Family Guy Vs The Simpsons

[RatedRKO2011]

This is got to be the biggest question in a lot of peoples minds, do u prefer Family guy or The Simpsons ? While the simpsons have done 20 plus seasons compared to Family guy only doing 10, are the simpsons finally burning out and a newer comedy show taking over ? Do you prefer Peter's shenanigans or Homer's love for duff ? Is it chris or bart that makes you laugh, lisa's saxophone or meg's hat you like more, stewie's plan to take over the world or the fact maggie shot mr.burns, or is it lois or marge ? These questions burn my head so I'm going to let you decide which show is better and also why its better !!

 

[#hamler]

The Simpsons got old before 2000. A fairer comparison would be South Park and Family Guy, but we will save that for another time.

I absolutely hate the comparisons between The Simpsons and Family Guy when the shows are totally different. Family Guy's characters are more different than The Simpsons characters. Family Guy features a wide range of flashbacks, cutaways and throwaway references which The Simpsons do not offer and that alone may be the reason I favor Family Guy over The Simpson’s.

For example, the Kool-Aid man reference. He pops up in the court room in an episode blurting out, "Oh yeah!" Confronted with silence, and with a horrified look on his face, he steps backward slowly. "Can I ask everyone to please stop saying 'oh no' in this courtroom, because the fucking Kool-Aid guy's gonna keep showing up," the judge says. "Thank you."

Jokes like these make Family Guy funny. If you don't watch Family Guy, you would more than likely not understand the joke. But references to popular culture like this make Family Guy laugh out loud fucking funny!

Family Guy approaches jokes more aggressively than The Simpson’s does. Family Guy’s jokes are usually pointlessly irreverent, unnecessarily offensive, unreasonably stupid or sometimes a combination of all.

Family Guy pushes the limits and makes sure they always have the FCC on their door step. Family Guy is indeed funnier, more nostalgia, have better storylines, and randomly hilarious.

Even though The Simpsons has had four times as many episodes as Family Guy, Family Guy has been canceled by FOX twice, Family Guy has eclipsed The Simpsons in every way possible which isn’t even a bad thing considering they had a hell of a run. But Family Guy takes this.

 

[Dagger Dias]

Family Guy, and it's no contest. The Simpsons got old years ago and has been continuously going downhill ever since:

Spoiler

When Mrs Flanders died

Family Guy on the other hand continues to deliver more laughs each and every season. The Simpsons, while a show I keep watching, has been kept alive for too long and needed to end long ago. It survives on name value now. They could air an episode that is just a picture of a jar of mayonnaise for 30 minutes, and people will still watch just due to it having The Simpsons name. Family Guy is the better show because it's funnier and is in its prime now unlike Simpsons which saw its prime come and go almost 20 years ago.

 

[WWWYKI777]

As the others said , Family Guy is obviously the better and funnier show

Like the guy with the Stewie avatar said , refferencing pop culture is a huge part of it like that cool aid thing (That really was hilarious and memorable) and they do stuff like that all the time

 

[lenguy]

Alright, well for me I'm going to have to go with The Simpsons mainly because I have been watching the show since I started watching T.V. Family guy while funny at times for me is more of a hit and miss and I find it relies heavily on cut away gags in some cases and it can almost be a turn off. I prefer American Dad because I can get invested into their story with out having to hear..."just like that time I such and such". While these cut away gags can be funny I just find it a distraction,especially the ones that make no sense and seem to drag on,even for minutes at a time.

