Relationship between Futurama and Family Guy

[:]

Before I started coming to PEEL, I was under the impression that Futurama and Family Guy were sister shows, if you will. They were both started the same year, both were on FOX, both had an early demise, and now they are both paired on Adult Swim. All my friends and I are both avid fans of Futurama and Family Guy. Was I wrong to percieve this? I have seen an awful lot of you guys bash Family Guy. I don't see what the big deal is, I think Futurama and Family Guy are both fantastic shows, so why do you find it such an injustice that they're always paired up?

[#1 :]

Because Family Guy sucks ass.

[#2 :]

I think its coincidental that the two shows seem paired up always.
But I think some people from PEEL don't like Family Guy that much, would have to do with the DVD sales are higher then Futurama, and Family Guy is getting its second chance.

[#3 :]

If being sister shows means that they will both make comebacks, then I agree with you.

[#4 :]

 

Originally posted by Nixorbo:
Because Family Guy sucks ass.

Truer than you'll ever know maaan...

[#5 :]

They're sister shows in the sense that I've only ever watched Family Guy because it came on right after Futurama.  On both networks.

Also, clickety.

[#6 :]

Any.. real relationship? No.
In my mind? Only that they have traveled in similar patterns, if you will. Hopefully what Family Guy is doing now, Futurama will soon do.

[#7 :]

I agree with DrJohnZ about the hatred of Family Guy on this board: it's just because a lot of us are bitter. Futrama was a much better show than Family Guy will ever be (although it ain't that bad...), and I think that it annoys a lot of PEELERs that Family Guy gets a second chance and Futrama doesn't.

Anyway, I suppose that you can call them sister shows, especially if it means that they will both travel the same path. Family Guy's been picked up again, so maybe Futurama will be too. Or, maybe not...but a gal can dream... 

[#8 :]

Gotta wonder if King of the Hill would be less hated around here if it had gotten the boot and Family Guy stayed on the air. I don't see much hatred for FG around here, to be honest. The sentiment after all seems to be "If FOX hates it, we like it." Mind you, King of the Hill isn't a terrific show, but I think it would attract at least a little sympathy from us if it got the same postponed/hiatus/cancelled crap that Futurama put up with.

[#9 :]

Futurama fandom aside, there are plenty of reasons not to like Family Guy.

for starters, they don't know how to insert jokes into anything even resembling a cohesive plot, so they just constantly have these jump
cuts in between, just one element of the jarring pacing of the show that helps to ruin the jokes.

And then the cast. I could care less about the family, whcih a collection of traits rip-offed from other cartoons. The dog is Dilbert's dog, Peter is a nastier version of Homer, and I don't know what the hell the Baby's deal is, but it feels cheap. I think the concept of endearment in these cartoons slipped away long ago when the Simpons became a show about celebrity guests and brutalizing Homer to the point of cauasing me nausea. Futurama caught my attention because it could be funny but a the same time have heart and thrills. Cartoon Network called in an animated action sci-fi comedy drama for a reason. I think a good comedy entails more than just jokes. Fmaily Guy's jokes are about just as good as Futurama's but without warming us to them, what's the point?

[#10 :]

All the hatred of King Of The Hill dates back to at least a couple years though, when it was picking up all of Futurama's time slots. Now people seem to hate Family Guy not even so much for the content, but because it's on so close to Futurama and they don't want to watch it. If Family Guy came on at a much different time, nobody would really care.

[#11 :]

Er... relationship... lessee... they're both animated shows, originally screen on Fox, that got cancelled, and have found some measure of success on DVD and CN.
And that's about it, really (though I think Swinton Scott worked on Family Guy, as well). Very different shows, with very different fanbases (Futurama being more geeky, I imagine. Well, know.    )

I don't bare any huge animosity towards Family Guy (and numerous Hitler jokes are okay in my book), but it has been given somewhat better treatment then Futurama ever did (didn't FG's cancellation have more to do with angry sponsers then poor ratings? I 'm probably wrong...). I would definately prefer the return of Futurama though, but as days go by, this becomes less and less likely to occur.

Oh, and FG's random humour becomes, ironically enough, predictable. And it has a few too many jokes that make me wince.

Incidently, I feel the compulsion to point out that KOTH is not the crappiest show ever, though it is somewhat dull.

