90's Region - Seinfeld vs Family Guy

[Cena's Little Helper]

90's Region – Seinfeld vs Family Guy

VS

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Note: Although Seinfeld began in 1989, we have included it in the 90's region.

 

[It's...Baylariat!]

I didn't know Family Guy was in the 90's. And HOW does Seinfeld NOT get a bye in this tourney? Seriously. THE best sitcom of ALL time. Yep, I said it. THIS is my baby. I'm backing this to the end. This show did something that no other show has done. It didn't have a plot line and it worked. The show was about nothing. NO point. NO ulterior motive. Just simply about Jerry and his friends, who were fantastic. Jerry, George, Elaine, and Kramer were priceless. I can only think of one or two bad episodes of this show. That says a lot. Cuz there's usually a few bad episodes of some shows. Not Seinfeld. It transcended comedy and can't be replicated. Many try, but can't do it. This show is a pop culture icon and kicks ALL sitcoms asses. Even Family Guy.

Seinfeld in a ROMP.

 

[INDYjon22]

Seinfeld could easily win this whole damn tournament and I could not argue it at all. It was such a phenomenon. The show that was about absolutely nothing and that was the truth. There was no continuation between any of the episodes and I loved it. The dry humor was great and every actor really did their part well. There are just so many great moments in the history of this show from the pirate shirt to the women with man hands to my personal favorite festivis. It is hard not to vote for Seinfeld so that is exactly what I did voted for it and you should do the same.

 

[Cena's Little Helper]

If this tournament were held 10 years ago, Seinfeld would have justifiably destroyed every show in its path. But, two things have happened since then: one, Larry David went to HBO to create Curb Your Enthusiasm, and, two, Seinfeld inspired Rob McElhenney to create FX's It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia. Like Seinfeld, both of these shows are about nothing, but they vastly outdo their predecessor in terms of hilarity and creativity.

Seinfeld was the wheel, but Curb Your Enthusiasm and It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia were vast improvements on this prototype (this says much about these latter shows, as Seinfeld was pretty damn good). It is for this reason that I'm going with Family Guy, a show that currently airs and delivers the funnies on a weekly basis. Sure, the show can sometimes be extremely preachy, but, I love me some bathroom humor.

 

[Tenta]

This really is the battle of television shows without stories. Seinfeld doesn't have a story, mainly because, well, that's how it was marketed. Show about nothing. Family Guy, meanwhile, has a story, but to get to the actual jokes, we have to do awkward segues out of the story, onto some other part of the world so that Family Guy can actually make the joke. But see, here's the difference; Seinfeld always found a way to create a situation that started as nothing, tell a story throughout the episode, actually promote that story, and make that story pretty damn funny.

Family Guy, meanwhile, does not. The jokes stray so far from the story, that they almost have absolutely nothing to do with the story at all. Hence, there's no comedy in the situation; there's comedy in the jokes they make away from the story, but the situation itself doesn't cause the comedy. And with that in mind, I really just can't give Family Guy the nod for a sitcom. Because the comedy isn't in the story whatsoever.

What Tdigle says is correct. People now realize who was the creative genius behind Seinfeld; it was Larry David. Seinfeld's standup may have begun the story, but it was David's fantastic writing that made us love the characters so much. The funny thing is, out of all the characters, David was actually Constanza. That's why I always though George's stuff was best; it's much easier to write for yourself than someone else. Still, it was comedic gold, that actually revolved around the story. Something I really can't say about Family Guy. Besides that.... Well, Family Guy really started to suck when it was put back on the air. It's like they tried to recreate what they had, instead of building off what was already there. And while Family Guy is funny, I just can't give it this one here.

Give me Seinfeld. It's the American Way.

 

[NSL]

I'm a die hard fan of Family Guy, but I can't justify a vote against Seinfeld this early. It was brilliant TV, and was must-see TV every time it aired.

Am I the only one that thinks this was done intentionally, so the powers that be could get rid of Family Guy early?

 

[Mr. TM]

Wow, this is another tough matchup, strangely enough, I knew right away who to vote for. I still watch both of these shows, but it was obvious which one Id vote for. Family Guy is still playing to this day, and I couldnt care less to watch a new episode. Cant be that good if Id rather watch an old Seinfeld for the well hundredth time than a new Family Guy.

 

[jmt225]

Abstain.

But not because these two shows are too good to decide, but because they're too horrible to figure out which one is worse than the other.

Seriously, Family Guy and Seinfeld are the two most overrated television shows in history, bar none. Both are mindless garbage, with cheap ******ed jokes after cheap ******ed jokes.

If you put a gun to my head and told me to choose which show was more tolerable, I would pick Family Guy by a very slight margin, but that isn't enough reason for me to ever actually vote for the piece of shit.

Both of these are terrible shows, and hopefully get eliminated in the next round and rot in hell.

 

[Little Jerry Lawler]

The earlier Family Guy episodes were better than the later ones but I can't put it over Seinfeld. Like others have said, it was a show about nothing and it worked. If that show debuted now, I don't think it would have been as great as it was back then. Richards, Alexander, Seinfeld, and Louis-Dreyfus played their characters perfectly and most people didn't get the dry humor which put it in a bad light for some eyes but it was funny nonetheless. From the "bro" to Kramer reversing his peephole, there have been many classic moments that people would remember more than anything from Family Guy.

