For some time, there’s been a perception that Family Guy was improving, subtly shifting its approach to give the illusion of progress. However, season 22 suggests a return to older, less successful formulas, and it seems many viewers are noticing the decline. This marks the eighth consecutive season that, upon completion, feels like the weakest installment yet.
One might assume that a shorter episode count, coupled with fewer skipped episodes compared to the previous season, would increase the odds of season 22 being a slight improvement. In fact, only one episode, A ‘Stache from the Past (though its subplot was viewed), was skipped, compared to seven the previous season. Yet, instead of improvement, season 22 peaked early with Baking Sad, arguably the only truly rewatchable episode. What followed was a cascade of poor ideas, culminating in a high number of 0/5 ratings, comparable to the low scores often given to episodes of AD!. The season’s trajectory mirrors the first TBS season of American Dad!, which also started strong with Dreaming of a White Porsche Christmas before plummeting into a series of weak episodes, some of the worst the show had produced at that point.
Despite the potential cause being related to strike-related production constraints, the trend of shorter seasons might be beneficial for Family Guy moving forward. Less content, in this instance, truly feels like more quality. Furthermore, reconsidering the move away from Sunday airings could also be advantageous, as the schedule change doesn’t appear to have positively impacted the show’s reception or quality.