While The Simpsons man not have as many laugh out loud moments as Family guy, I just prefer that type of humor. I can watch the show with a smile on my face because it can deliver some well thought out bits of comedy.I'll admit the last few seasons haven't been the greatest but what did you expect for a show that's been on the air for over 20 years? The quality was bound to suffer at one point or another, it happens to all shows. Family guy is starting to hit that stride(well,for me anyway) and hell even South Park is beginning to run a little dry. I don't know, maybe its because of the nostalgic affect every time I watch a new or old episode but I've just always preferred The Simpsons brand of humor because it doesn't have to go to the extreme like Family Guy will do. The one episode where Stewie beat the living shit out of Brain because he owed him some money. The whole time I was watching that segment I just couldn't fathom how anybody could find that funny, I know I sure didn't. I just find that excessive violence like that to be in bad taste rather than tickle my funny bone. It just seems like Macfarlane tries to hard and almost forces the humor.

Maybe I'm just a bit fatigued with all the Seth Macfarlane programming but I just don't find Family Guy as funny or entertaining as the earlier seasons. Not hating on the show, it can still be very side splitting when it wants to be and I still love both shows but as I've said..meh,hit and miss. The Simpsons while many not have the ability to draw huge laughs like Family Guy, I just find their humor more clever. But I this point, I prefer Futurama but still prefer Simpsons over Macfarlane stumbling Family Guy blunder...I think I may be the minority in all this

 

[wrestlingfan]

The Simpsons has been around longer and is more creative then Family Guy. Family Guy I will say could be a worthy successor to the Simpsons but I'm still seeing them as just a ripoff.

 

[LoudClearVoice]

I think it's extremely difficult to compare because both shows while on the surface seem similiar, are very different.

To me, what gives Family Guy the edge over the Simpsons is the randomness. The random cut-aways make it either really hilarious or really stupid for most people.

I followed the Simpson for awhile and it just got too generic and too redundant for me. Family Guy is more diverse in terms of how they make you laugh, the characters and expecting the unexpected.

 

[#hamler]

The Simpsons has been around longer and is more creative then Family Guy. Family Guy I will say could be a worthy successor to the Simpsons but I'm still seeing them as just a ripoff.

Hey buddy, do what your name suggest and stick with wrestling.

It’s ok to say Simpsons are better but to say Family Guy is a rip off of The Simpsons is horse shit. If you read my post above, I clearly state how the shows are completely different. I fail to see how Family Guy is a rip off of the very overrated Simpsons. Family Guy sports way different type comedy than The Simpsons. They’re more random, the jokes are more controversial and unnecessarily offensive. The characters aren’t even the same.

I mean, its pretty damn bad if the rip off over shadows the original in ratings for weeks on end.

 

[wrestlingfan]

Hey buddy, do what your name suggest and stick with wrestling.

It’s ok to say Simpsons are better but to say Family Guy is a rip off of The Simpsons is horse shit. If you read my post above, I clearly state how the shows are completely different. I fail to see how Family Guy is a rip off of the very overrated Simpsons. Family Guy sports way different type comedy than The Simpsons. They’re more random, the jokes are more controversial and unnecessarily offensive. The characters aren’t even the same.

I mean, its pretty damn bad if the rip off over shadows the original in ratings for weeks on end.

"Hey buddy, try not to tell me what to do"

I won't say they're a complete ripoff but Peter Griffin and Lois seems to me a ripoff of Marge and Homer. I will say those are the only 2 ripoffs I see in the series.

 

[Spidey Revivey]

won't say they're a complete ripoff but Peter Griffin and Lois seems to me a ripoff of Marge and Homer. I will say those are the only 2 ripoffs I see in the series.

The Honeymooners>The Flintstones>The Simpsons.

How can you say Family Guy rips off The Simpsons when Homer is a direct copy and past of Fred and Ralph Kramden? It's complete madness man. The only thing that Family Guy and The Simpsons have in common is they are both cartoons that play on situation comedy. That's it. To look into it any more than that is as maddening as saying Happy Tree Friends is ripping off Looney Tunes because they both feature violent talking animals.

EDIT: In case my post may be considered spam, I'm of course for Family Guy. The Simpsons got old ten years ago for me.

