‘Family Guy’ Showrunner Alec Sulkin Is Trying To Win Back Old Fans By Fixing The Show - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

TMC · 11-15-2016, 06:33 PM

http://uproxx.com/tv/family-guy-criticisms/

Quote:

Now in its 15th season, Family Guy is in rare company.

Seth MacFarlane’s empire-building comedy is tied with The Jack Benny Program, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, and ER as the sixth longest-running scripted show in U.S. primetime history. It won’t soon pass The Simpsons (28 seasons and counting), but Brian Griffin is coming for you next, Lassie. A drop-off in quality after a decade and a half on television is forgivable, expected even, but Family Guy has really fallen on hard times lately. Ratings are plummeting (season 14 averaged 4.28 million viewers, down three million from season 10’s 7.30 million), and the jokes have grown increasingly stale.

Splitsider‘s John Hugar (who’s also contributed to Uproxx) documented many of the show’s problems in an article entitled, “Can Family Guy Lift Itself Out of Its Perpetual Rut?” Current Family Guy showrunner Alec Sulkin could have waved off the piece, but to his credit, he decided to talk to Hugar about them in an interview. “He said that he agreed with some, if not all, of my points,” according to Hugar, “and that he was working on fixing some of the issues I discussed.” Sulkin thinks Family Guy “is good overall, but I acknowledge that the show has had challenges trying to keep things fresh. There is kind of a burnout factor.”

“I think in the earlier years, the plots were more grounded, and probably more simple,” Sulkin said. “We know who these characters are at this point, so it can be hard to give them new insight, but it is something we work on.” The best episodes these days are the ones that focus on Brian and Stewie — ‘Back to the Pilot’ is a stone-cold classic — because they “have the most interesting relationship, and are probably the most intrinsically interesting characters on the show.” But the writers are attempting to flesh out Chris and Meg, too, including an episode that “would involve Meg coming out as a lesbian.”

When asked if Family Guy has done anything he regrets, Sulkin responded, “I would say some episodes aren’t as strong as others, but the reasons aren’t always easy to track. I wouldn’t say one episode or moment stands out in my mind… But we’re working on a fixing a lot of the problems you talked about, and hopefully, bringing some fans who left back into the fold.”

A good place to start: no more chicken fights.

king of comedy · 11-15-2016, 06:59 PM

I agree. NO MORE CHICKEN FIGHTS!!! But please don't make Meg a lesbian. I love it when she has a boyfriend.

robyrob · 11-16-2016, 01:49 AM

stopped watching after they killed off Brian; the jokes and bits were just getting so stale and repetitive there is no point.

MrCleveland · 01-10-2017, 09:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by robyrob

stopped watching after they killed off Brian; the jokes and bits were just getting so stale and repetitive there is no point.

I wish there's more Stewie and Brian episodes, they're the two who keep the show interesting.

The last episode was a bigger let-down than being a Browns Fan...

Opening Day and there's the first kick...And the Season is Over!

And I wish Seth MacFarlane would tone-down on the sacrelige...We get it... He's an atheist!

king of comedy · 01-10-2017, 11:06 PM

I love to see Brian go out and make friends with other talking dogs and Stewie hang out with other toddlers. Seeing them get lives apart from each other would make it better and with them together all the time is so boring and repetative.

Nordy · 01-11-2017, 05:32 PM

I don't even remember when I last watched an episode. I used to be a regular viewer and DVD owner but I think ever since the killing off of Brian and trying to replace him with Vinny to have Brian come back that kind of did it for me. I don't think having Meg come out as a lesbian is the right answer either...

Anna Karenina · 01-11-2017, 05:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nordy

I don't even remember when I last watched an episode. I used to be a regular viewer and DVD owner but I think ever since the killing off of Brian and trying to replace him with Vinny to have Brian come back that kind of did it for me. I don't think having Meg come out as a lesbian is the right answer either...

I don't even watch this show but...

Hi Bradley Boo!

Nordy · 01-11-2017, 05:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Anna Karenina

I don't even watch this show but...

Hi Bradley Boo!

Anna!! my darling Boo!!

How are you my dear??!!

pkripper001 · 01-11-2017, 05:49 PM

I don't watch this show either,after seeing just a small part of an episode years ago made me see it was not right with me. Most Trump supporters & Christians are against this show,and they think that to help things they will have Meg to come out as a lesbian,is Seth mentally ill ?

