Great episode. They were spot on about Family Guy too. Just goes to show why South Park is the best out there still. I also loved the shot at Scientology with the whole episode pulling thing.
It has nothing to do with jealousy, it has to do with them being compared to FG constantly. They, like most fans, do not see why the two shows are compared. They have nothing in common other than "animated and comedy".
Well, given how often Comedy Central reruns South Park, you'll probably have at least 5 oppotunities to catch it within the week. Based on what I've gleaned from interviews with Stone/Parker and from Cartman's 'rant' during the episode, which was basically Stone/Parker using the character as an in-show mouthpiece, they (a) don't care for the type of humor on Family Guy and (b) especially don't like South Park being lumped in with Family Guy since the styles of humor are drastically different (Cartman pretty much comes out and says the latter). And it's not like they spent the whole episode bashing Family Guy either. There was the one segment where they did a parody of the Family Guy animation, cut-aways and voicework that was the biggest attack (but still restrained, IMO), but the rest were minor jabs, not unlike the back-and-forth that goes on between FG and the Simpsons. Many of the comments that, on the surface, seemed like attacks on Family Guy were more commentary on South Park itself or applied equally to both shows. I think the message near the end (conveyed by Kyle to Cartman) is also important: A show shouldn't be pulled just because one doesn't like it. While Parker/Stone don't care for Family Guy, they're also cognizant of the fact it shouldn't be taken off the air because it's not their thing. Hell, the Family Guy stuff was probably only about a third of the focus of the episode (Family Guy, terrorism, Kyle/Cartman dynamic were the three areas, IMO), but it's basically eclipsed the entire point of the rest of the episode in discussions.
If most fans don't compare the two shows, then why make a fuss about it. I for one have never heard anyone, fan or not, say "Boy, that Family Guy is just like South Park" or "South Park stole that from Family Guy." So in never hearing any comparisons between the two, based on what I read it sounded like Stone and Parker are saying "Our show is funny because we attack issues, Family Guy isn't funny because their humor doesn't have a point." To me that sounds like they feel threatened, or are jealous of Family Guy's success. Otherwise, why not attack Simpson's (The Simpson's did it episode doesn't count) or another show like Drawn Together, which does the crass shock value humor far more than Family Guy.
The "car" chase scene was classic. Although I'm not sure if they were serious about it being a two parter or not. I'd say it's still up in the air, as is a return appearance from Darth Chef.
You should visit the Family Forum. There's nothing but random comparsions. How can they, Matt and Tray, be threatened when the shows compete on different networks and different timeslots?
Thanks for the insight. I have it recorded, but I was on vacation. Again, I've never really heard any direct comparisons of SP and FG, but they shouldn't be too upset that they are lumped together, they, along with countless other shows, are animated comedy directed towards adults. It's called a genre, and shows can be different, and yet still be grouped together. It's been going on since the beginings of entertainment.
I'm a bit lost here...just because they criticize Family Guy, they must be jealous of/threatened by it? I know that there's probably no argument that would convince you there isn't an ulterior motive to their criticism, but I think you might be reading too much into it. EDIT - I can buy that Parker/Stone might be over-reacting to the two shows being lumped together, but I think many of their other criticisms are valid.
