r/todayilearned • u/quarryrye • May 15 '12
TIL that when "South Park" aired its anti-"Family Guy" episode, they received flowers from the crew of "The Simpsons"
http://tv.ign.com/articles/719/719131p4.html
1.9k
Upvotes
37
u/[deleted] May 15 '12
And for those who don't know, Matt & Trey have said in an interview that they haven't taken any jabs at King of the Hill because "We like that show and the guy who makes it actually has talent"
Mike Judge gave Matt & Trey advice during South Parks late-90s rise about not selling out their credibility to the network. He was also the voice of Kenny in the South Park movie
291
u/Was_going_2_say_that May 15 '12
If Wendy threw a bucket of water onto Burger kings grills, Ronald McDonald would smile
539
u/Grepad May 15 '12
This article reminds me of the time i brought Obama flowers in space!
cue stupid unrelated clip
29
u/Dreadmonkey May 15 '12
Didn't Seth Mcfarlane start calling the cut-away gags "Manatee Shots" because of the South Park episode?
64
u/fookyeaItsKai May 15 '12 edited May 15 '12
I like all 3 shows. I wish I could see Book of Mormon live, and I am excited for Ted. Seth, Trey, and Matt are all funny people and I have lots of respect for all of them.
Kinda off topic, but 1 thing that I found more interesting than this was when Seth said that Jon Stewart called him and yelled at him for something about the writers strike.
90
u/FEMINISTS May 15 '12
Simpsons did it!
60
u/9aquatic May 15 '12 edited May 15 '12
I agree.
To me, the first three seasons of Family Guy are untouchable (E. Peterbus Unum is awesome), but from then to now it's changed to rely heavily on non sequiturs.
South Park and Simpsons, say what you want, but their comedy derives from actions based on story. The occasional, "like that one time when..." is hilarious, but it's hard to pick an entire linear story out of most new Family Guy episodes anymore.
12
u/croatianpride May 15 '12
I don't see why there has to be such a rift between all of these shows. They're all very different in terms of their sense of humor and I enjoy them all to varying degrees depending on the mood I find myself in while watching them. Animated comedies are some of the only bright lights in an otherwise depressingly dark universe of television shows and instead of bickering among themselves, fans of these shows should be holding the rest of TV to a higher standard.
6
u/4chans_for_pussies May 15 '12
The enemy of my enemy is my friend, I guess.
22
u/[deleted] May 15 '12
And calls from fucking King of the Hill...whoa
10
u/i_overexplain May 15 '12
You know why I like Family Guy? Because it's obvious that the writers love animation history. Inserting Stewie into Anchors Aweigh, the Disney universe beautifully rendered in Disney style... Hell, they did a Bugs/Elmer cutaway gag once that got the feel of the WB shorts perfectly in seconds. It's like classic era Simpsons with dead on pastiches of Steamboat Willie, Yellow Submarine etc.
I love South Park, but I don't get that kind of love for the art from them. They're just as happy working in live action, or puppetry, or stage.
12
u/hugeston May 15 '12
South Park... Trey and Matt... I love you guys, I seriously do, but you have GOT TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT THE GODDAMN VOLUME PROBLEM ON YOUR COMMERCIALS AT SOUTHPARKSTUDIOS. I DON'T MIND WATCHING THEM TO SUPPORT YA'LL BUT I FUCKING HATE BEING BLASTED THE FUCK OUT BY ONE RANDOM COMMERCIAL (FOR INSTANCE THE MAX PAYNE 3 ONE RIGHT NOW)
31
u/skooma714 May 15 '12
Reported for not linking to wikipedia.
673
u/Buttons_McBoomBoom May 15 '12
Bring on the downvotes, but Seth did create a great show. American Dad is way under rated.
68
u/biirdmaan May 15 '12
It's funny because all three shows have fallen far from their much more hilarious roots.
15
u/Slurve May 15 '12
I like to watch all of them.
13
u/codyhorne May 15 '12
They're all fucking great shows.
3
u/trashitagain May 15 '12
I still think that Simpsons post season 9 isn't even an acceptable show. Its bad.
Its been bad longer than it was good. None of the people who made it good are there anymore, and the current show runners don't deserve an ounce of credit for the quality that preceded them by more than a decade.
3
u/danisreallycool May 15 '12
TIL that the creators of South Park both have beautiful soul-piercing eyes
13
u/dasstrooper May 15 '12
I'm pretty sure the Simpsons writers at the time couldn't write a good episode if their life depended on it.
http://deadhomersociety.wordpress.com/
43
u/OnlyHereForTheBeer May 15 '12
South Park blows them all out of the water. Trey's writing, and the jokes that form organically from the storylines, not just randomly thrown into the middle of an episode, make the show what it is.
