Uploaded March 2025 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
Why do these shows, which have so many similarities in their premises, have such different approaches to how their central figures relate to work?
00:00 Introduction
01:09 Labor in the animated world
02:34 History of The Simpsons
04:53 History of Family Guy
07:31 Synthesizing labor in the real world
09:17 Summary and conclusion
James L. Brooks and Matt Groening interview:
youtube.com/watch?v=i7Tw9jgMjEk
Seth McFarlane interview:
youtube.com/watch?v=0fTld99WpR4
Bibliography
Alberti, John. 2004. Leaving Springfield: The Simpsons and the Possibility of Oppositional Culture. Wayne State University Press.
Blakeborough, Darren. 2008. “‘Old People Are Useless’: Representations of Aging on The Simpsons.” Canadian Journal on Aging/La Revue Canadienne Du Vieillissement 27 (1): 57–67.
Crawford, Alison. 2009. “‘Oh Yeah!’: Family Guy as Magical Realism?” Journal of Film and Video 61 (2): 52–69.
Davis, Amy M., Jemma Gilboy, and James Zborowski. 2015. “How Time Works in The Simpsons.” Animation 10 (3): 175–88. doi.org/10.1177/1746847715602403.
Mittell, Jason. 2001. “Cartoon Realism: Genre Mixing and the Cultural Life of The Simpsons.” Velvet Light Trap, no. 47, 15–29.
“(PDF) Rocko’s Magic Capitalism: Commodity Fetishism in the Magical Realism of Rocko’s Modern Life.” n.d. Accessed January 13, 2025. researchgate.net/publication/331680829_Rocko%27s_Magic_Capitalism_Commodity_Fetishism_in_the_Magical_Realism_of_Rocko%27s_Modern_Life?enrichId=rgreq-2d92bfc8f485b35eb4c80713381b4017-XXX&enrichSource=Y292ZXJQYWdlOzMzMTY4MDgyOTtBUzo5Njk1NzY1NjUxODI0NjRAMTYwODE3NjQ3NTEwMQ%3D%3D&el=1_x_2&_esc=publicationCoverPdf.
Rhodes, Carl. 2001. “D’Oh: The Simpsons, Popular Culture, and the Organizational Carnival.” Journal of Management Inquiry 10 (4): 374–83. doi.org/10.1177/1056492601104010.
Sharzer, Greg. 2017. “Frank Grimes’ Enemy: Precarious Labour and Realism in The Simpsons.” Animation 12 (2): 138–55. doi.org/10.1177/1746847717695434.
Sienkiewicz, Matt, and Nick Marx. 2014. “Click Culture: The Perils and Possibilities of Family Guy and Convergence-Era Television.” Communication and Critical/Cultural Studies 11 (2): 103–19. doi.org/10.1080/14791420.2013.873943.
Why do these shows, which have so many similarities in their premises, have such different approaches to how their central figures relate to work?
00:00 Introduction
01:09 Labor in the animated world
02:34 History of The Simpsons
04:53 History of Family Guy
07:31 Synthesizing labor in the real world
09:17 Summary and conclusion
James L. Brooks and Matt Groening interview:
youtube.com/watch?v=i7Tw9jgMjEk
Seth McFarlane interview:
youtube.com/watch?v=0fTld99WpR4
Bibliography
Alberti, John. 2004. Leaving Springfield: The Simpsons and the Possibility of Oppositional Culture. Wayne State University Press.
Blakeborough, Darren. 2008. “‘Old People Are Useless’: Representations of Aging on The Simpsons.” Canadian Journal on Aging/La Revue Canadienne Du Vieillissement 27 (1): 57–67.
Crawford, Alison. 2009. “‘Oh Yeah!’: Family Guy as Magical Realism?” Journal of Film and Video 61 (2): 52–69.
Davis, Amy M., Jemma Gilboy, and James Zborowski. 2015. “How Time Works in The Simpsons.” Animation 10 (3): 175–88. doi.org/10.1177/1746847715602403.
Mittell, Jason. 2001. “Cartoon Realism: Genre Mixing and the Cultural Life of The Simpsons.” Velvet Light Trap, no. 47, 15–29.
“(PDF) Rocko’s Magic Capitalism: Commodity Fetishism in the Magical Realism of Rocko’s Modern Life.” n.d. Accessed January 13, 2025. researchgate.net/publication/331680829_Rocko%27s_Magic_Capitalism_Commodity_Fetishism_in_the_Magical_Realism_of_Rocko%27s_Modern_Life?enrichId=rgreq-2d92bfc8f485b35eb4c80713381b4017-XXX&enrichSource=Y292ZXJQYWdlOzMzMTY4MDgyOTtBUzo5Njk1NzY1NjUxODI0NjRAMTYwODE3NjQ3NTEwMQ%3D%3D&el=1_x_2&_esc=publicationCoverPdf.
Rhodes, Carl. 2001. “D’Oh: The Simpsons, Popular Culture, and the Organizational Carnival.” Journal of Management Inquiry 10 (4): 374–83. doi.org/10.1177/1056492601104010.
Sharzer, Greg. 2017. “Frank Grimes’ Enemy: Precarious Labour and Realism in The Simpsons.” Animation 12 (2): 138–55. doi.org/10.1177/1746847717695434.
Sienkiewicz, Matt, and Nick Marx. 2014. “Click Culture: The Perils and Possibilities of Family Guy and Convergence-Era Television.” Communication and Critical/Cultural Studies 11 (2): 103–19. doi.org/10.1080/14791420.2013.873943.
