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Family Guy: Girlfriend, Eh? (2022)
Just awful
On the one hand, the episode follows the basic comedy rules too much in some scenes, but breaks them for no reason in others. As a result, half of the jokes are predictable and therefore not funny, the other half falls flat.
I don't understand why the writers get paid to do such a terrible job, but the shills who praise this show definitely get more, wink wink.
Family Guy: All About Alana (2022)
Repeating something with "funny" comments is not a parody.
"Clever" meta-humor, characters over explains "jokes", "jokes" that go on forever, "jokes" with bad timing, irrelevant parodies, inappropriate references, rehash of old jokes and ideas that have already been in this and other shows all didn't work in previous similar episodes, but the writers are confident that "this time it's going to be different". It's not.
This episode is mediocre and blantant copy of other people's ideas, so it will never get recognition. No one will copy mediocrity. No one will remember this episode in a couple of years. And it's just sad how low this show has fallen.
P. S. Those who praise this episode are either shills, or pseudo-intellectuals, or are too accustomed to safe space and bland humor. Because I can't imagine a viewer who doesn't even smirk at an episode of a more popular or funny show, burst into laughter at a mediocre episode copying a ancient movie.
Copying because it's not a parody. Parody requires knowing the strengths and weaknesses of the original work. New Family Guy writers don't even understand the show they're working on.
Family Guy: HBO-No (2022)
Lazy but legal plagiarism masquerading as parodies
I find it dishonest when the parody comedy "Epic Movie" got a 2.4 on imdb, but episodes of The Simpsons, Family Guy and other shows get high rates, showing the same level of humor and fantasy.
Why do the authors make a parody of the Game of Thrones if they don't know what the show was about? For the hype? But the hype train has long since left. For humor? Jokes are bland, unoriginal and very superficial.
The animation in the episode is nothing special and only seems to be better compared to other episodes where nothing happens. It's a so so achievement, let me tell you.
The authors lack not only a sense of humor, measure and style, but also logic. Why show the first parody of the most popular series, in order to then abruptly switch attention to the old project, which is not particularly known even in America. The authors even joke about it themselves. I doubt that this is self-awarness, as well as jokes about the appearance of pseudo-Daenerys.
Family Guy should stop with parody episodes, reduce the number of references and parodies in the main show ... Because instead of new material and jokes, the viewer constantly sees and hears someone else's material that was recycled like garbage by lazy writers.
If you don't believe me, try retelling at least one joke from the episode at work or with friends.
Family Guy: The Birthday Bootlegger (2021)
Dismember two old episodes to create one "new"
It seems that the old viewers of the show are gone, otherwise it cannot be explained why no one noticed the obvious parallels with the episode Friends of Peter G. (season 9, episode 10) and Fast Times at Buddy Cianci Jr. High (4 seson, 2 episode). Peter still secretly supplies alcohol and hides one room in another, like in 9s 10e, only this time, it is not Brian, like in 4s 2e, who gets into class for thugs, but Stewie. Only this time a parody of Dead Poets Society is shown in Peter's story.
Borrowing ideas from old seasons is not surprising, because nowadays this show is terrible. But this does not justify the author's laziness and incompetence, as well as the "jokes" that "Oh, we in slavery at Disney". Yes, the writers are self-aware, but the truth itself is not funny.
The only good thing about this episode is the new director. He's boring and doesn't know how to have fun, but it's for purpose and therefore funny. In any case, this is an almost perfect replacement for the previous directors - an interracial couple whose names no one remembers because they were too bland characters. I almost feel sorry for these characters, because they were replaced without explanation and no one remembers them. But this replacement is for good.
Family Guy: Cootie & The Blowhard (2021)
Pretty lame, actually.
The whole episode revolves around one idea - the character does one thing, thinking that he is doing another. "Peter acts like he's having sex, not food", "Stewie acts like he's terminally ill" and "Chris acts like he's the father of the family."
This principle is too obvious, redundant, and there is nothing unexpected in these jokes. All this has already been in Family Guy or other shows, including from Seth MacFarlane.
