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Is 'Family Guy' the most controversial cartoon in US television history?

Although 'Family Guy' has been on air for only ten years, less than half the run of 'The Simpsons', the show has become one of the most controversial programmes in US TV history. 'Family Guy' has been heavily criticised by virtually all the major religious groups, for its perceived anti-religious stance. The song 'I Need a Jew' was deemed by some to uphold many negative stereotypes regarding Judaism, while the episode 'Petarded' featured a number of attacks on Creationism. Warren Marshall has suggested that "while Family Guy is happy to mock Christianity and Judaism, it refrains from attacking Islam, possibly due to fears over the potential consequences" (Marshall, 2009, p. 85). This criticism is mirrored by many in the US who claim that 'Family Guy' goes for relatively easy targets and manufactures this criticism in such a way that anyone who argues against such stereotypes will, in fact, merely be reinforcing them. Supporters of the show argue that it's not anti-Christian or anti-Semitic as such, but anti-religion, and that its targets tend to be those who use organised religion as a tool for personal gain. Arguably, 'The Simpsons' attacks the same targets, but with the crucial addition of scenes that clearly affirm the potential benefits of religious faith (as opposed to religious dogma). In 'The Simpsons', God exists and is irritated by those who attempt to exploit the religious views of others, while in 'Family Guy' it's possible to argue that God is either absent or portrayed negatively.

The two shows also differ in terms of their stance on a number of key American controversies. In particular, 'Family Guy' has featured numerous references to abortion, occasionally having characters make flippant remarks about the process, while 'The Simpsons' has for the most part steered clear of this controversial topic. Julie Graham argues that abortion, even more so than religion, is considered off-topic for many comedians in the United States, since "abortion is considered by many to be something for which there is no real comic approach" (Graham, 2008, p. 17). By tackling this subject, 'Family Guy' is accused by some of merely making glib comments that fail to add anything to the debate. However, supporters of the series have claimed that by making such comments and jokes, the series is attempting to defuse the controversy surrounding abortion and ensure that it can be debated in more rational terms. Some have linked the abortion debate within the show to the ongoing anti-religious crusade that is perceived by many to be at the core of 'Family Guy's humour, and it's certainly true that abortion is one of the key issues in the religious debate in America. However, 'Family Guy' tends to eschew the religious side of abortion, and usually treats the two issues separately.

In many ways, 'Family Guy' has become the bete noire of American television, and the Parents Television Council (PTC) has filed two major complaints against the show. In the first, the episode 'And the Wiener Is...' was accused of containing overt sexual content, although this complaint was dismissed by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) due to the lack of graphic on-screen depictions of sexual activity. Many critics of the PTC campaign against the show argue that the organisation is fundamentally misunderstanding the target audience, believing that because the show is animated it must be aimed at children; in fact, members of the 'Family Guy' production team have repeatedly emphasised the fact that children should not be allowed to watch the programme. PTC attempts to compare 'Family Guy' to 'The Flintstones' or 'The Jetsons' have, for the most part, proved unsuccessful, as most critics recognise that those shows have a very different audience. The PTC has also criticised 'The Simpsons', although with less vigour, and some critics argue that 'Family Guy' takes some of the heat off 'The Simpsons', with the latter tending to receive more negative attention during periods when 'Family Guy' is off the air.

Ultimately, both 'Family Guy' and 'The Simpsons' have caused controversy with their humour-based approaches to a number of key issues. In recent years, 'The Simpsons' has included episodes that mock right-wing attitudes on a range of subjects including gun control and sex education. However, 'Family Guy' tends to draw more criticism due to its tendency not to counter-balance such criticism by showing the positive effects of family life. Furthermore, the Simpson family is fundamentally functional and reflects many positive aspects of American life, while the Griffins in 'Family Guy' are somewhat dysfunctional. 'Family Guy' has also been criticised by a number of other cartoons, including 'The Simpsons' and 'South Park', for its alleged unoriginality and crude humour. Nevertheless, despite threats from advertisers that they might start to boycott 'Family Guy', the show remains on the air, primarily because it receives high ratings and sells well on DVD, thereby making it a strong commercial performer for the Fox network. Despite the criticisms, 'Family Guy' proves that commercial success is the only real standard by which television programmes are judged.

BIBLIOGRAPHAY

Graham, Julie (2008). 'Controversy in the American Media'. London: Senecca Publishing

Marshall, Warren (2009). 'USTV: Modern Media Phenomena'. London: Wheatcroft Press

Schulenberg, Caroline (2007). PTC: Family Guy on Fox

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