Is this quote taken out of context? (Family Guy related)

[Chimera]

The back of my Family Guy Seasons 1 & 2 box has a blurb from Entertainment Weekly on it. It says:

"Family Guy is what you'd get if you put Hank Hill, Homer Simpson and Cartman in a blender!" -Entertainment Weekly

While that quote doesn't make a whole lot of sense (how does mixing three characters together give you the comedy style for an entire show?), it sounds like Entertainment Weekly is complementing Family Guy. Why else would it be on the box? But seeing that made me think of something The Landstander posted a few weeks ago: Quote: Originally Posted by DianaGohan
9. Peter trying to go to the bathroom and the mob guy coming up when he's out of toliet paper and has to using the Entertainment Weekly book ("Well at least that's one problem solved"). Fun Family Guy Fact #253: Entertainment Weekly's TV Critic (forget his name) hated Family Guy with a passion when it came out. Though not official, many people suspect this is the reason why Peter chose Entertainment Weekly to..."solve the problem".

Was EW insulting Family Guy with that quote, saying that it combined all the bad elements of those characters? I could see Fuzzy Door using an insult out of context just to piss off EW. Or did EW's opinion of Family Guy radically change down the road, with the quote actually being a complement?

[DianaGohan]

I think the quote was more directed at Peter, who is as "Ignorant" as Hank, Fat and Lazy as Homer, and Naive and Racist as Cartman, more or less. Well all those shows are popular and well liked by the critics, so I would say it was a compliement. Why else would they put it on the DVD? Besides to confuse a lot of fans of course.

[The Landstander]

Hmm...interesting point, not really sure. I remember I heard about the Entertainment Weekly critic on another forum for Family Guy (I'm pretty sure it was backed up with links, too). Zara mentioned the anti-FG critic a few posts later in the same thread: The critic in question would be Mr. Ken Tucker. Tucker believes there's no animated show that can or will ever measure up to The Simpsons. Plus his sidekick TV co-critic Dalton Ross hates Futurama and I've read two mini-reviews for Futurama where he referred to it as unfunny and a failed attempt by Groening to "capture the magic" of The Simpsons. Ugh. I like The Simpsons as much as the next person, but GEEZ - if it wasn't mainstream, they'd hate it too. That's how all of EW's critics are. Maybe the one quote came from one critic, and the other quote from another...or, like you said, maybe it was actually anti-FG and taken out of context...personally, I'm not sure. :shrug:

[Moridin]

I think the scene in Family Guy was making fun of Entertainment Weekly for naming Family Guy the worst show of 1999 (which would make chronological sense, since that list came out at the end of 1999 and "There's Something About Paulie" aired about 6 months later). FYI--it was also listed as the #5 worst show by EW in 2001 by the aforementioned Ken Tucker.

But I don't know where the quote on the box came from - but it would be pretty funny if they used an insult out of context to promote their DVDs!

[Zara]

As an Entertainment Weekly subscriber since the beginning (and the ability to pull any one of them).... I actually know where that quote came from:

In the January 22, 1999 issue, there was an article (by Bruce Fretts) about how networks over the years had tried to launch new series by giving them premieres after the Super Bowl like NBC did for the A-Team when it first came on. The article was mostly a comparison of how successful shows had been after their initial post-Super Bowl airing.

Mr. Fretts only mentioned Family Guy in the last paragraph. Below is the paragraph from the article containing the quote:


Ignoring this spotty record, Fox has tapped Family Guy for this season's post-Bowl slot--and it just might work. Guy is what you'd get if you put Hank Hill, Homer Simpson, and Cartman in a blender. It bursts with crude humor, boasts strong male appeal, and best of all, it's a cartoon--just like The A-Team.

[Tapout]

Ignoring this spotty record, Fox has tapped Family Guy for this season's post-Bowl slot--and it just might work. Guy is what you'd get if you put Hank Hill, Homer Simpson, and Cartman in a blender. It bursts with crude humor, boasts strong male appeal, and best of all, it's a cartoon--just like The A-Team.

Bah. How would this guy have any idea what he's talking about? If he calls Peter "Guy" then he must be a real avid viewer. :rolleyes:

[G1Ravage]

Bah. How would this guy have any idea what he's talking about? If he calls Peter "Guy" then he must be a real avid viewer. :rolleyes:

"Guy" is short for "Family Guy".

So yes, he does know what he's talking about.

[Tapout]

"Guy" is short for "Family Guy".

So yes, he does know what he's talking about.


I disagree. If you combine Hank Hill, Homer Simpson, and Eric Cartman you get a character, not a show. Just my opinion though.