Originally Posted by Trollheart

Sorry but I respectfully disagree with the above. When Family Guy started, I watched it, expecting a poor Simpsons rip-off, and was pleasantly surprised. Any episode from season 1 to about 5 still makes me laugh, but in the last few years it has just got lazy, boring, by-the-numbers with McFarlane under the impression that to be funny you just have to keep self-deprecating. That works for a while, but after a bit people start to see beyond the joke, and it becomes the truth. The writers on FG now pad out every episode, usually with "cutaways" (they used to do these sure but there are a lot more now) or with usually nonsensical and unconnected musical numbers that last so long it's painfully obvious they haven't enough material and are desperately trying to fill up time.

Also, virtually every recent FG episode I've seen ended badly, some terribly. It's not enough, Seth, to laugh at how crap you are. People will buy that, but only for so long. In the end, we all want to be entertained and FG is falling far far short of that in recent times. It's become a parody of itself, but not a funny or clever one. Also it's got a lot cruder. That only works some of the time: even South Park, the masters of crude humour, occasionally go too near the mark and it's no longer funny.

As for the Simpsons: I think I've laughed out loud once in the last few seasons. They probably should call it a day now, but sure it's a cash cow, so they're unlikely to do that.