DailyTech - Microsoft Kills Windows 7-themed "Family Guy" Variety Show Due to Questionable Content

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Software Microsoft Kills Windows 7-themed "Family Guy" Variety Show Due to Questionable Content
Jason Mick (Blog) - October 27, 2009 9:47 AM

46 comment(s) - last by Digimonkey.. on Oct 28 at 10:25 AM

Microsoft decides to reevaluate its Windows 7 sponsorships

Microsoft in recent years has often turned to unusual means of promoting its upcoming operating systems. While the well-received Windows 7 doesn't need much help selling itself to many customers, Microsoft still decided on some rather unusual marketing techniques. To supplement its televisions ads featuring a little girl exploring Windows 7 and showing how easy it is to use, and its latest "I'm a PC" commercials, Microsoft offered Windows 7 Parties and an upcoming sponsorship of a new show on Fox, the "Family Guy Presents: Seth & Alex's Almost Live Comedy Show", hosted by "Family Guy" creator Seth MacFarlane.

The show, set to air November 8 will feature a mix of live entertainment, celebrity appearances, and animated content. It is rumored to have "Family Guy"-like musical numbers. However, it won't be having a Microsoft-sponsored Windows 7 theme anymore.

Those hoping for a Windows 7 Family Guy montage sing-along will be disappointed, as Microsoft has officially cut the sponsorship. According to Variety, the ax dropped after Microsoft executives attended a taping on October 16. The program featured MacFarlane and Alex Borstein -- the voice of "Family Guy" matriarch Lois -- trying to sell Windows 7. The pair made typical off-color jokes as they frequently do on "Family Guy", exploring such taboo topics as the handicapped community, the Holocaust, and incest.

Apparently the dark humor was a bit too much for Microsoft as they subsequently decided to pull the campaign citing content concerns. States a Microsoft spokeswoman, "We initially chose to participate in the Seth and Alex variety show based on the audience composition and creative humor of 'Family Guy,' but after reviewing an early version of the variety show, it became clear that the content was not a fit with the Windows brand. We continue to have a good partnership with Fox, Seth MacFarlane and Alex Borstein and are working with them in other areas. We continue to believe in the value of brand integrations and partnerships between brands, media companies and talent."

Microsoft consumer engagement/advertising general manager Gayle Troberman had previously stated that she was unafraid of the show poking fun at Windows 7, and felt the spot would be positive for the OS's image. However, it appears that Microsoft had assumed the special would be less raunchy than "Family Guy", and instead received a hearty helping of distasteful humor.

Initially, Microsoft tried to get Fox to drop certain portions, such as a reportedly racist live segment featuring MacFarlane playing a Mexican housekeeper. However, Fox refused and Microsoft apparently decided to cancel the spot.

Microsoft still has a special advertising relationship with Fox and will be airing commercial spots on Fox Sports, FX, Hulu, FoxSports.com on MSN, Fox Licensing and Merchandising and 20th Century Fox TV. It also will be featured at special "Family Guy" themed movie nights that will take place as part of a 12-week Fox Licensing and Merchandising college tour.

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What were they expecting?

By Brandon Hill

(blog) on 10/27/2009 10:02:30 AM , Rating: 5

I must ask, what exactly was Microsoft expecting? Did they think that going on Family Guy would be the same as doing an episode of Spongebob Squarepants?

RE: What were they expecting?

By reader1 on 10/27/09, Rating: -1

RE: What were they expecting?

By EasyC on 10/27/2009 11:58:00 AM , Rating: 1

Does DT hand out an award for the most downrated user every year or something?

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RE: What were they expecting?

By Reclaimer77 on 10/27/2009 12:07:02 PM , Rating: 1

I hate to say it, but I kinda side with Reader on half of his statement.

In the same way I don't "get" American Idol. I just don't 'get' family guy. The episodes don't seem to have a point, or plot, and the things that happen just aren't relevant to the story because...well..there is no story. Of course, Sinefeld was the same way, but that show was FUNNY and they didn't rely on CONSTANT social commentary.

