Ted Sequel Announced, Wahlberg CoHosting 2013 Oscars with Seth Mcfarlane

[CensoredAlso]

The guy definitely has real talent, it's just not always put to the best use. Sort of like Will Farrell, hehe.

 

[Drtooth]

The thing about making it into a TV show would be the fact that Seth MacFarlane has 3 other shows on the air that require his attention(Family Guy, American Dad, The Cleveland Show(although Cleveland Show is more Mike Henry, who plays Cleveland, than Seth, he MUST have a hand in it SOMEHOW)) to turn his attention to make another show would either be stretching himself thin, or make his other shows suffer. Oh, and btw, I think it could be either, but I wanna say affect. It would be an interesting idea to make one with their kid BUT that's the only way you can make another one. Like I said, they pretty much closed the door on making a sequel.

Daniel

I mean more like it seems like he originally planned to make a show with those characters, but that didn't leave the concept stage. It worked far better as a movie anyway.

Plus he barely does anything on Cleveland. He doesn't even do voices anymore. I think Fox is trying to sabotage the show to get it canceled. It's got the same death slot that foiled Futurama and King of the Hill.

Come on, now. Be fair. Seth MacFarlane has paid his dues in entertainment since 1995. He started as a storyboard artist and writer for great shows like Johnny Bravo, Dexter’s Laboratory and Cow & Chicken and currently has three of his own original shows on television. Family Guy is now on its 11th season. That's a huge feat, especially on Fox! Some would say these shows are watered-down facsimiles of what they once were. In all honesty, so were the last few seasons of the Cosby Show. MacFarlane's first full length film as a director cost $50 million and grossed over $508 million worldwide! You may not like him and I completely respect that. Call him vulgar. Say you don’t think he’s funny. That said, Seth MacFarlane is no hack by any measure. He’s a hard working guy with a lot of talent. Most entertainers of his stature would have cashed in and retired by now. I have a feeling that he’s just getting started. It will be interesting to see how his live action sitcom with fare with his fans. Sorry, just had to say it. Again, I respect a difference of opinion. Hack is just such a strong term that should be reserved for the worst of the worst.

Well said. I understand detractors hate the fact his show is vulgar, and the fact he has 3 shows going at once, and the fact that since he made a live action film, he's everywhere... but you have to admit, he's very talented. Singing, acting, directing, animating... he's putting himself out there. Sure, he's using his star power from his most popular show to achieve that, but you can tell he wants to move on from Family Guy and work on many other more ambitious projects. In fact, watch his SNL monologue. When they mention Family Guy, he almost cringes.

Like I said before, the unfunniest and some of the soapboxiest bits of the show aren't even his fault, but rather the writers who actually have to convince him to put those things in. And think about this. Now Adam West finally has a generation of people that don't automatically associate him with Batman. And all because they had him on a Johnny Bravo, and he's worked with Seth (and to a lesser extent, Seth's buddy from the JB days, Butch hartman) ever since.

 

[MrBloogarFoobly]

It's not the vulgarity that turns me off. He is not a good comedy writer, pure and simple. It's extremely lazy humor that appeals to the lowest common denominator. There's nothing intelligent to what he does, nothing nuanced. It's dead weight like Family Guy, American Dad, and the Cleveland Show that has contributed to the slow and deadly crippling of an entire generation of future entertainers.

As it stands, MacFarlene can create the same show over and over. He's not original, he's not a good writer. He is a good voice artist, but his lack of humility and his mindless preaching make him incredibly difficult to respect.

 

[Drtooth]

There's nothing intelligent to what he does, nothing nuanced. It's dead weight like Family Guy, American Dad, and the Cleveland Show that has contributed to the slow and deadly crippling of an entire generation of future entertainers.

This is why I find his detractors more annoying than his sycophants. There are far worse things on television than his programming, nonunion reality tripe that really appeals to the lowest denominator. That stuff is far more detrimental than one over rated show, one actually well written show, and one almost contractual obligation of a spinoff that he has no hand in, nor is it doing well enough to bother.

To blame him for the decline of his series is the same as blaming Matt Groening for the Simpsons not being as good as it used to be. Seth doesn't write any of these shows. He has input, but there are rooms full of writers contributing scripts. And as I said, half the time he has to be goaded by the writers to add in an overused bit that he himself is sick of. He actually wanted to end Family Guy, but Fox wouldn't allow it because it makes too much money.

