The Simpsons Guy

The Simpsons and Family Guy are two comedy institutions – both hilarious animated shows that tackle a wide range of humour, successfully establishing themselves in the hearts of many viewers. However, both shows have faced accusations of quality dipping, which can be considered fair – I myself have taken many digs at Family Guy and its over-reliance on cutaways gags and crudeness in favour of story, whilst The Simpsons has been running for 25 years and faced criticism that it peaked in its tenth season, back in 1999 (something I do not agree with). They both consistently turn in a big audience, with repeats shown often on major channels.

Now, one of the biggest TV events this year – The Simpsons Guy, in which both shows cross over. Actors from both take part in this massive celebration of two of animation’s biggest families.

The plot is simple enough – Peter gets a job as a cartoonist for his local newspaper, but after drawing a few strips that offend women, a mob surrounds his house. The family flee town, and after a night asleep on the road, stop at a gas station. There, their car is stolen. They decide to go to the nearby town for help – this, of course, is Springfield. We meet all the locals, with Peter Griffin and Homer Simpson working together to find the car, although other events occur that leads to their friendship collapsing.

source: wikipedia.com

There are a number of funny moments, with it clear that the writers love both shows equally. The counterparts each go off on their own adventures, with the Lisa and Meg story also turning out quite funny. In very self-aware style, it picks apart the ideas of crossovers and pokes fun at the idea that Family Guy is just a copy of The Simpsons by having Judge Fred Flinstone ruling that they are both a rip-off of him. During a fight, Homer throws his numerous Emmys at Peter – a move the latter calls unfair as he doesn’t have any.

It’s all good fun, and very tongue-in-cheek – however, this is part of the issue. The episode was written by Family Guy writers, and it is primarily a Family Guy episode – as such, the tone is darker. Stewie hangs out with Bart, and when Bart makes a prank call to Moe, Stewie is very amused and wants a go. As Moe picks up the phone, he screams a rape joke down the phone. There is a sequence ending in the heavy implication Peter and Homer rectally insert petrol pumps. And the thing ends with a massive ‘chicken-fight’ between Homer and Peter, ending with the Simpson patriarch crushed by a spaceship, mashed in a puddle of blood.

During a fight, Homer throws his numerous Emmys at Peter – a move the latter calls unfair as he doesn’t have any.

I like dark humour – the sexist jokes at the start made me laugh a lot – but it feels really out of place in Springfield – I don’t want to see Homer Simpson killed, discounting the Treehouse of Horrors in which I’m game for anything. The two styles of comedy, although both smart and making a lot of references to the worlds of both high and low culture, do not merge together well, leading to a bit of a bitter taste. That The Simpsons writers chose not to take part was a bad move, and I can’t help but feel that they could’ve added more heart to the tale.

That said, it was good fun to watch, and I will watch it again, more than likely when it is endlessly repeated on whichever channel acquires it when BBC3 vanishes forever – fans of both shows will enjoy it, and it is a good tribute to them both, but it feels like so much of a missed opportunity. The bringing together of two juggernauts of television history, and despite all the build-up, it fell flat. This should’ve been so special, and I’m really sorry to have to report that it was average.