It's all about different tastes. I used to actively dislike Family Guy, and I believe I even said so in a post on this very BBS. It changed subtly after the first couple of seasons and now it cracks me up every time.

I skimmed that article and I disagree with most of his main points. Quick examples: Stewie is not a rip-off of Pinky and the Brain, Stewie and P&B are *both* parodies of megalomaniac stereotypes. Reference humor is not lazy writing, it's a specific type of humor that appeals to a specific taste; being a longtime MST3K fan, reference humor appeals to me, and they do it particularly skillfully (as does Robot Chicken, hence my love for that show too).