Family GuycreatorSeth MacFarlanehas addressed how the animated series continues to deliver frequently offensive comedy in a time when some people want to cancel anything that pokes fun at subjects considered out of bounds. Nowcelebrating its 25th anniversary, the sitcom centering on the dysfunctional antics of the Griffin family is still popular and stands by the kind of adult humor that made it stand out in its field back in 1999.
Family Guy
Taking shots at everything from dead babies to disabilities, on the surface,Family Guyhas no boundarieswhen it comes to who it will attempt to offend with crude jokes. However, as MacFarlane explained, there is much more to the humor ofFamily Guythan just something to instigate cries of outrage from social media. Speaking withThe LA Times, MacFarlane said:
“I was about to make a joke about the fact that, well, they’ve just caved to popular opinion and it’s worked great, but I really do think that’s not what most people are thinking when they watch ‘Family Guy.’ Audiences can smell the difference between social media virtue signaling and real offense. If it’s real offense, you didn’t get away with the comedy.
“One of the things that ‘Family Guy’ has really tried to do every step of the way is to look at every joke and say, ‘OK, if we were called on the carpet, could we defend this in an intellectual way, and say, this is the point we were making?’ There’s an earnestness to that approach that I think has created sort of a shield around the show that continues to this day.”
Seth MacFarlane Calls Out the Difference Between Fake and Real Offense
There are very few TV shows that are released now without some kind of warning over content that may trigger audiences in one way or another. From language, through scenes of discrimination, and general notes of “offensive content”,Family Guyhas managed to gather together the entire collection of possible warnings that could have been imposed on it over the last quarter of a century. However, in many cases, those warnings are probably not necessary if everyone thought about the content of the show in the way MacFarlane describes.
Like many comedy shows that treada fine line between fun and offense, and numerous comedians of the same ilk, the jokes ofFamily Guythat usually cause the most blowback are never aimed at the groups they appear to be when glanced at. The jokes are told from the perspective of a character, and that character often has a flawed view of the world, or has their own personal reason for saying what they say. Similarly, a joke can also be aimed at pointing out the ridiculousness of a trend, a collective mindset, or the way a certain group of people act, but as MacFarlane said, somewhere there is usually a sign of the true butt of the joke for anyone willing to look closer.
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In the end, the offensive side ofFamily Guyis part of the reason the series has continued to pull in its audience. Will it change in the coming years? Not likely.MacFarlane has made his niche in the world, and similarly found an audience that are happy to go along with the rides he provides. Although he has often branched out into alternative areas, such as withThe Orville, it is clear that for a while to come, there will always be a place forFamily Guy.
Family Guyis available to stream on Hulu in the US, and on Disney+ in other territories.
