Let me start by saying I know "Family Guy" is not a show that's meant for everyone. Its raunchy humor can rub some people the wrong way and its humor in more recent seasons has devolved into mean-spirited jabs in place of actual jokes. However, this show has remained an emotional stress reliever for me since I started watching it as a kid.
While the show never had any deep story arcs or characters that I got emotionally invested in, it did always have a bright color pallet and a rapid-fire sense of humor that that usually got more laughs out of me than not. Not all of the jokes were home runs (the show's humor is very "hit and miss", even in the good seasons, if I'm being honest), but the ones that did work still give me a chuckle when I think of them.
The show never really carried any emotional weight; it was just light, disposable, fluff (or as fluffy as a raunchy adult cartoon could be). However, it was exactly those qualities that have made the show a real stress reliever in my life. It's a show I can just put on the television for background noise while I'm working on the computer or performing an important task at home. Usually, if I've had a bad day or suffered some emotional stress, I could always turn on "Family Guy" and see what wild shenanigans the Griffin Family would get themselves into.
The show's sense of humor also speaks to my personal tastes. I love shows that have raunchy humor and use pop culture to springboard jokes. I also love how the show used to use that humor to say something relevant about American society and the state of pop culture, however, the show has recently just become raunchy for the sake of being raunchy and usually puts out jokes that cross the line from raunchy to just tasteless.
The show also emits the fun and fancy-free attitude that feels infectious and I can't help but smile. The show has almost no limits as to what's possible and doesn't shy away from being as ridiculous as possible. One of my favorite gags from the show is the "chicken fights", which include the patriarch of the Griffin Family, Peter, fighting a giant chicken man in ways that become more elaborate, goofy, and over-the-top with each fight.
Despite the show's recent dip in quality there are still some newer episodes that have given me a few laughs. Any episode that feature Stewie and Brian going on an adventure usually get laughs out of my and I also love all three of the special "Star Wars" episodes that they put out. However, I believe that brings me to what I enjoy most about the show (or at least seasons 1-7).
The show used to be raunchy and edgy without being mean spirited. More modern episodes have just become overly mean spirited and turn me off sometimes. However, some of the earlier episode felt too sappy and restricted by a relative sense of reality, which made it feel like the "Simpsons" knockoff everyone accuses it of being. My sweet spot for the series were those middle seasons that had just enough edge to pull of raunchy jokes and just enough sincerity to make you not hate everyone in the family for being a bad person.
"Family Guy" is a show that I enjoyed watching since I was a child (even though I shouldn't have been watching it at that age) and it's ridiculous humor and rapid gags always helped lift me out of a funk. It helped me through my earlier High School years when I was extremely shy and stressed about my school work. When I finished my homework I would watch episodes of the show on Adult Swim and was my personal version of "stopping and taking a breather".
I don't blame anyone for disliking "Family Guy" and it's style of humor (especially now). Any criticisms thrown at the show by women, POC, and other minorities who are often the butt of many of the show's more tasteless jokes, are all justified and they have every right to not like the show. I just wanted to share my complicated feelings on the show and why it has become so important for my emotional state. I hope my readers will share their thoughts on their own "stress reliever" shows and discuss the positive effect they have had on their mental health.