Sure, the show was much better in its earlier years. Name one show that isn't. That's why everyone's favorite cartoon shows and sitcoms are shows that were taken down in their prime, leaving them wanting more. I still hear people complaining that King of the Hill was canceled even though it lasted a pretty long time and decided to end while it was just starting to get stale.

 

[D'Snowth]

He actually wanted to end Family Guy, but Fox wouldn't allow it because it makes too much money.

That's why you must never, ever, ever, ever, EVER, EVER, EVER, EVER sell ANYTHING that you create to someone else! Walt Disney himself spoke those words of wisdom; always hold on to what you create, don't ever sell it to someone else, and always fight for your name on what you create.

 

[MrBloogarFoobly]

This is why I find his detractors more annoying than his sycophants. There are far worse things on television than his programming, nonunion reality tripe that really appeals to the lowest denominator. That stuff is far more detrimental than one over rated show, one actually well written show, and one almost contractual obligation of a spinoff that he has no hand in, nor is it doing well enough to bother.

To blame him for the decline of his series is the same as blaming Matt Groening for the Simpsons not being as good as it used to be. Seth doesn't write any of these shows. He has input, but there are rooms full of writers contributing scripts. And as I said, half the time he has to be goaded by the writers to add in an overused bit that he himself is sick of. He actually wanted to end Family Guy, but Fox wouldn't allow it because it makes too much money.

Sure, the show was much better in its earlier years. Name one show that isn't. That's why everyone's favorite cartoon shows and sitcoms are shows that were taken down in their prime, leaving them wanting more. I still hear people complaining that King of the Hill was canceled even though it lasted a pretty long time and decided to end while it was just starting to get stale.

I'm aware of how television writing works. The fact is, the show has never been well written, right back to the original episodes that he did write.

I'm not placing sole blame on him for the decline of television, obviously. And yes, there are worse things on television. But Family Guy is, like most entertainment these days, a rehash of better things, thrown together with heavy amounts of 80s and golden era nostalgia.

"30 Rock," "The Larry Sanders Show" and "Curb Your Enthusiasm" all come to mind as shows that have had dry spells, but no decline. In fact, I'd argue that this last season of 30 Rock is as good as the first season.

And I'm sorry, but MacFarlene isn't "goaded" into over using bits. It's his show. He's the show runner. He has the final say. Besides, if you look at his other output - American Dad, The Cleveland Show, and Ted (and yes, I do realize other people co-wrote those productions) you'll see that he's a one-trick pony.

We have agreed on many things, but I can see on this issue we will have to respectfully disagree. It is a matter of taste. You like MacFarlene, I don't.

That's why you must never, ever, ever, ever, EVER, EVER, EVER, EVER sell ANYTHING that you create to someone else! Walt Disney himself spoke those words of wisdom; always hold on to what you create, don't ever sell it to someone else, and always fight for your name on what you create.

Unrealistic expectations, unfortunately. In this day and age, it is very difficult to retain complete creative control over a project, unless you have some kind of clout.

 

[D'Snowth]

Unrealistic expectations, unfortunately. In this day and age, it is very difficult to retain complete creative control over a project, unless you have some kind of clout.

I'm not talking about creative control, I'm talking about actual ownership: yes, networks and executives are going to insist on having some amount of creative control and input to a programming, but the point is to not actually sell the rights and ownership of the program to them. THAT is what Walt was saying. Just don't do it.

 

[jvcarroll]

It's not the vulgarity that turns me off. He is not a good comedy writer, pure and simple. It's extremely lazy humor that appeals to the lowest common denominator. There's nothing intelligent to what he does, nothing nuanced. It's dead weight like Family Guy, American Dad, and the Cleveland Show that has contributed to the slow and deadly crippling of an entire generation of future entertainers.

As it stands, MacFarlene can create the same show over and over. He's not original, he's not a good writer. He is a good voice artist, but his lack of humility and his mindless preaching make him incredibly difficult to respect.

His comedy doesn't speak to you, but that isn't cause for an absolute. I remember suffering through many modern art classes in college. There were a lot of pieces that I was tempted to call “bad” or say that they weren’t art. I learned to reserve that judgment for a very few items because the truth is, the work mostly came from brilliant people. The legitimacy of the art didn’t depend on whether I agreed or understood it.

McFarlane is certainly not high-brow. Still, I have to call complete malarkey on the idea that his programming has crippled future entertainers. Every generation has its lazy artists. Most of the creative people that I appreciate have studied the classics. These masterpieces are easier to access now than ever before via digital streaming. It’s clear that McFarlane has extensive knowledge in the history of film, television and literature and I particularly enjoy seeing his appreciation for the Muppets woven throughout his programs. His humor is certainly bawdy most of the time. It can also be intelligent and insightful too. And then there are the tasteless jokes about Laura Bush hitting a guy with her car.

