Often when I watch Family Guy, I wonder if the many young adults and teens who watch it understand most of the references.  Some examples ...


♦ The episode where Chris gets pulled into A-ha's "Take on Me" video. 

♦ The episode where Peter gets into a Pyramid style verbal word match with a man in an office, Dick Clark walks out and tells him the answer.

♦ The episode where the Griffins go to a TV convention, in the background, you can see V.I.C.I. the Robot at the "Small Wonder" booth

♦ When Stewie becomes the Boy in the plastic bubble, he becomes the pinball in that old Sesame Street bit

♦ In one episode, Peter talks about "Hardcastle and McCormick" and in another episode, Stewie is watching "Mr. Belvedere" and singing the show's theme song

Some probably

In Looney Tunes (and other old theatrical cartoons from that era), there's topical referances to radio shows, WWII, celebrities, movies, etc. that probably would go over the heads of many children, young adults, and those that don't know much about pop culture or history from the early/mid 20th century.



also many things are still funny despite people, including myself, not being familiar with the referances

Often when I watch Family Guy, I wonder if the many young adults and teens who watch it understand most of the references.  Some examples ...


♦ The episode where Chris gets pulled into A-ha's "Take on Me" video. 

♦ The episode where Peter gets into a Pyramid style verbal word match with a man in an office, Dick Clark walks out and tells him the answer.

♦ The episode where the Griffins go to a TV convention, in the background, you can see V.I.C.I. the Robot at the "Small Wonder" booth

♦ When Stewie becomes the Boy in the plastic bubble, he becomes the pinball in that old Sesame Street bit

♦ In one episode, Peter talks about "Hardcastle and McCormick" and in another episode, Stewie is watching "Mr. Belvedere" and singing the show's theme song


that's how I felt about Gilmore Girls! Some of the pop culture references in that show are so deep! 

I'm still trying to connect with Family Guy... I like the pop culture references but they don't come fast enough for me and the rest of the show still bores me....

The only reference I understand is the 'Take on me' video. That was cool!  :)

Family Guy is extremely Gen-X.  Aside from the pop culture references, the whole thing is a spoof of an '80s sit-com. 

Not comparing the two, mind you, but I did not "get" a lot of Monty Python references until I was in college.  Heck, I even had to look some of them up myself.  Even though I didn't get a lot of the references in MP when I was 12, it was still funny as hell.  Family Guy seems to be strong enough to do this too.

Somebody said I reminded them of Brian the Dog!
;D

A lot of the references are from 80's movies, TV shows, and commercials. One 80's commercial I remember is the Hefty trash bag commercial, and Peter was referencing it when he suggested using one as a condom. Some of the references are before my time. In the episode when Peter plays for the New England Patriots, he performed the entire score of "Shipoopi" from the Music Man.

My 17 yr. old Daughter laughs Her butt off ,because it's funny on it's own,,,,,,,and I'll explain the reference....and She laughs harder {like,if I show Her from You Tube,or whatever,what they were lampooning}

Often when I watch Family Guy, I wonder if the many young adults and teens who watch it understand most of the references.  Some examples ...


♦ The episode where Chris gets pulled into A-ha's "Take on Me" video. 

♦ The episode where Peter gets into a Pyramid style verbal word match with a man in an office, Dick Clark walks out and tells him the answer.

♦ The episode where the Griffins go to a TV convention, in the background, you can see V.I.C.I. the Robot at the "Small Wonder" booth

♦ When Stewie becomes the Boy in the plastic bubble, he becomes the pinball in that old Sesame Street bit

♦ In one episode, Peter talks about "Hardcastle and McCormick" and in another episode, Stewie is watching "Mr. Belvedere" and singing the show's theme song

It's ok show, it was funnier the first few seasons.

Now every episode, keeps getting even more and more random.

I don't get much of it.  Loved the Stewie pinball and The no dogs allowed done on Brian.  also the Kool-Aid man

So I have been watching more Family Guy since this thread started. Although I get most of the pop culture references I still don't get a lot of the humor.

I just watched the first two eps of this season....still not sure why stewie talks....nor why brian talks....but what I really don't get is these women wanting to have sex with Brian? I mean he's a dog for pete's sake!  8-P


What am I missing?

So I have been watching more Family Guy since this thread started. Although I get most of the pop culture references I still don't get a lot of the humor.

I just watched the first two eps of this season....still not sure why stewie talks....nor why brian talks....but what I really don't get is these women wanting to have sex with Brian? I mean he's a dog for pete's sake!  8-P


What am I missing?


