Simpsons and Futurama for the win. Family Guy is extremely overrated. Everyone likes it because the jokes are completely interchangeable between every episode. No character development. Its dumb. Simpsons, Futurama, South Park, all have social commentary and are BRILLIANT in their humor. Simpsons less so over the past few years. South Park is STILL brilliant. The first episode of this current season is AMAZING.
I love both and despise those who have thrown "The Simpsons" to the wayside since the arrival of Family Guy.
Family Guy might never have happened without the existence of The Simpsons. Family Guy does not even come close to the number of characters The Simpsons have created. The Simpsons have hudreds upon hundreds of characters that are as memorable on their own than the series itself.
Family Guy came at a time when The Simpsons product was diminshing in quality. The sense of humor and flavor of young people were changing. Family Guy came at the right time.
But you put the best season of Family Guy against the best season of The Simpsons (Season 4, for me)---you're going to have a pretty tough time giving preference over the other.
It was Simpsons for so long, but the last few batches of writers have really slipped (since the golen days of Conan O'Brien).
At this point, I have to say Family Guy is superior (although the show probably doesn't exist [at least not in it's current form] without the Simpsons laying the groundwork).
It could change on any given week. But The Simpsons is the original and still favorite. But I've gotten into Family Guy the last couple of years and it can be really funny. Or really stupid on any given night.
"It's just some friends of mine and they're busting down the door"
Family Guy - laugh out loud and funny but very little in the way of memorable characters, plot development minimal
The Simpsons - more perceptive, amusing, beautifully written, wonderful plots (some are like the Fawlty Towers of cartoons), memorable and amazing characters
sure FG gets all the laughs and attention nowadays, but give me the Simpsons at it's peak and then the drop off years anyday
The Simpsons set the bar but Family Guy cleared it by far . Maybe it's because I'm from New England but it just seeems so outrageously funny that it wins hands down . Besides the giant chicken that Peter is always going to battle with is Rhode Islands state symbol and it is prominently displayed outside a liquor store in Providence . I'll post the picture when I get the film developed .