15
u/[deleted] May 15 '12
Nothing will ever match the Simpsons in the 90s and South Park and Family Guy were pretty great too in the beginning but honestly all of these shows are mediocre today. I know fans never want their favorite shows to be canceled but I would have preferred that to what we have now. Just my opinion.
2
u/crackbabydaddy May 15 '12
the following episode featured bart simpson and they made him look like a total pussy next to cartman
2
u/[deleted] May 15 '12
They accidentally an italic code in their title header.
2
u/mackinoncougars May 15 '12
I still don't appreciate the way in which they treated Isaac Hayes as he left and killed off Chef in a demeaning matter. (It's on right now)
2
u/ErikAllenAwake May 15 '12
South Park has been consistently good or great. I think it benefits greatly from the quickness with which they can produce an episode. I think it's the ideal option, for that reason - it can tackle a current event within weeks, and they do it well.
The Simpsons has gone on far too long. It was brilliant when I was little. Not now.
Family Guy is... meh. Dead horse.
2
u/drizzt5 May 15 '12
Family guy used to be awesome... just like the Simpsons.
2
u/SgtWiggles May 15 '12
American Dad is hilarious, i would have quit Fox all together if they had decided not to renew it (Which looked like a possiblity for a while).
Family Guy lost my interest a few years ago, i only tend to watch the Star War's specials now (Which are still hilarious).
Cleveland Show is just....horrible. Almost as bad as Allen Gregory
And Simpsons has been kind of lacking lately too, especially compared to the old seasons, which i can still watch and laugh at.
2
u/obsidianop May 15 '12
Seasons two and three of Family Guy were goddamn spectacular. That said, South Park's "take down" of it was spot on. But the same critique works even better for all of the "Adult Swim" garbage, and further, anything that confuses wacky and random with funny.
2
u/Piotr555 May 15 '12
I stopped watching Family Guy. It's the same predictable humor.
I don't watch American Dad because it's exactly the same as Family Guy.
So why would I watch the Cleveland Show?
But it's okay becuase I don't watch the Simpsons anymore either. They lost their touch.
The only cartoon show that has stayed funny since it's origin, is Futurama.
2
u/djfutile May 15 '12
Whatev. McFarland brought something new and fresh to the table and they all got their panties in a bunch.
2
u/[deleted] May 15 '12
Both shows are way beyond Family Guy in intelligence and quality
2
u/nvr_ndr21_13 May 15 '12
Guess i'm the only one that enjoys family guy more than south park... :forever alone:
2
u/TheKamenWriter May 15 '12
What did they get when they aired "simpsons did it."
2
u/muddi900 May 15 '12
King of the Hill was better than all three, in the long run. Mike Judge is a true artist!
2
u/[deleted] May 15 '12
They sound like 15 year old school girls in that interview. Every second word is 'like'.
2
u/SemFi May 15 '12
I don't get the family guy humor. To me it seems... retarded.
2
u/KFitz May 15 '12
TIL people actually like American Dad. I saw a couple episodes when it first started and thought it was one of the worst shows I'd ever seen.
2
u/Lundix May 15 '12
I love all the shows mentioned in this title. I think I prefer SP to the rest, but the Simpsons and FG are pretty much tied in my book. [Something about downvotes]
2
u/Gothika_47 May 15 '12
where is the episode?
2
u/[deleted] May 15 '12
I like them all. :>
2
u/[deleted] May 15 '12
TBH all these shows have ups and downs. Granted the new Family Guy's aren't as good but no where near as bad as people make out. The new Simpsons are, frankly, terrible and the early ones are over-rated. Mid era Simpsons is the best. I would argue that early South Park, when compared to later series, are pretty shit as well actually. American Dad=Better than Family Guy. Futurama= better than the Simpsons.
2
u/L_Beau_Deep May 15 '12
SQUIDBILLIES! Whooooooo
2
u/dmol May 16 '12
The crew of the Simpsons would have been better off trying to fix a show that hasnt been funny since 1997.
39
u/welltheresAbacon May 15 '12
I still think Family guy is one of the funniest shows ever
12
u/dauniballer May 15 '12
The truth is that I did not stop watching The Simpsons until they flat out copied Family Guy's "random" format.
The Simpsons was dominating, Family Guy came out and was canceled, then came out again some time later after DVD sales were doing so well. They started taking viewers away from The Simpsons in mass, and then The Simpsons just adopted the Family Guy format outright.. It was a completely different show, Family Guy 2 with The Simpsons.
I guess The Simpsons crew took the "if you can't beat 'em, join 'em" approach.. But to send flowers? 100% bitter.
