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426 comments in total

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273 out of 371 people found the following comment useful :-
Seth MacFarlane, YOU'RE A GENIUS!!, 28 February 2005
Author: loismustdie125 from TN

I cannot even begin to discuss how ridiculously smart and outrageously funny is this show. Not only does this program far surpass most of the comedies on television, it has the guts to hit topics that most of the overly sensitive public shies away from. I never understood why it was taken off the air in the first place. Fox can show something as tawdry and humanly degrading as Temptation Island, but Family Guy was too racy? Riiiight.

I absolutely must comment on the incredible voice talent done for this show, most especially the amazing creator himself, Seth MacFarlane. First of all, his versatility is unlike anything I have ever heard. When I discovered how many voices he actually performed, I was floored. I am currently receiving my masters in speech pathology so I find his ability particularly interesting. Not only can he speak in these individual voices, he can sing in them, and very well I might add.

The musical numbers in this cartoon revive a dying art. The "Road" episodes are a hysterical throw back to the Crosby/Hope movies, which is a reference I usually have to explain to my friends though they often must explain a few that I miss. In fact, the scope of the references range from cheesy 80's TV to political commentary to Broadway. This is why everyone will find something funny about this show. Everyone in one form or another can relate to it.

Most of my guy friends think I should be offended by the show because I am a woman and this is a "guy's show." Let me tell you, this is not the case at all. Lois Griffin is a freakin role model. I like to think I have half of her savvy when dealing with my ignorant boyfriends.

Absolutely excellent television. Edgy, funny, intelligent and extremely creative. This show was a breath of fresh air for mundane television and will soon awaken the network again. Seth MacFarlane, you are a genius!!

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129 out of 193 people found the following comment useful :-
Outrageous and hilarious., 14 May 2002

Author: Devyalento Latchford Deschanel from London, England

Family Guy is far and away one of the most outrageous, audacious television shows I've seen, animated or not. It's sheer disregard for political correctness can be a bit surprising at times. So many times I have watched it now and I still can't believe some of the gags that made it to the final cut. But, even so, it's still one of the funniest shows put to the screen, complete with memorable, well drawn out characters, and, above all, it's funny. Far too many series take for granted that a comedy series is supposed to make people laugh, and even if it does upset the political correctness massive, who cares? If a show is funny, then watch it. That doesn't automatically make Family Guy faultless though.

Of course, you can't look at Family Guy without making some sort of comparison to The Simpsons, even though it's not always necessary. Family Guy does make The Simpsons seem rather tame at times, although, to be fair, The Simpsons has lost some steam after a decade or so. Something new and fresh was needed on the market, and this was it. Yes, you have your South Park's and your King Of The Hill's, but Family Guy is genuinely intelligent. This factor shines above everything else. The amount of clever pop culture references and nods to seemingly obscure television stars and shows is staggering, and never fail to shock and amuse.

The one problem I do have with the show is the lack of numerous winning characters. Of course, Stewie is worth a dozen animated series, no doubt about it. Here is a character that could easily maintain and carry a series all on his own, even if he's only knee-high. There's also some inspired creations in Brian, the family dog who's more sophisticated than his owners, and the local newsreaders, who are questionable at best, but hilarious with it. But the rest of the characters are far too erratic to be completely loveable. Meg and Chris aren't given enough screen time or good lines to make their mark, and Lois could have been an interesting character, but is emphasised as the put upon wife, who hardly ever gets the last laugh. But it's Peter that's the main offender. Don't get me wrong, he's a funny character, but he's just too annoying at times. Whereas Homer Simpson is a clumsy oaf but loveable with it, Peter Griffin is just a stupid, frustrating fool. It's very hard to empathise with some of the things he does, which makes it a bit trying to continually tune in, but the thought of Stewie screaming, "Victory is mine!" again is more than enough to convince me otherwise.

When you get to the bare bones of it, Family Guy is a very funny, if flawed series. There have been many animated series since the explosion of The Simpsons, but this has found it's niche and knows what its limitations are. Hopefully it will be around for a long time to come, but lets just pray that it doesn't get tiresome soon. But for now, just sit back and laugh.