Family Guy is more like an animated SNL encased inside a sitcom formula. Some sketches are going to be better than others. Some episodes are going to be downright weird. Some aspects of the stories will not always going to be resolved. The writers, including McFarlane (because he doesn't do it alone), are obviously very sharp people. Hammering out 66 episodes a year is a monumental task! Stupid, lazy folk wouldn’t be capable of that and remain on the air.

Personally, I don't like to see people embarrass themselves like the characters on NBC's the Office, Parks and Rec or HBO's Girls. That uncomfortable humor is hard for me to watch because in life I either want to help those people or to get far away from their antics. However, I do respect those programs. Others see those shows like I see Spinal Tap or Woody Allen films. It speaks to them in a way that it doesn't speak to me. A lot of talented people work on those programs and they have a lot of fans.

It's clear that you don't appreciate McFarlane's personality or share his world view. The same is probably true for the fellas at South Park. Let's face it, very few entertainers have much humility. That's an anomaly. It doesn't make their work any less valid. I just disagree that McFarlane is some sort of hack or that his work is bringing down the intellect of our civilization. Thats rubbish. He’s just an entertainer that you don’t like. I can respect that.

 

[Sgt Floyd]

For what it's worth, I do think American Dad is better written and more intelligent than Family Guy. American Dad doesn't rely on blatant parodies and cutaways to the extend Family Guy does. I'd even dare say it's the best animated show on Fox right now, and that's saying something coming from me, who really doesn't care for it THAT much anyway...

 

[D'Snowth]

I get what the three of you are saying, but now I feel compelled to add my own half-a-cent's worth to the discussion:

The entertainment industry seems to be in a pickle right now that most execs actually DON'T want to get out of, and people like Seth are partly to blame. Now, I'm not saying that Seth is a bad artist, or a bad entertainer, but his style of work, and his brand of humor is exactly what the problem is: most of entertainment today is just plain garbage. I don't mean on an artistic level, I mean on a content level. Just take a look at television today, and what do you see? Garbage. Just plain ol' garbage. There's very little intelligent entertainment on TV today, and what little bit that IS intelligent STILL has trashy undertones to it, because entertainers, studios, execs, et al, have this mentality that a show HAS to be dirty in order to sell. As I've said before, that's been my biggest complaint with The Big Bang Theory: on paper, what is this show supposed to be about? The lives of a bunch of nerds, right? THAT sounds like it would be a GREAT show! BUT, who's behind the show? Chuck Lorre, whose notorious for bawdy humor, so whenever you turn on Big Bang, what do you frequently see? The characters in bed with each other. Even those kind of escapades on Seinfeld weren't THAT frequent, and that's one of the things that show was known for. I'd rather see a show about a bunch of nerds than just keep seeing various characters in bed with various other characters.

Movies aren't much better either; as I said earlier, low-brow comedies are a dime a dozen anymore, and there seems to be more of them in theaters than anything these days. It's like the people behind these shows and movies just simply don't care anymore. They have characters, sure, they have a premise, okay, but all of that gets tossed aside, and instead, more focused is place on how many fart jokes they can fit in, how much poop a character can eat, how gross can we make this gag, who should be put in bed with who and how often, among other things. I mean, you know, not to sound egotistical, but I write most of my own material, and it is honestly NOT HARD AT ALL to write something genuinely funny without having to resort to bawdy, gross, questionable, explicit, and downright raunchy humor, and people tell me quite often that they find my work to be very clever and funny, so see? I'm an example of what can be done when more focus is put into characters and stories as opposed to what you can and can't get away with.

And again, that's a problem with entertainment today, because that's all studios are willing to crank out, nothing else, and you know something? I'm not the only one who's sick of it. Look at older shows and movies posted on YouTube, reading through all the comments from people saying, "I miss this kind of entertainment", "Why did they stop making stuff like this", "Why can't shows/movies be like this today", "How did we go from quality to poo", etc. Well, there's people like myself who are TRYING to bring that concept back, our own Xerus is another one, but sadly, the chances for us are pretty slim, because we DON'T include sex, violence, and poop in our work, and apparently, you have to have that stuff in order to be noticed.

I said it in another thread: you heard of the Rural Purge? We need like that Arthur episode, we need an actual Cleanup Brigade. For the good of the people.