Trivia In this episode, Parker and Stone appear to accuse television executives of refusing to stand up for free speech, particularly under pressure from organized religious communities. Comedy Central and other foreign networks that show South Park have not aired or re-aired the ninth season episodes "Trapped in the Closet" and "Bloody Mary" because of protests from Scientologists and Catholics. "Trapped in the Closet" is particularly infamous because many suspect that it led to the resignation of Isaac Hayes, a Scientologist, who voiced Chef. This episode references the Fox Network animated series Family Guy, a show often compared to South Park for its raunchiness, despite the fact that South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone have criticized it. (see Criticism of Family Guy). In this episode, Cartman claims that the show’s jokes, often absurd, out-of-continuity cutaways, are interchangeable and have nothing to do with the plot. The characters are ambivalent, however, as Kyle, Matt Stone’s alter ego on the show, admits to liking Family Guy. Parts of this episode may break the fourth wall. Cartman‘s complaints about his sense of humor being compared to that of Family Guy, may echo Parker's and/or Stone's. Fox has actually censored Family Guy for perceived religious intolerance. They refused to air the episode "When You Wish upon a Weinstein" due to fear of a backlash from Jews and Catholics. In this parody, Peter Griffin's nose was far longer than on the show, suggesting a phallic connotation to couple his chin, which the Family Guy writers previously suggested resemble testicles. SP depicts Peter Griffin wearing a blue tie. He does not wear a tie with his normal white shirt/green pants combo. This episode depicts Family Guy in a similar manner as Mad TV when it showed their parody of South Park and Peanuts. This episode also references the recent Muslim protest over the Danish comic strip depicting Muhammad with a bomb under his turban. Several American news outlets were criticized for reporting on the controversy without reprinting the cartoons for fear of offending Muslims. This episode is about controversy over a cartoon image of Muhammad. An earlier episode, "Super Best Friends", portrayed the Islamic Prophet with no controversy. Cartman claims that by getting this one episode pulled off the air, Catholics and the disabled will be able to get episodes sensitive to them pulled as well. This may be a reference to both South Park's Up the Down Steroid or Family Guy's Ready, Willing and Disabled for the disabled, and Bloody Mary from South Park for Catholics. Cartman also claims that this same process is what got Laverne and Shirley pulled. Laverne and Shirley was a spin-off from Happy Days, a series Peter Griffin is fond of (he even created a religion around Arthur Fonzerelli). Burying one's head in the sand is a behavior commonly attributed to the ostrich while feeding, and is typically used as a metaphor for hiding from reality. The dream sequence featuring a nuclear bomb parodies the movie Terminator 2: Judgment Day. Music from the movie Team America: World Police can be heard near the ending of the episode. It is speculated (but not known) that the writers of Family Guy will be revealed to be either Scientologists, the Super Adventure Club, or Crab People. The TV Reporter mentions that the Muhammed episode of Family guy was actually the first part of a two-parter, and in the second one they would actually show Muhammed uncensored. This is perhaps a hidden preview of next weeks South Park episode where the creators may show Muhammed uncensored themselves. The scene in this episode where Cartman's big wheel knocks Kyle's big wheel off a cliff, whereupon Kyle's big wheel falls off a cliff and explodes (like a generic scene in many action films with car crashes) is eeriely similar to a scene in a Simpsons episode where a milk truck explodes. The Big Wheel race on the highway parodies the freeway chase scene from The Matrix Reloaded, including very similar sounding music.
