Criticism of Family Guy
Encyclopedia
The American animated
sitcom Family Guy
has been the target of numerous complaints concerning taste and indecency. Parents Television Council
has expressed moral opposition to the series, and filed complaints with the Federal Communications Commission
.
Criticism also originates from animators concerning quality and originality. While most attention has been given to the moral criticisms (e.g. crude and blue humor), stylistic content and thin storytelling with a loose plot and overuse of "cutaway sequences" have drawn criticism. The animated sitcoms South Park
and The Simpsons
have both satirized the show's writing and organization.
about his diagnosis, drew protests from several AIDS service organizations. In his 2006 book The Decency Wars: The Campaign to Cleanse American Culture, author Frederick S. Lane described Family Guy as among several television sitcoms that premiered in the 1980s and 1990s he felt were "aimed at the darker side of family life".
The Parents Television Council
, a non-profit watchdog
group, has published critical views of Family Guy. In May 2000, in its weekly "E-Alert" email
newsletter, the PTC launched a letter-writing campaign to the Fox network
to persuade the network to cancel Family Guy following a return from a long hiatus in the show's second season, due to what the PTC claimed were "strong advertiser resistance and low ratings".
Family Guy made the PTC's 2000, 2005, and 2006 lists of "worst prime-time shows for family viewing", with over thirty Family Guy episodes having been chosen as "Worst TV Show[s] of the Week" for reasons of profanity, animated nudity and violence. The Council has cautioned parents that children will be attracted by the show because of its animated format while asserting that the series is suitable only for adults. Family Guy was also named the worst show of the 2006–2007 season by the PTC. The PTC has also objected to Fox scheduling Family Guy during early primetime hours due to their concerns of children being likely to watch the series.
Additionally, the PTC, which has generated most of the indecency complaints received by the United States Federal Communications Commission
, has twice filed formal FCC complaints about Family Guy. The first indecency complaint, following the January 2005 rebroadcast of "And the Wiener Is...", was denied by the FCC on the grounds "that because of the absence of explicit or graphic descriptions or depictions of any sexual organ, along with the absence of shocking, pandering, and/or titillating effect, the episode ... is not patently offensive." In November 2005, during "sweeps" period for the 2005–2006 television season, the Parents Television Council launched a campaign for its members to file indecency complaints to the FCC for the episode "PTV", the Family Guy episode that satirized the FCC, for its sexually explicit humor. However, the PTC had expressed doubt over whether they would formally complain to the FCC over that episode; the PTC has not logged any complaints filed through their website. In fact, that episode was highlighted in the Fox
special TV's Funniest Moments that was broadcast on June 1, 2007; a rerun of the program on August 20 that year was named "Worst of the Week" by the PTC, noting that the "PTV" episode was among the highlights in the special. On March 11, 2009, PTC filed complaints about the episode "Family Gay
" over claims that the episode contained sexual content in violation of indecency law. Then on December 15, 2009, PTC filed an indecency complaint about the episode "Business Guy
" two days after its airdate, citing a scene including a lap dance
as a possible violation of federal law regarding broadcast decency. In 2010, PTC filed a complaint against the 150th episode of Family Guy, "Brian and Stewie", taking offense at excretory references. PTC president Tim Winter said: "It seems as though Family Guy creator, Seth MacFarlane, carefully reviewed the legal definition of broadcast indecency and set out to violate it as literally as he could."
The PTC have also accused Fox of failing to include "S" (sexual content) and "V" (violence) descriptors in content ratings
for some Family Guy episodes. Additionally, the Council has asked Family Guy sponsors Wrigley Company
and Burger King
to stop advertising for the show and has frequently accused the Fox
network of what they perceive as the show being marketed to children.
Family Guy executive producer
David Goodman responded to the PTC's criticisms by claiming that Family Guy is "absolutely for teenagers and adults" and he does not allow his two children to watch the show.
", the "World Without Christianity", which is depicted as being a futuristic, happy world where Christianity ceases to exist. The reason it is so advanced is said to be because the Dark Ages
never happened. Entertainment Weekly
TV critic Ken Tucker
criticized the show for being anti-Semitic. In 1999, L. Brent Bozell III wrote that he felt the episode "Holy Crap" promoted anti-Catholicism
.
The Parents Television Council has criticized what it perceives as Family Guys negative treatment of religion
, concluding in its 2006 report Faith in a Box: Entertainment Television and Religion 2005-2006 that "mockery
of God
is a constant" on the show.
On October 3, 2007, the Bourne Company publishing house, sole owner of the song "When You Wish upon a Star
", filed a lawsuit against the makers of Family Guy
, claiming copyright infringement over the song "I Need a Jew". The suit claims harm to the value of the song due to the offensive nature of the lyrics. On March 16, 2009, U.S. District Judge Deborah Batts ruled that Family Guy did not infringe copyright when they transformed the song "When You Wish Upon a Star" for comical use in an episode.
graded an episode
which featured a character named Ida who undergoes a sex change operation negatively. While noting that the episode deserves credit for making important points about transgender
people, he found its inclusion of the vomiting scene and Lois and Peter's transphobic
remarks about Ida to be "shockingly insensitive". Hartinger continued, "Frankly, it's literally impossible for me to reconcile last night's episode with MacFarlane's words, unless I come to the conclusion that the man is pretty much a complete idiot." The Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation
, an LGBT media watchdog organization, released a statement about the episode, noting that "GLAAD shares the serious concerns being voiced from members of the community and GLAAD’s Entertainment Media Team is addressing these with Fox."
