Family Guy

There are hundreds upon hundreds of television shows on the air and many of them represent some idea or fact that affects the world today. Many of these are dramas based on flawed characters or dysfunctional families that are forced to live together because of their blood relation or marital status. Then there are cartoons such as Family Guy and American Dad! which both represent the current popular media and political issues mostly within the United States though references are made to global issues. They both share many similarities and differences that reflect the issues, crisis, and political situations in their own twisted way.

Family Guy is a very liberal show with many silly sketches. At first glance this may appear to be the only value, but if we look deeper we can see many political and popular media jokes. Peter Griffin, the main character, has a family of six. He, his wife Lois, Meg, Chris, and Stewie, along with their talking dog Brian. Throughout the sketches he and his family live through many of the issues and dilemmas we see in America today. With his family and friends, they attempt to live the average life of a middle class family in the United States today.

American Dad! contains many republican values. It is a tad more serious than Family Guy, but its roots can easily be seen. The father, Stan, and his family of six attempts to live normal lives of their own that often conflict with Stan's republican values. This creates a little drama but is tied in with good humor. The family consists of Stan the father, Francine the wife, Hailey the daughter, Steve the son, Claus the talking gold fish, and Roger the alien. The family is very independent and must try to live together throughout the many awkward situations they are thrown into.

At the first Glance these families are pretty much the same with only a few physical differences. Though both shows lean towards differing political standpoints, each character has their own standpoints and views which, though affected by the actions of the other characters, can be seen throughout each episode. From an episode of Family Guy, Peter shows up to his sons one year birthday party ridding an elephant and says to his wife Lois, "Hey honey look, I'm both of the symbols of the republican party, an elephant and an old man afraid of change!". Though this would be funny for most people, it has its point, since the episode aired earlier this decade as the republicans took control of the white house.

Then take a look at American Dad!; the father, Stan, is a die-hard republican who doesn't accept any other points of view (unless through actions taken by other characters). In one of their episodes his wife conceives a baby, for a male homosexual couple, barely noticed by her husband. After finding out who the baby is for, Stan over-reacts to the situation and attempts to bring the baby to Oklahoma to put it up for adoption. Though the actions taken in this episode are extreme in the least, you can see the republican