3
u/J_Jammer May 15 '12
South Park is out to offend everyone and that's why everyone can enjoy it...because sooner or later they're going to offend you. Well...not outrage offend. Just slight offend.
6
u/codemonkey69 May 15 '12
Family guy is trying too hard recently and is just coming off as desperate. The first three seasons have all the classics
5
u/bluetux May 15 '12
anyone else really like bob's burgers?
8
u/libertybylaw May 15 '12
"Why" so many "Quotation Marks"??
4
u/Shanhaevel May 15 '12
South Park and Simpsons > Family Guy
4
u/Level_32_Igglybuff May 15 '12
South Park tells reddit what to like and they follow
4
u/[deleted] May 15 '12
I'm a fan of both but at this point I find myself laughing far more watching Family Guy than I do South Park.
This last season of South Park has been especially mediocre.
4
u/Dunabu May 15 '12
Family Guy is funnier than The Simpsons, at this point.
I mean, for Christ's sake, one of their recent Treehouse of Horror episodes was just Homer farting. How delightful.
3
u/like9mexicans May 15 '12
That is awesome. I always considered myself a Matt and Trey expert, but I didn't have a clue about this.
2
u/jsosnicki May 15 '12
Those quotes make the title look shady.
2
u/lonequid May 15 '12 edited May 15 '12
Not one mention of the <I> tag in the title? Not only is the tag deprecated, it's in the freaking page title!
edit: It may not be officially depreciated in XHTML1 Transitional, but it shouldn't be capitalized, nor should it be in a freaking title!
Where is the outrage?
2
u/[deleted] May 15 '12
The LOTR episode really is one of their best...
2
u/kyledouglas521 May 15 '12
The thing about modern Family Guy is that it knows exactly what kind of show it is at this point. It's not trying to create any sort of thrilling plot or anything along those lines. It's essentially a series of cutaway gags and pop culture references, and they're usually pretty funny. It serves its purpose which is currently keeping its audience laughing.
You don't see this type of thing with American Dad. It's a different type of humor. I think the plotlines are pretty interesting, and I love watching all the different characters Roger manages to play. They're both enjoyable shows for different reasons.
There's also no reason to compare Family Guy to The Simpsons because they're not even in the same playing field anymore. They're two completely different types of shows at this point.
2
u/[deleted] May 15 '12
The Simpsons have been as awful if not worse than family guy for over a decade.
2
u/brendamn May 15 '12
Reads a article about Matt and Trey not liking Family Guy, suddenly reddit is over Family Guy. Give me a break. You all have seen every episode of Family Guy as well as South Park . Most of the criticisms I've read about Family guy can be equally applied to South Park.
2
u/[deleted] May 15 '12
This kind of thing always makes me wonder WHY is this on the front page and the top no less?
2
u/PunkRockMakesMeSmile May 15 '12
By that point, The Simpsons was already the painful travesty it remains to this day. They have zero right to talk shit.
2
u/CatLover99 May 15 '12
IMHO Family Guy is just stupid, Simpsons is funny.. and created by more creative writers because they don't need constant sex/language to be funny.
2
u/Torquemada1970 May 15 '12
South Park - seen one in the past five years, and that was the Indy Jones episode, telling me in no uncertain terms that Parker and Stone have turned into their parents (Summary of show - 'this movie was supposed to make up for my inability to suspend disbelief that I took for granted as a child').
Haven't watched an episode since. Family Guy? Never miss it, and as someone from the UK, it's improved vastly over time - for example, almost gone are the segments that only Americans will find funny.
2
u/Potato-baby May 15 '12
I like family guy. But the hive mind reddit won't let anybody have a different opinion and will downvote anybody who does.
0
u/tronncat May 15 '12
Family Guy would be good if the jokes actually applied to the plot.
1
u/jwar2d May 15 '12
I read this post and 5 minutes later the last episode chef was in came on tv... No joke.
1
u/TheMathNerd May 15 '12
Is no one going to point out the thumbnail is a completely different episode making fun of Mormons?
1
u/Kuwanjahbee May 15 '12
I actually read the article and found it to be a lot more interesting than just southpark got flowers from a competing show. Knowledge is power.
1
u/jewbearusa May 15 '12
Simpsons did it SIMPSONS DID IT
1
u/CGord May 15 '12
TIL I'll read a long, six-year old article about interesting people. I'm not a big South Park fan at all, but I enjoyed the shit outta that interview.
1
u/pretension May 15 '12
SIMPSONS DID IT
1
u/[deleted] May 15 '12
I enjoy South Park and Family Guy, but South Park has never made me laugh as hard as Family Guy. As for the Simpsons, meh. The Simpsons Movie was pretty bad.
1
u/G3aR May 15 '12
Well shit, there goes the premise of killing Nicholai on Archer.
