It occurs to me that maybe Family Guy DID respond.
Just not with a counterattack.
I don’t know if the time-line works, because I don’t know when the SP episode aired, but…
Family Guy, last season, had an episode where Peter, Quagmire, and Cleveland are talking…Peter says something about Scrubs, Quagmire responds positively, but Cleveland replies that he hates shows that cut away for some random crap (something to that effect…he was criticizing Scrubs for its cutaway scenes, anyway), then they cut away to a random scene of Hitler juggling on a unicycle.
They eventually went back to the scene, and Peter kicked the crap out of Hitler, saying ‘See? We were going somewhere with that!’, as part of a different gag, but it still feels like ‘you think our cutaways are random? Well, they are, so what?’
I don’t remember the stem cell episode too clearly, except for Christopher Reeve snapping open an aborted fetus and devouring its stem cells. They’ve absolutely mauled $cientologist celebrities, PETA, NAMBLA, Mormons, etc. I don’t always agree with them, but I do think they’re funny. And frankly, we all need the piss taken out of us every once in a while.
I think that South Park, at its best, is humorous on a level that is several steps above what Family Guy shoots for. I know that after I saw the SP episode parodying FG, I’m unable to look at FG the same way again. Their formula is so obvious that I just sit there waiting for it:
“Hey, Lois, remember the time the NOUN did the VERB?” And then it cuts to the noun doing the verb.
I know. And? I was aware of their idiocy and criminality long before South Park did it. The Trapped in the Closet episode was funny, but the truth is, this is not some defining social issue. It’s one more case of celebrity stupidity. That’s the only reason anybody cares about Scientology - it’s because it gives them a good reason for a long hard laugh at some dumb actors. So I don’t think it’s any different from them mocking Britney Spears.
Would South Park’s “Imagination Land” be eligible for an Emmy in '09 if they decide to submit it, or am I getting the time lines mixed up? The trilogy got great ratings if I remember correctly. It may be their best bet, (so far), for an Emmy next year. I’m just asking because “Make Love, Not Warcraft” seems like it’s was originally aired ages ago.
As far as the South Park Vs. Family Guy discussion’s concerned, I enjoy both shows. I can bare to miss a new episode of Family Guy, but new episodes of South Park are mandatory viewing. I probably watch more Family Guy as a whole, since it’s not difficult to catch repeats, and it’s more of a casual experience. They’re just very different shows, which is what I think Parker and Stone were generally getting at with “Cartoon Wars”.
Yes they make fun of Family Guy, but they don’t insult it’s fans, and they also poke fun at their own show. I think they were just sick of people stopping them on the street and constantly referring to a show that they particularly don’t care for. McFarlane made the right move by not really addressing the situation.
That graduation speech comment is actually pretty funny! I was unaware he could do humor that didn’t involve dragging out unfunny jokes or references to shows his viewing audience is actually slightly too young to remember.