[#12 :]

I find all three of those shows funny at different times.  I watch way too much tv, but that's besides the point.  Anyways the fact is that Futurama is on a completely different scale from Family Guy.  Futurama is cartoon class, it is the ace of cartooning.  It has everything and all that is quality hand made the shiznit.  Family Guy is basically just kinda spit out.  I'm not saying a little thought doesn't go into these jokes and the animation isn't horrible.  It just isn't on near the same par as Futurama.  As other people said Family Guy is also basically a rip off, especially the way in which story works much like the later Simpsons seasons, only in a much more exagerrated way. 

The thing is... More people liking Family Guy than Futurama is ignorant and it shows what the total population is like.  They'd rather have crass dirty humor and stuff they've seen before rather than originality and quality.

That said, I think they really are sister shows in some sense that they get paired up like they do.  I remember seeing them when they first came on, and I liked both.  I liked Futurama more though 

[#13 :]

Futurama is an infinetely better show, no doubt about that...

It does irritate me a bit that Family Guy gets a second chance when Futurama doesn't (however, consider that both shows have done well in Adult Swim ratings and Dvd sales, and suffered similar very circumstances in regards to their Fox runs, so if Family Guy's return is successful...you never know), but that's no reason to hate or dislike it.  I think there are perfectly good reasons to not like it mind you (personally I do like it, although got sick of it), but that isn't one of them.

SlackJawed: I think controversy might've played into the first cancellation, or at least in Fox's waning support of it (which thus caused the cancellation).  In the second cancellation it was ratings, but those ratings resulted from a typical Fox blunder: that being that they took a show that obviously still needed to build a fanbase, and pitted it against "Friends" and "Survivor".  I believe it has actually been the best performer against those two shows on Fox in recent years (I might be wrong there), but of course like all Fox Thursday shows in recent years it didn't last. 

[#14 :]

Personally, I love FG. I think the humour is off the wall, and its much more 'adult' than Futurama.
It certainly seems to push the boundries of what a cartoon can do (in a writing sense, as for animation, Futurama wins hands down!) more than Futurama or the Simpsons.
I prefer Futurama, though I think FG is better than the Simpsons.

Edit~: and they're all better than King of The *Yawn* Hill 

[#15 :]

I really like the off key humour of Family Guy, and I think there just seems to be a vocal minority here on the boards that really don't like it.

However...

If you asked me which show I would rather have make a comback I would scream "FUTURAMA!" repeatedly at you.

[#16 :]

I'm with robo on this one

[#17 :]

If it wasn't for Family Guy I wouldn't have started watching Futurama. I only saw one episode of both shows on Fox but then a few months ago I started watching Family Guy when it was on at 11:00. When it switched to 11:30, I watched Futurama just because it was on first but I ended up liking it a lot better than Family Guy. Half the time I would just go to sleep after Futurama. In that sense, I am really glad they have these shows paired up or I never would have started watching Futurama.

[#18 :]

As I said before, I guess people prefer a show with mindless humor, dirty jokes and violence over a show that actually has originality, heart, and actually makes you think!  My guess is, Family Guy is more popular because it impresses trailer park trash teenagers.

[#19 :]

Nah, I kindof like Family Guy.  Well, mostly for Peter -- and I think Seth MacFarlane is one of the funniest people on the planet.  (Key phrase: "one of" )

[#20 :]

   

its much more 'adult' than Futurama.

"Adult" in the same way South Park is "Adult," maybe. Comparing these Family Guy and Futurama    is an excellent way to showcase the difference between 'adult' writing and 'mature' writing. Seriously.
(And don't you be thinkin' I be  dissin' ma bloods F Guy and the Park of the South. Those shows alright.      )

[#21 :]

Futurama was messed around and Family Guy seemed to have it easy but the way i see it, will Family Guy fans ever get a game? Do they have a Family Guy Comic, will they get one? Is there any Family Guy Mechandise, no that i know of. That sort of in-you-face-Family-Guy stuff helps me understand the unfair relationship.

 

[#22 :]

The points made in this thread and the other one are spot-on: TFG has excellnt jokes, but terrible plotting and no likable characters (aside from the dog, and, strangley, the baby.) It's far inferior to The Simpsons ("new" or "old" ) and Furutama.

And for the record, I like King of the Hill. 

[#23 :]

 

Originally posted by Gorky:
I agree with DrJohnZ about the hatred of Family Guy on this board: it's just because a lot of us are bitter. Futrama was a much better show than Family Guy will ever be, and I think that it annoys a lot of PEELERs that Family Guy gets a second chance and Futrama doesn't.

Second.

