“The Simpsons” and “Family Guy” are one in the same – they are both long running adult cartoons with large fanbases. Both have been criticized and revered for their boldness in making edgy and offensive jokes. However, one show clearly stands above the other – “The Simpsons” surpasses “Family Guy” in humor, characters, and touching moments, making it the superior show.
While “The Simpsons” and “Family Guy” have similar humor in the fact that they are both unapologetic and offensive, “The Simpsons” pulls it off with more class than “Family Guy” ever could. “Family Guy” utilizes cutaway gags, which are clips that interject the main story with a quick joke. In fact, “Family Guy” episodes have an average of 11 cutaways per episode according to the Family Guy wiki, which often interrupts the story and disrupts the flow of the episode. On the other hand “The Simpsons” delicately crafts their jokes into the story so that the episode flows seamlessly while at the same time being funny.
In addition, the characters from “The Simpsons” are so much better developed and well rounded than the characters from “Family Guy.” A perfect example are the two daughters from the families from each show. Lisa Simpson, The daughter in “The Simpsons” is a very interesting complex character with multiple interests, like playing the saxophone, reading, activism, and dolls. But Meg Griffin, the daughter from “Family Guy” is a one dimensional character with little to no interests, and according to her wiki page is merely a punching bag for the rest of the family who adds nothing to the story. The complexity of characters in “The Simpsons” leads to greater connections and stories than seen in “Family Guy.”
“The Simpsons” not only does comedy and character development much better than “Family Guy” but also the sweet touching moments. “The Simpsons” has a wide variety of heartwarming episodes, which include but is not limited to “Maggie makes 3,” “Lisa’s first word,” and “mother simpson.” “Family Guy” only has one episode that attempts to be sweet, “Brian and Stewie,” an episode which is just as gross as it is heartwarming, for the fact that Brian eats out of Stewie’s diaper.
When surveyed, the majority of people said that “Family Guy” was the better show. However, the reason they stated was that it was only because they hadn’t seen “The Simpsons” where as people who chose “The Simpsons” said that they watched both and “The Simpsons” was just better. So while “Family Guy” may be more popular nowadays, it doesn’t hold a candle to the classic that is “The Simpsons.”
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