Family Guy vs. The Simpsons This article or section does not cite its references or sources. You can help Wikipedia by introducing appropriate citations. Family Guy and Seth MacFarlane in particular have been frequent targets of The Simpsons, and vice versa. The Simpsons has included many joking references to Family Guy and its alleged plagiarism. In "Missionary: Impossible," a pledge drive is held by the Fox Network to raise money. As she stands in front of a television displaying the Family Guy logo, celebrity telethon participant Betty White says: "So, if you don't want to see crude, low-brow programming disappear from the airwaves, please, call now." (Interestingly, the main premise of that episode---Homer becoming a missionary to South Pacific islanders---is similar to a later Family Guy episode, "Jungle Love" where Chris joins the Peace Corps and goes to South America.) In "Treehouse of Horror XIII," Homer creates an army of clones of himself that are each progressively dumber than the real Homer. One of the clones is shown to be Peter Griffin. In "Treehouse of Horror XVI," Executive Producer Al Jean was credited as Al "Family Guy" Jean in the tradition of giving the staff horrific, scary and/or unpleasant name variations. In "The Italian Bob," Peter Griffin is shown in a book of criminals with the charge of "Plagarismo" (Plagiarism) and Stan Smith, of American Dad!, is shown with the charge of "Plagarismo Di Plagarismo" (Plagiarism of Plagiarism). Family Guy has also referenced The Simpsons on two occasions: In "8 Simple Rules for Buying My Teenage Daughter", Stewie tells his babysitter's boyfriend in what can be described as a rant: I'm not gonna lay down for some frat boy bastard with his damn Teva sandals and his Skoal Bandits and his Abercrombie and Fitch long sleeved, open stitched, crew neck Henley smoking his sticky buds out of a soda can while watching his favorite downloaded Simpsons episodes every night! Yes, we all love "Mr. Plow"! ...Oh, you've got the song memorized, do you? SO DOES EVERYONE ELSE! That is exactly the kind of idiot you see at Taco Bell at one in the morning! The guy who just whiffed his way down the bar skank ladder! In the opening of "PTV", Stewie (in a reference to the opening of The Naked Gun) rides his tricycle through Quahog until he pulls into his driveway. The scene then parallels the opening of The Simpsons; only instead of Homer running into the house, he hits the door and is knocked out. Peter then opens the door, looks at Homer, and says "Hey Stewie. Who the hell is that?" It should be noted that a practically identical joke appeared in the "Simpsons" episode "Treehouse of Horror IX." Numerous writers associated with The Simpsons, such as Matt Groening, Al Jean, David X. Cohen, Matt Selman, Tim Long, and Joel H. Cohen have insulted Family Guy during public appearances, in interviews and on DVD commentaries[citation needed]. When a long-lost book of jokes is mentioned on a Simpsons DVD commentary, Al Jean joked that it was stolen by Family Guy writers. Executive producer Mike Reiss, however, has said that he enjoys Family Guy and that other Simpsons creators dislike the show because they believe it's inappropriate for their children, although he keeps his fandom low-profile to prevent him from being seen as a traitor.[citation needed] MacFarlane has admitted that the show was strongly influenced by The Simpsons and many jokes, even episodes, are extremely similar[citation needed]. Given the similarities between The Simpsons and Family Guy, the sheer number of The Simpsons episodes, and the fact that they're on the same network with only 30 minutes between them, the comparisons are unavoidable. Some similarities may result from The Simpsons and Family Guy mining common source material, rather than intentional copying. The Simpsons episode "Treehouse of Horror XIV" (which aired in November 2003) features a story entitled "Reaper Madness" in which Homer takes over the duties of the Grim Reaper similar to the Family Guy episode "Death is a Bitch" (2000) in which Peter assumes the role of death. While Family Guy fans accused The Simpsons of blatant copying, the idea of a mortal taking on the duties of the Grim Reaper has been used several times before Family Guy or The Simpsons. Similarly, The Simpsons The Great Louse Detective (2002), featured Sideshow Bob singing the song "I've Grown Accustomed To His Face", used previously in the Family Guy episode "Running Mates" (aired in 1999), in which Stewie sings it about Lois. Both uses are parodies of a song by the same title in the popular musical, My Fair Lady. A similar occurance happened when The Simpsons used a parody of another My Fair Lady song in their 2006 episode, "My Fair Laddy." The scene is extremely similar to a scene in Family Guy's 2001 episode, "One if by Clam, Two If by Sea" which parodies the same song. Stewie Griffin.In an interview with TV Guide, MacFarlane refuted rumors of tension between him and Simpsons creator Matt Groening, saying: You know, it's funny. Matt Groening and I actually have a great relationship. We've talked several times in the past few weeks and joked about this. One day out of nowhere [this rumor] pops up in papers and magazines. Actually, it was probably one comment that was taken out of context in Blender. Matt's just a cool guy, and fortunately neither of us was ruffled by any of that stuff. We just laughed it off.