The references are inappropriate and falls flat. The show tries to be relevant, but mentions a movie like The First Wives Club, which was not even relevant at the time of its release. By the time the Family Guy makes an awkward joke about the Squid Game, the Squid Game will be over or a new show will be popular.
And why did the Family Guy writers decide that jokes about Uber are comedy gold? It's basically just a taxi. These jokes were not fresh even a few years ago, let alone today.
American Dad!: Steve's Franken Out (2021)
Unpopular opinion
You know, that would be "okay" for a web series where an episode comes out every week. I mean, in that case, clumsy and rare attempts at jokes, poorly draw and a mediocre plot would be excusable.
But no. This episode came out a month after the previous one premiered ... Yes, I understand, it is "special" and festive. But nothing sets him apart from other episodes of American Dad.
This is the 16th season of the series, which was once a political satire ... Then it dropped to humor about all sorts of nasty things ... Now the series has no humor, no direction.
If family guy clumsily follows trends, then the American dad seems to be stuck in the 2010s. If it were not for the rare mentions of something more or less modern, then old and new episodes can hardly be distinguished...
Except Rogu and Billy. These new characters are also the most annoying and random. Unfortunately, Billy appears in this episode.
At such moments, I do not understand why other, better quality shows were canceled. Like Brickleberry, which is funnier than even the classic American Dad episodes.
But if many people share with me the hatred for the new seasons of Family Guy, then for some reason everyone loves American Dad, although the series does not have any merit, especially in its current form.
Family Guy: 80's Guy (2021)
The narrative "old must give way to new" has gone too far.
Especially when it comes to nostalgic shows. Peter has always been a TV nerd, even at a time when TV has become less important and interesting.
But even apart from the original meaning and message of the show, the episode tries to reproach its viewer for nostalgia. The problem is that the "new product" doesn't offer anything "new." Disney can't create, only parasitize ... So they bought Star Wars and bought Family Guy.
Previously, Disney was able to adapt other people's ideas, but nothing more. Therefore, their message "Let the old give way to the new" sounds ironic. Disney can't stay on its feet without nostalgia. And Disney has nothing to offer fans of its acquired franchises and shows.
And I'm not a big fan of the 80s, but what do 2010 and 2020 have to offer? Censorship, male bashing, or exploitation of nostalgia? Maybe illogical or harmful decisions for the sake of shock value or virtue signals?
Family Guy: LASIK Instinct (2021)
Everything that's wrong with Family Guy in one episode.
1) Old characters are cut out or changed beyond recognition. The new ones are not capable of replacing the old ones. For example, a stylish kid, who for some reason is Stewie's enemy. Although, to call this character "enemy" is already a strong word. I'm surprised that an entire episode was dedicated to him. I don't even remember his name, the character is so bland.
2) Censorship. When Family Guy try to joke about "we can't joke about anyone this days" it's not funny, it's sad. And these are facts that the authors do not even try to change. There is no Aesop language or other attempts to implicitly ridicule its censors like Disney. Jokes about Burbank seem clumsy and hardly everyone knows that Disney's headquarters are located there.
3) Political propaganda. Family guy always leaned to the left, but invited right-wing politicians and did not suppress right-wing thought. Now the show even denies reality for the sake of the mainstream agenda.
4) The show doesn't make sense now. Family Guy was originally a show about a TV nerd who knows everything about celebrities, their personal lives, and more. Now that people watch less TV and are less interested in celebrity life, authors have no material, and viewers have no interest in such jokes. Good movies don't come out, there are too many bad ones and you can't joke about it, because they are either created by Disney, or Netflix, their competitor.
Netflix, in turn, often uses celebrities inappropriately and relies too much on unknown actors. That makes the joke about "Netflix for the Blind" seem strange. They don't even try for sighted viewers. One gets the impression that the writers have not watched any Netflix show and do not understand what they are talking about.
So now all attempts to joke about celebrities in the classic Family Guy style feel so silly and inappropriate. Other shows about nostalgia and cultural references are superior to Family Guy.
5) Cutaways are now rare and not funny. I understand why the creators abandoned this idea - it is too expensive and difficult. But these jokes made the show interesting and the humor random.
The cutaways on the show right now are not inspiring. An excellent indicator is fan collections of cuts, or rather, their absence. Even the cutaways episode doesn't contain many cutaways! This is absurd.
