Why hasn't American Dad caught on?

[Old Guy]

I like American Dad. It isn't better than Family Guy, but it's still good. So, why is it ignored by the public? I read somewhere that its the lowest rated show on Fox's Sunday night schedule. That means that Family Guy, Simpsons, and King of the Hill do better.

Is it because people think its like Family Guy? Well, its similar but different at the same time. Stan Smith isn't as dumb, lazy, and worthless as Peter Griffin. Francine is a bit more goofy and dumb blonde than Lois. Steve is WAY better than Chris. Chris is kinda boring. Steve atleast has a personality. Haylay actually gets laid unlike Meg. As for Roger and Klaus...they are NOTHING like Brian and/or Stewie.

Humor-wise the show is different. It doesn't rely on "like that time..." type jokes thats the bread and butter of Family Guy. With all the complains Family Guy gets about those jokes these days you'd think people would watch American Dad since it doesn't have those.

[veemonjosh]

Because college frat boys like stupid gags instead of intelligent humor.

[Hurricane V1]

Probably because the show is very hit or miss. Some episodes are put so well together, like Tearjerker, but tonights episode about ice skating was just plain dull and unimaginative.

[Old Guy]

Probably because the show is very hit or miss. Some episodes are put so well together, like Tearjerker, but tonights episode about ice skating was just plain dull and unimaginative.

Yea, thats true. However, Family Guy is very hit or miss these days as well.

[Dee]

I love American Dad. It's one of the highlights of the weekend for me.

[Old Guy]

I love American Dad. It's one of the highlights of the weekend for me.

If only 10 of your friends felt that way. :(

[Luna]

I'm not sure why American Dad hasn't caught on the way Family Guy has (In all honesty,I find it funnier than FG,and the characters are more likeable,with the possible exception of Haley)....If I had to make a guess,it'd be that it's another Simpsons/Futurama situation.....At first,Futurama wasn't that popular,because even though it came from many of the same creators,it wasn't a whole lot like The Simpsons,and people either wanted or expected it to be,without seeing the show for its own merits(and again,I think Futurama's a much better show than The Simpsons,which preceded it)...
People expect American Dad to be like Family Guy,and stop watching when they realize it's not...

[Master Moron]

Because the characters are horribly unlikeable. Yeah, the characters in Family Guy may be somewhat unlikeable as well, but Family Guy is mostly a series of cut away gags. It doesn't really matter if a character does something repulsive, because it's forgotten about in the next scene. But, in American Dad the characters have to deal with their actions for the entire episode, making the ick factor greater. Also, the show just isn't that funny.


Because college frat boys like stupid gags instead of intelligent humor.

Intelligent humor? On American Dad?

[The Huntsman]

Because the characters are horribly unlikeable...
Master Moron may have been a bit harsh in his criticism, but I believe he made a valid point. I watch the series on occasion, but I really don’t care that much about the characters; I don’t find them very appealing.

[Harvey Two Face]

Because it's a cheap immitation of Family Guy, since they're both written by the same guy.

[EinBebop]

I hate Roger and Stan's wife.

[warnerbroman]

Intelligent humor? On American Dad?yeah and it has a strong plot

[BrendaBat]

I love American Dad! :D I think it's way better than the current crop of Family Guy episodes! I love the fact that, despite the show's premise, it doesn't sacrifice comedy for the sake of shoving a political view down the audiences' collective throat.

I wanted to hate the show when it premiered (it seemed like it would be a cheap clone of Family Guy with dated anti-Bush dogma thrown in for good measure) and I was pleasantly surprised when the show turned out to be so much fun to watch.


Originally posted by MasterMoron
Because the characters are horribly unlikeable. Yeah, the characters in Family Guy may be somewhat unlikeable as well, but Family Guy is mostly a series of cut away gags. It doesn't really matter if a character does something repulsive, because it's forgotten about in the next scene. But, in American Dad the characters have to deal with their actions for the entire episode, making the ick factor greater. Also, the show just isn't that funny.