Honestly, the few times I have watched Family Guy it's a never-ending assault of David Hasselhoff jokes and other social satire, which CAN be funny in the right context. But when you build an entire show around it, you have failed.

I think people who love Family Guy are mostly, no offense, the kind of people who watch American Idol, "reality TV" and other such trash. It's not witty, it's not creative, it's not particularly funny or engaging. It's canned laughter that they just expect you to react to, on queue, and they know you will because they don't respect you enough to deliver a polished product.

Now on the flip side, is South Park. It IS crude, it IS vulgar. But what happens to the characters is relevant to the story and dynamic. The episodes have a point, and they make no bones about delivering that point in the most funny and straight up way as possible. The humor is often subtle, ironic, or sarcastic as well as blatant. But it is all part of the story and relevant, EVERY SINGLE TIME. They don't just crack open joke books like Family Guy and expect you to laugh.

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RE: What were they expecting?

By Lifted on 10/27/09, Rating: 0

RE: What were they expecting?

By temp81830 on 10/27/2009 12:32:09 PM , Rating: 5

If you had skipped saying, "I just don't 'get' family guy," we would have known you don't 'get' it by the rest of your reply. Also, saying 'no offense' doesn't really mean anything when you follow it with, "...and other such trash."

Anyway, it's kinda sad that Microsoft didn't realize this would probably happen in the first place. Oh well.

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RE: What were they expecting?

By Digimonkey on 10/27/2009 12:32:58 PM , Rating: 3

It's funny you mention South Park as a example of a good raunchy cartoon show since South Park had an episode making fun of Family Guy for the exact same reasons you stated in your post.

I like both shows, they have their merits. Family Guy is funny and a lot of people enjoy it that hate shows like American Idol. If you don't find it funny you probably just don't understand the jokes as most contain vague pop culture/movie references.

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RE: What were they expecting?

By Reclaimer77 on 10/27/2009 4:47:49 PM , Rating: 1

quote:
If you don't find it funny you probably just don't understand the jokes as most contain vague pop culture/movie references.

I understand the jokes, they just aren't funny. Pop culture/movie references aren't enough to build an entire show around. But that seems to be exactly what Family Guy does.

And seriously, Star Wars spoofs have been done to DEATH over the past 30 years. When that's what Family Guy has to resort to in order to get ratings and revenue, well.. it's just lame.

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RE: What were they expecting?

By mikeyD95125 on 10/27/2009 8:11:00 PM , Rating: 2

South Park hit the nail on the head with that one. I believe they described the Family Guy joke writing process as otters arranging balls with random phrases on them. Which when you think about it is true. I have had some real good laughs watching family guy but the cuts to random stuff kill me. Try this: watch family guy and write down the story line but ignore all the random cuts. See what you have left.

<spoiler> nothing </spoiler>

I'm not saying FG isn't funny, it just has a cheap way of doing it.

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RE: What were they expecting?

By Digimonkey on 10/28/2009 10:25:58 AM , Rating: 2

If it's entertaining and funny, who cares about a story? We watch stand up comedians on that same premise. Being completely random is Family Guys thing and it works for some, if you don't find it funny it's not because it's dumb or lazy writing, it's just not your style of humor.

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RE: What were they expecting?

By mudgiestylie on 10/27/2009 1:17:10 PM , Rating: 2

Seinfeld was almost entirely composed of social commentary. Just ask Larry David. Southpark achieves the same end by making protracted/hyperbolic depictions of characters or situations. Family Guy is clever. It's "constant social commentary" is actually geared towards a bit more worldly and cosmopolitan audience. It uses oodles of obscure references that most people just wouldn't know about, i.e. heavy use of vaudeville, character features such as gore vidal...
I do think the show is losing its luster though, as its starting to seem a little formulaic.

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RE: What were they expecting?

