My favorite TV show is "Family Guy" for many reasons. It's my go-to when I'm bored and I always find a reason to rewatch every episode to ad nauseum. But why is this show so great? I think I've figured it out.
Recommended for you
1. It's culturally relevant.
I've never watched a show so culturally relevant in my life. Every episode plays off something that either happened very recently or a commonly known cultural norm. "Family Guy" constantly makes jest at celebrity personas, political leaders and even spoofs a plethora of Broadway show tunes. Talk about diversity in relevancy.
2. It makes fun of everyone.
People are overly offended these days. It's true. I've had comments about people being offended over statements or things which have no personal pertinence to them; which then begs the question: "why are you so offended"? "Family Guy" confronts this by offending every single kind of person, group, race, etc... relatively equally. But the important thing to remember is: it's satire. It's supposed to play off of stereotypes and generalities. In doing this.....(see #3)
3. It goes to extremes to make legitimate points.
The use of satire and the play on stereotypes often is used to make points relevant to our nation. Whether it be political or cultural or some other sub-category, these jokes make us laugh while simultaneously reflecting a truth about our society.
4. It is tastefully distasteful.
Is "Family Guy" crass? Yes. Is "Family Guy" crude? Also yes. But you know what, sometimes it takes these blunt jokes in order to make a point. I have a special place for this kind of humor in my brain because I know the point of it all isn't for the sake of simply being crass/crude.
5. It lightens the load of reality.
Let' be honest, our society is MESSED. UP. And you know what they say: "laughter is the best medicine". While there is much to do to remedy the state of our nation, sometimes we simply need to step away and look at it from a comedic point of view. Isn't that what a lot of the arts do in the first place; they make us look at our society from different vantage points, whether that be comedically, dramatically or any other adverb.
So, you may not agree with me on this. That's okay. But take note of the above points. Watch an episode or two and you'll see why "Family Guy" will go down as the greatest cultural satire on TV ever.