 

[Sinister Shadows]

I have to go with The Simpsons here, While the series is a shadow of what it once was, comparing the first number of seasons to what Family Guy has done (I don't know what season they are in at the moment) The Simpsons are far and away better as a collective, while I was a huge fan of Family Guy, The series aged far far worse to the Simpsons from one season to the next.

From the premiere episode of the Simpsons until whatever number of episodes that Family Guy is currently at the Simpsons had much less fall off in quality/entertainment.

 

[Nate DaMac]

Family Guy easily. I hate when people refer to it as a ripoff of the Simpsons. Why, because it features a family with a dumb dad? Hey, have you ever seen ANY sitcom? They're all like that, Family Guy only falls victim to the Simpsons comparison because it's animated. There is literally no other grounds for comparison. Family Guy is an adult oriented show, which is clear by its TVMA rating while Simpsons is a family friendly show with relatively tame language. Not to mention it's been obsolete for the past decade while Family Guy is going strong.

Why do I prefer Family Guy? Well honestly, The Simpsons just don't produce anything worth my time anymore. I read the description of the episode On Demand, then I see what else is on. I watch Family Guy almost every time it's on(which is usually everyday) and there's always a laugh or 2 in there at minimum. The Simpsons jumped the shark years ago and are solely getting by on nostalgia at this point.

 

[Dowdsy McDowds]

I'm a Simpsons guy. Family Guy does have its moments and I do like to catch it when I can, but in my eyes it doesn't beat the yellow fellas.

I read a few times that Family Guy includes a lot more pop-culture references, this may be the case as I'm not gonna volunteer myself to add up every reference made by the shows, but where Family Guy often use the cutaway technique, Simpsons seems to incorporate the reference into the story, like the instance where Maggie bashes Homer with a hammer in the garage and its shot like the shower scene in Psycho.

I don't keep up with the new Simpsons so much, but I think it was maybe season 21 had a fair share of solid episodes with some hilarious moments that included more blatant pop-culture references such as


To me the biggest difference between them is that the Simpsons have had more emotional moments with different characters: Bleeding Gums Murphy, Homer and his mum several times, Homer and Maggie, Marge and Lisa, Homer and Lisa have all had some fine moments.

Homer being at the core of many such moments is another difference. Yes he and Peter Griffin are similar dumb dad characters, but the writers of the Simpsons seem to understand that despite Homer's slowness and general buffoonery, or indeed because of it, he has endeared himself to the fans which means when something sad happens it means more because we see another side of the character. Family Guy have had similar moments too no doubt, but none that surpass any Simpsons moments in my eyes.

Plus, Simpsons have Mr Burns, always good for a chuckle

 

[wrestlingfan]

I'm a Simpsons guy. Family Guy does have its moments and I do like to catch it when I can, but in my eyes it doesn't beat the yellow fellas.

I read a few times that Family Guy includes a lot more pop-culture references, this may be the case as I'm not gonna volunteer myself to add up every reference made by the shows, but where Family Guy often use the cutaway technique, Simpsons seems to incorporate the reference into the story, like the instance where Maggie bashes Homer with a hammer in the garage and its shot like the shower scene in Psycho.

I don't keep up with the new Simpsons so much, but I think it was maybe season 21 had a fair share of solid episodes with some hilarious moments that included more blatant pop-culture references such as


To me the biggest difference between them is that the Simpsons have had more emotional moments with different characters: Bleeding Gums Murphy, Homer and his mum several times, Homer and Maggie, Marge and Lisa, Homer and Lisa have all had some fine moments.

Homer being at the core of many such moments is another difference. Yes he and Peter Griffin are similar dumb dad characters, but the writers of the Simpsons seem to understand that despite Homer's slowness and general buffoonery, or indeed because of it, he has endeared himself to the fans which means when something sad happens it means more because we see another side of the character. Family Guy have had similar moments too no doubt, but none that surpass any Simpsons moments in my eyes.