By PrezWeezy on 10/27/2009 1:42:58 PM , Rating: 5

You know it is possible to state your dislike of a show without making assumptions about the audience. I personally love Family Guy and hate American Idol and "reality" TV. I enjoy the social commentary. I even happen to think it's witty and creative. On the other hand I won't watch South Park 90% of the time. It's just not something I enjoy as much and I tend to just not care for that style of humor. "Oh Mr. Garrison is gay!" Ok now enough time has gone by so "Mrs. Garrison is gay!"

I also like British comedy while disliking American comedy at times. It says nothing about the quality of person I am; it's just what entertains me. I don't think you are an idiot just because you like South Park but I do think you are blanketly labeling people who have different tastes in TV than you do.

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RE: What were they expecting?

By adiposity on 10/27/2009 6:44:03 PM , Rating: 1

Black Books

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RE: What were they expecting?

By chunkymonster on 10/27/2009 3:44:14 PM , Rating: 2

Wow! Just wow!

I don't "get" how you equate folks who watch Family Guy with folks who watch American Idol. A half-assed association if I ever heard one.

Trey Parker, Matt Stone, and Seth MacFarlane are all innovators in animation, satire, comedy, and all need to be held in regard for pushing the acceptable limits of popular television. Criticizing Family Guy while at the same time lauding South Park is contradictory as both shows are crude, vulgar, appeal to the lowest common comedy denominator, and are ultimately pointless.

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RE: What were they expecting?

By Reclaimer77 on 10/27/09, Rating: 0

RE: What were they expecting?

By adiposity on 10/27/2009 6:45:38 PM , Rating: 2

The one of them who has the most shows on T.V. right now?

-Dan

PS Not saying I am a "Cleveland" or "American Dad" or even really "Family Guy" fan but let's not pretend Seth is not famous.

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RE: What were they expecting?

By Reclaimer77 on 10/27/2009 6:56:34 PM , Rating: 2

quote:
The one of them who has the most shows on T.V. right now?

Judging from what passes for a TV show these days, I wouldn't exactly say that automatically means it's a good thing.

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RE: What were they expecting?

By rudy on 10/27/2009 7:30:16 PM , Rating: 2

That is because the writers for family guy do not know anything all they do is steal ideas from the simpsons and junk they see on you tube then patch it all together in the show.

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RE: What were they expecting?

By omnicronx on 10/27/2009 4:46:37 PM , Rating: 1

Heh, I always find it funny when morons like yourself make the claim that MS lacks in the marketing department. MS excels in this area, they have successfully pushed several products including Windows with key marketing techniques. How one can make jabs like this at a company that dominates its market is beyond me.

Yes Reader, we know you do not like MS or Windows, but please keep your baseless opinionated comments to yourself.

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RE: What were they expecting?

By omnicronx on 10/27/2009 4:48:51 PM , Rating: 2

I would also like to point out that regardless of how good the show is/the relevance of the content, MS is going to advertise their new OS in prime time, at a time when people are actually watching (i.e not commercials). Please explain to me how from a marketing perspective, this is a bad idea.

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RE: What were they expecting?

By Motoman on 10/27/2009 10:40:43 AM , Rating: 2

Yup. It's like deciding to go on the Maury Povich show. You know he's going to make you look like an ass, so why go on?

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RE: What were they expecting?

By Indianapolis on 10/27/2009 1:13:18 PM , Rating: 4

Sounds like you're a little bitter. Let me guess...You WERE the father?!?

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RE: What were they expecting?

By jonmcc33 on 10/27/2009 1:47:26 PM , Rating: 2

Bitter? No, that's the truth. If you go on Maury Povich or Jerry Springer you are bound for some sort of humiliation. Not sure why people even go on the show unless they want their 15 minutes of fame or are a glutton for punishment.

I'm sure everyone wants 15 minutes of fame but not sure if they want it for looking like an idiot on nationwide TV.

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RE: What were they expecting?

By Indianapolis on 10/27/2009 3:50:36 PM , Rating: 2

Actually, I was just using the "bitter" comment to setup my punchline. Great job of over-analyzing my joke though.

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RE: What were they expecting?

