Criticism of Seth MacFarlane

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dzynj

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I saw this on the adult swim boards and thought it was interesting so I thought I'd post it here. Although many things about Family Guy and American Dad are different overall the concept is still the same and the Cleveland Show is looking to just be more of the same. What do you guys think?
 
The only thing that really bugs me about the show is the character design...it's not well done at all to be honest. Every character basically looks alike, they just tack on or remove certain facial features, they don't really differentiate at all, and the celebs they have on never look anything like the real life counterparts, just generic FG faces. I do like the show, but that is the one thing that grates.
 
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Just thought that I'd pop in here for a moment to point out 2 things:

1. Seth MacFarlane is himself a Christian. And..
2. He makes fun of everything.

Everything is fair game when it comes to a little thing called "parody". While you are entitled to your opinions, I think that perhaps you should learn to lighten up and not take everything so seriously. Family Guy is just a cartoon, after all.
 
My biggest irk with the show as it is now is the mean-spiritedness of it all. Futurama, pre-suck Simpsons, and even South Park & The Venture Bros. all have some heart underneath the jabbing, but with Family Guy it's like hanging out with a relative who's always complaining about everything and never lets up.

Not to mention that most of the jabs are cheap-shots without much thought or effort put into 'em.
 
Sorry, but just saying "parody" is not a viable blanket defense. In theory, anything should be fair game for being parodied, but that doesn't excuse all parody. It could be parody that betrays a fundamental ignorance of basic facts, it could be parody where the proper reaction really is to be offended, it could be an exceptionally mean-spirited parody or one that depends on an unusually noxious ethnic slur, or it could just be an exceptionally bad and unfunny parody. Religious-themed parody that relies on blasphemy is playing with fire, and you can't do that and then try to say, "It's just a joke" when people get angry at you for it. Especially if you're not George Carlin.

That being said, it's also not good enough just to say, "I don't like this show because it makes fun of Christians" unless you're equally willing to make the same statement replacing "Christians" with any other religious group. Some Christians are practically walking, talking parodies already.

-- Ed
 
Geez, do we really need another "Let's all crack on Seth MacFarlane" thread? OK, the man's style of humor and his shows aren't for everyone, but seriously, all of the Seth MacFarlane hate is getting kind of tired, honestly.
 
The blogger's point is well-taken, but I wish he didn't do that whole "this character = that character" thing, because it doesn't really prove anything. There are basic types of characters that are used often in fiction, just like there are basic types of people in the world that you encounter fairly often. It's also why I'm sick of the "Family Guy = Simpsons" comparisons that are completely based on saying the characters on FG fulfill similar roles to the characters on The Simpsons. At worst, the character similarities are just a mere symptom of the more legitimate problem he's talking about, which is Seth's over-reliance on the family sitcom formula.
 
He said in an interview he was an atheist.

Um....yeah, I typed that before John, but some weird glitch made me have to type it twice.
 
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