6) Plot. Yes, Family Guy was often ridiculed for the simplicity or absurdity of the plots. But even then, there were episodes that involved the viewer in events, even simple ones. Sometimes this show gave itself quite tangible drama. Family Guy are now capable of causing all shades of irritation and this is not an achievement.
7) Fans. Fans will praise even a mediocre episode among squalid episodes.
A strong start to the season has never been a Family Guy feature. But now, a weak start to the season has become a tradition. Get used to this if you haven't dropped the show yet.
Family Guy: Meg's Wedding (2020)
Still terrible.
In a previous episode, writers hinted that they wrote jokes for the episode two years ago ... And I'm inclined to believe them. This is the only explanation for the fact that even after the failed episodes, the general course does not change. The episodes of season 19 were made a long time ago, from that no one will make significant changes to them. I would understand if it was a show with high quality humor and animation ... But the humor (if you can call it that) is insipid, and the animation in Meg's Wedding is worse than in the first season, released twenty years ago. What happened? I gave this episode 2 stars because they mentioned a more or less relevant series - "Westworld". At this pace in ten years we will see jokes about "The Boys" and "Altered Carbon". Just kidding, Family Guy won't last that long
Family Guy: La Famiglia Guy (2020)
Stale stereotypes about Italians and the mafia.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not against jokes about certain countries, nations, etc. And not against stereotypes. But the theme of Italians in Family Guy appeared too often on the show to evoke any emotion. In this episode, jokes are not bad ... But they are not good either! Old fans of the show won't hear anything new. The new audiences are most likely born after mania for the Mafia and Italo-Americans in media, so they won't appreciate these jokes. The few new viewers who watched The Godfather, The Sopranos, etc. find the scenes and parodies too obvious, flat and predictable.
I don't know how to spoil the episode, which is clear from the title. But still marked it as "containing spoilers". Ironically, there is nothing to spoil here. Peter misunderstands a word that has more than one meaning - "ha ha, classic." Then the authors decided that "Stand By Meg", "Boopa-dee Bappa-dee", and the constant references in other episodes were not enough. I'm afraid to imagine what would have happened if Vinnie had stayed on the show.
This episode is literally a parade of stereotypes. No attempt to rethink other people's ideas, just ripoff.
The authors could ridicule the stereotypes about Italians, Italian-Americans and the mafia, showing their inconsistency, they could say, in reality, everything is not the same as in the films. Or ridicule films from the perspective of real Italians or even real logic. For example, the stereotype that the mafia is always run by old, fat and sickly people. On the contrary, the young and energetic are belittled. But no, the viewer shouldn't even think for a second, because: "This is a humorous show, why are you so serious?"
P.S. The problem is that the Italians were not chosen as the central theme by chance. Under the leadership of Disney, the show is more PC than ever. Italians and Christians are among the few who will not complain about "bad representations" and won't try "cancel the show".
Family Guy: Boys & Squirrels (2020)
Why can't these jokes be told on stand-up?
Sometimes it seems that the episode could not be worse, it is dumber and irrelevant. But Boys & Squirrels comes out and, oh boys, it's incredibly stupid and lazy. The chainsaw gag is too obvious and doesn't evoke any emotion, so I'd better talk about something else ... Something worse. A little clarification - I like nostalgic jokes and references to old shows ... When it's appropriate. This episode looks like it was made in 2008 and was buried for 12 years. Considering that many podcasts are boring, I don't understand why the authors, after a whole series about the podcasts (which, by the way, was not particularly successful), joked about this again. Not to mention that joke about William Dafoe is one of those things to please old fans. "Remember how Family Guy jokes about celebrity looks? Here we go!" The problem is, this actor is no longer a celebrity. He's either doing Netflix thrash like Death Note or independent / festival films. Considering that Spider-Man received two reboots after the Tobey Maguire films, the joke gone rotten almost two decades. Jokes with pronunciation and cling film are only for wasting time. But these are already common flaws. Worst of all, Family Guy doesn't have to be a cartoon or TV series anymore.
