Assignment 1-4-2 Written Analysis 1

Assignment 1-4-2 Written Analysis 1

           The popularity of adult-oriented animated sitcoms, such as The Simpsons and Family Guy seems to be growing more and more as time goes by.  Fox Television’s current Sunday night lineup is dominated with animated television shows for a solid three hours.  The Simpsons, which has been on the air for over twenty years, is still seemingly still popular today.  One way that these animated sitcoms have been able to stay popular for so long is through their heavy usage of popular culture references.  By using pop culture references and parody, the amount of material the writers have to work with is almost infinite.  Throughout the production history of both The Simpsons and Family Guy, pop cultural icons and myths have both been represented.  The following discussion provides examples of these pop culture concepts.

            One of the most commonly used methods for referencing popular culture on animated sitcoms is through the usage of guest stars.  Guest stars can be present through animated (and often fictionalized) representations of themselves, or they could participate by lending their voice\likeness to a completely different character, with the understanding that the viewer\listener will understand the connection the writers are trying to make.  Both Family Guy and The Simpsons commonly employ guest stars, many of which are pop culture icons.   Countless icons have guest starred on The Simpsons, ranging from famous musicians like Paul McCartney or Elton John to actors like Mel Gibson and Ron Howard.  On Family Guy, Adam West, most famous for playing Batman on the 1960s television series of the same name, lends his voice and likeness to a highly fictionalized version of himself for his role as the Mayor of Quahog, Rhode Island, the fictional town where the series takes place.  Several other celebrities have also been parodied and satirized on both series.  In addition to representing pop culture icons through references, the shows themselves have become popular icons of animated television.  The Simpsons are arguably one of the most famous fictional families of all time.

            The Simpsons and Family Guy series also contain elements of myth.  Both shows’ central cast families, the Simpsons and the Griffins, are themselves representatives of various myths.  One of the most promininently represented myths is their supposed portrayal of being a stereotypically average American family.  The Simpsons and Griffins both live in modest homes, Homer and Peter work blue-collar jobs, Marge and Lois are stay-at-home mothers and wives, the kids go to the local public school, etc.  Beyond these “average” aspects of their lives, the similarity to real-life families begins to disappear.  Despite being proved grossly incompetent time after time, Homer manages to maintain his job at the local nuclear power plant, while still able to leave and come back at will while he pursues other “careers”, such as astronaut, actor, plow driver, etc.  Peter Griffin also seems to have the same “ability” on Family Guy.  Marge seems to be infinitely patient and supportive of Homer, and sticks by him on his pursuits more often than not.  The same could be said for Lois Griffin.  Other characters, such as Stewie the toddler and Brian the dog on Family Guy possess abnormal abilities, such as the ability to talk, which is perceived as normal by the cast.  The more things stray from reality the more frequent myths are represented.

            Through applying the concepts of myths and popular icons to Family Guy and The Simpsons it becomes clear how similar the shows are.  It could be that the creators of Family Guy have copied formulas from The Simpsons deliberately in hopes that the series will be as popular and successful.  Perhaps it is an indication that a tradition of television writing is to draw inspiration from previous shows.  After all, the not-so- average average family has been portrayed on television in tons of sitcoms.  Based on the popularity of both shows, these concepts seem to be enjoyed by viewers.  Perhaps the viewers envy or “look up to” Homer and Peter as examples of the average American that got a chance to live a dream they had, no matter how ridiculous or impossible it may be for this week’s episode.  After I realized the similarities of Family Guy and The Simpsons, I began to realize how common it really is for writers to draw inspiration, copy, or outright steal common formulas and ideas from other shows.  Often all that is needed to write a new television series is to change one or two details from an existing series.  A famous example of this would be how similar Fred Flintstone and Barney Rubble of The Flintstones were to Ralph Kramden and Ed Norton of The Honeymooners. 

            Since there will likely never be a shortage of worthwhile pop culture to reference, it is not likely the writers of these shows will run out of material.  As long as the stories appeal to viewers and the production costs are at a reasonable level, Family Guy, The Simpsons, and several other animated shows that rely on pop culture should remain on the air for years to come.

References

Barbera, J, & Hanna, W. (Producers). (1960). The Flintstones [Television series]. Los Angeles: Hanna-Barbera Productions.

Brooks, J.L, Groening, M., & Simon, S. (Executive Producers). (1989). The Simpsons [Television series]. Hollywood: 20^th Century Fox.

Goodman, D.A., Callaghan, S., Sheridan, C., & MacFarlane, S. (Executive Producers). (1999). Family Guy [Television series]. Hollywood: 20^th Century Fox.

Hurdle, J., Philbin, J., & Poss, S. (Executive Producers). (1955). The Honeymooners [Television series]. New York: 20^th Columbia Broadcasting System.