Past Purges
SNL "Chris Pratt/Ariana Grande"
The premiere of SNL is normally less focused on the host than how it is different from last season and this was no exception. Chris Pratt wasn't used anywhere near as much as I expected (Weekend update was almost a half hour long and didn't even feature Pratt. Really?). He was obviously a little nervous which could've played into it. He wouldn't be the first host to stumble through his first hosting gig only to return on fire for subsequent ones. The cast is far less crowded, even though I am going to miss the likes of Noel Wells, Nasim Pedrad, and all those white guys. I know it's cyclical, but Aidy Bryant is the early frontrunner for breakout cast member. We'll see though. I'm still waiting for Taran Killan to be the next big thing and just about anyone in the female cast could take over.
Brooklyn Nine Nine "Undercover"
Well, that was quick. They wasted no time getting Peralta out of the undercover gig. That's for the best since I pretty sure that working with the rest of the cast is what makes Peralta effective. Lone Wolf Peralta is less enjoyable. Still, he uses some contacts from his undercover stint for the A-story this week. I wonder if that's going to be a recurring thing this season. If not, I'm certain the new police commissioner is going to produce a lot of material. Hopefully, I'm able to avoid the casting news for that role for when he (or she) inevitably shows up. I just so happy to have the show back.
Family Guy "The Simpsons Guy"
This is certainly the most buzzed about episode of the new TV season so far. Along with South Park, The Simpsons and Family Guy form a kind of pop culture triumvirate. The Simpsons is one of most important TV series of all time and Family Guy has one of the most remarkable histories of any show.
This episode is a publicity stunt. No one questions that. After all, the Griffins acknowledge this in the first scene of the episode. I'm not sure that the self awareness gives it a pass. I think I heard once that in stand up comedy, it is looked down upon to joke about how badly you are bombing on stage, because it's not really material. You can't build a set on being bad, because it isn't sustainable. That's sort of how I feel about this episode. I'm not going to give it a pass simply because they recognize that it's a bad idea that's doomed to fail.
Good or bad, it's fun to see the Griffins and Simpsons together. That visual is enough to make it all worth it as far as I'm concerned. That's why people like the idea of crossovers. The episodes are almost never good, but I couldn't tell you how many times I've heard people muse about what it would be like if show X and show Y did a crossover. And, it's easy to understand the math of it. If you like two shows, you assume that there's a shared sensibility to them and seeing the contrast would be fun.
My biggest issue with "The Simpsons Guy" is that I don't know if I wanted a it to be a Simpsons episode or a Family Guy episode. Yes, both are Fox shows. Both are animated. The two have clearly influenced one another. But, they have very different sensibilities. The Simpsons is a much kinder show. Even latter-day Simpsons, which people bemoan far too much, is a story-first show. Family Guy is much more cynical and first and foremost a joke machine.
The Simpsons clearly have the high ground in this and the moments when Family Guy remembers this are the best. After all, the Griffins go to Springfield. Quite literally, they are guests in the Simpson's home. The Griffins are the outsiders, thus they are the weird ones. When Stewie takes Nelson prisoner, that should horrify Bart (by the way, Nelson punching Bart as soon as Bart unties him is the perfect capper to that). Meg's entire personality should scare the hell out of Lisa. On the other hand, I couldn't help but get defensive when they'd make a joke about everyone looking like they had melanoma. I couldn't help it. They are in Springfield, not Quahog.
This was a fun episode and an interesting experiment. I'm glad that the Simpsons team allowed Family Guy to do it. It's nowhere near the best episode of either show, but It's one that we'll still be talking about years down the line over better episodes (People still bring up the Flintstones/Jetsons crossover, don't they?). Hell, I'm not even likely to watch another episode of either show this season, but I made sure I caught this. I'm not sure what conclusion I've reached about all this is. I'm not sure there is one. Fans of one show or the other will feel short changed at parts, especially Simpsons fans. I think Comic Book Guy summed it up pretty well with four words. "Worst Chicken Fight Ever".
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