[1] Groening, on the other hand, has never acknowledged any such friendship with MacFarlane. In the online game Stewie Live, Stewie responds to any command typed to him with a remark or action. When most references related to The Simpsons are typed to Stewie, for example, "The Simpsons", "Homer" or "Bart", Stewie will respond by turning around and urinating. [edit] Family Guy vs. South Park To meet Wikipedia's quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. Please discuss this issue on the talk page, or replace this tag with a more specific message. Editing help is available. This article has been tagged since April 2006. South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone have expressed their discontent at being put at the same comedic level as Family Guy. When questioned about the meanest thing anyone ever said to them, Stone replied "When people say to me, 'God, you guys have one of the best shows on television. You and Family Guy.' That fucking hurts so bad", to which Parker agreed: "Very well said. It's such a kick in the balls."[4] The South Park episode "Cartoon Wars" aired on April 5, 2006. It was devoted not only to blatant bashing of Family Guy, but to satirise the reaction to Danish cartoons depicting the Muslim prophet Muhammad and the alleged unwillingness of television executives to stand up for free speech (as Stone and Parker perhaps feel is the case with regards to their current controversy against Scientology) as well as make references to Stone and Parker's negative feelings about Family Guy. In the episode, a fake "Family Guy" clip is shown, depicting the fast-paced, often nonsensical cutaway jokes. Three flashbacks occur and references are made to David Hasselhoff, Knight Rider, Mr. T, Captain Kirk and Captain and Tennille in less than a single minute. In between these clips, the Griffin family are shown making comments about the same subject (Peter inviting his old sweetheart over for dinner, to Lois' disapproval), as if to point out Family Guy needs to remind its audience what the actual plot is, given the cutaway jokes are often in no way related to the story. Later, Cartman justifies his hatred for Family Guy, and presumably that of Parker and Stone: "Don't you ever, EVER compare me to Family Guy, you hear me Kyle? Compare me to Family Guy again and so help me, I will kill you where you stand! Do you have any idea what it's like? Everywhere I go: 'Hey Cartman you must like Family Guy,' right?' 'Hey, your sense of humor reminds me of Family Guy, Cartman!' I am nothing like Family Guy! When I make jokes they are inherent to a story! Deep situational and emotional jokes based on what is relevant and has a point, not just one random interchangable joke after another!" Cartman's racism, sexism and anti-semitism very rarely has relevance to the plot and is hardly ever situational or emotional. The episode also comments that it's all right for Cartman to make jokes about religion because he's just a little boy; Cartman was created because Stone and Parker lamented the fact that "nowadays, it would be impossible to put a character like Archie Bunker on TV." But they thought that if he was an animated eight-year-old boy, it might just be allowed. Also, the episode pokes fun at Cartman's anti-semitism when he asks what Kyle, a Jew, would think if a cartoon seen by millions made fun of Jews, leaving the boys unable to offer anything other than Kyle's confused "Uhh...". The episode has aired but will have a part two which will air April 12, 2006. According to the ending and the "Next Week On South Park" segment, President Bush and Cartman will learn a horrible secret about the Family Guy writers that supposedly "explains everything", while the entire nation buries its head in sand. As long as "Comedy Central doesn't puss out!" the voiceover said. [edit] Other peers and critics Clerks. director Kevin Smith and David Mandel (co-producer on Smith's short-lived Clerks: The Animated Series), have gone on record as Family Guy haters: in the final episode of their cartoon they included a scene in which a bad comedy writer consults a book entitled "How To Write Cartoons by Seth MacFarlane." Upon consulting the book, he suggests that the writers send the characters to Gilligan's Island and make gay jokes about them, illustrating their opinion that the show lazily attempts to disguise poor writing by alternating between pop-culture references and offensive humor. Interestingly, Family Guy actually did something very close to this later on, in "The Perfect Castaway" in which the four main male leads from the show, Peter, Joe, Cleveland, and Quagmire get stranded on a deserted island and make jokes/get into situations all related to being gay. On the DVD commentary to Clerks: The Animated Series, Smith refers to Family Guy as the show's nemesis. When it is pointed out that Family Guy won an Emmy, Mandel refers to it as "Emmy Award-winning shit." The show's animation has also come under fire by Ren & Stimpy creator John Kricfalusi, who expressed concern over the fact that the current generation of aspiring animators will be negatively influenced by the animation present in Family Guy: "If you're a kid wanting to be a cartoonist today, and you're looking at Family Guy, you don't have to aim very high. You can draw Family Guy when you're ten years old. You don't have to get any better than that to become a professional cartoonist. The standards are extremely low."