By TSS on 10/27/2009 10:53:09 AM , Rating: 2

I'll bet they got the idea when some intern was talking about the show how it was the greatest ever, they decided to go with it and never got to see the show untill that first screening.

They where probably thinking it would be more like the simpsons.... or friends, even :P a real "Family" show.

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RE: What were they expecting?

By PrezWeezy on 10/27/2009 1:08:29 PM , Rating: 2

More than likely they watched the Hulu snippet of it and thought it would be a funny live comedy. They might have watched a few episodes and thought "Yeah some of it is off color but that's what our audience enjoys." So I don't blame them for wanting to explore the option more and check out the taping and see if they could get some more customers. It just was really stupid to sign a deal and announce it before they had previewed all of the material.

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RE: What were they expecting?

By Jackattak on 10/27/2009 11:19:49 AM , Rating: 2

Exactly what I was thinking. What on Earth did they think was going to happen? Sesame Street kiddie b.s.?

It's cool...I mean, they are doing extremely well otherwise and I guess nobody's perfect. This just seems idiotic.

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They look like idiots now...

By AEvangel on 10/27/2009 10:03:23 AM , Rating: 2

I read this the other day on another website and was like WoW....did any of the idiots working for MS publicity ever watch the show??

RE: They look like idiots now...

By Mitch101 on 10/27/2009 10:45:35 AM , Rating: 5

FIRE THE ADVERTISING DEPARTMENT AT MICROSOFT!

Not for family guy but for nearly every Microsoft commercial. The only exception was the buying a PC commercial.

Seinfeld? 10 years too late
I'm a PC - Ok but didnt hit home hard enough.
Windows 7 parties - Everyone I know did it for the free copy of Windows 7. Those same people would have talked positively about it anyway.
Zune commecials - No Impact.
Windows 7 is my idea. - Only one DECENT one so far and thats the guy showing the snap to screen option. Its decent at best.

And for not handing Apples ass back to them when the bashed Windows Vista which is like saying they are right. Are you going to return some fire for bashing 7 or do you agree with Apple?

ONE AGAIN FIRE THE ADVERTISING DEPARTMENT AT MICROSOFT!

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RE: They look like idiots now...

By HotFoot on 10/27/2009 11:08:30 AM , Rating: 2

I gotta agree with you. I wonder what the value added is for Microsoft for advertising. I know it's never clear cut with marketing.

A couple of things I think about: Microsoft is like Coke. Pretty much everyone on the planet knows about both companies and their products. It's not about getting your name out there any more, it's about creating demand. For Coke, it can make sense because you put out messages that you hope will make people want more Coke and so they'll buy more. For Windows it's... well it's I'm either going to buy the latest or stick with what I've got.

The decision on that is going to be influenced most by reading tech sites (for myself and the like). For others, at least in my circles of friends, most would never buy a new computer for a new OS, and most would never upgrade an OS on an existing computer. The others who are curious enough to try it would come to me or another geek and ask our opinion about it.

So it seems to me word of mouth is what will do it. It was very much the word of mouth reputation around Vista that hurt sales. This time around, it's the opposite. Nearly everyone is talking about how great Windows 7 is. This was because MS had an extended public testing phase with a mature Beta. The feedback was positive and that's why I bought Win7 now instead of waiting for SP1 as I usually would.

So in a way, the Windows 7 Parties made sense... play to the word of mouth and get people talking. However, it was quite the flop. No matter, folks are still talking.

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RE: They look like idiots now...

By Spivonious on 10/27/2009 12:38:35 PM , Rating: 1

Seinfeld ads - hilarious. I think most people just didn't get the joke.

I'm a PC - dumb, but at least it got people talking.

Win7 Parties - yeah I did it for a free copy, but the party was fun too.

My Idea - a way to show off new features and bring attention to the public input used.

And after all this, the best Apple could come up with is the Miami Vice PC guy? I think Apple would be out of business if it weren't for the wild success of its white earbud iPod ad campaign. They're still riding out that wave.

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RE: They look like idiots now...

