Welcome to a new column called Channel Surfing, in which I sporadically look at current TV shows and talk about them. These are not ones that I care to write weekly recaps for and are instead reflections either on the episode, the series, or particular moments. This will hopefully help to share personal opinions as well as discover entertainment on the outer pantheon that I feel is well worth checking out, or in some cases, shows that are weird enough to talk about, but should never be seen.
It is quite possibly the biggest gimmick that The Simpsons could have pulled off. Since season 25 wrapped this past spring, The Simpsons has garnered a lot of attention over the summer for acquiring a deal with FXX and holding a historic concert at The Hollywood Bowl. Adding in a "shocking death" during its actual season 26 premiere, The Simpsons took the move one step further and did a crossover episode with the series that many have considered its plagiarized, lesser counterpart to Fox's former Animation Domination: Family Guy. There's no denying that the (slightly) younger series has been more of a draw because of its rapid fire approach to humor and frivolities into every taboo imaginable. In fact, it makes sense why this crossover, despite taking place almost entirely within The Simpsons landscape, was an hour long Family Guy episode.
"The Simpsons Guy" is quintessentially Family Guy's take on "Homer Badman." After Peter Griffin (Seth MacFarlane) writes a sexist comic strip, he is forced to flee town with his family until the heat blows over. His car gets stolen and they randomly wind up in Springfield where they befriend the beloved yellow family. From there, the family begins to bond during their quest to find the car. Along the way, they discover just how different each of them are and for better or worse, it serves as the perfect allegorical metaphor for the two series and why they have had the comparisons despite never really needing to prove why that was. If there's any weight to this series, it is blatant metaphors on crossover culture and why these series are allowed to coexist.
For those expecting an offensively repugnant insult to The Simpsons, it isn't quite that. However, the episode is rooted almost entirely in Family Guy humor with bits masquerading as The Simpsons. The veteran show has explored plagiarism at length in the past with a lot more subtlety. In this case, Family Guy is in charge of exploring the deeper issues in a way reminiscent of speech debates. Basically, the joke would go that Homer (Dan Castellanetta) would say something and in a condescending manner, Peter would respond with a description. The most obvious is the choice to compare the shows' beers. Throughout the court case, things are revealed that Peter's beer is simply a watered down version of Homer's. While this plot device is actually interesting enough to warrant its own episode, everything around it is rather grim and awful.
For starters, Family Guy differs from The Simpsons based on the level of heart and pacing. In the first 10 minutes, there were two commercial breaks. In the final moments, Meg Griffin's (Mila Kunis) episode-long dreams were squandered within seconds by Peter after being built up by Lisa (Yeardley Smith). Add in some rape jokes, self-mutilation, fat men erotically washing cars, and a fight scene that sees poor Homer smashed under a spaceship, the show couldn't avoid going over the top, even at times aping Man of Steel levels of pointless violence. Stewie Grffin (MacFarlane) kidnaps bully Nelson Muntz (Nancy Cartwright) to beat him up because he wants to impress Bart Simpsons (Nancy Cartwright). It doesn't work because The Simpsons, for better or worse, has evolved into a wholesome community that doesn't resort to reckless endangering. Mixing it with the most notorious animated exampled of poor tastes just reflects what exactly is wrong.
When it all boils down, the episode never met the proper level of dread that was expected. Yes, Family Guy mauled the other franchise with lines like "I hate The Simpsons," but considering that it also reflected the contextual differences by jamming everything about both shows into one episode, it served more as a reminder that these shows coexist (and sadly now, in the same television universe). In a way, the best that they could have done was simply to make an episode where they sang "You say pot-ato and you say po-ta-to" and reflect that they're different. The special that was supposed to garner attention ended up being really weird and at many points unnecessary.
Still, it attempts a bold concept that wasn't entirely successful: closure. Much like The Simpsons had to do with its predecessors, the episode had to explain that the feud of these very similar shows are unwarranted. They may poke fun at each other, but there's a secret respect that runs deep. Maybe Family Guy's sincerity is more crass and nonexistent, but its acknowledgment feels like a little boy trying to impress the elders. It's scrappy and flashy, but deep down, it wants your respect. That is what this episode is. While it doesn't succeed at being either show all that well, it at least comments on one of Fox's longest standing conflicts in a way that is at times clever, but overall succumbs to techniques that made Family Guy more popular with younger audiences. It is ribald, offensive, and not afraid to just piss you off.
"The Simpsons Guy" is a check-in on both series. What do they look like in 2014 with both of them in their 26th and 15th year in existence? With comments on the other series such as Bob's Burgers, The Cleveland Show, and American Dad mixed in, this attempt at meta commentary reveals that they're still struggling to appeal to the same audience, even if they don't work together at all. It is at times embarrassing and reflective of how they developed into their own tropes. There's memorable moments, but it's more of a callback to familiar third wall humor from The Simpsons in the 90's. There's layers here that give it edge, but unless you are a hardcore fan of either, there's not much subtext and merit in watching it. These shows continue to coexist and that's really all that they can do. It's not a great climactic moment, but as the tag for Gracie Productions played, there was a small feeling that things will go back to normal. All of those pointlessly violent deaths in "The Simpsons Guy" will disappear. Let's hope so.
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