Plus, Simpsons have Mr Burns, always good for a chuckle

I agree Simpsons has more creative and long standing characters. Before we had guys like Stewie Griffin and Eric Cartman there was Mr. Burns, Sideshow Bob, etc. Stewie in this case reminds me of a Sideshow Bob if he had more of an alternative to just killing Bart, and Eric Cartman is really just a kid version of Mr. Burns. Cartman may be domestically anti-semetic but lets not forget, that Burns was an actual Nazi SS.

 

[PsychoBlack]

I have to go with Family Guy here. I have never been to into the Simpsons. I mean sure, they had a funny movie and i use to tell my teacher to eat my shorts, but, Family Guy is a show that i watch every day faithfully. Every character in the show is memorable for something while in the Simpsons i often ask myself "who the hell is that?" Last but not least The Simpsons just isn't funny to me and i really dont see the appeal.

 

[Dowdsy McDowds]

I have to go with Family Guy here. I have never been to into the Simpsons. I mean sure, they had a funny movie and i use to tell my teacher to eat my shorts, but, Family Guy is a show that i watch every day faithfully. Every character in the show is memorable for something while in the Simpsons i often ask myself "who the hell is that?" Last but not least The Simpsons just isn't funny to me and i really dont see the appeal.

That's interesting, with all the talk of pop-culture references it's ironic you used a phrase from the show at school!

As you say yourself though, you don't really watch the Simpsons so them not having memorable characters is maybe because you don't watch it as much? I could say the same thing for numerous other shows that I don't watch much, but that's down to me not watching the shows with the same amount of zeal and enthusiasm as my favourite shows, not necessarily reflective of the shows themselves.

It's fair enough if you just don't like the show though, just wanting to point out a show being deemed as "not having memorable characters" isn't all down to the show, but to the viewers choice of continuing to watch it or not

 

[CH David]

Really this is a story of two different shows with similar traits. Both are fairly dysfuctional families with a good set of supporting characters, and both have their breakout stars. Bart and Stewie are the two I'm thinking of, but you can throw in Quagmire too. Stories in the Simpsons would hit me hard as a kid, Bart having his heart broken and then getting revenge by pissing off Moe to the point of retaliation, Krusty being framed, Sideshow Bob trying to kill Bart. Family Guy for the most part is just straight comedy, and doesn't work the emotion angle as much, though they do on occasion. Their own take on topics works for their show, and their use of flashbacks and side gags are funny. Sometimes they use it just a touch too much, like Peter trying to throw the frog out the window, but those extra seconds are still funny without being annoying.

I used to love the Simpsons as a kid. Bart was the cool kid who was in Butterfinger commercials, Homer was the lovable dimwit, Marge was the loving mother, Lisa the know-it-all sister, and Maggie the baby. It grew old for me probably within the past three or four years, and I haven't caught many of the new episodes since. The last one I made a point to see was the Simpsons Movie.

Family Guy is the show that really caught fire after they were cancelled as far as popularity goes. The old episodes are fantastic, and the ones after coming back are funny as hell too. Stewie is still my favorite character with Quagmire close behind. Peter's antics and Lois dealing with them, Meg being hated by everyone, Brian being a douche, and Chris as the lovable idiot Jr. behind Peter.

I guess between the two, at this point in time I prefer Family Guy over the Simpsons, but who knows what the answer is gonna be in five years? They both have had strong runs as funny Fox comedy shows. Maybe a cartoon comes up in the future that people consider better than both of them. Family Guy wins this round against the Simpsons, but I think Futurama and South Park are better than both to be honest. Different thread topic for another day.

 

[itssoeasy123]

The Simpsons, without a shadow of a doubt.

Even though The Simpsons may not be as funny as they once were, the first 10 season's were comic gold. They were original and funny. The character's all had a personality and had their own personal trait's and stories.

Family Guy, IMO, rely's on crude jokes and long boring comedy skit's. Peter Griffin is a complete rip-off of Homer Simpson and most of the character's have no personalities.