In February 2010, following the airing of the episode "Extra Large Medium
", in which Ellen, a female character with Down syndrome
, mentions that her mother is a former governor of Alaska. Bristol Palin, daughter of former Alaska governor Sarah Palin
, criticized the show for mocking her brother Trig, who has Down syndrome, and people with special needs
in general. Stating on her mother's Facebook
page, "If the writers of a particularly pathetic cartoon show thought they were being clever in mocking my brother and my family yesterday, they failed. All they proved is that they're heartless jerks." Sarah Palin herself also criticized the episode in an appearance on The O'Reilly Factor
, calling those who made the show "cruel, cold-hearted people."
MacFarlane responded that the series uses biting satire as the basis of its humor, and that it was an "equal-opportunity offender". Andrea Fay Friedman
, the actress and public speaker who voiced Ellen, and who herself has Down syndrome, responded to the criticism, saying that the Palin joke in the show was aimed at Sarah and not her son, and that the "former Governor Palin does not have a sense of humor." In a subsequent interview, Friedman rebuked Palin personally, saying she was angry with Sarah Palin for using her son Trig as a political prop to pander for votes, that she has a normal life and that Palin's son Trig should be treated as normal rather than like a "loaf of bread."
MacFarlane characterized Palin's outrage as a presumptuous attempt to defend people with Down syndrome, and characterizing Friedman's statement as her way of saying that she does not need feigned pity from Sarah Palin.
of Entertainment Weekly
has frequently panned the show, grading it with a "D
", and naming it the worst show of the 1999–2000 television season. Tucker responded to a reader's question in 2005 that he continued to dislike the series. Mark Graham noted "MacFarlane's incredibly rocky relationship with both the magazine and its lead television critic, Ken Tucker" in a blog on the New York
magazine website.
In the commentary for the Family Guy direct-to-video film, Stewie Griffin: The Untold Story
, Seth MacFarlane
notes that Entertainment Weekly had been much nicer to them recently, giving them a cover story upon their return to the air. In that same film, Stewie breaks the neck of a reporter as soon as he discovers he works for Entertainment Weekly.
In "There's Something About Paulie", Peter wipes himself with a page of Entertainment Weekly when he runs out of toilet paper, declaring, "Well, that's one problem solved."
creator John Kricfalusi
, who expresses concern that the current generation of aspiring animators will be negatively influenced by the simplistic quality of animation in cartoons like Family Guy.
The show's writing style has also come under criticism by South Park
creators Trey Parker
and Matt Stone
. In a 2006 interview, Parker and Stone stated that they dislike having their show compared to Family Guy. After the episode "Cartoon Wars
" aired, Parker states they received support and gratitude from the staffs of The Simpsons
and King of the Hill
for "ripping on Family Guy". Parker and Stone clarify their opinions of Family Guy in the DVD commentary for the episodes. They say that, although they respect it for its fans and making people laugh, they ultimately hate the show itself and have absolutely no respect for its writing, given its overuse of gag humor
that has nothing to do with the story.
During his "class day" address at Harvard University
on June 7, 2006, Seth MacFarlane
addressed Stone and Parker's criticisms in character as Stewie
, stating that the "...cutaways and flashbacks have nothing to do with the story. They're just there to be 'funny'. That is a shallow indulgence that South Park is quite above, and, for that, I salute them."
Several episodes of The Simpsons
, including "Missionary: Impossible
", "Treehouse of Horror XIII
", and "The Italian Bob
" have poked fun at Family Guy, implying that MacFarlane's show is guilty of plagiarism
. However, both MacFarlane and Simpsons creator Matt Groening
have said that there is no serious feud between the two of them and their shows. At the 2010 San Diego Comic-Con International on July 24, 2010, The Simpsons writer Matt Selman
jokingly referred to MacFarlane, stating, "Come on, Seth MacFarlane does one show three times." Selman later backed away from the comment, adding, "Those shows are all really funny – they deserve to exist." The animated film Bender's Big Score
, which is based on Matt Groening's other show, Futurama
, featured a Family Guy Laugh a Month calendar. MacFarlane later appeared as a Las Vegas singer in the Futurama film Into the Wild Green Yonder
, and Bender
from Futurama appeared briefly in the episode "The Splendid Source
" in 2010.
Simpsons writer/producer Al Jean
has described Family Guy as "a little too derivative of The Simpsons" and said it "should be more original".
", Stewie and Brian try to legalize marijuana. The Venezuelan government reacted negatively to the episode, and banned Family Guy from airing on any local station which generally fill their schedules with re-runs of old US shows. Local station Televen
was threatened with financial sanctions for broadcasting the show, which was avoided by broadcasting Baywatch
instead. The station was forced to show public service films as an apology. Venezuelan Justice Minister
Tareck El Aissami stated that any cable stations which refuse to cease airings of the show would be fined, and also criticized the show for promoting the use of marijuana. Later the Venezuelan government showed a clip of the episode which featured Brian and Stewie singing about marijuana; they then stated that the show is an example of how the US supports the use of marijuana.
Family Guy is also banned in Taiwan, China, Iran, Egypt, Malaysia, South Korea, and Vietnam.
Cartoon series
A cartoon series is a set of regularly presented animated television programs with a common series title, usually related to one another. These episodes typically share the same characters and a basic theme...
sitcom Family Guy
Family Guy
Family Guy is an American animated television series created by Seth MacFarlane for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series centers on the Griffins, a dysfunctional family consisting of parents Peter and Lois; their children Meg, Chris, and Stewie; and their anthropomorphic pet dog Brian...
has been the target of numerous complaints concerning taste and indecency. Parents Television Council
Parents Television Council
The Parents Television Council is a U.S. based advocacy group founded by conservative activist L. Brent Bozell III in 1995 using the National Legion of Decency as a model...
has expressed moral opposition to the series, and filed complaints with the Federal Communications Commission
Federal Communications Commission
The Federal Communications Commission is an independent agency of the United States government, created, Congressional statute , and with the majority of its commissioners appointed by the current President. The FCC works towards six goals in the areas of broadband, competition, the spectrum, the...
