[TV] Is Family Guy Still Funny? Was it EVER Funny?

[NAveryW]

I stopped enjoying new episodes of Family Guy as much approximately after South Park did their "Cartoon Wars" duology, and I'm not sure if it's a coincidence or not. I still look back on older moments from the show (even after its revival) and find them hilariously witty. However, laughs, while still there, are getting increasingly rare. I'm also getting increasingly annoyed by "manatee jokes", which seem to have started becoming much more common since the movie. I'm not saying those non-sequitors are never funny, it's just that it seems like they're not really trying that hard to come up with jokes that actually fit into the narrative.

The most recent episode I saw that I really liked was "Lois Kills Stewie". Most of the episodes shortly before and after that, however, usually just seem kind of good at best.

I've always liked the chicken fights, though, despite the fact that certain people consider them overdone and pointless.

[Sachi]

South Park sucked your soul

The chicken fights were great. I've almost stopped watching Family Guy completely now. (As well as everything else on T.V.). It ceased to hook me. Or I just found the wonders of the internet.
I liked the Star Wars special though.

[V]

I never liked it much, but they officially "were just going through the motions" for me when they had the "garbage dumpster fetus musical number"....

...Seth MacFarlane is obsessed with singing and showtunes, and it came to the point where they'd obviously just randomly insert songs for no reason.

Admittedly, the last few were pretty good, but they've lost their stride. The season after they came back from cancellation was pretty good, but they're just going through the motions. That said its better than reality TV or the scripted crud Fox makes live action.

[BrikHaus]

It is a funny show the first time around, but seems to have little replay value.

[Eva Yojimbo]

Yeah, FG can get big laughs the first time around but has nil replay value. Some of the early episodes are almost insta-classics though, but it's really gone down hill as of late. It rarely gets a big laugh from me anymore. King of the Hill, however, is still as great as always. It's one of the few that just doesn't seem to run out of ideas. Probably due to its great cast of characters who have more personality than all the FG-esque shows combined.

[Hexon.Arq]

All I know about Family Guy is that it makes me laugh. I don't keep track of how hard or how many times. When something makes me laugh, I lie still like a corpse and let it do whatever the hell it wants.

[TriLink]

Family Guy lost me when they started to turn Stewie away from the whole "evil genius" thing into a Coyote Ugly dancer.

[NAveryW]

...Seth MacFarlane is obsessed with singing and showtunes, and it came to the point where they'd obviously just randomly insert songs for no reason.

Actually, I'd say the music is one of the show's highlights. Now that I remember it, Stewie dancing with Gene Kelly is one of the most glee-inducing moments of the show for me. That's probably mainly due to the fact that the original dance with Jerry was a childhood favorite of mine.

Family Guy lost me when they started to turn Stewie away from the whole "evil genius" thing into a Coyote Ugly dancer.

You should probably watch the two-part 100th episode, then.

EDIT: Oh yeah, I own the "Live in Vegas" soundtrack, and the music on that CD is really fantastic. If I had an orchestra like Walter Murphy's, I'd... er... be really sad because I can't compose or conduct music very well.

[BEsERk EVA01]

Yeah, I have to agree with you guys, too. It used to be funny, but now it's just...not funny...but not boring. It's interesting. But it ain't make me laugh no more.

I stopped watching, say, 5 months ago.

[Reichu]

I could never get into Family Guy.

[The Imperialist]

I think them as the new invading forces of idiocy.

[drinian]

Family Guy non sequiturs and musical numbers used to have more wit about them than they do now. It's pretty clear now that the writers just keep a stack of little ideas around that they just insert now when they need to fill time. At worst, plot has fallen entirely by the wayside, and they've resurrected one-time gags that shouldn't have ever been used twice (greased deaf guy, vaudeville being dead, etc.).

And I think that part of the reason it was funny back in 2002 or 03 was that I was in college, and everyone was watching the show, for the first time. It really was a new brand of humor.

Oh, and I think the level of literacy in the cultural references has gone down since the show's return. I have to wonder if it was one of the conditions of being un-cancelled. Blue Harvest was downright terrible.

[Hexon.Arq]

I think them as the new invading forces of idiocy.

I think it's pretty clear what this statement means for everyone.

[NAveryW]

I think it's pretty clear what this statement means for everyone.

XD

[Omegagouki]

I think it's pretty clear what this statement means for everyone.

Jack shit?

[Eva Yojimbo]

The problem is one of laziness on the writers. It's very easy for a series like FG to quickly become a parody of itself and just fall back on old ideas. I actually think some of the funniest jokes in recent episodes has been stuff like Cleveland saying "I hate shows that cut away from the story for some bull crap".

But I'll keep saying it until I've convinced everyone: King of the Hill blows all of these shows out of the American animated comedy waters. I mean, you just can't beat this:

*Bobby finds out he might be a resurrected Buddhist Llama. Peggy drives up behind a car with a sticker 'My child is an honor student at X Elementary'", and then drives up beside the car*

Peggy: "Oh yeah?! Well my child is God to billions of Asians!" *drives off*

[cyharding]

Like a lot of you guys, I thought Family Guy was funny when it first aired as well. But with the post-cancellation episodes, it did start to become less funny for me to the point where I was losing faith in the show. I am happy to say, however, that with Blue Harvest and the 100th episode, I'm starting to like the show again. When they ended the 100th with the cliffhanger from The Best of Both Worlds from Star Trek: The Next Generation, I was laughing for five minues straight.

[No. 44]

man i fucking hate family guy the football kid is the most annoying and why i hate the show

[NAveryW]

man i fucking hate family guy the football kid is the most annoying and why i hate the show

[Reichu]

The South Park 2-parter about Family Guy (Cartoon Wars) was pretty awesome. Much better than Family Guy.