Mr. Semaj
03-06-2009, 05:40 PM
This wouldn't be news to some, and the only animated sitcoms around today are on FOX Sundays. But aside from the fact all four entries have the same basic nuclear family premise, they have run into creative ruts, whether brought up or not, that has made Sunday-night viewings increasingly cumbersome.
The Simpsons: One of the cornerstones of the Silver Age of Animation, which has developed a more profound impact in American pop culture than any modern television cartoon. Even long after droves of fans expressed concerns for the latest episodes, The Simpsons Movie went on to make a lot of money, which is usually not the case for any feature film based from a TV series.
But the series has been on the air for almost 20 years, and most fans consider the golden years, roughly the first eight years, to have long passed. Rightfully, much of the show's original creative staff exited during its ninth year, and that was when the general frame of mind seemed to change. Thanks to Mike Scully, episodes became wackier, and much of what was part of the series' canon was being ignored by leaps and bounds. Al Jean stepped up again, and tried to bring the series back to earth. But now, the concensus is that the episodes have become too bland, still utilize questionable storylines, or stretch short jokes out for too long.
While I agree more about the Jean years than the Scully years, concerning season-by-season quality, it has reached the point where one can no longer argue with fans who want the series to end sooner than later.
King of the Hill: Another show that has been around for a long time. Except most people wouldn't know, because FOX has kept it in an obscure time slot for most of its run, even trying to cancel it every so often. Only three years ago, the show was about to end the exact same way Futurama ended.
While this show has come off much luckier than its contemporaries, it was not without some creative problems of its own. Mike Judge had a feeling that the writing was getting lazy by its fourth or fifth year, where Hank was being pushed around too much, Peggy had become insanely egotistic, and Bobby was becoming a wimp. Even when the staff was rearranged by its seventh year, it only made scant difference. Episodes for the next few years would become increasingly boring, and many secondary characters that have come to establish Arlen where phased out as the show took on a fill-in-the-blank type structure on a regular basis.
Ever since almost getting cancelled three years ago, the show's staff was completely rebooted, and the stories became a little stronger. But on the whole, they still retain the same fill-in-the-blank structure from recent times. With the show finally bowing out this season, it could be said that it has been on autopilot.
Family Guy: One of the most controversial shows of our time. This was another victim of FOX's poor programming skills, having been cancelled once after a previous attempt during its first few years. Popular demand brought it back some time later. Even during the early years, many people have criticized the show for its bad art and plagarized stories, when really, the show was doing the same as The Simpsons where it basically turned sitcom and cartoon cliches upside-down.
Nowadays, the show is no longer in danger of cancellation, but many long-time fans, including myself, have become increasingly aware of the problems that have prevailed since its comeback. A lot of the charm it once had, where its subversive humor was out to prove a point, has become crudeness for its own sake. Now more than ever, characters have become vehicles for throwaway references and writers' commentary (not so much legitimate Mary Sues). Many writers, including Alex Borstein, have mistaken these changes for evolution, and sadly, many fans simply repeat everything the show expects them to believe.
It can be assumed that the writers are resting on their laurels. Seth MacFarlane is now the highest-paid writer for television, and nothing in the forseeable future can change that. So, how do they repay the same fans who helped keep the show alive during its cancelled years? Total sabotage.
To me, FG has the same problem as King of the Hill where, once it finds that comfort zone, they crawl towards a fixed formula. Most stories today consist of Peter, Cleveland, Quagmire, and Joe getting into trouble, or something going on between Brian and Stewie, usually involving Stewie's on-off homosexuality. A lot of secondary characters that are ripe for development have been ignored for years, which makes their additions in the first place completely pointless.
American Dad: Most people will disagree with me on this, but this is actually the freshest program in the FOX Sunday night lineup. Sure, it has the same art as FG, but this show has had a lot of what has been missing from its predeccesor these days; strong characters, funny jokes, and consistent storytelling, along with an occasional story going deeper into some of the characters' lives. Just as well, much of the show's producers were leftover from FG's glory years.
Yet, this show has from the beginning been doomed to live in Family Guy's shadow. Part of its conception was to continue FG's line of humor, before that show's revival, and it is because of that this show has always been paired up with its brother series, never gaining any critical or popular acclaim, and seldom promoted by FOX marketing outside the fact that it's another MacFarlane show.
Which is shameful, because while the show was also conceived as a parody of Bush-era politics, having debuted in the wake of Bush's second term, American Dad has tried to find a life of its own. Any recent episode rarely mentions anything regarding the Bush administration, which makes it stick out much less in that regard in the wake of Obama's first term.
Futurama: Here was a show that shot for something totally different. This was the one animated sitcom focused more on the workspace than the family, and has established its own line of humor, commentary, and social messages that made for an intelligent series.
None of that was realized by FOX, which phased out on the series before cancelling it altogether. Futurama has recently enjoyed a slower but steady revival on DVD, formerly Adult Swim, and now Comedy Central. This has FOX talking about greenlighting it for a new season. However, going by their treatment of Family Guy, not only has FOX developed a habit of ignoring potentially successful products, opting for someone else to nurture it instead, but some critiques of the DVD movies has Futurama every bit as suspectible to a creative meltdown as is currently happening with Family Guy. Two things that have to be kept in mind.
There's a lot more to be said about some upcoming shows, including FOX's Sit Down, Shut Up and The Cleveland Show, and ABC's The Goode Family, but I'd like to go further into the current programs. Maybe it coincides with the decline of the American sitcom in general, but isn't it time today's (remaining) sitcom writers try something different? To try reaching for material that goes beyond the (lowest of the) lowest common denominator for a change?