 

[#hamler]

Family Guy, IMO, rely's on crude jokes

Well, the audience Family Guy appeals to, welcome these hilarious crude jokes. What's wrong with relying on something that works?

and long boring comedy skit's.

Those comedy skits give Family Guy the edge over The Simpsons. These cutaway gags are what made Family Guy a huge success and why they are usually higher rated than The Simpsons.

Peter Griffin is a complete rip-off of Homer Simpson

Rip off? Hardly. I have yet to read any examples of how Peter (or any characters from Family Guy) is a rip off of Homer. They are middle aged, bad parents, unattractive, dumb, obnoxious men. Guess who else that describes? Al Bundy. Peter and Homer is both stupid yes, but on totally different levels.

Homer actually has an IQ score where as Peter is stupid. When doctors tried to rate Peter's intelligence, they discovered he was lower than the chart allows. He's legally ******ed. Homer is inherently stupid thanks to the Simpson Gene, and other factors including head trauma and exposure to radiation. The reality is both Peter and Homer are around brain dead. But they are two totally different characters with few similarities - doesn’t make Family Guy a rip off of The Simpson.

and most of the character's have no personalities.

What? No personalities? lol.

Stewie is a baby who is obsessed with world domination. Peter is a ******. He drinks, gambles, likes women, does stupid things, and is hilarious. Quagmire is a heartless sex hound. Joe is a handicapped cop who has trouble controlling his anger. Brian is the smart one always trying to find himself. Hell, even Meg has a personality. How do the Family Guy characters have no personalities?

 

[Little Jerry Lawler]

I prefer Simpsons over Family Guy 10 times out of 10 because of the secondary characters. I love Mo with his antics and cheapness. Chief Wiggum, Lou, and Eddie are hilarious and Auto is my favorite cartoon character. To me, Family Guy lost my interest when it was cancelled. The only episode I really enjoyed was the one where Diane died.

 

[wrestlingfan]

Well, the audience Family Guy appeals to, welcome these hilarious crude jokes. What's wrong with relying on something that works?



Those comedy skits give Family Guy the edge over The Simpsons. These cutaway gags are what made Family Guy a huge success and why they are usually higher rated than The Simpsons.



Rip off? Hardly. I have yet to read any examples of how Peter (or any characters from Family Guy) is a rip off of Homer. They are middle aged, bad parents, unattractive, dumb, obnoxious men. Guess who else that describes? Al Bundy. Peter and Homer is both stupid yes, but on totally different levels.

Homer actually has an IQ score where as Peter is stupid. When doctors tried to rate Peter's intelligence, they discovered he was lower than the chart allows. He's legally ******ed. Homer is inherently stupid thanks to the Simpson Gene, and other factors including head trauma and exposure to radiation. The reality is both Peter and Homer are around brain dead. But they are two totally different characters with few similarities - doesn’t make Family Guy a rip off of The Simpson.



What? No personalities? lol.

Stewie is a baby who is obsessed with world domination. Peter is a ******. He drinks, gambles, likes women, does stupid things, and is hilarious. Quagmire is a heartless sex hound. Joe is a handicapped cop who has trouble controlling his anger. Brian is the smart one always trying to find himself. Hell, even Meg has a personality. How do the Family Guy characters have no personalities?

I guess the Family Guy's characters personalities just don't stand out or are just random.
Also Peter Griffin is a ripoff of Homer Simpson. The only difference between them is probably their preferences and the way they handle situations.

 

[nazzac]

I know i'm bumping here, but this is a topic that really interests me because my family have got into Family Guy.

First off i will just get to the point that they are similar, but different. The follow the same foundation, but they are different in the way they present themselves

Family Guy relies of crude, random and cut of Jokes that normally don't relate to the story. I think that's what Family Guy relies on. If the show is not funny, it is rubbish because it doesn't have a back up plan. The storylines aren't developed enough to keep me hooked in when it's not funny.