.
Criticism also originates from animators concerning quality and originality. While most attention has been given to the moral criticisms (e.g. crude and blue humor), stylistic content and thin storytelling with a loose plot and overuse of "cutaway sequences" have drawn criticism. The animated sitcoms South Park
South Park
South Park is an American animated television series created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone for the Comedy Central television network. Intended for mature audiences, the show has become famous for its crude language, surreal, satirical, and dark humor that lampoons a wide range of topics...
and The Simpsons
The Simpsons
The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...
have both satirized the show's writing and organization.
Moral controversy
Controversies have arisen due to the show's use of jokes and satire. The "You Have AIDS" sequence, in which a barbershop quartet sings and dances around the bed of a man with end-stage AIDSAIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
about his diagnosis, drew protests from several AIDS service organizations. In his 2006 book The Decency Wars: The Campaign to Cleanse American Culture, author Frederick S. Lane described Family Guy as among several television sitcoms that premiered in the 1980s and 1990s he felt were "aimed at the darker side of family life".
Parents Television Council
| Date | Episode |
|---|---|
| January 23, 2005* | "And the Wiener Is..." |
| May 8, 2005 | "North by North Quahog North by North Quahog "North by North Quahog" is the first episode of season four of Family Guy, following the revival of the series three years after its cancellation in 2002... " |
| December 29, 2005 | "The Father, the Son, and the Holy Fonz The Father, the Son, and the Holy Fonz "The Father, the Son, and the Holy Fonz" is the eighteenth episode of the fourth season of Family Guy. The episode follows Peter's decision to find a new religion for himself... " |
| January 19, 2006* | "Brian Sings and Swings Brian Sings and Swings "Brian Sings and Swings" is the nineteenth episode of the fourth season of Family Guy. The episode was first broadcast on January 8, 2006. Brian meets Frank Sinatra, Jr. and begins to perform on stage with him, and they are shortly joined by Stewie... " |
| February 9, 2006 | "Patriot Games Patriot Games (Family Guy) "Patriot Games" is the twentieth episode of the fourth season of the animated television series Family Guy. It originally aired on Fox on January 29, 2006, around the time of Super Bowl XL, which fit the sports theme of the episode. In it, Peter goes to his high school reunion and meets Tom Brady... " |
| August 17, 2006* | "The Courtship of Stewie's Father The Courtship of Stewie's Father "The Courtship of Stewie's Father" is the sixteenth episode of season four of Family Guy, which originally aired on November 20, 2005. The title of the episode parodies the title of the classic TV series The Courtship of Eddie's Father. The episode sees Peter attempt to bond with his youngest son,... " |
| September 19, 2006 | "Stewie Loves Lois Stewie Loves Lois "Stewie Loves Lois" is the first episode of the fifth season of the animated comedy series Family Guy. It originally aired on Fox on September 10, 2006. The episode features Stewie after his teddy bear, which has been destroyed by an unfamiliar dog at the park, is repaired by his mother, Lois,... " |
| December 28, 2006 | "Barely Legal" |
| March 25, 2007 | "No Meals on Wheels No Meals on Wheels "No Meals on Wheels" is the fourteenth episode of the fifth season of the animated comedy series Family Guy. It originally aired on Fox in the United States on March 25, 2007. The episode features the Griffin family opening a restaurant, and eventually become overwhelmed by Joe Swanson and his... " |
| June 29, 2007* | "Stewie Loves Lois Stewie Loves Lois "Stewie Loves Lois" is the first episode of the fifth season of the animated comedy series Family Guy. It originally aired on Fox on September 10, 2006. The episode features Stewie after his teddy bear, which has been destroyed by an unfamiliar dog at the park, is repaired by his mother, Lois,... " |
| August 10, 2007* | "Deep Throats Deep Throats "Deep Throats" is the twenty-third episode of season four of the television series Family Guy. It was written by Alex Borstein and directed by Greg Colton. Appalled at parking charges introduced by Mayor West, Brian decides to expose the corruption of the Mayor, despite the prospect of potentially... " "You May Now Kiss the...Uh...Guy Who Receives" "Bill and Peter's Bogus Journey Bill and Peter's Bogus Journey "Bill & Peter's Bogus Journey" is the thirteenth episode of season five of Family Guy; originally airing on March 11, 2007. The plot follows Peter deciding to become physically fit; however, Peter ends up in the hospital after attempting to impress former U.S. President Bill Clinton... " |
| November 22, 2007 | "Padre de Familia" |
| January 25, 2008 | "McStroke McStroke "McStroke" is the eighth episode of season six of the FOX animated series Family Guy, which originally aired on January 13, 2008. The title is a play on McDonald's terminology of putting "Mc" in front of common words... " |
| May 2, 2008 | "Former Life of Brian" |
| September 21, 2008* | "Blue Harvest Blue Harvest (Family Guy) "Blue Harvest" is the hour-long premiere to the sixth season of the FOX series Family Guy and the first part of the series' trilogy Laugh It Up, Fuzzball. It originally aired on September 23, 2007. The episode is a retelling and parody of the 1977 blockbuster film, Star Wars Episode IV: A New... " |
| March 8, 2009 | "Family Gay Family Gay "Family Gay" is the eighth episode of the seventh season of the animated television comedy series Family Guy. It originally aired on Fox in the United States on March 8, 2009. In the episode, Peter Griffin purchases a brain damaged horse who ends up causing a great deal of collateral damage at the... " |
