Battle of the Cartoons (Simpsons & South Park vs. Family Guy)

[Anti-Moderator]

If the Simpsons was still as good today as it was 15 years ago then no doubt it would be number 1. But its been too bad, for too long to justify giving it the top spot.

Family Guy can be atrociously unfunny. They can have so much filler. South Park really nailed it, when they parodied Family Guy. And this is the thing, this is one of the difference makers - Seth McFarlene is not funny enough to come up with a way to get back at them. And really, how can he? How could Family Guy parody South Park? South Park constantly evolves.

South Park are so much more topical, smart, witty, the episodes are cohesive, well written, with awesome characters and storylines.

Those episodes revolving around Mysterion and Coon and Friends, that was like a saga. That could have been a damn film. Completely on another level, in a totally different league from what Family Guy is capable of.

South Park makes me laugh the hardest. It goes beyond that, though. Trey Parker and Matt Stone know how to write. They tell a good story while they make you laugh. Something The Simpsons used to be able to do in its prime.

I agree with all of this. The fact that the creators make an episode in 6 days is incredible. I watched 6 Days to Air: The Making of South Park and it's insane how Matt & Trey and the creators pull off episodes like they do. Even episodes that I think are so-so I appreciate more just knowing how an episode comes alive.

 

[CelticPredator]

South Park. And Futurama.

The rest are wreched piles of useless ****. Especially Family Guy. Awful. South Park can be watched at any time, anywhere, and the story can still be funny.

Family Guy relies on useless refrences that make no sense. **** Family Guy.

 

[Kane52630]

Family Guy was only good for the first 3 seasons while The Simpsons was only good for the first 10 seasons.

 

[Ultra Lantern]

My vote is for South Park.

 

[CelticPredator]

Agreed. But The Simpsons now sucks;.

 

[Vapor]

South Park, hands down.

I think it can summed up in one simple sentance really - Simpsons, Futurama and Family Guy all use to be good in their first handfull of seasons. South Park is still great after 15 seasons.

Simpsons was great up to about season 8/9/10. They use to to focus on the story, now it just feels like they think up a couple jokes and cobble together some daft plot to fit around the jokes. The first 4 seasons of Futurama, IMO, were better than the Simpsons, definitely better than the latter half of seasons but the movies weren't that cracking and I haven't bothered with the new stuff 'cos I heard it was poor. Family Guy can still make me laugh but I don't make a point of watching it. The first 3 or 4 series were pretty good but like the Simpsons, they've just become charactatures of themselves.

I think South Park has an image of being really stupid, toliet, offensive, sweary humour.... and ok, a lot of it is like that but it's actually really clever and satrical and well written. And I think if more people gave it chance they would probably appreciate it more. My friend has recently become a fan of South Park and said he didn't realise it was so well written and funny.

 

[Prison Mike]

I can't believe The Simpsons is winning the poll. They haven't had a good season since the 90s. I prefer South Park. It's in its 14 or 15th season and still makes me laugh every episode.

 

[SpideyInATree]

Yeah, South Park definitely takes the cake out of all of them. The Simpsons were really good in the 90's as others have said, but I honestly haven't seen recent episodes because I just completely lost interest.

I like Family Guy and American Dad. It's just that Family Guy has really lost it's touch in the last two years and not even nearly as funny as it used to be. The late Patrice O'Neal said it best about Seth trying to outdo himself and making the shows too much about him on the Charlie Sheen roast.

American Dad has it's moments. I can see why most wouldn't really "get" American Dad but it's one of those things that you watch a few times and once you catch a decent episode it kind of draws you in. It's actually kind of sad that this show is outdoing Family Guy.

Don't even get me started on that new Allen Gregory show. Oh my goodness that is AWFUL. I watched the first episode and it turned me off so bad. Then I figured I'd give it a few more tries and it just did absolutely nothing for me. Literally...EVERY character in the show is a giant over the top jerk off that you just want to slap in the face. I kind of get what they are trying to do with it but it's a bit too much.

South Park is the best of the best, at least right now.

 

[Erzengel]

I like the people who keep saying the same line, the Simpsons were only good in the 90s and you know when I was between the ages of 5 and 15.

Simpsons still paved away for all these shows. And a lot of their humor is subtle and implied and I've been watching South Park since the beginning as well and you haven't noticed the heavy handed, almost preaching messages over the past few years?

Again the only show that I don't think is funny is American Dad.

Futurama is the only one that's ever gotten to me. And I'd put that above South Park, Family Guy and American Dad.

 

[Scourge2099]

Yeah, South Park definitely takes the cake out of all of them. The Simpsons were really good in the 90's as others have said, but I honestly haven't seen recent episodes because I just completely lost interest.

I like Family Guy and American Dad. It's just that Family Guy has really lost it's touch in the last two years and not even nearly as funny as it used to be. The late Patrice O'Neal said it best about Seth trying to outdo himself and making the shows too much about him on the Charlie Sheen roast.