I find the American Dad characters appealing mainly because they have distinct personalities. It's fun to watch them play off each other and react to different situations.

[tb4000]

I don't think the AD characters are unlikeable at all. Anytime any of them do anything, with maybe the exception of Roger, it's for a semi-valid reason, and if it turns out to be the wrong choice they end up better for it by episode end, or if it's a clever twist on the "lesson learned" I just laugh it off.

[judyindisguise]

I wonder if show's obvious political slant has something to do with it. Plus the characters all pretty much suck IMO.

[simpsonsfan]

I had never really watched American Dad and last week when I did I really enjoyed it. It reminds me in some ways of Family Guy but in some ways not. A reason people might not like it is because it was created by the creator of Family Guy making people think it's a rip off of Family Guy. But it's definitely not though.

[GWOtaku]

I wonder if show's obvious political slant has something to do with it. Plus the characters all pretty much suck IMO.

That, and its often even more off the wall than family guy. I still can't believe they made an episode about Stan and his wife trying to save Mr. Pibb from being discontinued. Because without it the spark would be gone from their marriage! Comedies that are stupid for its own sake are really starting to wear thin.

Granted, it will age better than FG since it lacks the legion of pop culture jokes that will date it horribly over time, but its still not that good.

[Infusions]

I think the writing is much better than Family Guy. Sure, there are some episodes that aren't that great and some that are fantastic, but not every show is going to have a pure-perfect episode run. I find the characters very likeable. Not every single one, but we all have our opinions. Like like Stan, Klaus and Steve whereas most of the audience loves Roger.

To me, if Family Guy was written the way American Dad was where it stuck with the plot until the end, or even the way they wrote their Star Wars special with no flashback jokes (None that I can remember of), I would probably watch a lot more of it.

[Dr.Pepper]

I am not a fan of either one, but I think that people are more into Family Guy because it came out first while they see American Dad as a knock off

[The Irishman]

When i first saw American Dad, i did think it was inferior to Family Guy in terms of the humour and characters. But over the last couple of seasons, the show has really improved to the point where I feel that it is perhaps better than Family Guy, more so in terms of a consistant pace of storyline. There's no denying that the two shows are going to appeal to different audiences so there's bound to be some people who like one of Seth's shows, but not the other.


I am not a fan of either one, but I think that people are more into Family Guy because it came out first while they see American Dad as a knock off

I'd say that does have something to do with it. Futurama suffered the very same fate, notably at the hands of the network executives, who thought that Matt Groening was going to deliver them another Simpsons. Which obviously wasn't the case and they ended up treating the show like crap.

[Racattack!Force]

Well, maybe they think American Dad is taking Seth's attention from Family Guy, and causing FG to suffer even more...:sweat:

[Classic Speedy]

First of all, American Dad isn't a rip-off of Family Guy. The comparison is even more ridiculous than those who claim Family Guy rips off Simpsons. The two families are NOTHING ALIKE. Seth may voice the father figure, but otherwise they have different personalities, as does the rest of the family.

Second, people liking Family Guy can possibly be attributed to its cutaways and general craziness (like Petercopter), which keep the visuals fresh. Comparatively, American Dad is a more straight-forward show, visually, and that may turn some off.

Third, I highly doubt people hate AD because of unlikeable characters, as there have been numerous unlikeable characters in TV history that audiences still clung to. So it must have something to do with people not liking the execution of said AD characters. Personally, I like the characters, but I can see how others would find them mean-spirited.

[creativerealms]

It's weird the show can be just as off the wall as family while having much more focused plots at the same time. I do find the Family of American dad to be more three dementional character wise compared to the Griffins. Claus is the only one who comes off as flat and undeveloped. Yeah Halley is pretty unliable but she is more an actual character then Meg, same with everyone in the family, she seem less like a collection of gags then the Family Guy Characters are.

I like American Dad because it's more focused then Family Guy or current simpsons is while the plots are still off the wall.

[kaseykockroach]

Probaly because it's even worse than Family Guy.