| May 15, 2009 | "Three Kings Three Kings (Family Guy) "Three Kings", alternatively spelled "3 Kings", is the fifteenth episode of the seventh season of the animated comedy series Family Guy. It originally aired on Fox in the United States on May 10, 2009... " |
| June 12, 2009* | "420 420 (Family Guy) "420" is the twelfth episode of the seventh season of the animated comedy series Family Guy. It premiered on Fox in the United States on April 19, 2009. The title of the episode is a reference to the term "420" used in cannabis culture; "420" premiered the day before April 20 , on which a... " |
| August 23, 2009* | "Stew-Roids" |
| October 9, 2009 | "Family Goy Family Goy "Family Goy" is the second episode of the eighth season of the animated comedy series Family Guy. It originally aired on Fox in the United States on October 4, 2009. The episode features Irish Catholic Peter after his wife, Lois, discovers that her mother is Jewish, and begins her struggle to adapt... " |
| November 13, 2009 | "Seth & Alex's Almost Live Comedy Show" |
| February 5, 2010 | "Dial Meg for Murder Dial Meg for Murder "Dial Meg for Murder" is the eleventh episode of season eight of the animated comedy series Family Guy. It originally aired on Fox in the United States on January 31, 2010 . The episode follows teenager Meg as she dates and falls in love with an inmate at the local prison... " |
| February 26, 2010 | "Extra Large Medium Extra Large Medium "Extra Large Medium" is the twelfth episode of the eighth season of the animated comedy series Family Guy. Directed by John Holmquist and written by Steve Callaghan, the episode originally aired on Fox in the United States on February 14, 2010... " |
| March 19, 2010 | "Go Stewie Go Go Stewie Go "Go, Stewie, Go!" is the thirteenth episode of the eighth season of the animated comedy series Family Guy. It originally aired on Fox in the United States on March 14, 2010... " |
| May 7, 2010 | "Brian and Stewie" |
| May 14, 2010 | "Quagmire's Dad Quagmire's Dad "Quagmire's Dad" is the eighteenth episode of the eighth season of the animated comedy series Family Guy. It originally aired on Fox in the United States on May 9, 2010. The episode features Quagmire after his father, Dan Quagmire, returns to Quahog and states he is "a woman trapped in a man's body"... " |
| December 17, 2010 | "Road to the North Pole Road to the North Pole "Road to the North Pole" is the seventh episode of the ninth season of the animated comedy series Family Guy. Directed by Greg Colton and co-written by Chris Sheridan and Danny Smith, the episode originally aired on Fox in the United States on December 12, 2010... " |
| January 21, 2011 | "And I'm Joyce Kinney And I'm Joyce Kinney "And I'm Joyce Kinney" is the ninth episode of the ninth season of the animated comedy series Family Guy. It originally aired on Fox in the United States on January 16, 2011. The episode follows housewife Lois after she becomes close friends with the local news anchor Joyce Kinney. In an attempt to... " |
| June 17, 2011* | "Friends of Peter G. Friends of Peter G. "Friends of Peter G." is the tenth episode of the ninth season of the animated comedy series Family Guy. It aired on Fox in the United States on February 13, 2011. The episode follows Peter and Brian as they are forced to join Alcoholics Anonymous, due to their excessive drinking, much to their... " |
| September 2, 2011* | "The Hand That Rocks the Wheelchair The Hand That Rocks the Wheelchair "The Hand That Rocks the Wheelchair" is the twelfth episode of the ninth season of the animated comedy series Family Guy. It originally aired on Fox in the United States on March 6, 2011. The episode follows high school student Meg as she attempts to look after her handicapped neighbor, Joe, after... " |
| * report based on a repeat broadcast of an episode | |
The Parents Television Council
Parents Television Council
The Parents Television Council is a U.S. based advocacy group founded by conservative activist L. Brent Bozell III in 1995 using the National Legion of Decency as a model...
, a non-profit watchdog
Watchdog journalism
Watchdog journalism aims to hold accountable public personalities and institutions, whose functions impact social and political life. The term "lapdog journalism", for journalism biased in favour of personalities and institutions, is sometimes used as a conceptual opposite to watchdog...
group, has published critical views of Family Guy. In May 2000, in its weekly "E-Alert" email
Email
Electronic mail, commonly known as email or e-mail, is a method of exchanging digital messages from an author to one or more recipients. Modern email operates across the Internet or other computer networks. Some early email systems required that the author and the recipient both be online at the...
newsletter, the PTC launched a letter-writing campaign to the Fox network
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
to persuade the network to cancel Family Guy following a return from a long hiatus in the show's second season, due to what the PTC claimed were "strong advertiser resistance and low ratings".
Family Guy made the PTC's 2000, 2005, and 2006 lists of "worst prime-time shows for family viewing", with over thirty Family Guy episodes having been chosen as "Worst TV Show[s] of the Week" for reasons of profanity, animated nudity and violence. The Council has cautioned parents that children will be attracted by the show because of its animated format while asserting that the series is suitable only for adults. Family Guy was also named the worst show of the 2006–2007 season by the PTC. The PTC has also objected to Fox scheduling Family Guy during early primetime hours due to their concerns of children being likely to watch the series.
Additionally, the PTC, which has generated most of the indecency complaints received by the United States Federal Communications Commission
Federal Communications Commission
The Federal Communications Commission is an independent agency of the United States government, created, Congressional statute , and with the majority of its commissioners appointed by the current President. The FCC works towards six goals in the areas of broadband, competition, the spectrum, the...
