’t believe it i check back to this nonsense thread, and someone actually responds to something I wrote (whoops, sorry tom old boy, hope that wasn’t too “poorly constructed for ya)
“my poorly constructed comment”(!)
That old comment of mine has some exagerations for comdeic purposes (whoops, this is not too poorly constructed for you yet i hope is it tommy old buddy?), and it is deliberately caustic, it’s not meant to be taken so seriously (but it seems like I struck a nerve lol). btw, the petittion thing was a joke–hey, kind of like you!
And tom, little buddy, what your using now is called the world wide web, not exactly a place where I assidiously revise my comments, I worte that comment in about 1 minute. It was done in a blink, Ha!, and I didn’t read it over once.
So pull the vale well over your head poor tom
P.S. “could simply JUST NOT WATCH IT?”
I don’t watch it, and I don’t watch, if you care to know, because it is no good….and’s what’s with the ‘Thaaaanks” at the end of that website thread stain you created. Are you some variety of sheep, maybe a cloned one? That might desribe the dimunitive intellect I detect from the thought process you reveal in your writing.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Heres a poorly constructed comment:
My that one back there was old er somethin’. Simpson Guy are was long. they were there when tv came on. I tink a your DumbAss who knows shit all . um, what you said it it it it was all bullshit. And
Steve says
Whoops! I see there’s some mistakes in my previous post. Oh dearie me, I hope you don’t consider it poorly constructed….
That’s sarcasm, just thought I might have to point that out to you.
tomvale13 says
Good work Steve!
your comedic has come off as self-indulged
your caustic has come off as pretentious
your sheep call tells us more about your secret animal fantasies than anything worthwhile
And clever use of my name! I knew a retarted guy called Steve once, from this site actually! <– See its actually pretty easy although I dont doubt you used alot of available IQ points to summon the effort.
good luck with life, I’m pretty sure your fellow respectable pop-culture commentators will see through your “razzle-dazzle” image soon in which case you will have to apply various other fasaads in random scenarios to figure out who to become next, I suggest some form of car-wash emplyee.
A step up is never a bad thing Steve.
Good luck with your immersion from things such as being an all-knowing comedic ass-clown to pretty much the self-immersion it seems you are drowning in.
until then I’ll continue on my journey to seek out these ‘Laughter invoking moments” you speak of, starting with a re-read of your posts which reek of someone sitting there with a thesaurus masturbating – although you probably intend to come off like that as another part of your layered approach to being stupid. (ITS WORKING)
Bye Steve, maybe eat more fish or something cos I’m outta ideas.
Steve says
Ha ha, Hey! This is fun) Honestly tommy old boy I thought you wouldn’t even bother reading that comment, seeing that it might have been a little too long for ya (for perhaps your attention span? or reading abilities?).
Obviously I struck a nerve with you (and certainly beat you with my, I suppose, pretentiously caustic response to your oh so incisive and witty retort (pfffft!)
I don’t think my post was that moronic or lacking in intelligence, maybe a little, I concede, but I don’t think someone who is simply nursing a wounded ego can make such a judgement. I’ve scored in a category or range of “highly intelligent”, in the three IQ tests I took, and I always received As and bs in almost every class since jr high school. But hey, I suppose you’ll just brush all that off as 1) I’m simply lying, or 2) the whole education system need to be extirpated because it gives allegedly “stupid” (that’s spelled with a p not a ‘b’ isn’t tomveal?)people degrees. ( You know, I do have doubts about the epistemological validity of the standard IQ tests. I think intelligence is much more multifarious and cannot be so conveniently measurr….but anyway) Making dimwitted and dimly lit judgements about my iq is really limp, And sorry i gotta tell ya, its quite–no, “quite” is such a vague term, isn’t it tom? (ha, ha, as if I”m really asking for your opinion, aaah ha ha), let’s use an intensifier that I think you might understand better–It’s Very lame to simply try to emulate my suggestion that you have a diminutive intellect by suggesting that I do too. It only shows that you don’t have the creative ability that’s needed to make a good original retort (and my opinion of your intellect hasn’t changed either, I’m afraid).
Anyway, to keep this thread on topic (as I can see no one ELSE is doing it…), I still maintain (even though, truthfully, I’m caring less and less about this non-issue here) that, even though the simpsons is still ok, its ratings and level of interest are dropping in the television viewing public. This might indicate that it’s seen it’s day, and the creators should have the integrity and grace to know when enough is enough. I think a lot of people are bored with it now, but I think in the long run, its legacy will definately out live family guy’s.
Your right about one thing: I did mess up on the play on your name. It was meant to read “go back to tomvale tom where the grass is as brown as the bullshit”– or something like that.
One more thing: ha ha, there’s no thesaurus here tomboy. I’m wagering that I have a more ready-made vocab than you do a ready-made brain–but perhaps now I’m making dubious judgements.
Steve says
Wow… I reread what i wrote about you tommy old buddy old pal. And it was pretty harsh….but all true. It’s fun tearing a new asshole out of someone who thinks they go up against me (remember: it takes me about thirty seconds to write these things). Enjoy the extra shits…you can at least preoccupy your time with that because you’re obviously not using it for much of anything else.
Kill yourself now. And worry about the consequences later.
Just thought I’d check in to see if you responded. Maybe i could have tore another asshole out of you.
Bye for how.
hari says
simpsons rule…………….. homer rockzzzzzzzzzzzz d.oh