[Redway]

They have a rep. for taking the piss out of everything and I guess that’s all well-and-good to a certain extent (as long as our Brian’s left out of the piss-taking) but do you feel that some of it is grossly inappropriate or that it’s just part-and-parcel of the show?

[Oliver_W]

There's no such thing as a joke being taken "too far". Unless it implies a call to violence, nothing should be seen as off-limits.

[Redway]

Originally Posted by Oliver_W

There's no such thing as a joke being taken "too far". Unless it implies a call to violence, nothing should be seen as off-limits.

Violence isn’t the be-and-end-all for me if there’s a situational/contextual reason for it, it isn’t rooted in discrimination and doesn’t call people (you’ll always get the odd nutters who’ll take anything as their excuse-cue to kick off) to get violent it is what it is. That’s the reality of virtual reality and it starts with video-games (and I don’t have any strong anti-opinions for that in the first place). Jokes about rape and hate-crime should be absolutely off-limits, IMO.

[Redway]

And I love Family Guy at least just as much as the next person (which should be pretty obvious by now) but yeah. Sometimes I feel like they take it way too far and that the jokes that stay within decency-propriety sometimes sorely lack the subtlety of South Park’s ones (and I don’t really prefer South Park to F.G., but their comedy’s definitely superior).

[Oliver_W]

Originally Posted by Redway

Jokes about rape and hate-crime should be absolutely off-limits, IMO.

Why?

[Alf]

Originally Posted by Oliver_W

Why?

Yeah, it sounds like he doesn't want rapists to be ridiculed, it comes across like he wants them protected from that.

So exactly, Why!?

[Redway]

Originally Posted by Oliver_W

Why?

It’s just a bit distasteful when the likes of Peter joke about being raped and “violated” when it’s a very serious and unfortunate thing to happen to someone. I don’t find jokes about sexual abuse funny but that’s just me.

[Oliver_W]

Originally Posted by Redway

It’s just a bit distasteful when the likes of Peter joke about being raped and “violated” when it’s a very serious and unfortunate thing to happen to someone. I don’t find jokes about sexual abuse funny but that’s just me.

Taste and humour are subjective, the writers of Family Guy certainly don't seem to be trying to write jokes that make me laugh. But I still think they should be alllwed to keep flogging their dead horse, regardless of how funny or tasteful I don't find them.

[MTVN]

Originally Posted by Redway

It’s just a bit distasteful when the likes of Peter joke about being raped and “violated” when it’s a very serious and unfortunate thing to happen to someone. I don’t find jokes about sexual abuse funny but that’s just me.

I do agree actually and they sometimes joke about abusing underage people as well which is pretty suspect. Like SB says a lot of it just feels scattershot as well and serves no purpose

I was amazed a few weeks ago though to discover my 94 year old Grandma knew of Family Guy and she described it as 'an ethically sound program' can only assume she's only seen a small sample size

[Mystic Mock]

Originally Posted by Redway

It’s just a bit distasteful when the likes of Peter joke about being raped and “violated” when it’s a very serious and unfortunate thing to happen to someone. I don’t find jokes about sexual abuse funny but that’s just me.

I thought that episode was really funny.

Especially with how they cover Lois's hypocrisy at laughing at the idea of Peter being raped because his a man, in Family Guy's own weird kinda way they were covering a couple of big issues in that episode, but they just made it absurd in presentation like Family Guy always does, especially back then.

[GoldHeart]

Originally Posted by Oliver_W

There's no such thing as a joke being taken "too far". Unless it implies a call to violence, nothing should be seen as off-limits.

I find it double standard how the rules are cherry picked, family guy & south park get a pass for ' it's just satire bro ' ,but comedians get grief over jokes for being 'too offensive ' . There's no consistency. People get offended now even before watching something for themselves.

Family guy & south park have always pushed the jokes too far imo ,but there you go .

[Swan]

Originally Posted by GoldHeart

I find it double standard how the rules are cherry picked, family guy & south park get a pass for ' it's just satire bro ' ,but comedians get grief over jokes for being 'too offensive ' . There's no consistency. People get offended now even before watching something for themselves.

Family guy & south park have always pushed the jokes too far imo ,but there you go .

Animation gets away with more because it's animation, not real life. We don't quite process live action, to animation in the same way. Hence the offence is lesser with animation.

However, whatever you do, please don't judge South Park if your haven't followed it for the last 20 years. It makes excellent points. Universities in the US used to, and might still do, classes and lectures on the Politics of South Park. I can't judge really on Family Guy, but South Park goes much deeper than merely 4 kids in Colorado being offensive.

[Livia]

Originally Posted by Swan

Animation gets away with more because it's animation, not real life. We don't quite process live action, to animation in the same way. Hence the offence is lesser with animation.

However, whatever you do, please don't judge South Park if your haven't followed it for the last 20 years. It makes excellent points. Universities in the US used to, and might still do, classes and lectures on the Politics of South Park. I can't judge really on Family Guy, but South Park goes much deeper than merely 4 kids in Colorado being offensive.

Totally agree with the emboldened bit.

[Alf]

If you take any TV show, especially a comedy, too far, then you should question yourself, because you're the one with the problem.

[Alf]

I bet he doesn't think jokes specifically about White people should be off limits.

I'm right on that, arne't I?

[Redway]

Originally Posted by Alf

I bet he doesn't think jokes specifically about White people should be off limits.

I'm right on that, arne't I?

You’re not right on anything re. this thread but you crack on.

[Alf]

Originally Posted by Redway

You’re not right on anything re. this thread but you crack on.

