# Home Movies vs The Family Guy **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 24, 2003, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/home-movies-vs-the-family-guy/170923 "2003-04-24T18:53:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2003, 6:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/home-movies-vs-the-family-guy/170923/21 "2003-04-25T06:43:20Z")
Home Movies all the way, baby. Of course, I don’t have cable anymore, so my opinion is irrelevant. ---
**Author:** ![gobear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8dc957/32.png) [@gobear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gobear)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2003, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/home-movies-vs-the-family-guy/170923/22 "2003-04-25T14:15:53Z")
I don’t know why you can’t like both. Home Movies has in-depth characters, clever stroylines, and intelligent dialogue; Family Guy makes me laugh my ass off. Sure, Home Movies appeals to a more limited audience (any show that requires intelligence form its audience is inherently limited) and Family Guy is marketed much more to the lowest common denominator, but I’ve never been one to require snobbery in my entertainment. ---
**Author:** ![malaka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecc23a/32.png) [@malaka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/malaka)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2003, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/home-movies-vs-the-family-guy/170923/23 "2003-04-25T14:41:16Z")
Feh. I like 'em both for many of the reasons pointed out in this thread. I get belly laughs from both. I can’t, however, understand the anger/passion that something as trivial as cartoons invoke in people. ---
**Author:** ![pepperlandgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f17d59/32.png) [@pepperlandgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pepperlandgirl)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2003, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/home-movies-vs-the-family-guy/170923/24 "2003-04-25T14:55:41Z")
I like HM better than FG purely on the strength of the Franz Kafka rock opera. Sheer brilliance. ---
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2003, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/home-movies-vs-the-family-guy/170923/25 "2003-04-25T16:23:37Z")
I’ve always thought that what makes Family Guy work for me, when it does work, is how completely random it can be. Like, last night, for example, when there’s like a 3-minute fight scene between Peter and a giant chicken in the mode of any bad action movie, or the time Peter falls through the dryer and meets Mr. Tumnus, who has stolen his sock. Brian and Stewie, in my opinion, are who really made the show funny, when it was funny for more of a reason and not completely random. “The Man in White has come to put me back into the womb.” I like Family Guy, but I’m not getting the DVDs unless I find a good deal somewhere. ---
**Author:** ![Doomtrain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/0ea827/32.png) [@Doomtrain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doomtrain)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2003, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/home-movies-vs-the-family-guy/170923/26 "2003-04-25T17:10:03Z")
“Chicken…gave me an expired coupon.” ---
**Author:** ![Incubus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c68b51/32.png) [@Incubus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Incubus)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2003, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/home-movies-vs-the-family-guy/170923/27 "2003-04-25T18:04:51Z")
LMAO that scene totally came out of nowhere. Its stuff like that which I enjoy about Family Guy. Or Stewies Oliver twist fantasy “Now put on this dress! Now dance!” ---
**Author:** ![owlofcreamcheese](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/97f17d/32.png) [@owlofcreamcheese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/owlofcreamcheese)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2003, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/home-movies-vs-the-family-guy/170923/28 "2003-04-25T19:47:04Z")
the funniest jokes of either is the same sort of humor: really random and unexpected referance to something a small set of viewers will even have a clue what the show is talking about. its both sort of elitist humor… sort of a 'this is funny because I know only me and a few other people will get the joke" home movies just tends towards high class referances and family guy towards low class. its not REALLY that diffrent a joke if the random unexpected referance is to kafka or tony danza… thats why simpsons is so good, no matter WHO you are it will tell a joke somewhere that will fall into your interest ---
**Author:** ![pepperlandgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f17d59/32.png) [@pepperlandgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pepperlandgirl)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2003, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/home-movies-vs-the-family-guy/170923/29 "2003-04-25T20:23:08Z")
> [@](#): > > its not REALLY that diffrent a joke if the random unexpected referance is to kafka or tony danza… Oh, I forgot about the Who’s THe Boss float on the Family Guy until now. That was almost as good as the Kafka Rock Opera. But to say they are both obscure references? Please, Who’s The Boss was a popular show and Tony Danza is sitll around somewhere. ---
**Author:** ![pravnik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8edcca/32.png) [@pravnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pravnik)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2003, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/home-movies-vs-the-family-guy/170923/30 "2003-04-25T20:56:59Z")
If you didn’t laugh your ass off at the Home Movies rap by “Mr. Pants”, George Washington’s insane cat, then either your laugher is broken or you have no ass. ---
