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Dr. Gersch
Communications 2302
25 October 2006
On Family Guy: The Narrative and Postmodern
In the popular television show, Family Guy, which airs on a variety of different
stations, a selection of different communication theories can be easily applied to the
overall makeup of the thirty-minute animated episodes. The television show revolves
around a similar concept to The Simpsons, albeit one that is highly focused on a very
direct satire of contemporary culture and its impact on society, especially in terms of
everyday American life. The show features a seemingly standard American family,
consisting of Peter Griffin, the father, Lois Griffin, the mother, Chris Griffin, the son,
Meg Griffin, the daughter, Stewie Griffin, the baby son, and Brian, the dog. Throughout
the many seasons, the show focuses on exposing the ills of society in a funny, yet
politically incorrect fashion. Peter Griffin, for example, works for a toy company owned
by a tobacco conglomerate; even Brian, the family pet, has commented on society, which
is especially apparent in the joint episodes where he becomes addicted to cocaine, spirals
out of control, and eventually enters into a rehabilitation paradise in hopes of recovery.
Two theories which will be applied to Family Guy are narrative theory and postmodern
theory; despite the selection of only two theories, almost all well known theories can be
applied as well. However, there are two key aspects that relate best with the show such as
more traditional aspects of narrative, including the character development and the plot
structures, as well as focusing on driving concept of the show and its embrace of
postmodernism in its humor.
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As Jakob Lothe of Oxford University believes, “there are narratives not only in
literature, but also in other cultural utterances that surround us” (3). In the case of our
modern day culture, television is a thriving arena in which we can find solid narrative
structures. The first method of analysis will focus on the narrative aspect of Family Guy
through the understanding of the structure and usage of narrative elements. To begin
with, the overall format of every episode of the show remains largely constant with only a
small variation, often in the case of joint episodes or season ending cliffhangers. In each
episode, there is a main story which is mixed into a group of smaller stories which will
inevitably feed into the main story. In the story itself, the viewer is presented with a new
variable being added to the static nature of the family and society in which it lives. For
example, Peter happens to find out that the toy company that he works for is being
bought out by a huge tobacco conglomerate with the intent of making children aware of
smoking and even possibly encouraging them to smoke cigarettes. However, in order to
get to this situation, smaller events, like Peter’s rash decision to skip work and go to a
baseball game where he happen to see his boss and is told to report to his office in the
morning, must occur. As well, events that feed into the larger story include Brian
realizing the supposed evils of the tobacco company and attempting to quit, thereby
antagonizing the family with his frustration and nicotine addiction. Later in this episode,
we find out that because Peter was in the right place at the right time, he has been given a
raise and is expected to help lobby for tobacco companies in Congress.
However, the concept of an equilibrium cycle plays a huge part in the end of this - and every other -- episode: without this key element, the story would constantly be
changing without returning to the status quo, meaning that missing a single show would
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lead the viewer to be very confused about the situation and how it has changed. This is
extremely apparent in a show like Family Guy where its highly illogical nature changes
the setting and situation almost constantly. To correct this potential problem, the
equilibrium cycle comes to play a huge part of the story, especially in terms of the
discourse. The cycle starts, obviously, with the introduction of Peter’s new position,
interrupting the supposed equilibrium. Although many other smaller events occur
throughout the process of this episode’s plot, they are events which do not affect the
return to stasis negatively or contribute positively to the return. In this example episode,
Stewie is caught smoking a cigarette, so Lois decides to bring back equilibrium by going
to Washington to convince Peter to not lobby for tobacco companies. While he disagrees
with Lois and continues his campaign, Peter hears Stewie coughing in the crowd and
reconsiders his decision, going against the tobacco companies and therefore returning to
the state of equilibrium. In each episode, a closely related, if not exactly the same,
structure is followed without any exception except in rare cases.
