What Happened to "Family Guy?"

I've been asking myself this question for a while now.

I loved "Family Guy" on its first run. Thought it was almost as good as "The Simpsons." I got reacquainted with it when everyone else did. I watched the DVDs with friends, caught most of the syndicated shows. I think I've seen every episode, most of them twice.

This was one of the few shows I could count on to make me laugh consistently. Then the fans stepped in.

I've been holding my opinion in for a while. At first I thought it was me. I used to dismiss anything that became too popular, snobbily casting aside anything the public accepted as good, funny, or cool. I've since stepped back from that judgment, realizing nothing should be dismissed without a trial run (that doesn't hold for reality shows and some popular "music"). So that wasn't it.

Next, I thought maybe I had changed in some way. Maybe my sense of humor had run off the path. I no longer like most of the shows I was addicted to growing up. But any moron can see how horrible "Full House" is.

Still, this option ran around in my mind a bit, supported by my waning interest in "The Simpsons" and my ultimate dismissal of "American Dad" (misogynist piece of crap!). Even after I finally gave up on "The Simpsons," I wasn't convinced. I still think the same people in my life are funny. Nope, my sense of humor is intact.

I won't go into the horrors of the new "Simpsons" episodes, because I am no longer up to date on them. "American Dad" doesn't warrant the words I've given it. But I feel there's still hope for "Family Guy." Maybe it's just wishful thinking.

In this new era of technology, where TV shows are on DVD before the season is over, I think we're getting ahead of ourselves. "Family Guy" is an extreme example. It was left to brew for too long. It sat on the stove, the ingredients mixing together, and something in there went bad. I think we put some milk in there by mistake.

"Family Guy" has become a parody of itself. It has taken the things we fans loved about it and exploited those things: taking a joke past its ultimate conclusion (see the Quahog Creek "episode" in tonight's show), repetition (Peter's repeated inhalations after hurting himself), celebrity jokes/pop culture references (INCREDIBLY over-used on tonight's episode), overstatement, and non-sequitors. They have taken them past funny. We are partly responsible. Much like Yellowstone, we are loving this show to death. We loved when the family dismissed and made fun of Meg. Now she's a walking punching bag. Some of that is funny, but she's a non-character now. We expect it now. We don't give a damn about her. I think the show's creators need to fall back in love with their characters.

I will admit, tonight's episode made me laugh. This is why I think there's hope. Seth McFarland is funny. He and the network need to stop worrying about what the audience wants and start thinking about the show itself.