10 Tired Sitcom Clichés That Really Need To Die

Since Family Guy and South Park became two of the most successful adult comedies of the last twenty-odd years, you’d better believe that other networks wanted to jump on that bandwagon.

Obviously, it’s unfair and untrue to suggest that every animated comedy aimed at an adult audience is following the path set by those shows, but their influence is pretty clear. Brickleberry, Mongrels, The Legends Of Chamblerlain Heights, and plenty of other shows clearly have deep roots in those trailblazers, but the real Family Guy copycat came from the UK. Channel 4’s Full English, which ripped off Family Guy in premise, style, and tone, and went down so badly that only a single clip hasn’t been scrubbed from the internet.

The reason for the success of Family Guy and South Park is that they were fresh and bold, bringing a formerly niche form of animation to a wider audience. While their imitators just try to ape their success by attempting to outdo them in terms of how shocking they are. Animated comedies need to carve their own niche and try something new, instead of just trying to be edgier than thou.

Bonus Points If: The show copies a specific element of what inspired it, like Family Guy’s TV cutaways.