[FinnMacCool]

American Dad is current my favorite primetime animated series. It's got lots of the wacky humor of Family Guy, but with much better plotting (sometimes on Usual Suspects levels), only one character who really annoys me (*cough* Roger *cough*), some cool action scenes in a number of episodes, and morbid/dark humor that's right up my alley.

[Mikintosh]

Probaly because it's even worse than Family Guy.


What I was gonna say.

[SirLemming]

I wonder if show's obvious political slant has something to do with it. Plus the characters all pretty much suck IMO.
I guess on the surface it has more of a political slant, but Family Guy has had way more left-leaning jokes & plots and they've all been way more harsh than anything AD has done. FG is practically the Democratic National Convention, whereas AD is more along the lines of The Colbert Report.

But the point about the characters may be accurate. The show's writing is far superior to FG's writing these days and it respects the characters more, which makes it a better show to me, but I have to admit the characters aren't anything special. Steve is hardly as merchandisable as Chris, for example -- not because he's subtle or deep or something, but because he's fairly generic. It might be more about the character designs than the characters themselves, because the FG kids aren't too unique either; they just look more memorable. There's also no one with the star power of Stewie & Brian. Again, that doesn't mean the show isn't as good as FG, but I think that helps explain why it's less popular.

[Darklordavaitor]

I said it in an earlier thread:

Not enough people have seen the show up to "Bullocks to Stan"; so not enough people have seen the true show for itself.

[veemonjosh]

Intelligent humor? On American Dad?

American Dad's humor doesn't make me feel like an insult to my intelligence, which most of Family Guy post-revival's humor has done. Also, it has MUCH stronger plots than Family Guy, and even quite a bit of continuity.

Plus, I don't get what people mean by unlikeable characters. Stan might come off as somewhat of a jerk at times, but he often learns from his mistakes in the end, unlike Homer and Peter, who just continue to redo their stupid mistakes every single season.

Overall, I agree with what someone earlier said about this being the Seth McFarlane equivalent of Matt Groening's Futurama (both of their original shows were great early on, then dipped in quality as their second series began, the previous show's fanbase divided on how they feel, and AD will probably end up being fully appreciated only after it gets canned, just like Futurama).

[MasterofRoku]

First of all, American Dad isn't a rip-off of Family Guy. The comparison is even more ridiculous than those who claim Family Guy rips off Simpsons. The two families are NOTHING ALIKE. Seth may voice the father figure, but otherwise they have different personalities, as does the rest of the family.

Second, people liking Family Guy can possibly be attributed to its cutaways and general craziness (like Petercopter), which keep the visuals fresh. Comparatively, American Dad is a more straight-forward show, visually, and that may turn some off.

Third, I highly doubt people hate AD because of unlikeable characters, as there have been numerous unlikeable characters in TV history that audiences still clung to. So it must have something to do with people not liking the execution of said AD characters. Personally, I like the characters, but I can see how others would find them mean-spirited.

Yeah, that's what I've been trying to say. I've considered American Dad as Family Guy's Futurama since it's getting better than it's predecessor and it's a bit underrated. Also, I dislike how people asume the show is just a big rip off of Family Guy and make poor comparisons like for example, Klaus=Stewie or Roger=Stewie and brian.

"The only similarity [for Stewie and Klaus] is that both charatcers have an obseession with the wife of the main character. Stewie wants to kill Lois real badly, Klaus was madly in love with Francine..but that seems to be dying out now.

Brian and Roger may fit the "animal/creature who has a good or storng relationship with the main chatacter" but they're two different people. Peter and Brian are more firends than Stan and Roger."

[J-man]

The reason why AD hasn't yet caught on continues to elude me. The most likely reason is because it's not as slapstick as FG is, but it's certainly more so than King of the Hill.

Perhaps AD is too complicated for hardcore FG fans, like "college frat boys" (as veemonjosh puts it), to enjoy. I can only hope it doesn't get canned before people realize just how good it is...

