How is Family Guy a

Postmodern text?

Giggity giggity goo

The Griffin Family

Lois Meg

Peter
Chris

Stewie
Brian
The breakdown of culture and society
 Bricolage
It is suggested that Family Guy creator, Seth McFarland, has based his characters on
previous animations, for example Brian Griffin looks similar to the famous cartoon dog
character Snoopy.

Brian Griffin Snoopy

Similarities: White fur, Black nose, Participate

in human activities, etc.
The breakdown of culture and society
Stewie has a striking resemblance to the 1991 comic-strip
character Jimmy Corrigan: The Smartest Kid on Earth.

Stewie Griffin Jimmy Corrigan

Similarities: Football-shape head,

dislike towards mother, intelligent, etc.
Family Guy and The Simpsons
 It is speculated that Family Guy is a copy of the famous sit-com cartoon The Simpsons,
however it is argued that all comedies take inspiration from similar texts. Family Guy
and the Simpsons how very similar factors, for example the family which includes a
father, a mother, a son, a daughter and a baby child. They also live on a common
neighbour hood roads, Spooner Street, Quahog for Family Guy and Evergreen Terrace,
Springfield for The Simpsons. Peter Griffin and Homer Simpson are also very similar
characters with both of them being dim-witted and clumsy.
Pastiche in Family Guy
 The family guy movie, blue harvest, is a pastiche of star wars.
How Does Family Guy create confusion over time and
space?
 There are particular episodes in which time and space is used to create confusion.
 An example of this is in the episode ‘Road to the Multiverse’. The idea of parallel
universes is used to create confusion on where the characters are. This is also makes
the audience confused as to time because in some of different universes, the world is
very futuristic.
 The characters travel from one parallel dimension to another. In each one, to comedic
effect, they meet different versions of themselves. This is portrayed in a very playful
way.

This shows Stewie and Brian in This shows Peter and Lois in the
a ‘Disney universe’. ‘Flintstone universe’
How Does Family Guy create
confusion over time and space?
 The episodes follow a non linear narrative. One of the reasons this is true is because in
each episode there are at least 3 flash backs to when something happened. This is
usual started off when a character says a line similar to “this is worse than the time…”
After this line there is a flashback to when something has happened in the past. These
situations probably haven’t really happened and once again are used just for the
comedy value.
 There are many episodes that create confusions in time and space. This seems to be a
very popular theme used by the creators of the show making this aspect of the show
very post modern.
The decline of the meta-narrative
 The Meta-Narrative is, for example; Christianity, Science, Buddhism, etc.

 Meta-Narratives are constantly open to criticism in Family Guy.

For Example: Jesus Comes To Dinner and God pulling.

Here Family Guy is taking the Meta-Narrative of Christianity and is making humour
out of it. This is an example of the decline of the Meta-Narrative.
The decline of the meta-narrative
 Playfulness with Realism

 In most respects they are a normal everyday family with the rules of nature applying,
being conventional family sit-com and the environment is realistic.
 Similar to other family sit-coms, eg. My Family.

 But, they also have factors which go against the sense of realism, for example an
intelligent baby, a talking dog and other characters like Jesus, Death and God making
appearances in the episodes but are accepted as if they were everyday citizens.