, has twice filed formal FCC complaints about Family Guy. The first indecency complaint, following the January 2005 rebroadcast of "And the Wiener Is...", was denied by the FCC on the grounds "that because of the absence of explicit or graphic descriptions or depictions of any sexual organ, along with the absence of shocking, pandering, and/or titillating effect, the episode ... is not patently offensive." In November 2005, during "sweeps" period for the 2005–2006 television season, the Parents Television Council launched a campaign for its members to file indecency complaints to the FCC for the episode "PTV", the Family Guy episode that satirized the FCC, for its sexually explicit humor. However, the PTC had expressed doubt over whether they would formally complain to the FCC over that episode; the PTC has not logged any complaints filed through their website. In fact, that episode was highlighted in the Fox
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
special TV's Funniest Moments that was broadcast on June 1, 2007; a rerun of the program on August 20 that year was named "Worst of the Week" by the PTC, noting that the "PTV" episode was among the highlights in the special. On March 11, 2009, PTC filed complaints about the episode "Family Gay
Family Gay
"Family Gay" is the eighth episode of the seventh season of the animated television comedy series Family Guy. It originally aired on Fox in the United States on March 8, 2009. In the episode, Peter Griffin purchases a brain damaged horse who ends up causing a great deal of collateral damage at the...
" over claims that the episode contained sexual content in violation of indecency law. Then on December 15, 2009, PTC filed an indecency complaint about the episode "Business Guy
Business Guy
"Business Guy" is the ninth episode of the eighth season of the animated television series Family Guy. It originally aired on Fox in the United States on December 13, 2009. The episode centers on Peter as he assumes temporary control of his father-in-law Carter Pewterschmidt's...
" two days after its airdate, citing a scene including a lap dance
Lap dance
A lap dance is a type of sex work performed in some strip clubs in which a naked or topless dancer performs an erotic dance either in immediate contact with a seated patron, or within a very short distance. With full-contact lap dances, the stripper may engage in non-penetrative sexual contact...
as a possible violation of federal law regarding broadcast decency. In 2010, PTC filed a complaint against the 150th episode of Family Guy, "Brian and Stewie", taking offense at excretory references. PTC president Tim Winter said: "It seems as though Family Guy creator, Seth MacFarlane, carefully reviewed the legal definition of broadcast indecency and set out to violate it as literally as he could."
The PTC have also accused Fox of failing to include "S" (sexual content) and "V" (violence) descriptors in content ratings
TV Parental Guidelines
The TV Parental Guidelines system was first proposed on December 19, 1996 by the United States Congress, the television industry and the Federal Communications Commission , and went into effect by January 1, 1997 on most major U.S...
for some Family Guy episodes. Additionally, the Council has asked Family Guy sponsors Wrigley Company
Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company
The William Wrigley Jr. Company is a company headquartered in the Wrigley Building in Near North Side, Chicago, Illinois. The company was founded on April 1, 1891, originally selling products such as soap and baking powder. In 1892, William Wrigley, Jr., the company's founder, began packaging...
and Burger King
Burger King
Burger King, often abbreviated as BK, is a global chain of hamburger fast food restaurants headquartered in unincorporated Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. The company began in 1953 as Insta-Burger King, a Jacksonville, Florida-based restaurant chain...
to stop advertising for the show and has frequently accused the Fox
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
network of what they perceive as the show being marketed to children.
Family Guy executive producer
Executive producer
An executive producer is a producer who is not involved in any technical aspects of the film making or music process, but who is still responsible for the overall production...
David Goodman responded to the PTC's criticisms by claiming that Family Guy is "absolutely for teenagers and adults" and he does not allow his two children to watch the show.
Allegations of anti-religious sentiments
An example of anti-religious sentiment would be in the episode, "Road to the MultiverseRoad to the Multiverse
"Road to the Multiverse" is the first episode of the eighth season of the animated comedy series Family Guy. Directed by Greg Colton and written by Wellesley Wild, the episode originally aired on Fox in the United States on September 27, 2009...
", the "World Without Christianity", which is depicted as being a futuristic, happy world where Christianity ceases to exist. The reason it is so advanced is said to be because the Dark Ages
Dark Ages
The "Dark Ages" is a historical periodization emphasizing the cultural and economic deterioration that supposedly occurred in Europe following the decline of the Roman Empire. The label employs traditional light-versus-darkness imagery to contrast the "darkness" of the period with earlier and later...
never happened. Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
TV critic Ken Tucker
Ken Tucker
Ken Tucker was an English footballer who played as a left winger....
criticized the show for being anti-Semitic. In 1999, L. Brent Bozell III wrote that he felt the episode "Holy Crap" promoted anti-Catholicism
Anti-Catholicism
Anti-Catholicism is a generic term for discrimination, hostility or prejudice directed against Catholicism, and especially against the Catholic Church, its clergy or its adherents...
.
The Parents Television Council has criticized what it perceives as Family Guys negative treatment of religion
Religion
Religion is a collection of cultural systems, belief systems, and worldviews that establishes symbols that relate humanity to spirituality and, sometimes, to moral values. Many religions have narratives, symbols, traditions and sacred histories that are intended to give meaning to life or to...
, concluding in its 2006 report Faith in a Box: Entertainment Television and Religion 2005-2006 that "mockery
Blasphemy
Blasphemy is irreverence towards religious or holy persons or things. Some countries have laws to punish blasphemy, while others have laws to give recourse to those who are offended by blasphemy...
of God
God
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
is a constant" on the show.
On October 3, 2007, the Bourne Company publishing house, sole owner of the song "When You Wish upon a Star
When You Wish upon a Star
"When You Wish upon a Star" is a song written by Leigh Harline and Ned Washington for Walt Disney's 1940 adaptation of Pinocchio. The original version of the song was sung by Cliff Edwards in the character of Jiminy Cricket, and is heard over the opening credits and again in the final scene of the...