[Space Cadet]

Perhaps AD is too complicated for hardcore FG fans, like "college frat boys" (as veemonjosh puts it), to enjoy. I can only hope it doesn't get canned before people realize just how good it is...

I don't think it will be cancelled anytime soon. While its ratings don't compare with FG or Simpsons, its usually on par with King of the Hill. Lately, FOX is looking for animated shows to keep on their schedule. I think American Dad is safe as long as the ratings don't drop on FOX, the DVD's still sell well, and it does well on AS. I don't think FOX wants to go through the fiasco again with FG and Futurama.

[Desensitized]

American Dad is clever, but I wouldn't call it intelligent.

I find the show is watchable and has some clever jokes, but the characters never click for me and since I don't find the characters "like-able" I just don't get full enjoyment out of it. I just don't enjoy shows where every character is willing to stab each other in the back at the drop of a hat.

But it is watchable.

[Old Guy]

people liking Family Guy can possibly be attributed to its cutaways and general craziness (like Petercopter)

Yea, people probably just enjoy the overall craziness of Family Guy a lot more.

[Lavenderpaw]

Family Guy (old school) pwns new episodes of itself and American Dad anything,end of story.Just because it's funny and not as abusive to any one of it's main characters.

[Tash]

The main problem is that both shows look so similar that it's almost impossible not to compare them. (they both have an identical art style and take place in virtually the same setting) If they had just had somebody else do the character designs, it would have solved most of the show's problems.

[Master Moron]

I don't think the AD characters are unlikeable at all. Anytime any of them do anything, with maybe the exception of Roger, it's for a semi-valid reason, and if it turns out to be the wrong choice they end up better for it by episode end, or if it's a clever twist on the "lesson learned" I just laugh it off.

I think the episode that pushed me over the edge was the episode where Stan's boss killed Francine's friend. It was just disgusting. I can't believe they made a whole episode based on the murder of an innocent woman. I know what you're going to say, Family Guy has murdered plenty of women before. The difference is that in Family Guy it's usually a quick cut away gag and it's quickly forgotten in the next scene.

In order to make murdering a woman funny enough to sustain an entire episode you need to set it up somehow. You have to make it seem like the woman had it coming or something. You can't just murder an innocent woman and then expect the audience to laugh at it for the rest of the episode. Honestly, the worst part of it was the other characters reaction to her death. Francine was the only one disturbed by her death and as soon as she figured out that she wasn't responsible she quickly forgot about it.

This is off course, just one example of the characters complete disregard for human life. Again, this isn't a problem in Family Guy because it's mainly just a series of quick gags. But, you can't have such horrible, disgusting characters in a plot based show like this.


Plus, I don't get what people mean by unlikeable characters. Stan might come off as somewhat of a jerk at times, but he often learns from his mistakes in the end, unlike Homer and Peter, who just continue to redo their stupid mistakes every single season.


So, what did Stan learn in the last episode that aired on Adult Swim? Where Francine was going to be murdered by a group of housewives and Stan ignored her throughout the episode? Is he going to start paying attention to his family in the next episode? I doubt it. He's a selfish jerk, and he always will be.

[Old Guy]

The main problem is that both shows look so similar that it's almost impossible not to compare them.

Yea, the same thing happened to The Jetsons. :sad:

[J-man]

I think the episode that pushed me over the edge was the episode where Stan's boss killed Francine's friend. It was just disgusting. I can't believe they made a whole episode based on the murder of an innocent woman. I know what you're going to say, Family Guy has murdered plenty of women before. The difference is that in Family Guy it's usually a quick cut away gag and it's quickly forgotten in the next scene.

In order to make murdering a woman funny enough to sustain an entire episode you need to set it up somehow. You have to make it seem like the woman had it coming or something. You can't just murder an innocent woman and then expect the audience to laugh at it for the rest of the episode. Honestly, the worst part of it was the other characters reaction to her death. Francine was the only one disturbed by her death and as soon as she figured out that she wasn't responsible she quickly forgot about it.