[5] In addition, Family Guy has faced attacks by media critics, including contributors to the magazine Entertainment Weekly. EW contributor Ken Tucker is the most vocal critic of the show on the magazine's staff, comparing the show to Arli$$ and describing them both as terrible shows that couldn't be killed.[6]. In response, Seth MacFarlane included a gag in Stewie Griffin: The Untold Story! in which Stewie breaks the neck of an EW reporter after being asked if he had heard any news about Futurama's future. It should be noted, though, that EW hasn't been nearly as harsh in more recent reviews of the show, even being positive at times.[citation needed] The October 2005 Mad magazine cover proclaimed "We Salute Family Guy, TV's Most Original Animated Series"[7]. The accompanying illustration featured the Griffins altered to resemble their Simpsons counterparts, satirizing the show's alleged unoriginality. A three-page spread within the magazine, entitled "Mad's Exclusive Backstage Tour of the Family Guy" is full of allegations of unoriginality, plagiarism and poor writing.
I don't know that it does, but there are two different styles of humor. There's the Dr. Strangelove/Big Lebowski-rooted in story humor, and the Airplane!/Naked Gun-throw-shit-and-see-what-sticks humor, and some (like some early Mel Brooks) that do both. But no one would dream of comparing Big Lebowski to Airplane! because of the different styles of humor. You can like one and not the other, and most people wouldn't question it. But with Family Guy and South Park, because they are both crude cartoons, get lumped together, and I think that's what pisses them off. South Park is NOT family guy (I say its better, and I'm one of the three people who enjoyed Family Guy the first time around), and I can understand their frustration. Note that they have Cartman, the show's dick, hate Family Guy, and Kyle, its normal voice of reason, like it. I'm not sure you can take this criticism the same way they attacked Scientology or John Edwards. Of course, the meat of the show was about the Muslim cartoons and censorship (which they beautifully boomeranged back on the Scientologists and Comedy Central), and it's a shame that all that will be lost because of the Family Guy shit.
I think it's all pretty ridiculous. I can't say I've ever heard anyone compare Family Guy to South Park. They're two different kinds of shows, neither one better than the other. And John Kricfalusi can kiss my ass. Fucking no talent hack.
Great episode! I hope it is a two parter, but I find it to be highly doubtful, especially since the satallite info of the ep didn't say Part 1 of 2 like it does with most two parters.
I really liked the episode. To me(again to reiterate, to me) it seemed as though while yeah, they were taking some shots at Family Guy, I think that they were using Family Guy as an example to make fun of everything else(the Danish Cartoon, Censorship, Comedy Central, and South Park itself). So, I mean, I looked at it as if Family Guy was only a small part of the bigger picture that Matt and Trey were trying to show.
BINGO! Nice to see someone gets it. They used a personal irritation (being compared to FG), and used it as a springboard to slam a much larger cultural issue, one that HAS affected SP and FG and HAS resulted in people's deaths. Honestly, of late much of South Park's social commentary has consisted of screaming that the Emporer is sans pants. In the case of the blind eye the media has turned to its own hypocritical censorship, the drubbing is well deserved.
Family guy is funny, yes, but it is also poorly written and generally badly animated (although it has improved). Other animated shows (say, Futurama) offer similiar levels of humour, with the added bonus of good characters, plot and animation. I'll have to make sure I catch this episode of South Park, it sounds good.
Good points have been made, but I have one thing to add, and you can take it as you will: Can you honestly say what we saw in the South Park parody of Family Guy wouldn't actually happen in a real Family Guy episode?
