Oftentimes, a big name backing a show isn’t enough to make it a success. This fall, there are tons of big names behind new pilots, one of them being Seth MacFarlane with his latest show, “Dads,” which premiered on Fox Sept. 17.

The show effectively alienates audiences with offensive comedy, but is ultimately at home on Fox.

“Dads” is about two grown men whose fathers move in with them. The show falls flat. It lacks the balance between distastefulness and charm, which most MacFarlane fans seem to love.

I don’t foresee the show turning into anything but a sad mess.

Unlike “Family Guy” or MacFarlane’s other hit, “American Dad,” the characters on “Dads” are real people. They aren’t detached, hyperbolic cartoon characters. They’re depressing, angry white men who dismiss everyone who is not them with actual racial slurs.

According to an article from Salon.com, after negative reviews from critics, the chairman of Fox, Kevin Reilly, said that viewers and critics should be patient with the show. He said it’s a boundary-pushing show that makes a statement about comedy in the 21st century.

If there’s a place for “Dads” though, it’s Fox.

The network started off as a brash, in your face, get-people-talking type of channel. These days, its programs are all over the place. Fox has never really been top dog. “New Girl” and “The Mindy Project” aren’t complete hits, but they’re compelling shows. We can only hope that a big name show like “Dads” was placed before them to bolster ratings and bring a different type of viewer to Tuesday nights.

What “Dads” does wrong is that it assumes we’re going to take the bait of racist, sexist jokes, and think it’s funny.

Because it’s stamped with MacFarlane’s name, there’s a good chance that a large proportion of people will watch it simply because they either love or love to hate him. Shouldn’t someone with such a large audience try showing off a little with intelligent comedy?

Instead, “Dads” capitalizes on crude, simple humor and is a one-note awful show that successfully polarizes its audience.
I didn’t laugh or smile when I watched the pilot episode of “Dads.” It made me uncomfortable and sad.

When I saw MacFarlane’s “Ted,” I admit, I enjoyed the brief moments of clever humor and well thought out jokes, as I did with “Family Guy,” though I’m not the show’s biggest fan.

However, “Dads” was less than funny. I was begging for it to end. It was sexist, racist and depressing. We get it. Seth Green has a love/hate relationship with his father. They insult a woman for good measure, as they do when the two male leads force an Asian female employee to dress up as a giggling, Chinese, school girl.

Producers and writers have described its jokes as “equal-opportunity” offenses.

But being offensive is old hat. It’s been done before. It’s insulting to the viewer’s intelligence and background. Should viewers really wait for you to say something profound and funny, while you berate us with insults to their intelligence, race, sexuality and countless other things? No, thanks.

Cassie-lee Grimaldi is a senior television, radio and film major. Her column appears weekly. She can be reached at [email protected].

Published on September 23, 2013 at 1:07 am