This is off course, just one example of the characters complete disregard for human life. Again, this isn't a problem in Family Guy because it's mainly just a series of quick gags. But, you can't have such horrible, disgusting characters in a plot based show like this.


Was it really all that disturbing? Besides, Stan is in the CIA, so he's gotta be pretty tough. Also, the ease at which they let murder fly by them has always helped the sharper side of AD's comedy, imo.

[Arkangel]

Family Guy (old school) pwns new episodes of itself and American Dad anything,end of story.Just because it's funny and not as abusive to any one of it's main characters.
Well this is certainly true. Neither the "new" Family Guy or American Dad come close to the three original seasons of Family Guy.

[Classic Speedy]

The main problem is that both shows look so similar that it's almost impossible not to compare them. (they both have an identical art style and take place in virtually the same setting) If they had just had somebody else do the character designs, it would have solved most of the show's problems. Good point. The same kind of thing happened with other shows from the same creator- when Danny Phantom came out people (understandably) said, "It looks like FOP!" When Futurama came out, people said it looked like The Simpsons. In both those cases, the latter shows weren't copies of the older ones, but the similar animation and art styles made it easy for people to judge them as "more of the same" before even seeing them.

[FinnMacCool]

So, what did Stan learn in the last episode that aired on Adult Swim? Where Francine was going to be murdered by a group of housewives and Stan ignored her throughout the episode? Is he going to start paying attention to his family in the next episode? I doubt it. He's a selfish jerk, and he always will be.

He learned that it's not worth giving his love to a puppy who can't love him back, which was why he'd been ignoring Francine in the first place.

[Infusions]

Bloo didn't really change after the CoCo Cards episode, and look at him, he's still a great character.

If every character permanantly learned the lesson at the end of each episode, they'd all eventually end up being Full House characters.

[HomeMoviesFan]

Hold on, hold it a second...

...American Dad...is in danger of being cancelled? Not again! :(

I don't care, I love this show...

[USSManhattan]

Yeah Halley is pretty unliable

I'm guessing I'm the only one here whose fave is Hayley, let alone LIKES her...

As for the topic, I think it's because, as people have said, FG is more popular and overshadowing. Why have a thought out joke when you can show Peter remembering the time he was a piece of bread during the sinking of the Titanic?

[J-man]

I'm guessing I'm the only one here whose fave is Hayley, let alone LIKES her...


Your guess was wrong!

Without Haley, a lot of the conflicts of the household would be gone, along with that entire episode where Stan was tutoring her boyfriend to be tougher. Also, Haley is a way more meaningful character than Meg will ever be.

[Space Cadet]

Hold on, hold it a second...

...American Dad...is in danger of being cancelled? Not again! :(

I don't care, I love this show...

No, its not. It got picked up for another season, so it'll be around.

The question is why American Dad isn't as popular as The Simpsons, Family Guy, or even Futurama for that matter.

[The Irishman]

Good point. The same kind of thing happened with other shows from the same creator- when Danny Phantom came out people (understandably) said, "It looks like FOP!" When Futurama came out, people said it looked like The Simpsons. In both those cases, the latter shows weren't copies of the older ones, but the similar animation and art styles made it easy for people to judge them as "more of the same" before even seeing them.

That's one of the quirks to a creator-driven show. Personal styles rule and can indeed be similar, especially with the characters. Where American Dad & Futurama differ is that by placing it in the future, the latter's background artists could go nuts and draw whatever they wanted.

HomeMoviesFan and J-man, you're definitely not alone, Haley acts as a necessary foil for Stan. If only her and Steve's characters were given more screen time to develop, that would really fill out the show.

[Toonback]

I don't watch American Dad because it always feels like a stale version of Family Guy. It's like someone said "let's make a show identical to Family Guy, but take away all the cut-away gags and see what happens". I have only seen about 2 or 3 episodes so I don't know, but I'm guessing a lot of other people probably think the same.

