Family Guy is evolving with the times!
Showrunners confirmed the beloved animated comedy will indeed “phase out” gay jokes after Peter Griffin made that very declaration during Sunday’s episode.
Related: Seth MacFarlane On That ’05 ‘Family Guy’ Joke About Kevin Spacey
Executive producers Alec Sulkin and Rich Appel explained the move to TV Line, telling the outlet it was an effort for the Seth MacFarlane-created series to better reflect the current social climate. Sulkin noted:
“If you look at a show from 2005 or 2006 and put it side by side with a show from 2018 or 2019, they’re going to have a few differences. Some of the things we felt comfortable saying and joking about back then, we now understand is not acceptable.”
But it’s not just the audiences that’s changed.
Appel explained that the writers of the show — which launched in 1999 — have also progressed their views over the past decade, adding:
“If a show has literally been on the air for 20 years, the culture changes. And it’s not us reacting and thinking, ‘They won’t let us [say certain things].’ No, we’ve changed too. The climate is different, the culture is different and our views are different. They’ve been shaped by the reality around us, so I think the show has to shift and evolve in a lot of different ways.”
That means no more jokes at the expense of the LGBT community, a decision that comes after comedians like Kevin Hart are being forced to (repeatedly) own up to their history of using homophobia-laced humor.
Gay jokes have always been a wheelhouse comedy category for the series, so, naturally, plenty of fans are complaining about the change on social media, echoing the sentiments of those who feel that PC culture is ruining the sanctity of comedy.
But as we hope Family Guy sets out to prove, a show can still be funny without targeting members of a community.
LGBT jokes may even be welcomed(!), so long as they’re made without undertones of malice or disgust — like, for example, that gag where Brian vomits for 30 seconds straight after realizing he slept with a transgender woman.
What do U think about this creative decision?
[Image via Fox/YouTube.]
Related Posts
-
Categories
