The Simpsons vs. The Family Guy

I know, I know. You, dear reader, are thinking that "WOW - what a refreshing Internet topic! I have never thought about which of these shows I prefer, nor have I read or heard from any other person on this matter." I guess it is true - their really is nothing new under the sun. Well, here are my two cents.

It is scientifically impossible to disprove someone else's opinion. Although I try to do this on a daily basis, I have yet to succeed. The purpose of this blog will be to differentiate between the assets, attributes, and authenticities of these two shows, which have combined to steal roughly 4200 days of my life.

To begin with, it would be easy to dismiss the patriarch of the Griffin family, Peter, as carbon copy of the Simpson's patriarch Homer. Sure, both are overweight, middle class, blue collar ignorami with alcohol addictions. But, would taking points away from Peter for being a rip-off be fair? It could be argued that Homer is a later generation George Jetson and George a Fred Flinstone before him. This particular pop culture tree could be traced back centuries to an Egyptian Pyramid drawing of a fat lazy husband abusing his children for laughs. Of course, if the drawing was of a Pharaoh, the artisan would have surely been disemboweled for all slaves and toilers to see.

The copy-catting of the different/same family members can go down the line. Lois is Marge, Stewie is an Evil Lisa, and Meg and Chris are kind of like Bart. Misguided, mischievous, and maligned, - but at least Bart has intellect and spunk, where as the older to Griffin children are merely and mirrorly stereotypes of the generation they belong to. Where as Bart was an "underachiever and proud of it", Meg and Chris seem to be lazy and underachieving as well, but without any of the angst or intellect that any truly cool and legitimate Rebel inherently possesses. Bart's rebelliousness is nature triumphing over nurture. He can not change who he is.

As for Brian Griffin, is there currently a more endearing, intellectual, and conscience voice of reason on television? The calming yin to Peter's raging yang, Brian stands up for his convictions and ironically seems to mock the current generation that has made The Family Guy so popular. A generation which I am proud, from time to time, to claim as my own. A generation that can elect the first African American president, but is a little too excited to get their celebrity fix and that somehow makes The Smoking Gun, Perez Hilton, and TMZ seem like legitimate news sources.

Is there a more tortured protagonist than Brian Griffin on contemporary television? Sure, we have all seen the episode where Horshack proclaims his love for Mrs. Kotter or are familiar with Kevin Arnold's perpetual pining for Winnie Cooper. However, Brian is in love with his best friend's wife.....the woman who is essentially his master. If he makes his move he is a traitor. If he stays loyal to his best friend, he suffers in silence. Even Lisa eventually lets her guard down long enough for Millhouse to find happiness. (Leading to one of the all time great Simpsons lines - a future episode where Marge assures Lisa that it is indeed acceptable to wear white on her wedding day because "Millhouse doesn't count".)

The Simpsons has a vastly superior supporting cast. A cast full of Disco Dancers, Telemundo Children's Shows Characters, Angry Lunchladies, Gossipy Churchgoers, and Shady Local Business owners. Springfield is truly a village that can raise a child. Quohag, on the other hand, lacks a community feeling and the rich tapestry of interesting neighbors who inhabit Springfield. Sure there is Greased Up Deaf Guy, Mr. Herbert (the locale pedophile), and Joe - the paraplegic neighbor. These characters are one dimensional and uni-faceted. What you see is what you get.

These characters are very funny, and make me howl with laughter during every episode. However, there is a true dichotomy in the fundamental differences between the supporting casts. The Simpson's supporting casts are humans -sweet and flawed and vulnerable with a lot of good and bad mixed in. They exist to show us who we are. The Family Guy players are mean, predatory, and always have ulterior motives. They exist to insult, offend, and hurt the most vulnerable members of our society.

Which brings me back to my original point. It is impossible to disprove someone else's opinion. If you, dear reader, prefer insults to intellect and sinisterism to satire, then the Family Guy is the for you. If you prefer looking in the mirror and seeing the good and the bad in yourself and your neighbors, and believing that even today, the good can sometimes prevail, the The Simpsons is for you.

As for me, I am going to quit writing. South Park is on in five minutes.