Adult Cartoons: A Growing Epidemic

Cartoons for adults? Ten years ago the closest thing to a adult cartoon that was television was Beavis & Butthead, now we have many more like Family Guy, The Simpson's, American Dad, South Park and a few others.  These shows while still being animated do more than just entertain they talk about current events, and issues going on in the world in a comical demeanor. These shows do very little to reach out to a younger audience, many of the jokes of these shows are from 80's references or political views things that children aren't too interested in.   The three most popular adult cartoons, The Simpsons, American Dad and Family Guy all have a family as the main cast. The cast is almost identical with one dad, one mom, a daughter, and a son, and then one character who is the wild card who you never know what to expect out of. This identical cast set up in all of these adult cartoons are to reach out to families specifically parents and people over 20 who can easily relate to these shows by seeing a similiar family set up in their own homes. The parents are usually the main characters while the children are used as comical relief which also proves that these shows are reaching out to a older demographic.

While many would argue that the Simpsons have been around longer so therefore they have started this trend of adult cartoons I have to disagree. The Simpsons have not always been targeted at a adult audience. The Simpsons have been on television since 1989 which means it has been on air for about 23 years. The original audience that started watching the Simpsons has grown older and since the show has adapted to the current trend of adult cartoons to keep their original audience while still hoping to gain a wider audience. Since the show has been on the air it has also gone through many different writers which also has changed the dynamic of the show.

American Dad, some might call a rip off of the Simpsons, and Family Guy but in my opinion this show has a more modern twist than the other two. The family consists of a husband, wife, two kids, a alien, and a pet goldfish. Unlike the other two the children are seen as quite unnatural for television yet more realistic for real life. The daughter, Haley is portrayed as a modern day feminist who smokes pot, has sex, and hates government policies, she is also the older sibling which is rare. The son, Steve is more on his feminine side, he enjoys reading books, dancing, and playing in flowers in the show he is a disappointment to his father.  Lets not forget the alien?! Roger is probably the most humorous and inappropriate character on the show, he enjoys cross dressing, getting drunk all times of the day, and just does the most ridiculously inappropriate things. Stan and Francine, the two parents are of course the two main characters of this show, and most of the views shared in the show are from their eyes, and both are easy to relate to (Stan moreso than Francine).  These racey characters no doubt prove that this show is a adult cartoon, it is very rare that the son would be considered the wuss or wimp and the daughter to be older than the son but this is a more typical American family in my opinion. This show being the freshest adult cartoon coming out in 2005, is of course going to also be the most modern cast (minus the alien) out of the 3.

Family Guy triumphs over these other two in the adult cartoon industry. This show has been on since 1999, and has many similarities to the Simpsons in the cast set up.  However this show has pushed the envelope in addressing modern day issues than the other two.  Family Guy has attacked many artist, political canidates, religious views, government policies, musicians, I mean you name it and Family Guy has most likely addressed it. This show is not afraid of using its power in addressing topics that most people ignore. One of the most recent episodes on the show dealt with healthcare and religions who don't believe in it.  This episode delivered a very serious and deep message to this shows audience something way over the head of any child.  This show's controversial topics has definitely drawn in a audience, leaving us anxious for the next episode.

If you have ever watched these shows there is no doubt that they are not intended for children.  I believe with the characters being cartoons that the shows can get away with a lot more controversial/important topics than a normal family sitcom came without crossing too many boundaries, and I feel like this is a trend that will continue to grow and expand because their will always be more scandals and controversial topics for these shows to poke fun at.