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141 out of 230 people found the following comment useful :-
Another Great 1999 TV-show!, 26 July 2004
Author: SonicStuart from Kansas City, MO

Family Guy is another of the best TV-shows that premiered in 1999! Family Guy kind of reminded me of The Simpsons a little bit but there both different. The way Family Guy is like The Simpsons is that they both have the same plot which is a sit-com about a dysfunctional family that lives in a medium sized town where anything can happen and plus the humor is slapstick. Peter Griffin (voiced by Seth MacFarlane) does his best to do what's right for the family, but along the way, he makes mistakes that are the stuff of legends and he is the not so bright one in the family, he speaks before he thinks which is hilarious. Then there's Lois (voiced by Alex Borstein) who is the most sane of the bunch. There is the two teenagers of the family Meg (Season 1 was voiced by Lacey Chabert and then Season 2 and beyond Mila Kunis did the voice of Meg) who is one of those kids who tries so hard to fit in but yet it doesn't work and I feel so sorry for her and then there's Chris (voiced by Seth Green) who is fat, not really that smart but yet spirited and kind of weird. Then there's Stewie (voiced by Seth MacFarlane, again), the evil baby who has an English accent and is this evil genius who wants to take over the world and then there is Brian the dog (voiced by Seth MacFarlane, again), who is the smartest in the family and likes to drink and smoke and doesn't really describe himself as a domestic animal and is trying to find his purpose. The show is so funny because it also makes fun of several movies and other TV-shows which is another thing Family Guy and The Simpsons are alike! The other characters in the show are Cleveland (voiced by Mike Henry) who is this all-around nice guy; Joe Swanson (voiced by Patrick Warburton) who is this tough guy who is in a wheel-chair because he paralyzed his legs and he mainly uses his upper-body strength and then there is Quagmire who is this sex-maniac who goes crazy for any woman that is sexy and I like the way Quagmire says "Alright!" and I say it the way he would said it now. Plus Adam West is in Family Guy playing the Mayor of Quahog, himself and Seth MacFarlane also worked with Adam West when MacFarlane was working in Hanna-Barbera! It premiered back in 1999 after the 1999 Super Bowl where the Denver Broncos won! Then in 2002 FOX canceled this series and then Cartoon Network's Adult Swim block came along and picked up the series for re-runs and then TBS and now it is going to make a return on FOX! You can get this series out on DVD too!

User Rating: 9/10

BOTTOM LINE: HILARIOUS AND A BIT LIKE THE SIMPSONS BUT DIFFERENT!

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173 out of 301 people found the following comment useful :-
Irreverent, funny, insulting, hysterical, 6 May 1999

Author: Phil_H from United States

Without a doubt, "The Family Guy" is the *BEST* new show on television. With characters like the diabolical baby Stewie, bent on world-domination, you can't lose. This show is part of my television watching ritual every week. It has not disappointed me yet. Give it a try.

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76 out of 118 people found the following comment useful :-
Great Show!, 2 August 2004
Author: Ginger87 from New York City

I started watching "Family Guy" right after it premiered after the Super Bowl back in 1999. I immediately fell in love with it and thought it was hilarious. "Family Guy" is about the Griffin family who live in Rhode Island. Peter Griffin is the father of the family and not very bright. He usually says wrong things in the wrong time. Lois is the mother of the family and smarter than Peter. Meg is the daughter of the family and she tries to avoid her family from making her look uncool and goes through teen problems. Chris is the son who loves to eat and is also not very bright. Stewie is the baby who tries to kill his family and take over the world. Brian, the dog, is the voice of reason in the family but also an alcoholic. "Family Guy" has many great episodes. My favorites include "Road to Rhode Island", "Peter, Peter Cavier Eater", and "Mr. Saturday Knight". I am glad new episodes are coming next year! This show deserves 10/10 stars!

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83 out of 146 people found the following comment useful :-
One of the best animated series ever, 15 April 2003
Author: nixar55 from NYC

Shame on Fox for mishandling this show! As with "Futurama", scheduling problems made this show impossible to find on a regular basis. But it was worth hunting down - this show is funny, surreal, and offensive. Wittier than South Park (and more un-PC, too) and more original plots than The Simpsons, this show is hysterical. This show is also primarily for twentysomething kids who can "get" the references to Big League Chew, Kool-Aid, and that episode of "Who's the Boss?" where Tony sees Angela naked in the shower. I could tell this show was scripted by people my age, and that made it even cooler to me. I can't wait to own all of the episodes on DVD. Watch it on Cartoon Network as part of their Adult Swim line-up if you're uncertain, but you'd have to be crazy not to love this show.