90% of the jokes can be told at the stand-up ... Unfortunately, many people still understand this. But with each such series, people come closer to realizing this simple fact. Obviously Seth MacFarlane or the other writers won't be as successful at the mic, so they tell jokes that don't need visuals or storytelling through "funny" characters. And you know, this works for a certain audience. The simple fact is enough for them that "Haha look, baby with a rugby ball for a head, said something gay! Wow, I didn't see that coming!"
Groot's bust appearance from Guardians of the Galaxy is nothing more than an implicit praise for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. I miss the days when Family Guy portrayed Disney as a mean and greedy corporation, rather than crawling in front of it for the boss to give a couple more seasons of humiliation.
Disenchantment (2018)
Matt Groening wanted to create a parody of Mary Sue. But it turned out to be an ordinary Mary Sue.
Firstly, this is not actually a new series. Matt just scraped a number of old ideas and images from existing projects. I hate to say the obvious, but most of the characters are just rip-off from The Simpsons and Futurama. I understand this is not plagiarism, but his own creations. But looking at them again without changes and improvements is no pleasure.
The main character is the female version of Fry from Futurama. Bean has the same character traits - alcoholism, stupidity, slovenliness and the behavior of a modern person in a different setting. Unless, she got the features of another character, which will be discussed later. Elfo (what an original name!) Is literally Bart Simpson ... Unless he's in the friend zone like Fry. Luci is literally Bender from Futurama. The palace maid is literally Marge Simpson, the executioner is Chief Wiggum. The list goes on and on. And all this for the sake of lazy fan service. But why? The Simpsons and Futurama fans have seen it all before. Millennials haven't seen these shows (or just the last seasons - the worst ones) and won't understand...
Second, Matt Groening does not learn from his mistakes and does not admit them. Consequently, they moved on to this show as well. Not only does the show have old characters, old images and ideas, but Matt also doesn't criticize or ridicule them. He's always been bad at fantasy, as the inept parodies in Treehouse of Horror showed. Matt still lives in the past, where Nixon is the president, elves are dwarf freaks, and Dungeon And Dragons is a fresh novelty. This did not correspond to reality even in the nineties ... And it is no longer recognizable now.
Also due to personal bias, Matt Groening was bad at criticizing religion. His teenage nihilism and edginess have always looked undignified for a man of his age. Do not think - a person's views are not a problem ... unless they are constantly relaying them. Therefore, looking again and again at nihilists who will do anything for a bottle of wine is not interesting. Especially if Matt is giving them the third series in his career.
Third, Matt Groening is not a satirist and never was. "The Simpsons" FEELED A SATIER, but weren't really. You see, copying something from reality into a 2D cartoon is not satire. Matt sometimes makes a sluggish political commentary that only old people like him will understand - that's all.
If Disenchantment were a satire, the suspicious resemblance to Daenerys Targaryen would be emphasized and ridiculed. But no - for the whole series - not a single similar joke. You see - that's the problem - Matt can't decide what the show is about. If this is a historical satire, then even a preschooler will understand historical references. If this is a fantasy satire, then Matt knows too little the representatives of the genre - both modern and old. If this is a social satire, then a joke from the category "The king issued a decree that every third knight should be a ghoul, orc or demon." But Matt Groening is too cowardly to ridicule modern agendas. Besides, it is more profitable for him to support it.
When cancel culture flourishes in the media, Matt's works don't seem so dull, especially new. Compared to the hysterical fanatics, he seems like a good creator ... This is evidenced by the prevalence of positive reviews, although people were just fed old series.
Family Guy: The Talented Mr. Stewie (2020)
Bring the manatees back!
Honestly, I don't expect anything from Family Guy. For me, last seasons it's like a different series with similar characters and settings. I no longer have high expectations, But episodes like these make me think, "How is this show still on the air?" Family Guy was canceled when they were a good show ... Now it's pretty
bad... And it will get three more seasons !! (counting this one). Why?
