Family Guy Takes a Look at Us
August 8, 2011
If you want to take a look into the mind of the average American then take a close look at what people are watching on the television. There is a reason that reality TV shows now lead all the Nielsen ratings. People want to see what real people are doing. With the exception of train wrecks like Jersey Shore and The Bad Girls Club, the average American watches a show that mirrors their day to day life. This is the reason that sitcoms like All in the Family and Three’s Company were so popular in the 60’s and 70’s. They were caricatures of life at that time. All in the Family focused on the fairly racist and belligerent father, Archie Bunker and his family. His wife was a housewife and mother, and their daughter was a free thinker. The show reflected the social norms of the 60’s. Three’s Company, similarly, mimics the swinging 70’s. Jack Tripper, a bachelor, rooms with two attractive ladies, and attempts to date every woman in his city. He eventually eschewed all the other ladies and dated both of his roommates.
Television has always served as a direct depiction of the current events in society, whether literal or satirical. And no show gives a more insightful view into the American family dynamic than the TV show Family Guy. Though Family Guy is a gross exaggeration of family life in the average home, the show personifies what the people think about each other, what they think about the world, and what think about themselves. The very fact that Family Guy is a cartoon is an indictment of the current state of television. And, cartoon format is also the medium that allows the director to openly question and ostracize societal occurrences with comedy. Family Guy embodies all the ideals of the typical American family.
The entire cast reflects society’s ideal of the American family. The Griffins are a nuclear family with two happily married parents in the household, 2 and ½ children, and a dog. The satirical notes are strewn throughout each of the characters. Peter Griffin is the average American male. He is overweight, a bit of a drunk, and slightly incompetent. He is stuck in middle management and is bored in his day to day affairs. His wife echoes every housewife in the average sitcom today. She is fairly attractive, but married to a fat, balding guy. She nags everyone in the house and holds the house together throughout all their outlandish antics. She also poses as a satirical commentary on today’s average married housewife. She is covertly sexual and slightly repressed. She struggles with some of the subtleties of being a stay-at-home mom, like when to wean her baby, dealing with the pressures of being the backbone of the family, and tolerating her husband’s nonsense. Their oldest child, Meg Griffin, is unattractive and unpopular in school like most teenagers, and the show plays that up. Her father is somewhat contemptuous towards her which exaggerates her not fitting in anywhere. She is a caricature of the black sheep and she is tortured at home and at school. Chris Griffin, the middle child, is fairly innocuous and underachieving, yet he has actually has friends at school and is accepted at home. Someone has to be the favorite. Stewie Griffin is Family Guy’s acerbic version of any family’s youngest child. He is oft-ignored, and misinterpreted. Though he is very eloquent and verbose on the show, every adult that listens to him on the show only hears babble and baby talks him constantly. He is a satirical example of children understanding significantly more things about the people around them and their environment than they are given credit for observing. Even his mother fails to see his genius and he is often frustrated by it and throws a tantrum, which exacerbates his problem. And, finally Brian Griffin reflects how highly people value their pets. In Family Guy, the Griffins literally treat him like any other member of the family. It is a caustic examination of how fanatical people can be about their pets. He has a place at the table, he goes drinking with Peter his owner, and is the sounding board for all the family’s problems. Brian is probably the most intelligent and is by far the most responsible figure of the Griffins.
Family Guy gives a poignant view into the psyche of the average family and the average person. It parodies the idiosyncrasies of married suburban life, and its satirical reflection of society and their quirks allow people to look at themselves and laugh.