[HomeMoviesFan]

I don't watch American Dad because it always feels like a stale version of Family Guy. It's like someone said "let's make a show identical to Family Guy, but take away all the cut-away gags and see what happens". I have only seen about 2 or 3 episodes so I don't know, but I'm guessing a lot of other people probably think the same.


Two to three episodes of what season? If you say the first, then you failed and must try again. Seriously, this has got to be one of the first shows I've ever seen that has shown 100% improvement from the pilot. Not even classic era Simpsons can say that...

[PositronShooter]

It's a mystery.

In some ways, American Dad would seem blander than Family Guy. But in many ways, it is utilizing a lot of the character and story development that people have clamored Family Guy for since its return.

Ironically, American Dad has evolved into something more than an anti-Bush gimmick, and has developed its own twists on traditional family values, one of the key elements that made Family Guy so successful. It helps that it has a lot of the same writers from Family Guy's glory years.
Family Guy, meanwhile, has picked up on a lot of the political humor, as its core values continues to disintegrate in favor of resting on its own laurels. Bad enough that there's an unusual number of mediocre or poor episodes, but many of their casting choices are in terrible taste. (Seriously, who in the right mind thought it was a good idea to include a creepy pedophile in every g*****n episode?!).

American Dad suffers not from its own limitations and inconsistencies, but because it's living in Family Guy's shadow. Outside its post-Superbowl premiere, the show has seldom been featured without Family Guy's aid, and therefore is not being allowed to function as its own commodity.

The best bet for those who want a taste of Family Guy's glory days: Watch American Dad. While it's still around. A seemingly ordinary American Dad, one where thought and care goes into the story, can be more satisfying than yet another frustrating Family Guy where writers let out-and-out perversion (self-projections?) and mangled characterizations derail a once-winning concept.

[Toonback]

I know I saw the pilot and the other episode or 2 I'm not sure what season they were from.

Ofcourse I compare it to Family Guy because a) the character designs and animation look very similar, b) they always advertise them together, and c) some voices are eerily similar. Like the alien guy sounds 99% like Cleveland.

[Lonestarr]

I think the episode that pushed me over the edge was the episode where Stan's boss killed Francine's friend. It was just disgusting. I can't believe they made a whole episode based on the murder of an innocent woman. I know what you're going to say, Family Guy has murdered plenty of women before. The difference is that in Family Guy it's usually a quick cut away gag and it's quickly forgotten in the next scene.

In order to make murdering a woman funny enough to sustain an entire episode you need to set it up somehow. You have to make it seem like the woman had it coming or something. You can't just murder an innocent woman and then expect the audience to laugh at it for the rest of the episode. Honestly, the worst part of it was the other characters reaction to her death. Francine was the only one disturbed by her death and as soon as she figured out that she wasn't responsible she quickly forgot about it.

This is off course, just one example of the characters complete disregard for human life. Again, this isn't a problem in Family Guy because it's mainly just a series of quick gags. But, you can't have such horrible, disgusting characters in a plot based show like this.

You make some interesting points...but then I look to your avatar. "South Park" would never, ever make comic sport of a person's murder.

Seriously, my mind is officially blown.

[DarthGonzo]

You make some interesting points...but then I look to your avatar. "South Park" would never, ever make comic sport of a person's murder.

Sarcasm?

[J-man]

Sarcasm?

Dripping with it.

[Master Moron]

You make some interesting points...but then I look to your avatar. "South Park" would never, ever make comic sport of a person's murder.

Seriously, my mind is officially blown.

I never really liked the way that they killed Kenny in every episode in the earlier seasons, but that was a joke in and of itself. For the most part, there's actually a set up for the deaths in South Park. For instance, in tonight's episode, the hostages who were killed were only killed because they refused to act out of character. The joke is that they would rather die than act out of character. I don't have any problem with characters being killed for comedy. I have a problem when they don't properly set up a joke. Without the set up, a funny joke changes to a cruel joke.

[Infusions]

Well. They are cartoon characters. Who cares if cruel things happen to them.