[#24 :]

Either that or I've hated Family Guy long before Futurama was cancelled.

[#25 :]

First of all, King of the Hill is just plain hillbillie trash. Family Guy however is a funny show, but that's it. It's all jokes. It isn't as smart as Futurama and has no emotion whatsoever. It is nice that they are considered sister shows though because Family Guy seems to have more universal appeal, where Futurama is more of an aquired taste. Not as severely as lets say, The Critic, but you do sort of have to "get into it" to see its beauty, unlike Family Guy's humor that hits you with a pie as soon as you sit down to watch. The good thing about them being sister shows is being attatched to something more successful helps bring Futurama into the light.

[#26 :]

Although there's something to be said for a TV show that you can just pick up and watch, such as Family Guy, a show that rewards viewing from the beginning is ultimately more rewarding. Example: The Farnsworth Parabox. I thought it was alright when I saw it, but I didn't know why a lot of the jokes were supposed to be funny. Then I watched the series from Episode 1 throughout the summer on TBS and all the pieces fell into place when I saw it again. Universal comedy is all well and good, but the good stuff lies in a show that requires you to be a bit obsessive.   

[#27 :]

   

First of all, King of the Hill is just plain hillbillie trash.

That's a blanket generalization without accompanying supporting evidence. 

 

Although there's something to be said for a TV show that you can just pick up and watch, such as Family Guy, a show that rewards viewing from the beginning is ultimately more rewarding. Example: The Farnsworth Parabox. I thought it was alright when I saw it, but I didn't know why a lot of the jokes were supposed to be funny. Then I watched the series from Episode 1 throughout the summer on TBS and all the pieces fell into place when I saw it again. Universal comedy is all well and good, but the good stuff lies in a show that requires you to be a bit obsessive.

I have to say that, having seen most of the series before viewing The Farnsworth Parabox, I don't really agree.  Although it is a good episode, it didn't seem to make much use of references to past episodes, aside from exploiting what we know about the characters' personalities. 

Edits: Fixed so I won't end up posting twice in a row.

[#28 :]

 

Originally posted by Nixorbo:
Either that or I've hated Family Guy long before Futurama was cancelled.

Ooooh oooh, that one!...

[#29 :]

 

Originally posted by Sal:
Futurama was messed around and Family Guy seemed to have it easy but the way i see it, will Family Guy fans ever get a game? Do they have a Family Guy Comic, will they get one? Is there any Family Guy Mechandise, no that i know of.

Oh yes there is Family Guy merchandise. I've seen shirts popping up all over the place. One of my friends has a shirt with Stewie on it that says "KILL BROCCOLI" he's constantly wearing. However, since Futurama has a far nerdier fanbase, I think the merchandise is more likely to be bought, especially with stuff like the comics. I was going to buy one the other day, but when I went back to the store, it was snagged from under me...damn.

By the way, what's up with people calling Family Guy mindless? It's certainly not as intelligent or thought out as Futurama(you can tell by the shoddy manner in which 90% of the stories end), but if I wanted to watch mindless humor, I'd go watch Aqua Teen Hunger Force or Ed, Edd, and Eddy or something.

[#30 :]

 

Originally posted by SlackJawedMoron:
    "Adult" in the same way South Park is "Adult," maybe. Comparing these Family Guy and Futurama is an excellent way to showcase the difference between 'adult' writing and 'mature' writing. Seriously.

Well put, SJM. 

Family Guy is okay. The only thing that makes it watchable is the occasional smart jab and possibly Stewie.  I'll just name some things that some PEELers have said about it.

-There are crappy plots.
-There are bearly any likeable characters.
-It's very crass.

All true. Futurama has heart, originality, and it makes you think. It's a comedy, but the writing is exellent(sp?), too. You can feel what the characters, who are multi-dimensional unlike Family Guy's, are feeling. Futurama may have "bad" language and themes, but it's not in your face and forced into every episode like some other shows.


I'm not even going to start talking about King of The Hill.   

[#31 :]

Heh...I like Ed, Edd and Eddy, too, and ATHF is OK.  They're totally different from Futurama, but that's OK.

[#32 :]

Also, to Sal's point, they are supposedly working on a Family Guy video game.  I'm sure it'll suck though, since most tv-show games do.

[#33 :]

I like both shows, but if I had to choose, Futurama would win, hands down. I like family guy ok, but a lot of their jokes are toilet humor that gets boring after a while. While I do appreciate the "randomness" and the spoofs, the rest is just either gross or unapealing to me.