The Simpsons: One of the cornerstones of the Silver Age of Animation, which has developed a more profound impact in American pop culture than any modern television cartoon. Even long after droves of fans expressed concerns for the latest episodes, The Simpsons Movie went on to make a lot of money, which is usually not the case for any feature film based from a TV series.
But the series has been on the air for almost 20 years, and most fans consider the golden years, roughly the first eight years, to have long passed. Rightfully, much of the show's original creative staff exited during its ninth year, and that was when the general frame of mind seemed to change. Thanks to Mike Scully, episodes became wackier, and much of what was part of the series' canon was being ignored by leaps and bounds. Al Jean stepped up again, and tried to bring the series back to earth. But now, the concensus is that the episodes have become too bland, still utilize questionable storylines, or stretch short jokes out for too long.
While I agree more about the Jean years than the Scully years, concerning season-by-season quality, it has reached the point where one can no longer argue with fans who want the series to end sooner than later.
King of the Hill: Another show that has been around for a long time. Except most people wouldn't know, because FOX has kept it in an obscure time slot for most of its run, even trying to cancel it every so often. Only three years ago, the show was about to end the exact same way Futurama ended.
While this show has come off much luckier than its contemporaries, it was not without some creative problems of its own. Mike Judge had a feeling that the writing was getting lazy by its fourth or fifth year, where Hank was being pushed around too much, Peggy had become insanely egotistic, and Bobby was becoming a wimp. Even when the staff was rearranged by its seventh year, it only made scant difference. Episodes for the next few years would become increasingly boring, and many secondary characters that have come to establish Arlen where phased out as the show took on a fill-in-the-blank type structure on a regular basis.
Ever since almost getting cancelled three years ago, the show's staff was completely rebooted, and the stories became a little stronger. But on the whole, they still retain the same fill-in-the-blank structure from recent times. With the show finally bowing out this season, it could be said that it has been on autopilot.
Family Guy: One of the most controversial shows of our time. This was another victim of FOX's poor programming skills, having been cancelled once after a previous attempt during its first few years. Popular demand brought it back some time later. Even during the early years, many people have criticized the show for its bad art and plagarized stories, when really, the show was doing the same as The Simpsons where it basically turned sitcom and cartoon cliches upside-down.
Nowadays, the show is no longer in danger of cancellation, but many long-time fans, including myself, have become increasingly aware of the problems that have prevailed since its comeback. A lot of the charm it once had, where its subversive humor was out to prove a point, has become crudeness for its own sake. Now more than ever, characters have become vehicles for throwaway references and writers' commentary (not so much legitimate Mary Sues). Many writers, including Alex Borstein, have mistaken these changes for evolution, and sadly, many fans simply repeat everything the show expects them to believe.
It can be assumed that the writers are resting on their laurels. Seth MacFarlane is now the highest-paid writer for television, and nothing in the forseeable future can change that. So, how do they repay the same fans who helped keep the show alive during its cancelled years? Total sabotage.
To me, FG has the same problem as King of the Hill where, once it finds that comfort zone, they crawl towards a fixed formula. Most stories today consist of Peter, Cleveland, Quagmire, and Joe getting into trouble, or something going on between Brian and Stewie, usually involving Stewie's on-off homosexuality. A lot of secondary characters that are ripe for development have been ignored for years, which makes their additions in the first place completely pointless.
American Dad: Most people will disagree with me on this, but this is actually the freshest program in the FOX Sunday night lineup. Sure, it has the same art as FG, but this show has had a lot of what has been missing from its predeccesor these days; strong characters, funny jokes, and consistent storytelling, along with an occasional story going deeper into some of the characters' lives. Just as well, much of the show's producers were leftover from FG's glory years.
Yet, this show has from the beginning been doomed to live in Family Guy's shadow. Part of its conception was to continue FG's line of humor, before that show's revival, and it is because of that this show has always been paired up with its brother series, never gaining any critical or popular acclaim, and seldom promoted by FOX marketing outside the fact that it's another MacFarlane show.
Which is shameful, because while the show was also conceived as a parody of Bush-era politics, having debuted in the wake of Bush's second term, American Dad has tried to find a life of its own. Any recent episode rarely mentions anything regarding the Bush administration, which makes it stick out much less in that regard in the wake of Obama's first term.
Futurama: Here was a show that shot for something totally different. This was the one animated sitcom focused more on the workspace than the family, and has established its own line of humor, commentary, and social messages that made for an intelligent series.
None of that was realized by FOX, which phased out on the series before cancelling it altogether. Futurama has recently enjoyed a slower but steady revival on DVD, formerly Adult Swim, and now Comedy Central. This has FOX talking about greenlighting it for a new season. However, going by their treatment of Family Guy, not only has FOX developed a habit of ignoring potentially successful products, opting for someone else to nurture it instead, but some critiques of the DVD movies has Futurama every bit as suspectible to a creative meltdown as is currently happening with Family Guy. Two things that have to be kept in mind.
There's a lot more to be said about some upcoming shows, including FOX's Sit Down, Shut Up and The Cleveland Show, and ABC's The Goode Family, but I'd like to go further into the current programs. Maybe it coincides with the decline of the American sitcom in general, but isn't it time today's (remaining) sitcom writers try something different? To try reaching for material that goes beyond the (lowest of the) lowest common denominator for a change?