FilmIdeologist

Seth McFarlane's Family Guy has become one of most successful rising comedies in recent years, aided with a contrasting set of characters both funny and boring. Matricidal evil baby Stewie, liberal pet dog Brian and perverted neighbour Glen Quagmire are the stronger characters. However, Meg and Chris Griffin often offer nothing to the plot and Peter Griffin is a like-for-like copy of Homer Simpson. In my opinion most the episodes are funny, but the cut-away gags are hit-and-miss and some of the joke relies on obscure references. Overall, whilst the show is funny, it is no stalwart of the genre.

[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]

[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]

The first series was an exceptional piece of television that offered a vivid, yet often exaggerated representation of teenage life. The main cast contained some promising character such as Sid Jenkins, Cassie Ainsworth, Tony Stonem and Chris Miles who are amongst the most-rounded, entertaining depictions of teenagers in contemporary fiction. The ending supplied a powerful moment of emotion throughout a controversial, but unflinching portrayal of some teenager's lives.

The third series boldly introduces a majority of new characters. The standard of writing also takes a new direction with a willingness to implement outrageous subplots (gangsters and chilli eating) as well as a tedious main story arch, the love triangle. Characters like James Cook, JJ and Emily Fitch are good characters. The latter embarks on a relationship with Naomi, a critically acclaimed representation of same-sex relationships that offers the most touching and dramatic moments of the series. However the rest of the characters seem like tired caricatures and their acting abilities are questionable. The end result is a series that is passable only because of a few invigorating characters.

One of the finest American television programmes over the past decade, The Sopranos delivers a believable contemporary Mafia setting filled with engaging, realistic characters. James Gandolfini plays the complex Tony Soprano, the anti-hero and primary protagonist of the series. He attempts to balance his mobster career with his family life, to do this he has therapy with the beautiful Dr. Jennifer Melfi, played by Lorraine Bracco. The result is the most iconic and critically acclaimed Mafia television programmes.