The physical organization of events in the episodes is also highly formulaic. The
story is presented in a strictly beginning to end fashion; that is, the syntagm never has a
divergence with actual flashbacks or flashforwards. Although “[many theorists] devise
modes of analysis of the time structure of the story (order of events, temporal distortions
such as flashbacks or flashforwards…)” (Landa 28), the distortions in Family Guy do not
actually change the plot, and therefore do not impact the story in a traditional way. For
example, Peter has a flashback to a dancing frog in one episode while he should be
recalling important information that his wife told him earlier in the show. Flashbacks and
flashforwards merely appear to serve the satirical element of the show, focusing on more
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postmodern concepts instead of furthering the discourse. No matter what “temporal
distortion” appears in the episode, it is restricted to being a nonessential element and acts
as an interruption in the actual discourse but still may somewhat contribute to the story as
a whole. Despite being distinctly direct in its syntagm, Family Guy exhibits a wide
variety of stories based upon popular culture to keep it unique from week to week,
whereas flashbacks and flashforwards could be used as divergent plot elements in other
television shows.
However, it appears that the major element which keeps the show intact is the
large list of static characters. Of course, one of the key elements of a narrative is that
“…[it] needs human characters” (Coste 28). Because of this, the characters play an
incredibly prominent role in the show. While in most forms of literature at least one
character is a dynamic entity, changing from the beginning to end, television largely
relies upon static characters which do not change greatly – if at all – between episodes.
This concept is put in place for the same reason as that of the equilibrium cycle: a viewer
must not be confused about the nature of the overall story from episode to episode (or
season to season). While gradual changes are phased in, a large change in one episode
will usually not come to pass, unless that episode is the first or last episode of the season.
For this reason, the characters play a huge part in the development of the weekly plot.
Peter Griffin is an obese, moderately unintelligent oaf (similar to Homer
Simpson); Lois Griffin acts as the voice of reason in keeping the family unit together;
Chris Griffin serves to antagonize any conflict or to create one if there is not already a
conflict (usually involving Meg as the subject); Meg Griffin acts as an entity which bows
down to society in order to attempt (and fail) at fitting in with the social norms of the
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diegesis; Stewie Griffin is used to reinforce the stupidity of his family and the society in
which he lives his life; and Brian is used in a variety of roles, usually to remark on the
stupidity of Peter (and not society as a whole). Each of these characters, while acting as a
family in the show, exhibits a large selection of different features. Yet, they are designed
to fit with each other and take up a niche in the show, such as playing a hero, villain, false
hero, donor, reward, and otherwise. Although each character can play a different role in a
different discourse, their underlying character traits are made to dictate their actions with
little variation (largely in aspects of morality and social conscience). Still, the characters
revolve around the tenet of fitting into a special area of expertise. Without Peter, for
instance, the show would have no central focus and nothing exceedingly illogical would
occur for the other characters to critique. As whole, the family unit acts to preserve the
underlying concept of the show: a humorous, yet decisively cynical viewpoint of the
contemporary society in which we live in.
All of these elements of the narrative are used in their particular ways for a very
specific reason. Largely because of “the fact that most novels and short stories come to us
through the voice of a narrator [which] gives authors a greater range and flexibility than
filmmakers” (Mitchell 128), television shows such as Family Guy must rely on their
consistent conventions to keep an audience understanding and supportive. Without a
stable basis, or narration in the case of novels, a narrative would lack enough information
to stand on its own. Simply stated, without the flexibility of a narrator in novels, creators
of television series must rely on other aspects to convey a subject matter. In the case of
Family Guy, this aspect includes the static, if not formulaic, approach to analyzing and
critiquing our society. The creators focus on keeping a varied selection of characters to
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fulfill long term plot goals while still satisfying the simple, more direct plot changes.
Although the long term plot goals usually involve pointing out the flaws in everyday
American culture, the traditional “narrative aspect is absolutely crucial both for the way
the [show] functions and for its effect on the audience” (Lothe 8). Without the narrative
base, the long term goals would not be expressed because the narrative is the story in
which the problems needed to be addressed are shown to the audience.