By VultureTX on 10/27/2009 12:51:31 PM , Rating: 2

Remember the only thing someone in Microsoft marketing ever did right was marry Bill Gates.

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RE: They look like idiots now...

By omnicronx on 10/27/2009 5:03:04 PM , Rating: 2

And yet here you are.. still talking about them.

Commercials don't need to be good, in fact they can be terrible. The point is not always to make a good commercial, the point is to get you to remember the product.

As for Apple bashing, why on earth does everyone think MS needs to retaliate? Has it occurred to you that dirty smear tactics when you control the majority of the industry could be a bad idea? The best thing MS can do is tell the truth, that being PC's are cheaper than Mac's, no rebuttal, no smear tactics required, just the truth.

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RE: They look like idiots now...

By nvalhalla on 10/27/2009 11:23:50 AM , Rating: 3

I'm guessing they thought "These guys will clean up their act for us..."

No, they were wrong. I'm glad Seth has integrity.

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@CollegeTechGuy

By amanojaku on 10/27/2009 10:03:11 AM , Rating: 2

I thought this article was pretty good when compared to the recent DT standard. Didn't even realize it was by Jason until you pointed it out. I guess that's what happens when a journalist tries to remain objective while providing real material.

RE: @CollegeTechGuy

By Jackattak on 10/27/2009 11:21:44 AM , Rating: 5

I don't understand everyone's problem with Jason Mick.

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RE: @CollegeTechGuy

By EasyC on 10/27/2009 12:02:59 PM , Rating: 2

Alot of it stems with people who disagree with some of his views (which can occasionally be reflected in his writing), but thats life. People should get over it instead of slandering him constantly.

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RE: @CollegeTechGuy

By Spivonious on 10/27/2009 12:40:31 PM , Rating: 2

Most of his "articles" are near-direct copies of the source article. He always has plenty of grammatical errors, oftentimes in the headline. He also throws in his own opinion without clearly stating it as such, which is a no-no in the journalism world.

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RE: @CollegeTechGuy

By Jackattak on 10/27/2009 3:37:05 PM , Rating: 4

I can understand if someone has a beef with his contributions to the site. That's certainly a matter of opinion and if so inclined, by all means that person should email/write DT admins to let them know how they feel.

That being said, the incessant bombing of his contributions grows tiring for those of us who are capable of looking past a man's deficiencies in order to get our news.

From what I've noticed, most of Mick's detractors know his articles before they click on them just by the way the article is headlined. I've read many of them saying so in the months gone by (this being poignant due to the fact that the articles' authors are not labeled on the front page). That being the case, if you know it's a Mick article, and you don't his style of writing or whatever it is, simply give those of us who read them anyway a break so we can have some reasonably educated discussions regarding the article's content.

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lowbrow?

By xsilver on 10/27/2009 10:02:18 AM , Rating: 2

Nice, get in bed with people known for lowbrow humour and then cry about how its too lowbrow. What were they expecting? The jetsons?

m$ are now officially dumb

By rika13 on 10/27/2009 12:36:47 PM , Rating: 2

without their involvement, they have no leash on what kind of humor they can throw at m$ or win7

It's different in cartoons

By Suntan on 10/27/2009 12:41:24 PM , Rating: 2

Not deffending MS (not that they need to be defended because all they *really* did was decide to cancel something after they got more information about it) but I think part of the problem is that what is funny in the context of a truely fictional animated show (with a talking dog) all of a sudden becomes offensive when real people start saying the same things in real life footage.

I really don't know a whole lot about this upcoming show, other than to see a commercial for it the other day, but if they are going to be doing the same humor live that they do through animated characters... not funny.

-Suntan

Microsoft afraid of hate crimes charge

By rmlarsen on 10/27/2009 1:03:48 PM , Rating: 2

You have probably all read about the broadened definition of hate crimes recently passed by congress. A reliable source (the voices in my head) tells me that Microsoft cancelled the show because they were afraid that several of the jokes would be considered hate crimes according to the revised statute.