"This ain't a Family Show my Guy"

It seems today that all you see Is violence in movies and sex on TV But where are those good old-fashioned values.... On which we used to rely?! Lucky there's a man who Positively can do All the things that make us... Laugh and Cry!

Have not we loved this opening enough, that it has become a part of our daily life? It has been over a decade now, and this opening still delivers the same energy. I have fallen for that 2-dimensional animation style of the show. It has a feeling, an essence that will last for eternity. It was the same with Phineas and Ferb, and maybe even Kick Buttowaski to some extent. Yet The Family Guy falls in a completely different spectrum. These shows were filmed to be aired on kids' animated television channels. Family Guy includes Adult Comedy, which consists of all the vast arrays of situations and terminologies one can think about. It is completely not meant for kids or teens whose brain is still within the blooming stage, as it can diversely affect their mindset. To be fair, the show is a portrayal of the “basic American lifestyle.” And in some ways, I feel it wants to alarm us about the harmful effects of the western lifestyle that has been breathing for years. The show started on FOX in 1999, only getting cancelled later due to its unpopularity and slow growth. Later, the public started buying DVDs and Blu-rays of the show. Seeing this growth, FOX started streaming it again in 2005. And since then, it has been growing to this date. The story is about the lives of Peter Griffin, his wife Lois, and their three children – Megan (18), Chris (16), and Stewie (1). The story revolves around their daily life situations, economic crisis, dark humour, and is famous for their style of comedy that always makes fun of past American culture. These scenes are considered “cutaway gags” because they have unrelated stories, and they do not affect the show’s stories in any way. A little geek knowledge, the show was originally built as a thesis movie titled “Life of Larry,” which was then submitted by his professor at Rhode Island School of Design. The skylines animated behind the house of Griffin’s is an actual representation of the skyline of providence as viewed from the northwest looking southwest, from left to right: One Financial Center, 50 Kennedy Plaza, and the Superman building.

There have been multiple crossovers of different shows within Family Guy. Season 13 began with the crossover of The Simpsons. Making it “The Simpsons Guy,” which turned out to be a hit. They have also collaborated with Star Wars, which is another famous American multimedia Franchise. It is done for marketing purposes, but the amount of character interactions they portray within all these crossovers always exceeds my expectation. Because when you watch two of your beloved shows creating content together, nothing beats that feeling of joy.

Can Family Guy be considered a sitcom?

Family Guy is considered to be an “American adult comedy sitcom.” This entitlement covers a huge spectrum of genres and possibilities of choices to be made within the storyline. It does differ from your immensely popular sitcoms such as FRIENDS, The Office etc. The amount of usage of profanity and sex scenes exceeds the limit and hence, this show does not present what it states i.e., “Family Guy.” It could mislead many parents and even teens into watching this artwork. Television is an important part of American life, and, although a great amount has been said and written about its significance and impact on politics, sociology, communications, technology, and the American lifestyle, almost no attention has been paid to the programs themselves as an art form. No one has described what appears on the home screen without moralizing or philosophizing about its effects on the world outside the program.

Over the years, Family Guy has found itself in multiple controversies. The show is known to include offensive jokes, including racial humour and violent, gory, and disturbing images. The reason they use Cutaway gags is partially to neutralize the toxicity created by their humour. Shows such as Southpark has parodied and criticized Family Guy in several episodes throughout its run. Parents Television Council has been inactive surveillance mode against this show. There have been multiple FCC (Federal Communication Commission) complaints filed. And as the show portrays past American lifestyles, the Anti-Christ themes have been the priority of the PTC. It is funny how a “Patents” Television Council wants to promote Christianity through their authoritarian powers. This is to form a religious stance, and this is not where it ends. There have been multiple memes, storylines, and cameos of many past presidents, political personas. This only leads towards the enragement of people accusing the show to be taking a political stance, and that it should stay neutral. Several countries have completely banned the series. Egypt banned “Family Guy” “due to moral censorship and religious reasons.” Russia removed the show from airplay because it was “too immoral,” and Iran is not down with gay characters in the show. It is funny how Iran has still not accepted the LGBTQ community in this era of life. But these bans only tend towards the downfall of the show.

If there was ever a disclaimer to be created for Family Guy, it would go like this -

This show contains a decent amount of dark humour, and if you get easily offended then you should consider skipping this show. Parents need to know that Family Guy is very funny; the quirky scenarios can induce giggles or even guffaws in grown-ups. This show will be portraying the reality of the American lifestyle, so if you fear reality; this show is clearly not meant for you. Might end up giving you existential crisis watching the similar situations of the show’s characters and your life, so we request you to watch this show at your very own risk. Expect frequent sexual innuendo and salty language (of the "bitch" and "damn" variety), as well as some drinking and violence played for humour.

The show has been on a continuous decline lately, yet all I see on Instagram reels sections are all the adult comedy sitcoms. The show is not keeping up with its glory days and might call it off eventually. Personally, having the mindset of not misunderstanding humour with reality is all one requires to watch this type of content. And trust me, it changes the entire perspective. You will start to enjoy the show more and become less of a Karen. The show has had its golden period, downfalls, comebacks, and declines, and is still running. It is safe to say that even they realize what content they are producing, it is upon the audience whether to watch their content or to draft long essays criticizing them and their humour.

Few Easter Eggs for the once interested - Have Fun !!