“It seems today that all you see is violence in movies and sex on TV…”. If you couldn’t help but hum this melody, it’s clear that back in the day you were one of the big fans of Family Guy around the world. But you only have to take a look at the lyrics of the theme song to realize that… it is a series VERY much from the last decade. Or even two decades ago. Seriously, does anyone care today about sex on TV or violence in movies?
Well, in case you didn’t know, on April 2nd, Disney Plus premiered season 23 of Family Guy. Yes, I know what you’re thinking: it’s following the path of The Simpsons, determined to never die. But while the latter has tried to adapt to the new times, what has happened to Family Guy? Not to mention it still has the same theme song… and the episodes haven’t evolved much in their narrative. So the question, inevitable after so many years and so many changes in the audiovisual landscape, is clear: is Family Guy still relevant?
When being politically incorrect was fun
To understand the relevance of Family Guy in our times, we must go back to its initial success. Premiering in 1999 on Fox, the series was at the time a breath of fresh air (although for many, rather toxic) within the universe of animated sitcoms.
Seth MacFarlane, its creator, embraced the tradition of family satire popularized by The Simpsons, but infused it with unapologetic cynicism, dark humor, aggressive parodies, and a structure that broke with conventional narrative. In Family Guy, the characters were not afraid to jump from one scene to another based on gags that were often absurd (yes, we are thinking of the legendary giant chicken scene) or pop references that spanned decades of American culture.
With nothing similar and no one daring to go that far… except for South Park, Family Guy had a massive initial success. However, it was canceled after its third season, you can imagine the reasons. But its success was so great that Fox revived it in 2005, thanks to the impressive performance of its DVDs and its reruns on Adult Swim.
Family Guy has become a reference point rather than just something to consider. Series like American Dad and The Cleveland Show (both also created by MacFarlane), Rick and Morty, Big Mouth, or Solar Opposites would not exist without it. Its irreverent tone, based on cynical humor, and its disdain for correctness made it have a loyal and devoted audience. However, that same tone has also been its Achilles’ heel: while The Simpsons has managed to maintain a certain warmth and empathy, Family Guy has always embraced misanthropy, making it less endearing and more disposable.
After watching some episodes of this season 23, the feeling left by the series is that it has become trapped in its own formula. The gags are still there, the cultural references continue at a good pace, but there is an evident lack of thematic or focus renewal. The narrative has not changed… and even less so the characters. Everything is designed for longtime fans to feel comfortable… but it is completely out of place in 2025.
The problem is not that Family Guy doesn’t know how to make you laugh, but that it no longer feels like a relevant series. In a world where there are gems like BoJack Horseman, which speak directly about fame or mental health, the repetitive humor of Family Guy feels completely anachronistic. Not because it has lost its essence, but because the world has changed and the series has not wanted to change with it.