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17 out of 24 people found the following comment useful :-
MacFarlane's brilliant sitcom parody was once one of the funniest things on TV, but now it may suffer the same creative fate as the Simpsons, 12 August 2007
Author: howTVshouldbe from star range: 1 - 4, expanded to 5 for classics

Network: Fox; Genre: Animated Comedy, Satire, Parody; Content Rating: TV-14 (pervasive sexual content, scatological humor, strong language, violence, animated nudity); Perspective: Contemporary (star range: 1-5);

Season Reviewed: 5 seasons

After 5 seasons, two cancellations and a now militant army of fans the show has amassed, I don't quite know what to say about "Family Guy" anymore.

When "Family Guy" debuted in 1999 it was a shotgun blast of comic brilliance that came out of nowhere and went unheard by an audience still enraptured by the antics of "Friends". At first it all appears relatively routine, even - as many have accused - a ripe-off of "The Simpsons". Fat, child-like, head of household Peter Griffin (voiced by creator Seth MacFarlane) screws things up while dotting wife Lois (Alex Borstein), put-upon daughter Meg (Mila Kunis) and genetic copy Chris (Seth Green) look on. Also in the mix is genius, homicidal infant Stewie (MacFarlene) - one of the most deserving break-out characters in TV history - and Brian, the family's talking dog.

If the characters sound like clichés, that's the point. MacFarlane uses them simply as vessels and with the show regurgitates every pop culture childhood memory to create a full-length parody of 70s and 80s sitcoms. Even better than a parody, a satire. Just as Archie Bunker was a product of the 50s being imposed on by a changing 70s culture, "Family Guy" is about the new millennial values juxtaposed on sitcom camp of the last century. In MacFarlane's world there are child molesters on "Lost in Space" and "Eight is Enough" actually refers to disciplinary beatings.

Yes, "The Simpsons" have covered similar ground, with a particular emphasis on random flashbacks and fantasy scenes. But with "The Simpsons" in a creative tailspin for the last decade, MacFarlane and crew swoop in to fill this gaping void. To out-Simpson "The Simpsons" if you will. What MacFarlane brings to the table is pitch-perfect comic timing - an ability to know how quick to cut or how long to drag out a particular bit to get the laugh. As well as utter fearlessness. From bits in which Jesus Christ turns water "into funk" or a TV parody "Gumble 2 Gumble: Beach Justice" staring Greg and Bryant Gumble as bicycle cops, "Guy" isn't just one of the funniest things to grace TV, it was freakin' brilliant. This breaks from are more often like an animated version of "The Far Side", then "The Simpsons".

Then it was canceled only to be renewed at the 11th hour. And then it was canceled again, brought back supposedly by strong DVD sales. But given the networks ownership of the show and how Fox beat to death the equally strong "Futurama", it's hard to buy that. This constant shakeup has got to take a toll on a series' rhythm. When the show returned for a 3rd season it felt lacking of something. As if the network notes to "slow the pace", "tone down the fantasy scenes" and "thicken the story lines" were rigidly being followed when the breaking of these rules was what made the show great in the first place. Still it contained classics like "Emission: Impossible", "The Thin White Line", "Road to Rhode Island" and "Brian Wallows, Peter's Swallows" to keep us satisfied.

Upon the 2nd return, giving us seasons 4, 5 and beyond, the show has completely lost it's footing. After a LONG agonizing wait, the 4th season premiere is a disappointing "North by Northwest"/"Passion of the Christ" parody. The rest of the season follows suit in which only "PTV", the show's satire of the TV ratings system, recaptures it's prior lunacy. MacFarlane makes the crucial mistake here, actually wanting us to care about them. Given that they where envisioned as clichés in the first place, putting the weight of a story on their backs only shows how lacking the show is for character depth. Even Stewie, once a source for huge laughs, is stripped down to a single latent homosexuality joke. The show gets story heavy where it shouldn't. Slows down when it should speed up. Goes broad when it should go cult. Gets political and angry when it should be mindless escapism. "Family Guy" was about velocity, randomness and obscure 1% gags.

