Fox's Dads has been hailed as the most offensive new show of the fall, both by criticsand by the network itself (yay for spin marketing!). But while offensive humor certainly has its merits, the "humor" portion is a necessary component for it to do so. Dads is offensive without being funny — and that's the show's biggest problem.
In the premiere episode alone, Dads managed to disparage Asians, women, gays and Muslims, among others (don't worry, Jews get their turn in Episode 2). But the one-liners land with a clunk rather than a zing. In case you didn't watch the premiere, here's a rundown of the most eyebrow-raising jokes. Did it live up to the hype? You be the judge!
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If there's one new fall show that everyone seems to have an opinion about, it's Dads, the new Fox comedy from the production team behind Family Guy. Based on the pilot episode alone, the show has been derided as "racist," "offensive" and "morally wrong" by critics. But Fox is using the backlash as a selling point — using such comments in promos for the show to try to foster tension between fans and (in the network's telling) and out-of-touch critics. And the show's producers — Seth MacFarlane, Wellesley Wild and Alec Sulkin of Family Guy, along with former Simpsons showrunner Mike Scully — don't seem to mind the negative attention either.
"We're used to it. That's what we do," Wild tells TVGuide.com.
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Every week, editors Adam Bryant and Natalie Abrams satisfy your need for TV scoop. Please send all questions to mega_scoop@tvguide.com or tweet them to @adam_bryant or @NatalieAbrams.
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Fox is standing by its new fall comedy.
The network declined to reshoot portions of Dads, despite the Media Action Network for Asian-Americans' plea that Fox fix or remove scenes it deemed racist, Deadline reports.
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Fox has been asked to reshoot "racist" scenes in its new comedy Dads by the Media Action Network for Asian-Americans, The Hollywood Reporter reports.
"Our community can't continue to be the target of racially insensitive jokes," MANAA founding president Guy Aoki wrote in a letter to network executives. "Fox has an opportunity to fix fatal flaws in the pilot and to improve the show's chances for success when it premieres next month. We are asking you to reshoot the inappropriate scenes of the pilot.
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