Why Aren’t You Watching Family Guy?

Family Guy is an animated sitcom that was first brought to life by Seth MacFarlane in 1999 targeting an audience aged 18-34. The animated series illustrates the adventures of the Griffin family from the fictitious town of Quahog. Peter and Lois Griffin have three kids.

The youngest, Stewie, is a brilliant, yet sadistic baby who strives to kill his mother and take over the world. Chris and Meg, two uncool and unintelligent kids, are trying to sort out their teenage life issues. Then there’s the family’s talking dog Brian. He tries to keep Baby Stewie out of trouble, all while sipping martinis.

The adult-humored show aired on FOX in 2000 and was shortly cancelled not once, but twice. In 2002, after the show re-aired, it was cancelled again because of it’s risky racial and religious jokes.

After the cancellations, re-runs of the cartoon series aired on Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim. Fans slowly began begging for more. Shortly afterwards, a DVD was released containing several of its previous episodes. Over one million dvds were sold, and according to “Video Store” magazine, it was 2005’s top-selling TV show and ranked 4th in top-selling TV show title ever.

Because the DVDs sold so well and ratings on Adult Swim were fantastic, FOX decided to resume production of the show in 2005.

Family Guy is one of only a few shows in television history to be cancelled and later revived by the demand of their fans. About 12 million people tuned in to watch Family Guy’s fourth season premiere episode in May of 2005.

So, with this being it’s third attempt and fairing pretty well, why aren’t YOU watching Family Guy?

Well, first off, ever since its first airing, Family Guy has received a lot of criticism. The show’s adult content, insulting humor, and disrespect are of concern to many individuals. Touchy themes such as racism, sexuality, and abortion have caused uproar and even caused some scenes to be deleted.

One episode called “When You Wish Upon a Weinstein,” was refused by FOX because of its plot. Peter attempted to convert Chris to Judaism in hopes of making his fat and dumb son financially successful in life. The episode was inappropriate under accusations of anti-Semitism. Another part of the show, a reference to Deicide, was also removed before it was approved to air.

In August 2005, Family Guy ran an episode poking fun at a man with AIDS. Peter, one of the main characters, danced around the sick man’s hospital bed while singing a distasteful song about his full-blown case of AIDS. Some viewers along with AIDS service organizations were outraged that this sitcom was clearly making the infection a laughing matter.

Kevin Burns, executive director of Action AIDS, stated, “It is disturbing that FOX television would take such a cavalier approach to the subject of HIV/AIDS and the difficult task of informing someone of an AIDS diagnosis. FOX owes the community an apology. In addition, they should consider the many opportunities they have to support people living with HIV/AIDS and to educate the larger community about HIV/AIDS treatment, care, and prevention.”

I honestly do not understand how Family Guy remains on FOX. FOX is notorious for being a family channel. The best decision was to force the sitcom to air after 9pm. Due to its adult dialog, I would hate for my children to even hear a few words from the characters. There are tons of other top-rated shows that FOX should air in lieu of Family Guy that would bring in just as many if not more viewers. Why doesn’t Family Guy just go back to Adult Swim permanently?

So, again, with such degrading and disrespectful content, why aren’t YOU watching Family Guy? Or should the question be better re-stated, “With such degrading and disrespectful content, why would you even WANT to watch Family Guy?”