The controversial animation series, “Family Guy” will be airing a Sliders parody episode in its eighth season this year. The season premiere entitled “Road to the Multiverse”, will follow Brian and Stewie traveling from one parallel earth to the next.
At the 2008 Comic-Con convention, Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane referred to Sliders with vulgar and negativity. I wonder what co-creators Tracy Torme and Robert K. Weiss would think. Not to mention Jerry O’ Connell. It’s the scifi series that jump started his career and fanbase. Well MacFarlane, if Sliders is so bad why do people even remember this show? Sure the first two seasons are primarily the best and the final season is nearly unwatchable. Yet Sliders has a cult fan following much like you’re own show.
“Family Guy” airs controversial subject matter such as: Nazis, anti-semitism, homosexuality, pedophilia, transvestites, babies in dumpsters, and not to mention religious bigotry. The show even knocks Jesus Christ and illustrates Him as a record store clerk who is obsessed with fame and eventually gets arrested. The Fox Network has now even chose not to air an episode because of it’s extreme graphic nature of the depiction of an abortion. Crushing and dicing a human being to bits? Oh well now, that sure is funny isn’t it? Yes, it sure looks like everyone is becoming shameless… of everything. No MacFarlane, everything in this world isn’t funny.
Back to the parody of Sliders, I highly doubt this show will do justice to the series. If anything of course, they’ll make fun of and destroy Sliders’ true brilliancy. “Family Guy” is one of those shows that lacks the brains of other animation series such as Mike Judge’s King of the Hill. The only thing “Family Guy” has to offer and I repeat, the ONLY thing, is bringing attention to the great television shows such as Sliders.
“Family Guy” was canceled two times, in 2000 and 2002. Yet a strong fan base and rallying DVD sales brought the show back twice. An exceptional and outstanding come back for the history books, you say. HARDLY. Sliders was canceled three times, and a strong cult fan base also rallied to bring the show back, twice. Not to mention the fourth season, which at the time, brought the Syfy Network it’s highest-rated series… ever. One year later after its fifth season the show was canceled, despite high ratings.
In essence “Family Guy” is anything but a “family”. Hopefully it’s next cancellation will be the third nail in the coffin. The premiere of “Road to the Multiverse”, featuring the Sliders parody will air on September 27, 2009.