Fox's "Allen Gregory" is rumored to be headed for cancellation due to poor critical reception and low ratings. Why is it that the show has had issues retaining regular followers? What is it about the show that has turned people off and disappointed the fans of Fox's Animation Domination?
The Humor
The overall mood of the show is fairly dry. When placed into the mix with "The Simpsons," "The Cleveland Show" and "Family Guy," the lack of spice on "Allen Gregory" sticks out like a sore thumb. We watch the other shows in the lineup and wonder what will be done next. We wait to see which celebrity or situation is blown out of proportion or what stab will be made at society. The character of Allen Gregory mostly makes stabs at the poor, which is not something most people want to hear.
Stewie Knockoff?
When I first tried watching "Allen Gregory," the first statement that came to mind was that he was a Stewie knockoff. He was a young, intelligent and arrogant person who believed his parents were completely insane. I would not be surprised if other viewers had this issue with the show as well. We have gotten to know and love Stewie over the years and are not accepting of any character we believe is trying to steal his thunder.
Occupy Movement
The show is based on the premise that Gregory has to deal with losing some of the benefits of being rich due to the downturn in the economy. While people can relate to not having as much right now, few can relate to a rich character going through the same thing. When you add the tension caused by the Occupy Movement, this is magnified. The occupiers have created a greater mental divide between the rich and those who are truly struggling. While I do not agree with the methods of the occupiers, we can all relate to the message of trying to battle greed. Due to this, the young people who would watch this show would be turned off. Instead of trying to make the main character similar to what we are going through, the constant jokes about less fortunate kids is a definite turnoff.
If "Allen Gregory" were not so dry, it might have a better chance of being a strong show in the Animation Domination lineup. If it did not remind us of the divide between the rich and the poor right now, it might have had a shot. People should have never been able to look at the main character as a knockoff of one of our favorites from "Family Guy." Too many negatives will lead to the inevitable cancellation of the show.
