Was The Simpsons robbed?

That's the word going around after the Academy announced voters had nominated Family Guy for a shot at a best comedy Emmy, marking only the second time in the history of the awards when an animated series broke the live action barrier.

The first, for those out there who like obscure trivia, was The Flintstones in 1961. If you want to know how much times have changed, The Flintstones was considered a slightly risque cartoon that ran in primetime. But then, those were also the days when TV couples slept in separate beds, and one foot had to be touching the floor. No joke.

That stone age family paved the way for prime time animation. It's not as if other animated shows haven't tried to get back into the comedy competition. At least twice, The Simpsons has submitted episodes for Academy consideration, only to get rebuffed.

Until now, the stodgy Academy voters just weren't going to let them into the country club. There's no doubt that few series, animated or otherwise, have shown the constant quality of The Simpsons.

But leave it to Family Guy to rush the comedy category, and send in three of the most controversial episodes of the season -- "I Dream of Jesus," "Road to Germany" and "Family Gay." It paid off with a nomination from an Academy that, if not younger and hipper, at least seems to be acting that way in this year's nomination choices.

Should it have been The Simpsons? Let's take a look at both series and see which comes out on top:

Fox Family Love
If there's a favorite child, it's probably the precocious Simpsons over wild child Family Guy. The Simpsons was the perfect match for upstart Fox, providing the hip, edgy tone fledgling network Fox wanted to project. Family Guy looked like a good fit when it came on in 1999, but was canceled in 2000, then resuscitated in 2002 only to get dumped again. After getting great ratings on the Cartoon Network's Adult Swim, which spurred skyrocketing DVD sales, Fox brought it back on the air. The Simpsons still holds the hearts, but Family Guy brings the edge. Both toss some nice DVD sale cash into the coffers too.

Aye Carumba! Hot or Not?
The Simpsons are a part of popular culture, and Family Guy is part of the subculture. You would be hard pressed to go anywhere in the world where there isn't some reference to The Simpsons. Family Guy hasn't got the same global reach, but still has some major clout. It's like the Apple vs. PC commercials. Everyone knows which choice you make if you want to be the cool kid these days.

Disturbia in Suburbia
Ah, those protect-the-family groups had no idea back when they proclaimed Bart was tearing apart the moral fabric of the country. Bart, as he often said, was just his generation's Dennis the Menace. If only they could have predicted that something even more wicked was waiting in the wings to corrupt America's youth. Baby Stewie plots the demise of his own mom, the family beats each other up. The Simpsons? They just prey on low self-esteem and occassionally knock each other off the sofa.

Music That Incites
Where else do you have singing and dancing and making merry as Peter and a barbershop quartet deliver the news that a man has "got the AIDS" on Family Guy? While Lisa Simpson belts out tunes on her soulful sax, Family Guy takes Broadway tunes and barbershop harmonies and turns them into deliciously dirty ditties.

Say What?
You can tell a lot about a show just by pulling a few quotes. The Simpsons has had plenty of T-shirt worthy lines, while sporting a Family Guy quote on your shirt could land you in jail in some parts of the country.

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