See, Stewie's not literally an infant and Brian's not literally a dog; they're just discrete egos playing within the dysfunctional family dynamic.

That's why I say I identify most with Brian!
:)

See, Stewie's not literally an infant and Brian's not literally a dog; they're just discrete egos playing within the dysfunctional family dynamic.

That's why I say I identify most with Brian!
:)


guess I missed the episode that explains that  ;)  thanks!

♦ The episode where Chris gets pulled into A-ha's "Take on Me" video.  (One of my favorite videos from the 80s, and I was only 6 after it's been out a year later.)

♦ The episode where Peter gets into a Pyramid style verbal word match with a man in an office, Dick Clark walks out and tells him the answer. (I know of Pyramid)

♦ The episode where the Griffins go to a TV convention, in the background, you can see V.I.C.I. the Robot at the "Small Wonder" booth (I um, used to watch this too.. :-This made me chuckle.  Being a child of the late 80s, OF COURSE I've seen Sesame Street, especially the original great bit! :P  But I guess you're talking about people born in 89 or so.)

♦ In one episode, Peter talks about "Hardcastle and McCormick" and in another episode, Stewie is watching "Mr. Belvedere" and singing the show's theme song (I do know of Mr. Belvedere, not sure of Hardcastle and McCormick.)


Most pop culture stuff they've done on that show I could get, but there are some I scratch(ed) my head at, or just didn't think it was a reference at all.

So, did anyone ever catch references to later pop culture stuff that they didn't get?  Like the reference to the video game called DOOM(which I thought was cool, even though I've never played it), or some of the scenes in Stewie's home made music video where he apparently references several videos.. one of them shows him in Legos, like the White Stripes' "Fell In Love With a Girl".  I also saw a reference to The Police's "Wrapped Around Your Finger" in there, which I saw on Pop Up Video years ago, so I at least know that older one.

I love Family Guy, it's big over here but then I think it has very British humour in it. My nephew is 14 and his crowd at school all love it too. He often asks or looks up a reference he doesn't get.

I love Family Guy, it's big over here but then I think it has very British humour in it. My nephew is 14 and his crowd at school all love it too. He often asks or looks up a reference he doesn't get.


I have no doubt Seth MacFarlane is a Monty Python fan and actually we had the same problem with Python over here.  There were some references I didn't get until much later (eg. Cyril Connelly, Enoch Powell, Dennis Compton), but it didn't make Python any less funny. 

I tried to introduce a friend of mine to Monty Python's Flying Circus and he hated it.  He did not have enough cultural background to understand the mechanics of the humor.  For instance, the management training course interview is one of my favorites, but my friend couldn't understand why Graham Chapman didn't just get up and walk out when John Cleese started making faces and ringing the bell!  I tried to explain the British upper class deference to authority, the need to maintain order, and the fear of humiliation as reasons the Chapman character for five minutes put up with the abuse...but if you have to explain that kind of humor, it's not funny anymore.

There's also a difference with American television humor where there always had to be some sweetness, some lesson to be learned, and somebody coming out a better person for it in the end.  A striking contrast to this was "Married with Children," which was a hit in 1988.  People often compare "Family Guy" to "The Simpsons," but it's really got much more in common with "Married with Children," even though "The Simpsons" is also a cartoon. 

For some reason, I don't know why they always pick on Meg? I know the creator made her a punching bag after knowing that many of the fans dislike her, but still...

The early seasons were good, but all went downhill by the fifth season.

The fourth had a few good episodes like when Quagmire got engaged.


Also the creepy pedo should've been thrown in dip (as in "Who Framed Roger Rabbit").

For some reason, I don't know why they always pick on Meg? I know the creator made her a punching bag after knowing that many of the fans dislike her, but still...

The early seasons were good, but all went downhill by the fifth season.

The fourth had a few good episodes like when Quagmire got engaged.


Also the creepy pedo should've been thrown in dip (as in "Who Framed Roger Rabbit").


Meg is the most likable character.  She's a hapless teenage girl surrounded by morons and crazies!  She's much like Molly Ringwald's Samantha Baker in "Sixteen Candles."  The difference is, Meg never finds her Jake Ryan!
;)

Mr. Herbert is an ephebophile, rather than a pedophile.  He's gooey for the adolescent boys, not the young children.  Perhaps they made him so old and feeble so he wouldn't seem threatening.  Of course, they did do a spoof of John Belushi in "Animal House" where Herbert's up on a ladder spying on Chris.