Still, this long term goal of the show is best analyzed through a different, if not a
more contemporary way: postmodernism. The entire basis of Family Guy is in fact
postmodernism. From every attack of our culture in which the show is founded upon,
postmodernism is expressed; in fact, from nearly every underlying character design and
situation, it can easily be seen as a postmodern school of thought, which both embraces
and assaults “pessimism, disenchantment, and melancholy” (Turner 123) in the response
to “the lack of stability in ethics and values” (Turner 123). As Turner describes it, the
postmodern movement is a rethinking of all modern examples which stems from the
dissatisfaction with the modern culture as a whole. Although shows such as The Simpsons
attempted to exploit the postmodernist culture in more subtle, strictly plot based
coincidences, Family Guy represents a more direct, in-your-face approach to postmodern
reflection. Its use of blatant postmodern theory is especially apparent in both the writing
and the overall style of the show; it embraces a viewpoint that postmodernism is a way to
reflect upon our own mistakes as a united culture. The show plays upon the idea that
“[o]ur commercialism… mesmerizes us [and causes us to] lose our historical and social
bearings” (O’ Neill 19). Basically, the show attempts to ridicule the past and the present,
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including ridiculing many postmodern aspects of society by the way of parody, irony, and
satire.
To begin with, the entire show as a whole can be viewed as a simulacrum; that is,
it is based completely upon the fake real of an American family in seemingly everyday
situations. Pastiche is used extensively throughout every episode: from the integration
with 1980s music videos to the sudden appearance of, and borrowing of style, from
characters in The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show, the amount of both subtle and direct
pastiche is amazingly apparent in the show. Because of the easily mutable nature of
animated series, Family Guy is also easily to incorporate a strong sense of hybridity of
style. As briefly mentioned, the show mixes a variety of animation styles, such as the
generic 1980s music video or throwbacks to “classic” animation; the show has also
mixed its animations with actual film footage to create dramatic effects.
To go along with these common postmodern elements, intertextuality invariably
follows suit. The creators assume that the viewing audience has a knowledge (or at least a
basic, experienced understanding) of the different eras of American culture. While the
creators generally relate their shows to contemporary information, there is also a
considerable amount of focus placed upon modernist, romanticist, and other eras of
thought. The show often addresses one certain era while subtlety exploiting another
viewpoint. Still, the main focus has always been on exploiting the wrongs of the more
modern and postmodern portions of American culture. It especially likes to critique the
strength of big business in everyday life and explore the relationships of consumer
culture. Through the use of the narrative portion of each episode, the characters are given
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the chance to relate their seemingly real life situations to those in other movies, television
shows, and other popular media.
However, one incredibly prominent feature of Family Guy is placed upon the
combination of metacommunication and reflexivity. In several episodes, the characters in
the show directly address the audiences, often in the forms of pseudo moral lessons at the
end of the episode’s story. If the episode does not use that technique, there will be an
interruption in the story in which the characters will acknowledge they are in a cartoon
and being watched by an audience. Even still, in every episode, it is implied that
metacommunication is nearly the entire dialogue as postmodern critiques are the focus of
the show. Despite the fact that these are designed to be humorous shows, the actual
concepts are expressed on a deep level, utilizing most elements in postmodern theory.
Still, the largest amount of content comes from the knowledge that the cartoon is not
supposed to just be a story but instead it is designed to represent a certain depiction of
society and its interactions. Postmodernism also attacks the bearer of culture, the
institution, claiming “that institutions define the discourses” (Lash 164). Predictably,
Family Guy is seen attacking the institutional forms of power, from the government to the
media to the majority at large; of course, this largely depends upon current events and
current trends, which happen to influence a significant amount of the show’s content.
