"Simpsons", "American Dad" fumble laughs

The Boston Herald ^ | 2/06/05 | Boston Herald

[raccoonradio]

This year's Super Bowl halftime show may have been crafted to avoid scandal, but the programming Fox is airing after the big game might raise a few hackles. And this time, Tom Brady is actually involved.

Mel Gibson might want to change the channel after the Patriots-Eagles showdown tonight, because Fox has awarded the plum post-Super Bowl slot to an episode of ``The Simpsons'' that spoofs his ``The Passion of the Christ.'' If that's not enough to steam Gibson and the religious right, the network follows up with a sneak preview of the left-leaning animated satire ``American Dad.''

Unfortunately, both shows manage several comic first downs, but neither scores a touchdown.

``Homer and Ned's Hail Mary Pass,'' for example, somehow manages to skewer religious fundamentalists, liberal ``secular humanists,'' grandstanding athletes, ESPN and sports fans without ever being laugh-out-loud funny.

After video of Homer taunting Bart at a carnival makes its way onto the Internet, he opens ``Homer Simpson's Showboating Academy.'' In his back yard, he teaches normally humble sports pros such as Yao Ming, Michelle Kwan and Tom Brady - all supplying their own voices, although Brady's sounds oddly high-pitched - how to mock their opponents.

This leads to his recruitment as producer of the Super Bowl halftime show. Bereft of ideas, Homer turns to his good Christian neighbor Ned Flanders for help. Flanders has become a biblical snuff film auteur, with the recent purchase of a video camera. The pair cook up an Old Testament extravaganza that falls as flat as a Keanu Reeves line-reading because America is outraged at the sheer decency of it all.

What will the Parents Television Council think?

``Simpsons'' fans probably will just be peeved that the show isn't funnier - the best jokes are throwaways, such as an ad for ``Jammitin,'' an erectile-dysfunction treatment.

``American Dad,'' from the frantic, politically incorrect mind of ``Family Guy'' creator Seth MacFarlane, is also hit-and-miss. Unlike the ``Simpsons'' episode, however, ``Dad'' features a few more guffaws and makes you hopeful MacFarlane can fine-tune the show as it progresses.

``Dad'' chronicles the bizarre family life of lantern-jawed, uber-patriot CIA agent Stan Smith (voiced by MacFarlane). Stan sees danger lurking in every corner, from the suspect toaster in the kitchen to the pockets of his bleeding-heart-liberal daughter, Hayley. His clueless wife, Francine, cares for Hayley and her geeky teen brother, Steve, while fending off the sexual advances of a talking German goldfish named Klaus and watching the caloric intake of Roger, an alien from Area 51 who once saved Stan's life. Really.

The show is wacky, rude and, like ``Family Guy'' before it, destined to annoy some viewers while making cultlike converts of others.

``American Dad'' begins its run May 1 following the relaunch of ``Guy.''

( ``The Simpsons,'' tonight after the Super Bowl on Fox. (2.5 out of four); ``American Dad,'' tonight after ``The Simpsons'' on Fox. )

[FreedomSurge]

It couldn't have been worse. i watched, The Simpsons have officially jumped the shark the other show was just far left evil without ever being funny.

[Polonius]

"American Dad" was a less amusing "Family Guy" without the pop culture references.

[SaveTheChief]

..."This House is Freaking Sweet" from the episode where they inherit a Newport mansion).

ROFL!

and thanks for the link!

[Nowhere Man]

Well, the pilot on the whole WAS pretty ho-hum, but I nearly burst when the dad brought that dessicated, older-than-God dog in to be his son's pet. He excused the poor choice with something like "He's 19 years old. He was around when Reagan was President and things were as they should be!"

I caught that too, it was funny, when the dog lifted his leg, only dust came out. B-D Well, I do have 8 cats, one of them, Pansy, my little grey, tan and white green-eyed calico will be 18 this year so she is a "Reagan Kitty." One difference, she is still sharp as tacks, runs around like crazy and is very alert. People still think she is a kitten. Many times at night, she grabs a ball in her mouth and meows so loud, she wakes us up at 3 AM. B-)

[GeronL]

"He's 19 years old. He was around when Reagan was President and he remembers things were as they should be!"

[RockAgainsttheLeft04]

RE: ""He's 19 years old. He was around when Reagan was President and he remembers things were as they should be!"


My mistake. The line is still pretty funny, though.

[Dont Mention the War]

In an interview in USA Today a few days after the attacks he said that he was unable to get in touch with his office or his family in Los Angeles. He ended up driving half way across the country before he finally was able to get his office and his parents to tell them that he was all right.

This is bull. The only phone systems that were messed up on 9/11 were cell phones in NYC and landlines in a very small area of Lower Manhattan. If he didn't get through to LA, it's because he didn't try.

[guinnessman]

You're right, the Simpsons skewers democrats just as much as republicans.