In addition, the new seasons are not suitable for the old ones, as evidenced by the ratings and the fact that "Family Guy" is no longer quoted by ordinary viewers ... But also the writers do not make any improvements. The simple question is, what's the point of watching a show whose creators don't learn from their mistakes? "Meta-episodes" got the worst ratings ... And the writers announced a new "meta-episode" about "cutaway lands". Authors are often criticized for repeating old plots ... and they keep doing it with small changes! There has already been a whole episode about Stewie and Rupert's breakup, only this time instead of Brian, the bear goes to Chris. I understand that in many episodes of "Family Guy" the plot was well written and was just an excuse for jokes and cutaway gags ... Now cutaways are rare and not funny ... And jokes are long, boring and expected. As well as "the return of the Old Evil Stewie". Amusingly, that the manatees picking up the balls, are better writers than Disney committees. Disney's attempts to be "unexpected", "shocking" and "bold" are always unconvincing and inept. Worse, the "relevant" jokes and topics are not really relevant at all. Are American Dad and Family Guy fans fed up with Uber jokes? "Oh, it's like a taxi, only with ratings. I hope I don't get one star!" Something similar can be told to you by friends, acquaintances, relatives or stand-up comedians ... Then why is it necessary in the show? The authors missed the opportunity to make fun of the Uber and their drivers, passengers ... instead of showing their behavior. This is the problem with the show. They do not ridicule the phenomenon, but simply demonstrate it with meticulous precision. Sort of like "typical gay couple conversation", "typical vacation in India, Bali, etc." The show has lost its buffoonery, grotesque, exaggeration and absurdity. But the funny thing is that the Family Guy once reproached Robot Chicken: "Oh, Transformers! Thundercats! These shows existed!" Now this series is doing the same, only not with the classics, but with some kind of B-movie horror with a doll. Don't get me wrong - I'm not a hater. On the contrary, I like the show. More precisely, what it was. For me, only a hater can praise the ruins left by the Family Guy.
Family Guy: Stewie's First Word (2020)
Problem with show about pop culture and references
It's hard to joke with just your material without mentioning something that wasn't created by you personally. Not surprisingly, pop culture jokes and nostalgic references seem like an easy way for writers. The scheme worked in the 90s, 00s ... But by 2010, Hollywood had run out of ideas and began releasing remakes of the classics.
Now even the unpopular movie or series is getting a second life in the form of a Frankenstein's monster. This atmosphere puts the Simpsons, Family Guy, and similar shows in a tough spot. The audience is fed up with remakes and does not want to hear anything about them. The authors of the remakes do not want criticism to further rework the already finished material. It would seem - "Well, since you can't joke about films and series, can writers joke about politics?" No, just about the You-Know-Who mentioned in this episode. And that's all. Maybe then writers can joke about current events? No ... Because they are related to politics. And all modern shows of this format suffer from this illness in one way or another. Writers repeat the jokes they have already said, choose safe topics, focus on nostalgia for the good old, because nothing good has come out for a long time.
And what is the essence? Writers can't joke about celebrities because they might get offended, can't joke about cancel culture, because it will cancel the show, can't joke about the Agenda and everyone associated with it... They cannot even joke about other channels and platforms, because they are competitors and may be offended. The question is - why do we need such a show now? When everyone is sensitive and does not want to listen to jokes, but talk about feelings. The suppression of relevant, interesting, controversial and important topics makes each new episode a missed opportunity and wasted potential.
Family Guy: Undergrounded (2020)
Another clunky episode
It's hard to describe an episode of Family Guy after season 16. Something good must be said, although there is nothing of the kind. You need not to hurt the feelings of a new audience, which for some reason finds all these jokes witty. But I feel a continuous deja vu and a less successful repetition of the jokes already told. But worst of all - pauses. Pauses, pauses. One scene was so static that it seemed to me that my Internet was freezing. The plot itself and a series of jokes seemed to be 20 years late. I know many people consider Family Guy a nostalgic show. But did credit cards appear just now? References to old episodes are very forced. And the reuse of old jokes does not cause nostalgia, but simply annoying. It seems like the scriptwriters need to combine 3-5 old episodes to create a new episode. Well, male bashing, of course. Where without it in a modern show? But worst of all - even with all this, the series still has fans who put 10/10. But overstating you are not improving the show. On the contrary, you motivate creators to be lazy. If this continues, soon instead of the episode they will show the video clips of the 70s-80s. Nostalgic viewers will put the top ten and say "You are just millennial and do not understand the real classics." It's just because of the millennials that Family Guy is getting worse from episode to episode.