Same can't be said about the Simpsons. Simpsons episode don't have to be that funny, because the storylines are developed, so i can sit through an episode that isn't funny and still care. Simpsons has better character development outside the main characters which makes me care for them a lot more than Family Guys characters. When Maude Flanders died, you cared, When Bleeding Gums Murphy died, you cared. If Tom Tucker died you wouldn't.

I choose Simpsons because i prefer storylines rather than off topic gags. I like Family Guy, but i don't find it that funny, as i am personally not into that sort of stuff normally. (I don't like many comedy films. Shaun of the Dead, and Hot Fuzz are the big exceptions)
Simpsons in it's prime between 3-10, craps all over anything Family guy has ever done. I like Stewie, Brian and Quagmire, but i don't care for Peter and the rest at all. While i like most of the Simpson characters.

That's my opinions. It's all about tastes, and like i said i preferred a storyline rather than comedy.

 

[The Future Rises]

I personally prefer The Simpsons. I absolutely love both shows but The Simpsons is my favorite animated comedy of all time.

I have a wide list of both Simpsons and Family Guy DVD's. I like both shows very much. But for me the legend that is Homer Simpson is a good enough reason to prefer The Simpsons. I'm not saying Homer is the only reason but common. The character's hilarious. From his constant drooling to his running gag of choking his own son Bart whenever he pisses him off.. Homer is gold. Another character that I like very much is Mr.Burns. Yeah we've seen it before in alot of other movies and TV shoes the evil angry boss of an old man. We've even seen it in wrestling(Mr.McMahon). But the Mr.Burns character has a very funny comedy side. His weakness is usually the funniest thing about him. When he got overpowered by an ant and he pleaded for it to not hurt him and hand it his wallet I cried out of laughter. I can't remember what the episode's name was. Though I agree with alot of people saying the show has run it's course. That doesn't stop me from being a huge fan of it.

Now when you look at Family Guy it's a very well done show with great characters. Peter, Luis, Quagmire, Joe, their mayor of Adam West ,Stewie, Brian.. they're all extremely funny characters. I think Stewie is the best part of the show like alot of others think. I mean common a smartass talking baby with a football shaped head and a badass personality.. Who wouldn't like him? Peter comes in as my second best part of watching Family Guy. His giggle, funny personality, and reckless behavior is great. The other characters are great too but I don't want to go on and on about everyone and everything.

Both shows are really great but I just prefer The Simpsons over Family Guy.

 

[Skairipa Matrix]

let me start by saying i love both shows and i watch them alot but overall....hmm its tough sense family guy is usually funnier then the simpsons but the simpsons has a better chance of an episode airing you havent seen yet because of the many more seasons then family guy...idk about anybody else but around here they show about 10 different family guy episodes ALL THE FUCKING TIME! with a few random ones mixed in once in awhile so i usually watch the simpsons more often then family guy (an episode of family guy is only funny so many times before after seeing it so much in the span of a couple weeks you get sick of it) but theres a few things in family guy i love like when stewie and peter push lois into the back of the car and shove it into the ocean then shes come back home and peter says "hey crashy your back...whats for dinner?" and the whole episode where peter buys meg a tank is pretty funny

 

[♠Spades â™]

Family Guy hands down. Why? Because it's Family Guy..lol no seriously Family Guy because it is simply funnier then the Simpsons now. The jokes for the Simpsons are dry and boring now as opposed to 10 or 15 years ago but that's what happens to a show that has been on the air for quite some time. Another example is controversy. The Simpsons used to be so controversial, most if not all parents who were strict on what their kids watched hated the Simpsons because it was to vulgar or obscene for children. Why I say controversy? Because, controversy equals more viewers. If everyone knew a show was controversial they would want to watch it to see what the buzz is all about and if its good it will keep them coming back for more. Family Guy has that going for them but the Simpsons doesn't anymore.