**Author:** ![Fern\_Forest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/71c47a/32.png) [@Fern\_Forest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fern_Forest)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2003, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/home-movies-vs-the-family-guy/170923/31 "2003-04-25T22:14:54Z")
I wonder if they’ll ever play **Family Dog** on this channel? HM will be back and play around several times. It just got bumped because they’re pulling in all these new series. And several of those will get played out in a few weeks and we’ll all cycle around. However, if they’d be so kind as to have a squigglevision night I would die of pleasure. Dr. Katz, Science Court and Home Movies. Ohh yeah. And they can even try out some of their other ones which went so fast you missed them if you blinked. Everything Mr. McGurk says is funny. And I love the slow humor of Jon Katz when he’s riffing with Melissa or anyone. Family Guy I see what they’re after but like Dilbert it just doesn’t click with me. It’s like the difference between Clerks and Dilbert. One just gets itself and the other doesn’t. And now. “It’s time to pay the price.” ---
**Author:** ![RandMcnally](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b782af/32.png) [@RandMcnally](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RandMcnally)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2003, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/home-movies-vs-the-family-guy/170923/32 "2003-04-26T00:24:40Z")
Family Guy was stupid. That’s why I liked it so much. Lois:“Damit Peter, the way you act sometimes, it feels like I’m married to a child.” Peter:“Allright Lois, I’ll give you that. But if I’m a child, what does that make you? A pedifile, and I’ll be damned if I’m going to stand here and be lectured by a pervert.” ---
**Author:** ![SolGrundy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bbce88/32.png) [@SolGrundy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SolGrundy)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2003, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/home-movies-vs-the-family-guy/170923/33 "2003-04-26T00:50:17Z")
I haven’t seen a new episode of Home Movies in months; what they’ve been showing nightly have been reruns (and reruns and rerurns of reruns). So unless there’s some insider knowledge I’m not aware of, HM isn’t going away for good. they just decided it was time for something different. And for the records, count me into the “Home Movies is infinitely better than The Family Guy” camp. The latter insulted my intelligence, first for being stupid and then for being unoriginal. But to each his own… “You want me to carry you around in a rickshaw? Is that what you want? Welcome to China, Janine!” “Don’t put marbles in your nose! (Put them in there/Do not put them in there)” ---
**Author:** ![pepperlandgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f17d59/32.png) [@pepperlandgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pepperlandgirl)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2003, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/home-movies-vs-the-family-guy/170923/34 "2003-04-26T00:56:02Z")
Jesuszilla! Son of Godzilla! ---
**Author:** ![seriousart](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ebca7d/32.png) [@seriousart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/seriousart)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2003, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/home-movies-vs-the-family-guy/170923/35 "2003-04-26T02:54:31Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by SolGrundy \* > \*\*“Don’t put marbles in your nose! (Put them in there/Do not put them in there)” \*\* I saw a rough cut of this scene in-studio about 6 months before it aired! I came back raving about it to everyone I knew. Explanation: I had the pleasure of touring Tom Snyder Productions about 2 years ago when I was applying for a job as an animator. I loved Home Movies so much I was willing to leave a great job 1,500 miles away for the chance to work with the likes of these guys. Sadly, I was offered a job but was faced with the grim financial reality of facing a 50% paycut and the high likelyhood of being laid off after 6 months. Long story short, I had to turn them down. Incidentally, the age of “squigglevision” is over. The software they used to create the shake, was discontinued so they segued into using Flash, both for TV and their web cartoons. They go by [Soup2Nuts](http://www.soup2nuts.tv/html/index.html) now, BTW. (they have a horrible website, which has been updated once in about 2 years) I think H Jon Benjamin (Jason, McGuirk, Ben Katz) could make reading grocery list hillarious. And I miss Paula Poundstone, who did the first five episodes on UPN but disappeared when they got picked up by the CN. No coincidence, I assume, that all her legal trouble happened about the same time. I eagerly look forward to them coming back on the air with new episodes. Oh, and Family Guy sucks. I equate it to the Oblongs or The Pitts. It’s just… tired. ---
**Author:** ![Mockingbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c68b51/32.png) [@Mockingbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mockingbird)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2003, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/home-movies-vs-the-family-guy/170923/36 "2003-04-26T04:16:54Z")
Between these two, I love Futurama. The Oblongs were cool! ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2003, 6:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/home-movies-vs-the-family-guy/170923/37 "2003-04-26T06:25:15Z")
Don’t forget the jazz fight in the Home Movies “Hiatus” episode… And it will be back this summer or fall, with new episodes. I saw the schedule on [adultswim.com](http://adultswim.com) somewhere a while back. ---
**Author:** ![SolGrundy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bbce88/32.png) [@SolGrundy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SolGrundy)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2003, 9:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/home-movies-vs-the-family-guy/170923/38 "2003-04-26T09:47:56Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by seriousart \* > **And I miss Paula Poundstone, who did the first five episodes on UPN but disappeared when they got picked up by the CN. No coincidence, I assume, that all her legal trouble happened about the same time.** Yeah, she was great (although the new actress is excellent too). But there were some very uncomfortable coincidences in the show – at least I’m guessing they were coincidences – when the episodes were re-run around the time of her arrest. Lots of joking references to Paula’s being an unfit parent because of her drinking, taking the kids for ice cream and not being able to pay for it, things like that. Whatever, she’s hilarious. I really hope she starts doing more stuff again. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/home-movies-vs-the-family-guy/170923.md?page=1)