American Dad has it's moments. I can see why most wouldn't really "get" American Dad but it's one of those things that you watch a few times and once you catch a decent episode it kind of draws you in. It's actually kind of sad that this show is outdoing Family Guy.

Don't even get me started on that new Allen Gregory show. Oh my goodness that is AWFUL. I watched the first episode and it turned me off so bad. Then I figured I'd give it a few more tries and it just did absolutely nothing for me. Literally...EVERY character in the show is a giant over the top jerk off that you just want to slap in the face. I kind of get what they are trying to do with it but it's a bit too much.

South Park is the best of the best, at least right now.

Not to go off topic , but when did Patrice O'Neil die ?

 

[SpideyInATree]

I like the people who keep saying the same line, the Simpsons were only good in the 90s and you know when I was between the ages of 5 and 15.

Simpsons still paved away for all these shows. And a lot of their humor is subtle and implied and I've been watching South Park since the beginning as well and you haven't noticed the heavy handed, almost preaching messages over the past few years?

Again the only show that I don't think is funny is American Dad.

Futurama is the only one that's ever gotten to me. And I'd put that above South Park, Family Guy and American Dad.

Because that's generally when a lot of people watched heavily and when the show was at it's best. It's not what it used to be. They kept it on for way too long. I have the old shows to revisit whenever I need a Simpsons fix.

I choose South Park because it's been on for a long time and it still keeps up with the same quality.

You don't have to like it, just the way a lot of other people see it.

And, of course, the show helped pave the way for the other shows doesn't mean that it's the "best". And The Simpsons wasn't the only animated show to "pave" the way. If it wasn't for Beavis and Butthead shows like South Park, Family Guy, American Dad, and pretty much every animated show on Adult Swim wouldn't even exist.

 

[SpideyInATree]

Not to go off topic , but when did Patrice O'Neil die ?

He died a few days ago of a stroke. Saw it all over Twitter and then was listening to Howard Stern and they were talking about it. How that one blonde woman on Charlie Sheen's roast made a joke about Patrice not making it to the next roast.... Ouch.

 

[Erzengel]

Actually, I know Stone and Parker have given credit to the Simpsons.

And like I said, the quality of South Park has gone down at least for me over the past few years, the jokes on social commentary just feel like it's being shoved down my throat, instead of cleverly told through the show.

Part of me thinks that South Park has past it's stride a few years ago as well.

 

[E-Man]

I think the Simpsons, South Park, and Family Guy have run their course. At it's peak the Simpsons was pure gold. It's really crazy how great they were for so long. To me it just might be the best tv show of all time. It had everything you want in a show. It was funny on many levels, clever in a lot of unique ways, and it seemed like every character has something funny about them. Sure Homer is one of the funniest characters known to reasonable humanity, but all the other characters bring something to the table too.Even after their heyday the Simpsons was still a bit funny. It wasn't as great as it was during the 90s, but during the early part of the new millennium it was still funny. Somewhere in the last 5 years that changed and it's been past time to end the show. If they don't it won't be a big deal since I don't watch it anymore, but there is hardly anything funny about the Simpsons these days.

South Park was great in its prime too. At first it was basically toilet humor with kids, but it really grew into a great show that had a lot of hidden meanings in it. I remember converting people to the South Park way some years back because they thought it was just about kids using "foul language," but once I showed it to them they got that it was some really good commentary on current events. I think it all fell apart when the show stopped blending the commentary with the humor. The season with Cartoon Wars seemed to have too many episodes that were directly about some kind of current event without the humor that made it great. They also don't have many great episodes that are just funny for the sake of being funny. Like the Casa Bonita episode. That doesn't deal with any big issue of the 21st Century. It's just about how ****ed up Cartman is because he's willing to do all sorts of crazy **** to go to his favorite restaurant. Now it's just them taking whatever is current and making fun of it, but it's so boring now that I barely watch any new episodes.

Family Guy was once a favorite of mine. I watched it and loved it when it first came on, and when it came back from hiatus I enjoyed it quite a bit for a while. It ran dry quickly, but considering the format of the show that was bound to happen. Even McFarlane himself thinks the show has run its course, and it really shows in the new episodes. I don't think it holds a candle to the Simpsons or South Park, but it's good enough in its own right. Sure a lot of it isn't original, but it's given me some good laughs over the years.

 

[fracture2112]

Sure, the Simpsons may have already "ran it's course." But at least it had a course of it's own to run off of.

Family Guy has never and(from the looks of it)will never. Such a waste of space.

 

[Hobgoblin]

I really dont really watch any of them anymore, although I dont hate any of them. At one time, I would have said that American Dad was the worst of the lot but these days its the only one I watch, rarely. I'm up late at night (I work the late shift) and American Dad is always on late on Adult Swim. Family Guy is always on late too, but it always shows old re-runs.