Anna Karenina · 01-11-2017, 09:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nordy

Anna!! my darling Boo!!

How are you my dear??!!

I am feeling fairly well.

Happy to see my darling Bradley Boo! See you on the Muddle Through thread with some Fine pics of Fran taken by Torgo!!!

Nordy · 01-11-2017, 09:07 PM

Yano....my heart beats Valerie but gotta take a backseat to you know who....Fran's not bad either. Not many people like her.

Anna Karenina · 01-11-2017, 09:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nordy

Yano....my heart beats Valerie but gotta take a backseat to you know who....Fran's not bad either. Not many people like her.

People who don't like you know who and Fran don't know what they are missing.

I am a heterosexual woman and I thought that those Torgo pics of The Franny were very sexy. I thought she and Michael Lembeck looked HOT together!

I have always liked Valerie Bertinelli but I appreciate that you can appreciate other women out there. Variety is the spice of life!

Nordy · 01-11-2017, 10:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Anna Karenina

People who don't like you know who and Fran don't know what they are missing.

I am a heterosexual woman and I thought that those Torgo pics of The Franny were very sexy. I thought she and Michael Lembeck looked HOT together!

I have always liked Valerie Bertinelli but I appreciate that you can appreciate other women out there. Variety is the spice of life!

Oh I have always appreciated other women out there. I do pause at redheads though. I'm a sucker for a girl in shorts...

(Grandpa taught me well as he used to say)

Anna Karenina · 01-11-2017, 10:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nordy

Oh I have always appreciated other women out there. I do pause at redheads though. I'm a sucker for a girl in shorts...

(Grandpa taught me well as he used to say)

I think we need to take this conversation into the "Have a Ball" thread but your last comment reminded me of this commercial...

See you over there!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ve04-BcEP94

MrCleveland · 01-12-2017, 10:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by king of comedy

I love to see Brian go out and make friends with other talking dogs and Stewie hang out with other toddlers. Seeing them get lives apart from each other would make it better and with them together all the time is so boring and repetative.

Brian and Vinnie should meet in one ep, they already used Vinnie after Brian came back.

And have one ep with the other Cleveland Show characters, to see what happened after four years.

Maybe I should write Family Guy shows!

11-16-2016, 01:49 AM	#3
robyrob certified wackball#3 Moderator Forum Icon Join Date: Aug 03, 2003 Location: hiding under the third booth at Arnold's Posts: 58,194	stopped watching after they killed off Brian; the jokes and bits were just getting so stale and repetitive there is no point.
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01-11-2017, 05:32 PM	#6
Nordy Gilmore Guy and Proud of it!! Senior Member Join Date: Nov 14, 2012 Location: Rockford, IL Posts: 2,590	I don't even remember when I last watched an episode. I used to be a regular viewer and DVD owner but I think ever since the killing off of Brian and trying to replace him with Vinny to have Brian come back that kind of did it for me. I don't think having Meg come out as a lesbian is the right answer either...
	__________________ "If eating cake is wrong, I don't want to be right." —Lorelai Gilmore

11-15-2016, 06:59 PM	#2
king of comedy Member Forum Veteran Join Date: Aug 31, 2012 Location: New Jersey Posts: 5,140	I agree. NO MORE CHICKEN FIGHTS!!! But please don't make Meg a lesbian. I love it when she has a boyfriend.

01-10-2017, 11:06 PM	#5
king of comedy Member Forum Veteran Join Date: Aug 31, 2012 Location: New Jersey Posts: 5,140	I love to see Brian go out and make friends with other talking dogs and Stewie hang out with other toddlers. Seeing them get lives apart from each other would make it better and with them together all the time is so boring and repetative.

01-11-2017, 05:49 PM	#9
pkripper001 Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Aug 12, 2014 Location: Florida Posts: 401	I don't watch this show either,after seeing just a small part of an episode years ago made me see it was not right with me. Most Trump supporters & Christians are against this show,and they think that to help things they will have Meg to come out as a lesbian,is Seth mentally ill ?

01-11-2017, 09:07 PM	#11
Nordy Gilmore Guy and Proud of it!! Senior Member Join Date: Nov 14, 2012 Location: Rockford, IL Posts: 2,590	Yano....my heart beats Valerie but gotta take a backseat to you know who....Fran's not bad either. Not many people like her.