", filed a lawsuit against the makers of Family Guy
Family Guy
Family Guy is an American animated television series created by Seth MacFarlane for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series centers on the Griffins, a dysfunctional family consisting of parents Peter and Lois; their children Meg, Chris, and Stewie; and their anthropomorphic pet dog Brian...
, claiming copyright infringement over the song "I Need a Jew". The suit claims harm to the value of the song due to the offensive nature of the lyrics. On March 16, 2009, U.S. District Judge Deborah Batts ruled that Family Guy did not infringe copyright when they transformed the song "When You Wish Upon a Star" for comical use in an episode.
Allegations of insensitivity towards transgender people
AfterElton.com writer Brent HartingerBrent Hartinger
Brent Hartinger is an American author and playwright, best known for his novels about gay teenagers.-Early life:Hartinger was born in Washington State. His family moved to Fircrest, Washington when he was an infant. He attended a Catholic grade school and middle school, and a Catholic high...
graded an episode
Quagmire's Dad
"Quagmire's Dad" is the eighteenth episode of the eighth season of the animated comedy series Family Guy. It originally aired on Fox in the United States on May 9, 2010. The episode features Quagmire after his father, Dan Quagmire, returns to Quahog and states he is "a woman trapped in a man's body"...
which featured a character named Ida who undergoes a sex change operation negatively. While noting that the episode deserves credit for making important points about transgender
Transgender
Transgender is a general term applied to a variety of individuals, behaviors, and groups involving tendencies to vary from culturally conventional gender roles....
people, he found its inclusion of the vomiting scene and Lois and Peter's transphobic
Transphobia
Transphobia is a range of negative attitudes and feelings towards transsexualism and transsexual or transgender people, based on the expression of their internal gender...
remarks about Ida to be "shockingly insensitive". Hartinger continued, "Frankly, it's literally impossible for me to reconcile last night's episode with MacFarlane's words, unless I come to the conclusion that the man is pretty much a complete idiot." The Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation
Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation
The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation is a non-governmental media monitoring organization which promotes the image of LGBT people in the media...
, an LGBT media watchdog organization, released a statement about the episode, noting that "GLAAD shares the serious concerns being voiced from members of the community and GLAAD’s Entertainment Media Team is addressing these with Fox."
Sarah Palin controversy
Extra Large Medium
"Extra Large Medium" is the twelfth episode of the eighth season of the animated comedy series Family Guy. Directed by John Holmquist and written by Steve Callaghan, the episode originally aired on Fox in the United States on February 14, 2010...
", in which Ellen, a female character with Down syndrome
Down syndrome
Down syndrome, or Down's syndrome, trisomy 21, is a chromosomal condition caused by the presence of all or part of an extra 21st chromosome. It is named after John Langdon Down, the British physician who described the syndrome in 1866. The condition was clinically described earlier in the 19th...
, mentions that her mother is a former governor of Alaska. Bristol Palin, daughter of former Alaska governor Sarah Palin
Sarah Palin
Sarah Louise Palin is an American politician, commentator and author. As the Republican Party nominee for Vice President in the 2008 presidential election, she was the first Alaskan on the national ticket of a major party and first Republican woman nominated for the vice-presidency.She was...
, criticized the show for mocking her brother Trig, who has Down syndrome, and people with special needs
Special needs
In the USA, special needs is a term used in clinical diagnostic and functional development to describe individuals who require assistance for disabilities that may be medical, mental, or psychological. For instance, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders and the International...
in general. Stating on her mother's Facebook
Facebook
Facebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
page, "If the writers of a particularly pathetic cartoon show thought they were being clever in mocking my brother and my family yesterday, they failed. All they proved is that they're heartless jerks." Sarah Palin herself also criticized the episode in an appearance on The O'Reilly Factor
The O'Reilly Factor
The O'Reilly Factor, originally titled The O'Reilly Report from 1996 to 1998 and often called The Factor, is an American talk show on the Fox News Channel hosted by commentator Bill O'Reilly, who often discusses current controversial political issues with guests.The program was the most watched...
, calling those who made the show "cruel, cold-hearted people."
MacFarlane responded that the series uses biting satire as the basis of its humor, and that it was an "equal-opportunity offender". Andrea Fay Friedman
Andrea Fay Friedman
Andrea Fay Friedman is an American film and television actress with Down syndrome.-Early life:Friedman attended West Los Angeles Baptist High School and Santa Monica College. In 1992, she portrayed Amanda, the girlfriend of the character Charles "Corky" Thatcher, on the TV show Life Goes On for...
, the actress and public speaker who voiced Ellen, and who herself has Down syndrome, responded to the criticism, saying that the Palin joke in the show was aimed at Sarah and not her son, and that the "former Governor Palin does not have a sense of humor." In a subsequent interview, Friedman rebuked Palin personally, saying she was angry with Sarah Palin for using her son Trig as a political prop to pander for votes, that she has a normal life and that Palin's son Trig should be treated as normal rather than like a "loaf of bread."
MacFarlane characterized Palin's outrage as a presumptuous attempt to defend people with Down syndrome, and characterizing Friedman's statement as her way of saying that she does not need feigned pity from Sarah Palin.
Media critics
In addition, Family Guy has been panned by some media critics. Ken TuckerKen Tucker
Ken Tucker was an English footballer who played as a left winger....
of Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
has frequently panned the show, grading it with a "D
Academic grading in North America
Academic grading in North America varies from country to country and even within countries.-United States:The most commonly used index in the U.S. educational system uses five letter grades. Historically, the grades were A, B, C, D, and F—A being the highest and F, denoting failure, the lowest...