Look at Happy Tree Friends. Nobody really feels all that much compassion for them.

[EinBebop]

Without the set up, a funny joke changes to a cruel joke.Trying telling Scott Tenorman that. ;)

[TheVileOne]

I don't see the comparison between American Dad and Futurama at all. For one thing, Futurama was an excellent, very different show from the Simpsons. Not only that, Futurama was new, innovative, different, creative, and funny while the Simpsons was continually sucking. Fox wouldn't get behind interesting, funny new shows like Family Guy or Futurama and constantly tossed them around while continually milking the cow of the Simpsons drier and drier.

American Dad is just too much like Family Guy, but with worse characters. The characters on American Dad simply aren't as likable as those on Family Guy.

But besides that, what's the problem? Does the show look to be getting cancelled anytime soon? It doesn't appear to be going anywhere.

[Aldrius]

You know, I find Family Guy funnier (at least certain episodes), but I actually like the characters in American Dad better. Especially the supporting cast and especially the kids.

The only character on American Dad that I really flat out don't like is Klaus. And that's just because he bores me, and it seems like they're trying REALLY hard with him.

Having said that, Family Guy has much better recurring characters (i.e. Death, James Woods.) But then American Dad doesn't really have any recurring characters. At least not in the Sideshow Bob sense.

Anyway, I really like the show, and I've convinced at least a few people to give it a second shot.

[Master Moron]

Trying telling Scott Tenorman that. ;)

The whole episode was a set-up for that joke, so I don't really see your point.


Well. They are cartoon characters. Who cares if cruel things happen to them.


What does them being cartoon characters have to do with anything? You're saying you'd care more about the characters if they were live action?

[Infusions]

What does them being cartoon characters have to do with anything? You're saying you'd care more about the characters if they were live action?

Actually, yes. In the latest episode of "Reaper" I saw with Sam joining Hell's Rebellion, I actually felt more compassion when I saw a soft side of the Devil than I did for anyone in a cartoon.

Sure, I may have been awed by Butters or Bender, but seeing an actual actor usually changes things as opposed to see something you know an artist just drew.

[FinnMacCool]

I think the episode that pushed me over the edge was the episode where Stan's boss killed Francine's friend. It was just disgusting. I can't believe they made a whole episode based on the murder of an innocent woman. I know what you're going to say, Family Guy has murdered plenty of women before. The difference is that in Family Guy it's usually a quick cut away gag and it's quickly forgotten in the next scene.

In order to make murdering a woman funny enough to sustain an entire episode you need to set it up somehow. You have to make it seem like the woman had it coming or something. You can't just murder an innocent woman and then expect the audience to laugh at it for the rest of the episode. Honestly, the worst part of it was the other characters reaction to her death. Francine was the only one disturbed by her death and as soon as she figured out that she wasn't responsible she quickly forgot about it.

This is off course, just one example of the characters complete disregard for human life. Again, this isn't a problem in Family Guy because it's mainly just a series of quick gags. But, you can't have such horrible, disgusting characters in a plot based show like this.

See, I don't think they actually played her death for laughs, or at least the fact that she died wasn't meant to be funny. The jokes were more about Stan and Bollock trying to cover it up, with her death serving as a MacGuffin.

[EinBebop]

The whole episode was a set-up for that joke, so I don't really see your point.Because in spite of the set-up, some would argue that it was more cruel than funny.

[Master Moron]

Actually, yes. In the latest episode of "Reaper" I saw with Sam joining Hell's Rebellion, I actually felt more compassion when I saw a soft side of the Devil than I did for anyone in a cartoon.

Sure, I may have been awed by Butters or Bender, but seeing an actual actor usually changes things as opposed to see something you know an artist just drew.

That's ridiculous. Have you ever seen Grave of the Fireflies? It's an animated movie about World War II and I assure you will feel way more compassion for the characters in that movie than you would for any of the characters in Reaper. Really, I'm somewhat surprised to see someone on an animation message board expressing the idea that animated characters can't be emphasized with.