I won't go as far as to say that "Family Guy" beyond seasons 4 and 5 is proof that a dead show should probably remain dead. But it is proof that a show can't go through constant cancellations and reshuffling and remain intact. It also suffers from the same fate that has plagued "The Simpsons". It is full of itself. It has become lazy in a belief that it can do no wrong in the eyes of it's fans. "Family Guy", in many ways, has sold out. It isn't the acerbic TV rebel it used to be. It is now part of the system itself

"Guy's" humor has a masterful ability to appeal to "Star Trek" nerds and drunken frat boys alike. And it is hard to deny the TV geek in my doesn't flip out when they do something half of either audience won't get like weave a "Star Wars" joke into a "Curb Your Enthusiasm" reference. But the show's die-hard legions of fans (some damn near sycophantic over the show's brilliance) have allowed it to be lazy and complacent and paved the way for MacFarlane's head to slide right up his own posterior. In some ways he deserves it, the show can still be very, very funny. But the true fans out there know that it can do much, much better.

* * * ½ / 5

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26 out of 42 people found the following comment useful :-
Hit and miss, but mainly very funny, 22 February 2007

Author: Skragg from United States

I've said much of this on "Jump The Shark," but Family Guy is definitely a show full of hills and valleys, but for some of us, the hills are more than worth the valleys. For a "low-brow" comedy, it often seems to go out of its way to AVOID a low-brow joke, especially a really well-worn one. For instance, it often has little old ladies and "trailer park" type women, without those lame, lame "hirsute woman" jokes. (I'd like to see more than a tiny number of "Patty and Selma" scenes on The Simpsons do without those!) and there was the episode where Brian makes friends with the elderly woman. Instead of a lot of worn-out geriatric jokes, they made it a sort of comedy-drama! And in the "Asiantown" episode (which was kind of hit and miss), there were a lot of jokes of Asian food, without one of those cat and dog ones (you know the ones I mean), in spite of the fact that a MAIN CHARACTER is a dog! I know these are irritating things that Family Guy DOESN'T do, but there are so many funny things it DOES do. The religious jokes (not SO much in the current version as the first one) can be genuinely clever. Where else can you see Jesus looking embarrassed because he got credit for a miracle performed by an Indian god standing next to him? (The jokes about religion on countless other comedies - yes, including The Simpsons - get so "preachy" in THEIR OWN right, instead of being "nonsensicle" like that.) And then there are the movie and TV parodies, like "Homicide : Life On Sesame Street." And most recently, the "Brokeback Mountain" one. The current version, unfortunately, has too many unfunny medical jokes (regardless of whether they're in bad taste), and too many gross-out jokes (in spite of what I mentioned earlier), but the good moments still easily outweigh those, for me at least. I could go on and on.

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27 out of 45 people found the following comment useful :-
My favourite TV show, 25 March 2007

Author: animalfanatic from United Kingdom

I love everything about family guy.

My favourite characters in family are Brian and Stewie and I like the episodes when it mainly features them such as "Road to Rhode Island" (Season 2), as they interact very well. The comments they make just have me in stitches. Peter's behaviour is also very funny as some of the things he does "are just so brilliant they're retarded." The voice acting is excellent, especially Seth MacFarlane as he provides the voices for half of the Griffin family as well as their perverted neighbour Glenn Quagmire and how he manages this range (particularly with singing) I just don't know. He deserves his two Emmy's for providing the voice of evil baby genius Stewie. Adam West also steals the show with his funny and completely insane regular character the mayor of Quahog. What I like about Chris (voiced by Seth Green) is the things he says show that he takes after his father when it comes to intelligence and common sense.

The only thing I have found annoying is that in the UK Fox has decided to change the seasons to increase DVD sales, which in no way reflect the programme itself but rather the marketing.

If you enjoy Family Guy then I would thoroughly recommend Seth MacFarlane's other project American Dad which uses a different style of humour but is still extremely hilarious.

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160 out of 313 people found the following comment useful :-
Losing its edge, 26 September 2005

Author: Anthony Lalande from Montreal, Canada

While I know that I run the risk of being chased out of town for saying this, I feel that since the beginning of Season 5, the show has lost its edge.

90% of the jokes in "Family Guy" fall into one of 3 categories: 1) Jokes making fun of pop culture (especially old TV shows and celebrities) 2) Gags that run so long that they become absurd 3) Flashbacks, most of the time introduced with "This is more ___ than that time I ___"

I'm sure that a lot of people find this stuff funny, but after 4 seasons with this kind of humour, it just becomes so expected that it ends up being routine. This doesn't do it for me.

I still like this show and I think it has a lot of potential, but it needs some new ideas!

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