Someone get Chief Wiggum on the case! A special 20th anniversary episode of “The Simpsons” ended with a thank-you message from the show’s producers to viewers, but appeared to omit a joke at the expense of their Fox colleague and sometime-rival Seth MacFarlane.

The episode, which was broadcast on Sunday, ended with an on-screen display that read, “Thanks for 20 wonderful years. The best is yet to come.” But in a version of the show that was sent in advance to critics, the message read slightly differently: as Alessandra Stanley noted in her review of the episode, it said, “Thanks for 20 wonderful years. Now stay tuned for three Seth MacFarlane shows.”

Mr. MacFarlane, the producer of the Fox animated series “Family Guy,” “The Cleveland Show” and “American Dad,” has occasionally been the target of jokes on “The Simpsons,” whose writers have skewered him for creating programs similar to theirs. Mr. MacFarlane has often said that “The Simpsons” helped inspire him to create “Family Guy,” and was one of many celebrities who offered testimonials to “The Simpsons” in a documentary that followed the anniversary episode on Sunday night.

A Fox spokeswoman said that the “Simpsons” episode given to reporters and critics was a rough cut and that show elements are often added and taken out before broadcast.

http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/01/11/was-simpsons-episode-edited-to-spare-seth-macfarlanes-feelings/

i don't see what the big deal is - both shows have had much worse digs at each other than that, i'd call it a friendly rivalry and there's no harm done.

That's a load of manure. The episode that aired last night wound up being followed by a special Simpsons retrospective rather than the usual Cleveland/Family Guy/American Dad trio. That's why it was changed.

"The Simpsons" (as much as I hate the show right now) made Prime-Time Adult Shows like "South Park" and "Family Guy" thrive. Hell...Adult Swim should hold a candle to "The Simpsons" and I'm thinking of making a show for Cartoon Network's Adult Swim (If I can) that's Adult Swim's answer to "The Simpsons" (And no...the Seth McFarlane Shows don't count)!

I heard about that so called slam towards Seth and his shows - it's certainly not the biggest jab the Simpsons crew has delivered to their rival.

I think The Simpsons people should be very happy that Seth MacFarlane has three shows running on prime time and is now the highest paid producer on television.

But I doubt they are.

;)

They called that a "slam?" Hah!

There was a Simpsons episode where in Italy, they were looking through a picture book and came upon someone name "Plagiaroso." It was a picture of the Family Guy.

Now, that was a slam. And a deserved one.

"Now stay tuned for three Seth MacFarlane shows" wouldn't have made any sense that night because of the Morgan Spurlock "retrospective" special and the ONE MacFarlane show afterwards ["THE CLEVELAND SHOW"]. That's why the producers altered it before the final version was telecast...not because of any "self-censorship".

To put that original title card in context, there was a mistake last week at the end of "THE MENTALIST", where Simon Baker usually announces in a voice-over, "Stay tuned for scenes from our next episode". There weren't- a "standard" promo for "CSI: MIAMI" appeared (also a repeat), instead of the scheduled "preview", during the closing credits. A repeat is scheduled for January 28th; the episode on the 21st was originally supposed to include "next week's scenes" from a new episode, but the scheduling of that episode was somehow altered, and the voice-over wasn't eliminated in time. This happens occasionally....

:tv:

The Simpsons has more class than those other shows.