", and naming it the worst show of the 1999–2000 television season. Tucker responded to a reader's question in 2005 that he continued to dislike the series. Mark Graham noted "MacFarlane's incredibly rocky relationship with both the magazine and its lead television critic, Ken Tucker" in a blog on the New York
New York (magazine)
New York is a weekly magazine principally concerned with the life, culture, politics, and style of New York City. Founded by Milton Glaser and Clay Felker in 1968 as a competitor to The New Yorker, it was brasher and less polite than that magazine, and established itself as a cradle of New...
magazine website.
In the commentary for the Family Guy direct-to-video film, Stewie Griffin: The Untold Story
Stewie Griffin: The Untold Story
Stewie Griffin: The Untold Story is a 2005 direct-to-DVD animated comedy film set in the Family Guy fictional universe. Released on September 27, 2005, the film's main plot point concerns Stewie Griffin trying to find his real father...
, Seth MacFarlane
Seth MacFarlane
Seth Woodbury MacFarlane is an American animator, writer, comedian, producer, actor, singer, voice actor, and director best known for creating the animated sitcoms Family Guy, American Dad! and The Cleveland Show, for which he also voices many of the shows' various characters.A native of Kent,...
notes that Entertainment Weekly had been much nicer to them recently, giving them a cover story upon their return to the air. In that same film, Stewie breaks the neck of a reporter as soon as he discovers he works for Entertainment Weekly.
In "There's Something About Paulie", Peter wipes himself with a page of Entertainment Weekly when he runs out of toilet paper, declaring, "Well, that's one problem solved."
Controversy and criticism by other cartoonists
Other cartoonists have criticized the show as well. The show's animation has come under fire by Ren & StimpyThe Ren and Stimpy Show
The Ren & Stimpy Show, often simply referred to as Ren & Stimpy, is an American animated television series, created by Canadian animator John Kricfalusi for Nickelodeon. The series focuses on the titular characters: Ren Höek, a psychotic chihuahua, and Stimpson J. Cat, a good-natured, dimwitted cat...
creator John Kricfalusi
John Kricfalusi
Michael John Kricfalusi , better known as John K., is a Canadian animator. He is creator of The Ren & Stimpy Show, its adults-only spin-off Ren & Stimpy "Adult Party Cartoon", The Ripping Friends animated series, and Weekend Pussy Hunt, which was billed as "the world's first interactive web-based...
, who expresses concern that the current generation of aspiring animators will be negatively influenced by the simplistic quality of animation in cartoons like Family Guy.
The show's writing style has also come under criticism by South Park
South Park
South Park is an American animated television series created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone for the Comedy Central television network. Intended for mature audiences, the show has become famous for its crude language, surreal, satirical, and dark humor that lampoons a wide range of topics...
creators Trey Parker
Trey Parker
Trey Parker is an American animator, screenwriter, director, producer, voice artist, musician and actor, best known for being the co-creator of the television series South Park along with his creative partner and best friend Matt Stone.Parker started his film career in 1992, making a holiday short...
and Matt Stone
Matt Stone
Matthew Richard "Matt" Stone is an American screenwriter, producer, voice artist, musician and actor, best known for being the co-creator of South Park along with creative partner and best friend, Trey Parker....
. In a 2006 interview, Parker and Stone stated that they dislike having their show compared to Family Guy. After the episode "Cartoon Wars
Cartoon Wars Part I
"Cartoon Wars Part I" is the third episode of the tenth season of the animated television series South Park, and the 142nd episode overall. It first aired on Comedy Central in the United States on April 5, 2006. It is part one of a two-episode story, which concludes with "Cartoon Wars Part II"...
" aired, Parker states they received support and gratitude from the staffs of The Simpsons
The Simpsons
The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...
and King of the Hill
King of the Hill
King of the Hill is an American animated dramedy series created by Mike Judge and Greg Daniels, that ran from January 12, 1997, to May 6, 2010, on Fox network. It centers on the Hills, a working-class Methodist family in the fictional small town of Arlen, Texas...
for "ripping on Family Guy". Parker and Stone clarify their opinions of Family Guy in the DVD commentary for the episodes. They say that, although they respect it for its fans and making people laugh, they ultimately hate the show itself and have absolutely no respect for its writing, given its overuse of gag humor
Visual gag
In comedy, a visual gag or sight gag is anything which conveys its humor visually, often without words being used at all.There are numerous examples in cinema history of directors who based most of the humour in their films on visual gags, even to the point of using no or minimal dialogue...
that has nothing to do with the story.
During his "class day" address at Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
on June 7, 2006, Seth MacFarlane
Seth MacFarlane
Seth Woodbury MacFarlane is an American animator, writer, comedian, producer, actor, singer, voice actor, and director best known for creating the animated sitcoms Family Guy, American Dad! and The Cleveland Show, for which he also voices many of the shows' various characters.A native of Kent,...
addressed Stone and Parker's criticisms in character as Stewie
Stewie Griffin
Stewie Griffin is a fictional character from the animated television series Family Guy. Once obsessed with world domination and matricide, Stewie is the youngest child of Peter and Lois Griffin, and the brother of Chris and Meg....
, stating that the "...cutaways and flashbacks have nothing to do with the story. They're just there to be 'funny'. That is a shallow indulgence that South Park is quite above, and, for that, I salute them."
Several episodes of The Simpsons
The Simpsons
The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...
, including "Missionary: Impossible
Missionary: Impossible
"Missionary: Impossible" is the fifteenth episode of the 11th season of The Simpsons, which originally aired February 20, 2000.-Plot:In an attempt to end a pledge drive which interrupts a favorite show of his on PBS , Homer pledges $10,000 to the network...