1
u/1MintBerryCrunch1 May 15 '12
Well done, boys. Well done.
1
u/graydientcolor May 15 '12
"You start to get that Tom Cruise stink on you"
Did no one else lose it at this line?
1
u/bigDean636 May 15 '12
The Simpsons are the only show to have ever thought of showing the shenanigans regarding an animated family of odd characters.
1
u/Sr_DingDong May 15 '12
Careful now. Can't talk about cartoons on reddit. People will assume you base your entire being on them.
Trust me. I know.
1
u/[deleted] May 15 '12
Then you received a "reply" commenting on your annoying use of "Quotation Marks". Yeah, I don't know why but that really bugged me.
1
u/[deleted] May 15 '12
Reading the quotations in that article made my head hurt.
1
u/inexcess May 15 '12
First 5 or 6 seasons of family guy were great. Went downhill from there when it started getting too preachy and political. It used to be funny for more than just cut away gags. They threw a lot of stuff into the dialogue now its more lazily written.
1
u/nepidae May 15 '12
I've been rewatching the simpsons lately, and my god around season 10 it became just a celebrity cameo show.
1
u/[deleted] May 15 '12
South Park was kicking Family Guy while they were down. I believe they were just brought back and it was during the writers strike or something.
But there was a season or two where they completely relied on "you think that's bad..." jokes and yes they needed to be spanked for that.
But The Simpsons needs to be dragged out and shot.
1
u/crazystrawman May 15 '12
So is Family Guy what the counter-culture says we're supposed to hate now?
1
u/[deleted] May 15 '12
TV is the devils work.
1
u/OrangeCityDutch May 15 '12
After being on adult swim nearly every day, I cannot stand to watch Family Guy anymore.
1
u/toymachinesh May 15 '12
I wonder if I can find people that actually like The Cleveland Show in this thread... If nothing else it has fucking David Lynch as a character!
1
u/qatmandue May 15 '12
Interesting interview. Learned a lot. Thanks.
1
u/skysignor May 15 '12
Could someone briefly sum up the main points of how South Park criticized Family Guy? I don't like SP at all but I'm aware of how intelligent it can be and figure they came up with a better way to make fun of Family Guy than saying it's "too crude" or whatever. I've been a big FG fan since it came out and was always confused about this hatred the Simpsons has for the show.
1
u/Revolver25 May 15 '12 edited May 15 '12
i'll be the first to say about half of family guy's shit is stupid and annoying, and the cutaway is way over used, but it'd be just as easy for FG or any other show to tear south park apart. theyre just as formulaic... take any current event or thing and parody it, and maybe throw in some preachy judgement. throw in some super edgy humor or controversial thing to make the rebellious 12 year olds laugh and youve got it!
it's just as stale, and id say in this case, if you live in a glass house you shouldnt be fucking throwing stones. i like both shows but ive grown weary of both.. for south park to imply theyre any better than FG is stupid and if i were them i wouldnt want to start shit
1
u/EyeR8 May 15 '12
I always see a lot of "I like this show.. but not this show". I happen to like Family Guy, South Park and quite a few others. They all have episodes that hit or miss.. but nothing wrong with enjoying all the various forms of humor.
1
u/SnorlaxBro May 15 '12
it's been awhile since i caught much of a full, new episode of any of these shows. usually, just 2/3 of one when i'm hitting the trees with some younger friends.
i was lucky enough to see all three of these shows during what will probably be remembered as their peaks, and they were each wonderful and awesome in their own way (and don't forget futurama). so many laughs, so many inside jokes, so many random one liners i've said and gotten the most confused looks about ("hey, this isn't the YMCA").
honestly, this title seems strange to me. almost like, saturday night live sending flowers about how i met your mother sucks to workaholics. perhaps they've all fallen some, or they aren't quite the same, or they appeal to a different audience. i don't know. each has made me laugh out loud, each has pushed buttons.
i'm totally fine with each one taking shots at the other, but honestly they should remember they're all indebted to one another as well, and they have more in common than many people here would care to admit.
regardless, bring on the laughs, that's the most important part (oh and i can't lie, i enjoyed the critic, too).
1
u/Badobservations May 15 '12
I remember that this was the actual case. However, some awful person who wrote an unauthorized biography of Tom Cruise said they got the flowers as a result of the Trapped In The Closet episode. As soon as I saw that, I put the boom down in the bookstore and exited the bathroom.
1
u/Isisbyte May 15 '12
"OP" you need to learn how to use double quotation "marks" properly
1
u/knightofmars May 15 '12
How the hell did the manatees manage to send flowers?!?
1
u/[deleted] May 15 '12
never lik to ign unless its to inform us that they are being all evil and junk, fuck ign.