Is Family Guy basically just an animated Whose Line Is It Anyway?

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

Yes which is why I find most of the criticisms of it rather stupid. No one ever attacks WLIIA for not having a plot for example.

Actually come to think of it, Seth MacFarlane would make an awesome participant on WLIIA as well.

[Snowstalker Mk. II]

No, they actually try to have a plot in each episode. They're just bad at it.

[Grumpier Than Thou]

Posting this poll should be treated as trolling.

[bedstuy]

Animated shows are almost by definition scripted, so no.

Family Guy is basically the Simpsons, but more absurd and vulgar and with more pop culture references.  The silly gag element of Family Guy is more reminiscent of the comedy films of the 60-80s (in style, not quality per se) like Airplane!, Kentucky Fried Movie and the early Woody Allen movies.    

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

Aside from being about animated families, there isn't really a whole lot of similarities between Family Guy and The Simpsons. And The Simpsons is a terrible show* while Family Guy is brilliant.

*It had about nine good seasons, and a lot more utterly horrible ones, so on balance it's a terrible show. Had it been cancelled at the end of the Bill Clinton presidency, it'd be one of the best shows of all time of course.

[bedstuy]

Aside from being about animated families, there isn't really a whole lot of similarities between Family Guy and The Simpsons. And The Simpsons is a terrible show* while Family Guy is brilliant.

*It had about nine good seasons, and a lot more utterly horrible ones, so on balance it's a terrible show. Had it been cancelled at the end of the Bill Clinton presidency, it'd be one of the best shows of all time of course.

Family Guy is very derivative of The Simpsons.  That's fairly obvious.  And, the Simpsons is derivative of the good family sitcoms of the 50s-70s.  I don't think that's a knock on them, but it's a fact.

[dead0man]

That's fairly obvious.  And, the Simpsons is derivative of the good family sitcoms of the 50s-70s.  I don't think that's a knock on them, but it's a fact.

They've (the Simpsons) admitted as much several times.  I'm thinking specifically from the episode The Day the Violence Died

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[DC Al Fine]

Animated shows are almost by definition scripted, so no.

Family Guy is basically the Simpsons, but more absurd and vulgar and with more pop culture references.  The silly gag element of Family Guy is more reminiscent of the comedy films of the 60-80s (in style, not quality per se) like Airplane!, Kentucky Fried Movie and the early Woody Allen movies.    

The relative lack of pop culture references in The Simpsons has helped older episodes age well. Watch a 20 year old Simpsons episode and it still holds up pretty well. Watch a 10 year old episode of Family Guy and you'll take a trip down Mediocre Celebrity Lane, even though the episodes were good at the time.

[Snowstalker Mk. II]

Animated shows are almost by definition scripted, so no.

Family Guy is basically the Simpsons, but more absurd and vulgar and with more pop culture references.  The silly gag element of Family Guy is more reminiscent of the comedy films of the 60-80s (in style, not quality per se) like Airplane!, Kentucky Fried Movie and the early Woody Allen movies.    

The relative lack of pop culture references in The Simpsons has helped older episodes age well. Watch a 20 year old Simpsons episode and it still holds up pretty well. Watch a 10 year old episode of Family Guy and you'll take a trip down Mediocre Celebrity Lane, even though the episodes were good at the time.

Though Simpsons episodes since the turning point (I'd peg it at the episode where Maude dies) have basically defined themselves on pointless celebrity cameos.

[Lief 🗽]

Family Guy is basically an animated version of Date Movie, Epic Movie, Meet the Spartans, etc.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

Family Guy is basically an animated version of Date Movie, Epic Movie, Meet the Spartans, etc.

Uh, no. Haven't you seen Ted? That's basically live action Family Guy and the same style of jokes. And it was funny. Family Guy has actual jokes, not just references.

[Bacon King]

Guys you can trash family guy all you want but BRTD isn't gonna change his mind just like you can't make Sneakers O'Toole take his sneakers off

*CUT TO SNEAKERS O'TOOLE SKETCH*

[King]

To be nice to Family Guy, I would say it reminds me more of pre-SNL old school sketch comedy like Carol Burnett and Pettycoat Junction where the plot of an episode was more of a theme than a story and the characters would announce the next sketch.

[HagridOfTheDeep]

lol @ the poll results.

[Grumpier Than Thou]

Guys you can trash family guy all you want but BRTD isn't gonna change his mind just like you can't make Sneakers O'Toole take his sneakers off

*CUT TO SNEAKERS O'TOOLE SKETCH*

You see, Sneakers O'Toole represents powerviolence bands who refuse to "take their sneakers off" (sign to major labels) because they're still "Sneakers O'Toole" (loyal to the underground scene)