Changing the Channel
Between 8:00 and 9:30 on Sunday night, Fox utilizes its competitive prime-time hours to showcase three half-hour cartoons - "The Simpsons", "American Dad", and "Family Guy". No professional survey has been conducted outside of heavily biased 'what's your favourite cartoon' polls on Simpson's or Family Guy forums, so it is difficult to exclaim, without proof or certainty, which Sunday night animation spectacle reigns supreme. The most reliable piece of information available for comparing current popularity, is the Nielson Ratings, which uses a sample of houses across the United States to estimate the number of television sets tuned in to various programs. Last week, Nielson confirmed a speculation that will only become more luminous in the upcoming months. Family Guy, sporting a late primetime slot of 9:00, beat out "The Simpsons" in their second ratings battle of the season. Should this be surprising? Probably not. The 18-21 age bracket that has grown up with the series has grown tired of Springfield. In University dorms across North America, what is being watched at 8:00 on a Sunday? The answer - probably NFL football. But at 9:00, during that same game, people are reaching for the clicker to tune into Quahog to catch Peter's latest brain-dead antics. Should this be surprising? In an era of television where viewers demand to be constantly entertained, crave fast-paced action to starve off creeping signs of boredom, it shouldn't arouse astonishment that today's youth is choosing to tune into Family Guy - a cartoon with an average scene length of 12 seconds. What does this say about the Simpsons? Unfortunately, very little. Unlike many successful 1990's cartoons, the Simpsons has always centered around a focused plot to drive a meaningful story in addition to humour. "Our primary goal is to pack this thing with as many laughs per page as we can," explained Seth Macfarlane in an interview preceding the show's triumphant return in 2004. Although in turn they sacrifice coherency, considering the growing popularity of Family Guy, is it safe to assume that even the 'classic era' of the Simpsons would strike a chord with today's viewing public? "Lemon of Troy" was arguably the greatest half-hour in Simpsons history, but it also follows a story; it requires the audience to pay attention and stay patient for a page or two of the script to allow advancements to a plot. While a page or two between laughs may have stretched longer in recent seasons, recent pitfalls in the Simpsons may not be a result of these longer gaps, but rather that without a constant stream of irrelevant gags and slapstick, viewers are simply going to change the channel. And in the cartoon television business, regardless of how long a run on television, changing the channel can have devestating effects.
By Jason LevyLegal Notice and Disclaimer: "The Simpsons" TM and FOX and its related companies. All rights reserved. This site, its operators, and any content on this site relating to The Simpsons are not authorized by FOX.