Family Guy: Short Cuts (2020)
Why censorship is bad on the example of one particular series
This is a review without spoilers, because it will not be about what is in the episode, but about what is not. The fact that Disney owns the show now does not bother me as a viewer. I came for the title, which used to mean a politically incorrect show. And before season 16, the Family Guy had clearly been neutral, despite the sheer sympathy. Making fun of celebrities, films and series was one of the features of Family Guy. Now, due to the fact that many series and films contain political propaganda, their ridicule will be perceived as an insult and disrespect for the agenda. Therefore, instead of stories and even references to Greta Thunberg, COVID and other current events, Family Guy simply avoid the topic where any joke involves risk. Therefore, authors often recall old characters and themes that are safe. And it affected the humor and quality. The creators, instead of working on the script and jokes, try not to offend anyone. Lack of humor has long been trying to mask cultural references. So more and more often, direct admiration for celebrities is issued for humor. But the worst part is that each episode is becoming increasingly difficult to watch to the end. I just feel embarrassed by the rare and awkward jokes, forgotten stars and slang of left radicals slipping in the speech of a simple American family. I hope that the nineteenth season will not be, because this show will definitely not get better.
Family Guy: Connie's Celica (2020)
The show just repeats itself.
There is nothing wrong with writing good jokes from the past. But when not only mediocre jokes from the past are repeated in the episode, but also those that were said five minutes ago - then something is wrong with the show. There is almost no male bashing, left agenda in this episode, but I can't say that it's good, because the Family Guy have become bad on their own. There is nothing unexpected in jokes and they are repeated, it is also not important what the character says. This will not affect either the plot or the jokes, which is worst of all. However, it will be hypocritical if I do not say that the "cartoon family" genre is outdated. Family Guy stay good longer than Cleveland, American Dad and, especially, shows that no one remembers. If the Simpsons were spoiled by the fact that they did not change and Matt was not going to reform his style, then the Family Guy, on the contrary, changed too often, which destroyed the foundation of the show. Peter from a fat fool turned into some kind of half-gay half-crazy half-whatever. Trends are very forced, and it looks awkwardly against the backdrop of outdated shows, unpopular musicians and forgotten stars. Viewers, who have not yet realized how much the Family Guy sank, justify irrelevant jokes and references to the fact that "This is a nostalgic show." No, not anymore. Jokes are not selected on the basis of "it causes goosebumps at the older audience", but istead according to principle "people will have to surf the internet to understand a joke". But meanwhile, this cannot be called a topical show. Many jokes about politics and social phenomena will hurt the sensitive and touchy persons in one way or another, so there will be nothing witty or daring. There will be no jokes about relevant and epic fails in movies and series. In the case of the Game of Thrones, it is too late to make fun of this series, in the case of the new Star Wars trilogy - Disney made it himself and not let Family Guy mock this mistake. If before Disney Family Guy were held hostage to the limitations of the genre and television, then the limitations of the new boss were added to this. I really love this show and therefore I want it to close. It will never be a hit, as before, but simply will... exist. Exist until the new boss decides to replace it with something even more tolerant. Is it worth it for a couple more seasons like that?
Family Guy: Cat Fight (2019)
Self-copying as recycling.
It feels like if the Family Guy doesn't have a kowtow for Netflix, then there will be a replica of at least some good jokes from previous episodes. And this is logical - hype-kids and zoomers have not heard about them, so the authors may not rush. Okay, I would try this "copy-paste", but the main characters mutter like robots and this is presented as a jokes. Not gonna lie, similar flaws come across before, but however, not all the time as in this episode. Now characters speak worse than russian basement-dweller (like me) and this is very strange, because the show (at least, earlier) is focused on the american audience. (in particular, the New England) I can't understand for whom the 17th and 18th seasons are done. For kids? They love Cartoon Network. For adults? They love Netflix. For fans of Family Guy? But they heard these jokes before. The series turns into a parody of itself. The worst part is that instead of ridiculing competitors, Griffins recognize their victory over themselves and the power of Disney, their new boss. And this is very sad.