Family Guy Season 23 Used One Of Its Oldest Jokes To Fix A Major Character Problem

Review

While Family Guy season 23 did rely on two of the show’s oldest jokes in one episode, the long-running series managed to make both of them work thanks to a clever twist. The Simpsons is now the longest-running scripted primetime American TV show in history, with over 780 episodes to its name. However, one of its earliest competitors is quickly catching up. Even before Family Guy season 24 begins, Seth MacFarlane’s darker family sitcom has already aired over 430 episodes since its 1999 debut.

Some of the best episodes of Family Guy aired during its first three seasons before the series was briefly canceled. Overwhelming fan demand resulted in its return and, ever since, Family Guy has remained a perennially popular staple of adult animated TV comedy. However, the show has not been without its struggles. There are many hated episodes with Family Guy, ranging from the show’s sometimes cringeworthy eagerness to offend to its overuse of anti-humor. Intentionally unfunny drawn-out gags can grow tiresome fast, as evidenced by some of the show’s lesser episodes.

Family Guy Season 23 Episode 5 Brings Back The Giant Chicken Via Meg’s New Romance

Meg Dates Ernie The Giant Chicken’s Son Nugget

To be fair, some of Family Guy‘s funniest jokes ever are priceless precisely because they subvert the audience’s expectations and drag out straightforward punchlines for far longer than expected. For example, Peter scraping his knee in season 2, episode 20, “Wasted Talent,” or the fight with a giant chicken in season 2, episode 3, “Da Boom,” both last much longer than viewers would anticipate, and this is the entire appeal of the gag.

Ernie the Giant Chicken went from a one-off joke character to a recurring guest star thanks to his initial appearance’s popularity.

However, these jokes inevitably grew tiresome with repetition, and, with a penchant for anti-humor and over 400 episodes to its name, Family Guy has a tendency to willfully repeat old jokes until they aren’t funny anymore. This might be an intentional ploy, but it still grows irritating after a certain point. Consider the many appearances by Ernie the Giant Chicken, who went from a one-off joke character to a recurring guest star thanks to his initial appearance’s popularity.

In one storyline, Family Guy fixed the Giant Chicken’s stagnant role and the show’s oldest, more overused gag when Meg dated Ernie’s son, Nugget.

Ernie the Giant Chicken is seen again in season 4, episode 3, “Blind Ambition,” season 5, episode 16, “No Chris Left Behind,” season 10, episode 23, “Internal Affairs,” season 11, episode 4, “Yup Ylimaf,” and season 19, episode 13, “PeTerminator.” However, it wasn’t until season 23, episode 7, “The Chicken or the Meg” that this gag truly paid off. In one storyline, Family Guy fixed the Giant Chicken’s stagnant role and the show’s oldest, more overused gag when Meg dated Ernie’s son, Nugget.

Meg’s “The Chicken or the Meg” Plot Fixes Her Biggest Family Guy Problem

The Griffin Family’s Hate of Meg Hasn’t Been Funny For Years

In “The Chicken or the Meg,” Meg begins dating Ernie’s son Nugget, much to Peter’s inevitable chagrin. While Family Guy season 23’s Top Gun parody recast the show’s heroes as famous movie characters, “The Chicken or the Meg” instead relied on the audience’s familiarity with the show’s lore. Family Guy has depicted Meg as the black sheep of the Griffin family for years now, so it made sense for her to reject the Griffins by dating Nugget.

Meg even moved out, leading Peter to bitterly admit that he missed her despite his professed hatred of his daughter. This was a welcome surprise since Family Guy has been joking about the family’s hatred of Meg for over a decade now and the gag hasn’t developed much in that time. Back in 2011, season 10, episode 2, “Seahorse Seashell Party” already saw Meg confront the family for using her as a scapegoat, but this tired dynamic remains largely in place some 14 years later. Thus, seeing them miss her and admit it was a perfect payoff.

The Giant Chicken’s Return Proves Family Guy Is Borrowing The Simpsons’ Best Approach

The Long-Running Sitcom Is Now Mocking Its Own Old Jokes

When Meg discovered Ernie was just as bad a father as Peter, she renounced the Giant Chicken, fought him, defeated and decapitated Ernie, and returned to the Griffins triumphant. Family Guy made two old jokes feel fresh with this plot, reinvigorating the repetitive Giant Chicken gag while also giving Meg a moment in the spotlight. In the process, Family Guy proved the show is getting wise to one of the best tricks used by The Simpsons.

As noted by Vulture, The Simpsons has been deemed «Good again» in recent years thanks to its renewed focus on character work and its more grounded storytelling. The main thing that has improved the show’s critical fortunes isn’t introducing a slew of new characters, but bringing back classic characters and gags and expanding on them. The Simpsons season 36’s character comebacks remind viewers of the show’s longevity and allow the series to make light of its own legacy, making an old show feel fresh in the process.

Family Guy Season 23’s Meg Story Can Change The Character’s Future

Meg Deserves More Spotlight In Family Guy Season 23

Turning a throwaway random gag like the Giant Chicken cutaways into a real full-blown storyline with emotional stakes proves that Family Guy is still learning from The Simpsons in its old age. However, “The Chicken or the Meg” is just the beginning, especially for Meg. Given her years of mistreatment, Meg deserves more time in the spotlight as season 23 continues, and the newfound independence and self-respect she gained in “The Chicken or the Meg” should her throughout the rest of the season.

At its best, MacFarlane’s show is subversive and toys with the conventions of sitcoms, messing with audience expectations in the process.

It is easy for Family Guy to use Meg as a punching bag, but if the show’s use of anti-humor proves anything, it is that Family Guy doesn’t always take the most obvious route or go for the easiest punchline. At its best, MacFarlane’s show is subversive and toys with the conventions of sitcoms, messing with audience expectations in the process. Family Guy has often lost viewers with episodes that went too far or gags that didn’t work, proving the series isn’t averse to risky experimentation.

Now, the show must turn its subversive streak toward Meg’s storyline. The most unexpected, and thus satisfying, twist for Family Guy season 23 would be turning Meg into a more self-reliant character who no longer acts as a walking punchline. Breaking away from the show’s lazy portrayal of Meg as nothing more than an eternal loser would cost Family Guy one of its oldest jokes, but repetition has rendered this gag stale and overdone. As such, Family Guy season 23 should continue to surprise viewers by abandoning this gag for something more unpredictable.

Source: Vulture

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