There was an episode when Bart and Lisa were ghostwriting episodes of Itchy & Scratchy, but using Abe Simpson's name because they were under 18.

When they finally fessed up to him what they were doing, Lisa asked, "Grandpa, didn't you wonder why you were getting all that money for doing absolutely nothing?"

Abe Simpson responded, "I just figured the democrats were back in power."

[raccoonradio]

...needs a little work. Maybe a lot of work, but has some potential. What's up with the Paul Lynde-esque voice on
Roger the alien?

i think they rehashed a joke from Family Guy: the spinning newspaper with a smaller headline saying "Spinning Newspapers Back in Vogue"

[raccoonradio]

>>thanks for the link!

You're welcome--can't go wrong with briansbar.com and similar Family Guy sites

[RockAgainsttheLeft04]

RE: "Well, I do have 8 cats, one of them, Pansy, my little grey, tan and white green-eyed calico will be 18 this year so she is a "Reagan Kitty." One difference, she is still sharp as tacks, runs around like crazy and is very alert. People still think she is a kitten. Many times at night, she grabs a ball in her mouth and meows so loud, she wakes us up at 3 AM. B-)"


The Reagan Kitties are respected by all good FReepers, for they were the forefathers of our unique and powerful protectors-- the Viking Kitties. Only, the Reagan Kitties used "Rock Me Like A Hurricane" as their themesong instead of Led Zeppelin, and instead of administering the ZOT to lefty trolls everywhere, they simply gave them the finger and spit in their Moccachinos.

[LibertarianInExile]

Is he REAAALLLY the head of Kwik-E-Mart?

[Duke Nukum]

I nearly cracked a smile the first time the fish spoke.

The Paul Lyndessque, junk food eating alien was more annoying then stupid.

The liberal daughter, nothing there.

The devoted wife, nothing there.

The geek son, nothing there.

The title character could be funny if he had a straight man, like the role Brian fulfilled with Peter in Family Guy.

The fish, why not just flush it down the toilet?

Instead of trying to prove he's PC to his leftist friends, Seth MacFarlane should have stuck to being funny.

[Nowhere Man]

The Reagan Kitties are respected by all good FReepers, for they were the forefathers of our unique and powerful protectors-- the Viking Kitties. Only, the Reagan Kitties used "Rock Me Like A Hurricane" as their themesong instead of Led Zeppelin, and instead of administering the ZOT to lefty trolls everywhere, they simply gave them the finger and spit in their Moccachinos.

B-) I used to have two "Reagan Kitties" but one passed on last July. I'm glad I still haveo ne left, BTW, I see her floating around, I think I need to put some food down for her. B-)


Pansy 8-19-1987 (Uh oh, she shares a birthday with Slick Willie, well, as they say, you got to balance the bad with the good B-))


Muffin 8-21-1987 to 7-09-2004

She is/was a Burmese cat. She is getting ready to ZOT as you can see. B-)

[ozzymandus]

Taped it, haven't watched it yet. love the Simpsons, always thought Family Guy wasn't funny except for the dog and the baby. Either way, they're just cartoons. Must be tough to be a reviewer and have to try to find "meaning" in everything to please the leftie dopes.

[RockAgainsttheLeft04]

RE: "The title character could be funny if he had a straight man, like the role Brian fulfilled with Peter in Family Guy."


That's just the problem with the show-- it's a little TOO reminiscent of Family Guy. Tonight, American Dad looked like it was trying too hard to imitate the (much funnier) Family Guy and was coming up short doing it.

Notice that each of the new family's members fits the exact same role as each of the Griffins in Family Guy, all the way down to the talking fish (nee, baby) who has a fixation on the mother character and the droll and intelligent family pet (dog/alien) who acts as the REAL brains in the family.

It never helps a comedy to keep reminding the viewer of other, better comedies, especially when American Dad had a hard enough time providing the laughs in the first place with it's uneven scripting tonight. I DID love the bit about the half-dead dog, though, and a few lines here and there struck me as quite clever.

The political content was actually pretty muted to me, as I was expecting something a little harder than terror-alert system jokes (not exactly daring as just about EVERYBODY hates that damn useless color-scheme) and a bit about a pencil that skewers Bin Laden up the pooper (yeah, that's going to get us right-wingers screaming with rage). I did like the line the gung-ho, uber-CIA Dad used on his hippie liberal daughter: "You like shaving your armpits, Because if the terrorists take over that'll be the first thing to go!"

[RockAgainsttheLeft04]

My regards to you on the passing of Muffin. A very cute-looking cat from the picture you posted, and I'll bet a gaze like hers could level an army of trolls in mere seconds.

[rwfromkansas]

I only watched about 5 minutes of American Dad, but it was hilarious.

Left-leaning? Come on.

McFarland keeps it pretty straight usually.

[rwfromkansas]

I can't wait until FAmily Guy comes back on in May.