 

[HBK-aholic]

I see that Seinfeld is treated like a huge deal here, but I've never seen the appeal. I read that it was Shawn Michaels' favourite show, so I watched it, because anything Shawn likes has to be great, right? Well, no. I won't go as far as to say it's shit, but I never really understood why it's seen as so funny. Maybe you had to have been watching it when it started? Family guy, on the other hand, really makes me laugh, and that's what I'm basing my vote off here. If we vote according to "it was a big deal" the tournament would be boring, so I'll vote on whichever amuses me more. And I'd much rather sit through Family Guy than Seinfeld. It doesn't really matter, neither will win.

 

[Dave]

Fuck Seinfeld. Yeah, I said it.

I have never had the inclination to go and watch Seinfeld and when I eventually have, I have been completely underwhelmed by everything about it. It's not an overly bad show, in fact it is probably a good show given the right audience. However, that audience is not me. That may be an error on my part but I have never found it funny and I find Jerry Seinfeld to be the least funny person to ever receive the acclaim that he does. Seriously, it cannot just be that finds that man detestable on every single level as a human being. However, it is not just for that reason that I am voting against it. Family Guy is my favourite show of the last decade and perhaps of all time. Never before have I had such a good laugh whilst watching a show and I find it completely irresistible. Personally, I know that Seinfeld will win because for some reason, people seem to kiss it's ass. I have never been a fan and for that reason, plus many more, Family Guy wins here.

 

[Dagger Dias]

I don't see how Family Guy is not winning. Seinfeld's overrated. Family Guy is so random, and so hilarious at the same time. People complain about how the jokes are interchangeable and don't make sense (The Manatee Gags, as South Park called them) but that's the best part of the show! The randomness is what makes it such a funny show. My friends and I make references to some of the more random references every now and then as inside jokes and no one gets it unless they too watch Family Guy. I voted for Family Guy because it's one of the few shows I can watch daily without getting tired of it, and it remains hilarious.

 

[The Doctor]

There's a syndrome, appropriately called the Seinfeld Syndrome.

Basically, it means that you've heard the jokes so many times or seen them done better, that when you see the originator of the joke or situation, it becomes underwhelming.

Seinfeld started so many jokes and conventions. In the day, it was brilliant stuff. And it gets my vote here for that reason.

 

[Leafy]

I'm not a huge fan of Seinfeld but Family Guy is god awful. If you take away all the cutaway scenes from Family Guy you have a god awful show. Even those cutaway scenes are stupid. Seinfeld is an okay show, I don't get some of the 90's jokes because I'm young but is still is more entertaining than Family Guy.

 

[gd]

Family Guy is one of my favorite shows evah! That type of humor is right up my alley. Random pop culture references and ridiculous jokes are the way to go. Family Guy can make me laugh multiple times per episode, and it's definetly a show that I can watch over and over again.

I agree with the Seinfeld is overrated sentiment, but the Soup Nazi episode was pretty bad ass. Still, gotta go with Family Guy here. I love it.

Vote Family Guy.

 

[X]

Probably the single toughest vote for me yet. Family Guy is a show that I can watch at any time and not be tired of it, but at the same time so is Seinfeld, to an even higher degree. I submit that it was literally impossible to own a television in the 90s and to have never seen Seinfeld in some form. Impossible. I've seen every episode a thousand times, can practically recite the episodes by heart, but I never tire of it. It's just...comforting in a weird way. One of the best casts in TV history, the absolute genius of Larry David in his prime (the show fell off big time once he left) I mean what is not to like? For these reasons Seinfeld got my vote.

TDigs brought up a great point in his "building the wheel" analogy though. You've solidified my backing of It's Always Sunny with that comment TSnugs.

 

[Tastycles]

These two shows are both shit. Family Guy is just a patchwork of about 10 unfunny jokes masquerading as a sitcom. It's actually a sketch show, and not a very good one. Watching it is the worst thing I've done since that time I tried to give Vanessa Feltz a piggyback. [insert hilarious footage of Tastycles piggybacking Vanessa Feltz and getting crushed]

However, I voted for it. Slyfox once said that the first series was good, and I decided to watch a few early episodes and came to the conclusion that it was passable. Seinfeld on the other hand is weapons grade shit. From the monologue to the actual show, its just shit. It may be a show about nothing, but that is also what it brings to the table.

Family Guy gets the vote as the lesser of two evils.

 

[Барбоса]

I find Seinfeld to be one of the most overrated shows ever. The only thing that made it even remotely watchable were the supporting cast as Jerry Seinfeld is just not funny. Too smart for his own good.

Family Guy is one of my favourite "zone out" shows ever. It certainly has dipped significantly in recent seasons but the seasons 2-4 are very good. Off-beat comedy such as "To the HindenPeter!" and "Stop screaming! You can't hear me" always brings a smile to my face

 

[hArdyPUNKmArk]

I voted for FG for the pure reason that I get more laughs out of it. I know Seinfeld is a great show that will go down in history as a classic. It's debated as the best sitcom ever created often and has the credibility to be in that position.

I however never seemed to be able to get into it or appreciate it enough so my vote went to FG which consitantly cracks me up and carries the humour through all their episodes. Yeah it's pretty rediculous having most of the jokes come out of nowhere like Tenta was saying but hey, it's still fucking hilarious.

It actually saddens me that I don't find Seinfeld as great as most people because a lot of my friends love it but I just can't get into it enough to be able to vote for it over FG.

I doubt FG will win this battle anyways so it's all a moot point in the end