It is another wholesome Sunday night on the Fox Network. Whatever happened to the sitcom? It seems to have been replaced by risque cartoons. Except for The War at Home (not a bad show by the way), it is chalk full of animation. While I tend to favor the crime dramas over on CBS, occasionally I get sucked into the oddball humor of these shows. Let us commiserate for just a moment about the evolution of the family cartoon. While Disney brought us the adorable Mickey Mouse and the gang, I think it would be fair to say that the inaugural primetime family toon was The Flintstones. I was brought up reruns of this show. So many fond memories of Fred's yabbadabbadoos, Barney's obnoxious chuckle, Wilma and Betty yelling "Charge it!", and of course the wonderful little diddy by Pebbles and BamBam...
"So let the sun shine in
Face it with a grin
Smilers never lose
And frowners never win
So let the sun shine in
Face it with a grin
Open up your heart
And let the sun shine in."
We then had The Jetsons, but that one did not quite have the staying power of their prehistoric counterparts. Then came the The Simpsons, also known as the decline of humanity in some circles...:) I was never a big fan of this show, but my kids and husband seem to adore it. Hence, I tolerate it. One of the longest running shows of all time, Homer and his clan are still going strong. "Eat my shorts!" and "Cowabunga!" are now part of the our vernacular. Since I think I somehow subconsciously married the reincarnation of Homer, I can't completely dismiss this show. "Mmmm, doughnuts..." is now a common phrase uttered in our house with the food choice being interchangeable. My husband gets really giddy for the annual Halloween episode.
MTV helped revolutionize the primetime toon genre by bringing us Ren & Stimpy and Beavis & Butthead. Then Trey Parker and Matt Stone ushered in a whole new level of wrong by giving us South Park on Comedy Central. And now we come back to the Sunday night cartoon lineup on Fox. We kick on the evening with the now sedate Simpsons (incomparison with new shows), the spicier American Dad, and then we cap it off with disturbingly funny Family Guy. This last show is so off the charts at times that you can't help but laugh at how random it is. While it appears to follow a basic plotline, you must be prepared for it to digress every chance it gets.
It will be interesting to see what comes down the pipeline next. I know I've left some cartoons out, but my hands fingers are tired of typing and it's time to call it a night to go watch Family Guy. Fred Flintstone would be most likely be yelling "Wilma!" at one viewing of these newer incarnations of the primetime cartoon.
"So let the sun shine in
Face it with a grin
Smilers never lose
And frowners never win
So let the sun shine in
Face it with a grin
Open up your heart
And let the sun shine in."
We then had The Jetsons, but that one did not quite have the staying power of their prehistoric counterparts. Then came the The Simpsons, also known as the decline of humanity in some circles...:) I was never a big fan of this show, but my kids and husband seem to adore it. Hence, I tolerate it. One of the longest running shows of all time, Homer and his clan are still going strong. "Eat my shorts!" and "Cowabunga!" are now part of the our vernacular. Since I think I somehow subconsciously married the reincarnation of Homer, I can't completely dismiss this show. "Mmmm, doughnuts..." is now a common phrase uttered in our house with the food choice being interchangeable. My husband gets really giddy for the annual Halloween episode.
MTV helped revolutionize the primetime toon genre by bringing us Ren & Stimpy and Beavis & Butthead. Then Trey Parker and Matt Stone ushered in a whole new level of wrong by giving us South Park on Comedy Central. And now we come back to the Sunday night cartoon lineup on Fox. We kick on the evening with the now sedate Simpsons (incomparison with new shows), the spicier American Dad, and then we cap it off with disturbingly funny Family Guy. This last show is so off the charts at times that you can't help but laugh at how random it is. While it appears to follow a basic plotline, you must be prepared for it to digress every chance it gets.
It will be interesting to see what comes down the pipeline next. I know I've left some cartoons out, but my hands fingers are tired of typing and it's time to call it a night to go watch Family Guy. Fred Flintstone would be most likely be yelling "Wilma!" at one viewing of these newer incarnations of the primetime cartoon.
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