The Simpsons vs Family Guy- Which Is More Preferable?

Alright people, it’s time to settle the debate on which animated sitcom I favor. It’s Maggie vs. Stewie. Chris vs. Bart. Lisa vs. Meg. Marge vs. Lois. Peter vs. Homer. The answer to that is……….The Simpsons. Now let’s get into why.

Let’s begin with the premise and plots of the shows themselves. What do they offer? Growing up I remember watching snippets of Simpsons here and there throughout the 90s as my dad watched. All I really knew was that it was a funny show that made my dad laugh and almost all the characters were yellow save Apu really. That yellowness was an iconic part of the Simpsons as well as the famous D’oh! catchphrase and “Why you little?”. While Brian, Stewie, and Peter Griffin have all become iconic characters in their own right, I would say the entire Simpsons family have more star power. Lisa, an intellectual, offers more with her philosophical insights, passionate conservationism, and contributions to the community than Meg’s…….what exactly does she contribute besides being a gag for her father? Bart, despite being a defiant troublemaker, has more personality than his counterpart Chris. Bart has likes and dislikes. He rides a skateboard, he likes comic books, he hates school, plays pranks on Principal Skinner, even has a best friend he thinks is lame sometimes. He has a catchphrase for crying out loud. Can the same be said for Chris who’s really just there so we see how stupid he is? Marge overtakes Lois as well as we see Marge actually be an overthinking, stressed-out mother and a wife who holds her husband accountable. We don’t really see Lois engage in much of that. The Family Guy cast is meant more for gags while we see the Simpsons act like a family. Stewie obviously wins over Maggie because Maggie can’t talk but she is smart. She saved her dad’s life by shooting Fat Tony, don’t forget that. Still, Stewie (and Brian) are a hoot together and Maggie’s got nothing on Stewie’s intelligence and funny English accent. Maggie simply sucks on a binky, which is still cute. Lastly, Homer also overtakes Peter. Whilst they are both stupid, Homer is the brighter bulb. He actually takes an investment in his kids lives even though sometimes he needs to be pushed to do it by Marge. He’s there for their sports games, recitals, band performances etc. and when he does fail to be there he feels true guilt, albeit quite late, but its there nonetheless. Peter couldn’t care less about Meg, seems indifferent about Chris and Stewie, and really just cares about getting down with Lois.

Though neither Simpsons or Family Guy have overarching long-term plots, story-wise, it goes to The Simpsons. Each episode begins with one of the members doing something usually unrelated to the rest of the episode which is followed by the mini-plot. Family Guy has stories for each episode too but they also contain a lot of subplots and random cutaway gag scenes. The way that Family Guy episodes are executed are closer to actual cartoons with gimmicks and shenanigans that barely will have any consequence or impact on the characters. The way that the Simpsons behave seem more closer to real-life and I think that’s why it easier to relate to them. The world of the Simpsons seems more immersive as opposed to the world of Family Guy and in my opinion I’d say that’d be thanks to the animation differences. Also, it’s just more immersive period and has a litany of characters that inhabit the town of Springfield. While Family Guy has shown where Peter works, Simpsons has shown where Homer works much more often, what he’s like there, his work space, and his boss and co-workers. We see the go-to convenience store, comic book store, the school where all the kids go to, the town doctor, the town chief of police, even the town scientist and town criminal. We see family members of the Simpsons such as Marge’s sisters and Grandpa Simpson much more frequently than Lois’ parents. Bart’s even got an enemy, Sideshow Bob. Ok, there’s the Evil Monkey in Chris’ closet but then he turned out not to be evil and Sideshow Bob has actual character and motivation against Bart. The characters in Family Guy do not have as much depth as the characters in the Simpsons do. Characters in Family Guy have about three or four definable characteristics at most about them and that’s it. There’s Quagmire the perverted satyromaniac, Joe the handicapped cop, and Cleveland the black neighbor who really does nothing. From the Griffin family, Brian and Stewie are really the only ones with any depth to them.

I think that the core difference between the characters of Simpsons and Family Guy is that in the former they ACT MORE like real people. While both shows make fun of and satirize the cultural zeitgeist in the respective eras we’re in, Simpsons serves to teach lessons and morals while Family Guy is simply there to make people laugh. The Simpsons is richer and more sophisticated culturally, and Family Guy may have the edge in comedy, it MAY have. The Simpsons is more engaging with its storytelling and characters and carries them out as almost how real people act and react to problems. Family Guy is much more of a gag show and that’s ok. Similar, yet different. Would people like Family Guy if it was the exact same as Simpsons? No. To me they are the top two animated sitcoms. South Park is way too rude and controversial if I’m too be honest. Never seen King of the Hill but that looks bland. I’ve heard Rick and Morty is funny but it hasn’t caught my attention. Don’t care for Bob’s Burgers and I’ll pass on Bojack Horseman. I’ve seen some Futurama here and there but it doesn’t hold up to the two kings of animated sitcoms.

One final note before I conclude is that the cutaway gags in Family Guy get old fast. At least that’s just how I feel about them. I’m just more attuned to the style of the Simpsons. I guess I’m more of a Simpsons fan than Family Guy fan but that’s not saying I still won’t watch Family Guy. They’re both funny, and I’m currently almost finished Season 18 of Simpsons which just preludes the movie.