I'm always right on comedy, I see your thread for what it is, wanting to cancel humour, especially British humour that will makes jokes about anything, including race, war, class. Nothing is off limits in British culture humour and long may it continue.

[Redway]

Originally Posted by Alf

I'm always right on comedy, I see your thread for what it is, wanting to cancel humour, especially British humour that will makes jokes about anything, including race, war, class. Nothing is off limits in British culture humour and long may it continue.

Well, that may be but Family Guy’s an American show in the first place so … y’know.

[Alf]

Originally Posted by Redway

Well, that may be but Family Guy’s an American show in the first place so … y’know.

It's all the same, the yanks can do humour the same as us. It's all humour deriving from the English language.

I see you anti-comedy people as no different to those religious types who cry blasphemy.

[Swan]

South Park is much better. Politically South Park is on point.

[Soldier Boy]

Originally Posted by Swan

South Park is much better. Politically South Park is on point.

South Park is the opposite of what I said above for me, as much as I love it. Their satire is usually dead on target and they tackle things that are more controversial than Family Guy all the time, but because their satire is so good it pretty much always works. From at least S5-ish onwards, anyway, it was a bit more crude for the first couple of years.

But rather than missing the mark with clumsiness like Family Guy, I find that when South Park misses the comedy mark it's because they've leaned too heavily into being openly "preachy" and it just isn't entertaining at that point.

Like I said though it's very rare and, actually, I think there were just a couple of seasons where it went that way maybe 4/5 years back. They're definitely back on form now, and they've mastered season-long "themed" arcs too.

[Redway]

Another ting I don’t like about Family Guy is the fact that Peter’s depicted as the main protagonist because of misogynistic ideas from a certain time that the man, no matter how irresponsible and moronic he is, js the head of the family. Brian, Stewie and Louis are in a different league to him (and I don’t necessarily dislike Peter).

[Soldier Boy]

Originally Posted by Redway

Another ting I don’t like about Family Guy is the fact that Peter’s depicted as the main protagonist because of misogynistic ideas from a certain time that the man, no matter how irresponsible and moronic he is, js the head of the family. Brian, Stewie and Louis are in a different league to him (and I don’t necessarily dislike Peter).

To be fair I always took that to be a satire of the "classic US family sitcom/comedy movie", where the big fat bloke is always "in charge" no matter how ridiculous and bumbling he is. They also play a bit on the fact that they're in a decent sized, detached family house that they own when it seems unlikely that Peter is competent enough to be doing anything worthwhile to earn the money to pay for it, and Lois (I believe) doesn't work (another US trope).

On that vein I thoroughly recommend the show "Kevin Can ****** Himself" - which is a dark parody of sitcoms and plays on the same trope (Kevin is basically Peter Griffin, the protagonist is his wife who is basically Lois if she finally had enough and had a mental breakdown). If you're going to watch it though watch at least the first two episodes - it is NOT what it seems to be in the first episode (a bad sitcom) - it is a dark comedy/drama.

Basically (semi spoilers as it's a reveal at the very end of the first episode)

Spoiler:

The show is in two different styles. Most of the show that's about the wife and all of the other characters when "Kevin" isn't around is shot like a gritty, slightly depressing comedy drama ... with a major plot point being that she's plotting to kill her husband. Any scene that Kevin is in or enters, the camera style changes, everything becomes really light/colourful, and it's all stupid jokes and "laughter in a can" like a 90's sitcom. Then he leaves the room and it flips back. It's a very interesting show for those who have ever watched "family sitcoms". Basically the idea is that his constant "quest for laughs" and silly hair-brained schemes are actually ruining other people's lives, and leaving them broke.

Fair warning it's pretty bleak/depressing at its core.

[Redway]

Originally Posted by Soldier Boy

To be fair I always took that to be a satire of the "classic US family sitcom/comedy movie", where the big fat bloke is always "in charge" no matter how ridiculous and bumbling he is. They also play a bit on the fact that they're in a decent sized, detached family house that they own when it seems unlikely that Peter is competent enough to be doing anything worthwhile to earn the money to pay for it, and Lois (I believe) doesn't work (another US trope).

On that vein I thoroughly recommend the show "Kevin Can ****** Himself" - which is a dark parody of sitcoms and plays on the same trope (Kevin is basically Peter Griffin, the protagonist is his wife who is basically Lois if she finally had enough and had a mental breakdown). If you're going to watch it though watch at least the first two episodes - it is NOT what it seems to be in the first episode (a bad sitcom) - it is a dark comedy/drama.

Basically (semi spoilers as it's a reveal at the very end of the first episode)

Spoiler:

The show is in two different styles. Most of the show that's about the wife and all of the other characters when "Kevin" isn't around is shot like a gritty, slightly depressing comedy drama ... with a major plot point being that she's plotting to kill her husband. Any scene that Kevin is in or enters, the camera style changes, everything becomes really light/colourful, and it's all stupid jokes and "laughter in a can" like a 90's sitcom. Then he leaves the room and it flips back. It's a very interesting show for those who have ever watched "family sitcoms". Basically the idea is that his constant "quest for laughs" and silly hair-brained schemes are actually ruining other people's lives, and leaving them broke.

Fair warning it's pretty bleak/depressing at its core.

Yeah, I can’t vibe with or warm to that at all. He’s veritably challenged to the point where Louis has to have him use post-it notes in lieu of checks and he’s just a terrible person (I still kind of like him but to say he’s a bumbling fool would be an understatement).

[Alf]

I asked my girlfriend if we could try my rape fantasy last night, she said no! It was the best night of my life.

Now that is a perfectly funny joke.