The overall goal of this postmodernist approach to a television series, as
previously mentioned, is an interesting take on this medium as it opposes itself to some
degree. It bases itself on a postmodern interpretation of society while using a postmodern
style to create the interpretation of itself. In other words, it is attacking what it is also
founded upon, as well as the concepts of modernism and other past theories. A prevalent
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part of the postmodern culture is the desire to get away from the structure of society,
potentially in terms of our dependence on the idea of a consumer-based culture. Yet, in
this attempt to escape from the social wrongs of consumerism, it remains abundantly
clear that “the postmodern condition is integrally yoked with consumer capitalism” (Lyon
74). The show often strongly embraces consumer capitalism while selectively critiquing
other unfavorable aspects of society. For example, the show will go after a range of
different topics from abortion to racism, but it will skip topics involving mass
consumerism as they have become so ingrained into our culture, they no longer seem
abnormal or misplaced. Simply stated that although the show tries to vary itself, it is a
postmodern show created from the fruits of the postmodern era; therefore, it has no
choice but to succumb, at least in some degree, to the same problems it is intending to
critique.
It can be argued that Family Guy is attempting to“[e]scape the shackles of
modernist assumptions and expectations” (Lyon 70) by “relaxing in a playground of
irony and irreverent pastiche” (Lyon 70). Still, that energy expressed by a postmodernist
interpretation is considered to be “frivolous and wasteful” (O’ Neill 16). Regardless,
audiences have come to know and even respect the social commentary they receive from
Family Guy as a form of higher, intelligent humor, despite its wasteful use of energy. The
point of the show is probably not to completely tear down all aspects of our society, but
the ones that are popularly discussed or ones that are clear in other media such as other
television shows or magazines. In this way, postmodernism is unpredictable in its
approach. It takes a casual view on what to select, largely because the structure of
modernism is the main target of postmodern schools of thought.
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The overall conclusion that comes from this analysis is that Family Guy is
definitely at the forefront of postmodern entertainment. Although the narrative exists in
every episode, it primarily exists only to serve the purpose of aiding in the establishment
of reasons to critique our society’s faults and wrongdoings. It appears that the show is a
mixture of elements, but is generally concerned only with attacking the established
norms. The established norms that are attacked are varied, but generally fall into a
depiction of conglomerates interaction with consumer culture. While this show follows a
very formulaic pattern in each episode, its connection to popular culture allows it to
survive not only on simple plot twists and basic narrative structure but rather the
underlying idea or concept that is behind the episode. Both theories are easily applied to
the show but for different reasons: narrative theory is easy because the narrative only
serves to establish a reason for the postmodern critique whereas postmodern theory is
equally easy to apply because the entire show is distinctively based upon a postmodern
approach and inherently draws from a vast assortment of postmodern concepts and ideas.
Again, the narrative seems to just be a scaffolding of sorts in which the show is able to
launch a series of hard-hitting assaults on our culture’s composition; in this way, it
appears to be that the show is definitely a comedy which truly fits into the postmodern
category the best, while the other categories would still work due to its encompassing
discourse on the nature of our society. Overall, it appears that the “practices of looking”
are completely apparent in this show. The show itself is a critique on culture, just as
modern communication studies are also a critique on media and, in turn, culture itself.
Simply stated, Family Guy is the ultimate definition of postmodern entertainment and a
valid critique on today’s society.
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Works Cited (MLA)
Coste, Didier. Narrative as Communication. Minnesota: University of Minnesota, 1989.
Landa, Jose Angel Garcia and Susana Onega. Narratology: An Introduction. New York:
Longman Publishing, 1996.
Lash, Scott. Sociology of Postmodernism. New York: Routledge, 1990.
Lothe, Jakob. Narrative in Fiction and Film: An Introduction. New York: Oxford
University Press, 2000.
Lyon, David. Postmodernity. Minnesota: University of Minnesota, 1994.
Mitchell, W J T. On Narrative. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1981.
O’ Neill, John. The Poverty of Postmodernism. New York: Routledge, 1995.
Turner, Bryan S. Orientalism, Postmodernism and Globalism. New York: Routledge,
1994.
Clay Chastain