", "Treehouse of Horror XIII
Treehouse of Horror XIII
"Treehouse of Horror XIII" is the first episode of The Simpsons fourteenth season, as well as the thirteenth Halloween episode. The episode aired on November 3, 2002, three days after Halloween...
", and "The Italian Bob
The Italian Bob
"The Italian Bob" is the eighth episode of The Simpsons seventeenth season. It features Kelsey Grammer in his ninth appearance as Sideshow Bob and is the first time the Simpsons visit Italy.-Plot:...
" have poked fun at Family Guy, implying that MacFarlane's show is guilty of plagiarism
Plagiarism
Plagiarism is defined in dictionaries as the "wrongful appropriation," "close imitation," or "purloining and publication" of another author's "language, thoughts, ideas, or expressions," and the representation of them as one's own original work, but the notion remains problematic with nebulous...
. However, both MacFarlane and Simpsons creator Matt Groening
Matt Groening
Matthew Abram "Matt" Groening is an American cartoonist, screenwriter, and producer. He is the creator of the comic strip Life in Hell as well as two successful television series, The Simpsons and Futurama....
have said that there is no serious feud between the two of them and their shows. At the 2010 San Diego Comic-Con International on July 24, 2010, The Simpsons writer Matt Selman
Matt Selman
Matthew "Matt" Selman is an American writer and producer. Selman grew up in Massachusetts, attended the University of Pennsylvania and was editor-in-chief of student magazine 34th Street Magazine. After considering a career in journalism, he decided to try and became a television writer...
jokingly referred to MacFarlane, stating, "Come on, Seth MacFarlane does one show three times." Selman later backed away from the comment, adding, "Those shows are all really funny – they deserve to exist." The animated film Bender's Big Score
Futurama: Bender's Big Score
Futurama: Bender's Big Score is an Annie Award-winning direct-to-video film based on the animated series Futurama. It was released in the United States on November 27, 2007. Bender's Big Score, along with the three follow-up films, comprise season five of Futurama, with each film being separated...
, which is based on Matt Groening's other show, Futurama
Futurama
Futurama is an American animated science fiction sitcom created by Matt Groening and developed by Groening and David X. Cohen for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series follows the adventures of a late 20th-century New York City pizza delivery boy, Philip J...
, featured a Family Guy Laugh a Month calendar. MacFarlane later appeared as a Las Vegas singer in the Futurama film Into the Wild Green Yonder
Futurama: Into the Wild Green Yonder
Futurama: Into the Wild Green Yonder is the last of a series of four straight-to-DVD Futurama movies. The movie was written by Ken Keeler, based on a story by Keeler and David X. Cohen, and directed by Peter Avanzino. Guest stars include Phil Hendrie, Penn Jillette , Snoop Dogg and Seth...
, and Bender
Bender Bending Rodríguez
Bender Bending Rodríguez, designated Bending Unit 22, is a fictional robot character in the animated television series Futurama. He was created by series creators Matt Groening and David X. Cohen and is voiced by John DiMaggio. In the series, Bender plays the role of a comic anti-hero, and is...
from Futurama appeared briefly in the episode "The Splendid Source
The Splendid Source
"The Splendid Source" is the nineteenth episode of the eighth season of the animated comedy series Family Guy. Directed by Brian Iles and written by Mark Hentemann, the episode originally aired on Fox in the United States on May 16, 2010. The episode follows Peter, Joe and Quagmire as they set out...
" in 2010.
Simpsons writer/producer Al Jean
Al Jean
Al Jean is an award-winning American screenwriter and producer, best known for his work on The Simpsons. He was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan and graduated from Harvard University in 1981. Jean began his writing career in the 1980s with fellow Harvard alum Mike Reiss...
has described Family Guy as "a little too derivative of The Simpsons" and said it "should be more original".
Censorship
In the episode "420420 (Family Guy)
"420" is the twelfth episode of the seventh season of the animated comedy series Family Guy. It premiered on Fox in the United States on April 19, 2009. The title of the episode is a reference to the term "420" used in cannabis culture; "420" premiered the day before April 20 , on which a...
", Stewie and Brian try to legalize marijuana. The Venezuelan government reacted negatively to the episode, and banned Family Guy from airing on any local station which generally fill their schedules with re-runs of old US shows. Local station Televen
Televen
Televen is a private Venezuelan national television network headquartered on the Caracas neighborhood of Horizonte. For this reason it's also called Canal de Horizonte. Televen was inaugurated as the ‘’TELEVEN Corporation’’ on July 3 1988 by Omar Camero and Radioven, S.A...
was threatened with financial sanctions for broadcasting the show, which was avoided by broadcasting Baywatch
Baywatch
Baywatch is an American action drama series about the Los Angeles County Lifeguards who patrol the beaches of Los Angeles County, California, starring David Hasselhoff. The show ran in its original title and format from 1989 to 1999, sans the 1990-1991 season, of which it was not in production...
instead. The station was forced to show public service films as an apology. Venezuelan Justice Minister
Justice Minister
A justice ministry is a ministry or other government agency charged with justice. The ministry is often headed by a minister for justice or secretary of justice or secretary for justice; sometimes the head of a department of justice is entitled attorney general.Specific duties may relate to...
Tareck El Aissami stated that any cable stations which refuse to cease airings of the show would be fined, and also criticized the show for promoting the use of marijuana. Later the Venezuelan government showed a clip of the episode which featured Brian and Stewie singing about marijuana; they then stated that the show is an example of how the US supports the use of marijuana.
Family Guy is also banned in Taiwan, China, Iran, Egypt, Malaysia, South Korea, and Vietnam.