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Fox Considering a Return of "Family Guy"
wo1verin3 writes: "USA Today is reporting that all is not lost and due to exceptionally strong DVD sales Family Guy may return with as many as 35 new episodes! A DVD set of the show's first 28 episodes, released in April, has sold nearly 1 million copies, making it this year's top-selling TV show and the No. 4 television title ever, according to Video Store magazine."
I love that show, I saw every epoisode on Fox that I could catch, and I watch ever one that I can on adult swim. As I remember it fox keep moving the show from night to night. Sometimes showing it sometimes not, it really didn't make a log of sense. It was one of those shows that you couldn't depend it being on. I am glad that Fox is reconsidering.
The grass is only greener, if you don't take care of your own lawn.
what kind of "restrictions" are they gonna place on it?
The show got cancelled more because of controversy than lack of ratings. It's good to see Fox selling out on this due to response (whoddathunkit? Fox?), but I hate for the Family Guy people to sell out too.
In some ways it was good that it went out on top; Look at the Simpsons now; yech.
You've obviously never watched it then... Family Guy is levels upon levels above King of the Hill, and in my opinion actually better than the Simpsons too. It mixes an awesome blend of 'stupid' humor with underlying intelligent themes.
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"In times of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act."
-- George Orwell
It's also good because it's one of the only times in life when you get rewarded for watching shitloads of tv shows and commercials during the 70s, 80s & 90s (as in, you get the jokes:).
(from the USA Today article) "...new episodes could end up going directly to Cartoon Network."
That would solve the controversy problem since Cartoon Network is a cable channel.
relatively short network run may have helped DVD sales, Video Store's Judith McCourt says. "It really speaks to something that had a following, was cut off network TV, and people said, 'What did I miss?' "
I don't think people are saying "hmm, I think I'll check out the family guy." Consumers of the DVD were fans of the show. It sounds like no one wants to admit that fox made a mistake when they cancelled it. Also I wonder if they make the same turn around when they see the strong Firefly DVD sales
That sets a precident.
everybody, go buy the Firefly DVD set as soon as it's out.
hmmmm?
So they have similar characters. Big deal. The difference is in the style. Family Guy used the 'flashback' joke a LOT, as in: "Oh, they don't let Peter rent from the video store anymore because he kept recording over the tapes. {cut to scene of opening of 'citizen kane', which goes staticy for a second and then it's Peter on a couch, obviously being filmed with a home video camera, saying "It's a freakin sled, okay! Rosebud is a freakin' sled! There, now I just saved you from wasting two boring pointless hours of your life.", and then the movie continues.}
The Simpsons generally tried to stick to the story, and use the plot for the humor, while Family Guy was usually funny *despite* the plot, because the humor was in fast, small snippets.
Don't label something "offtopic" unless you know the topic well enough to tell what's on topic.
I agree with you that Family Guy is one of the smartest shows on television, but it is in no way subtle. Do you call the Kool-Aid Guy busting through a wall and yelling "OH YEAH!" subtle?
blog & fiction: jd87
I agree with the other responders to this message: TFG is much, much wittier than The Simpsons. They're also less afraid to go for the cheap shot, and the musical bits just knock me on my ass. (Don't get me started on those flaccid "Evita" takeoffs on The Simpsons the other day -- yecccch!)
Most significantly to me, Family Guy doesn't succumb to a sitcom-ish last-two-minutes-of-the-episode personal-redemption jones. The Simpsons seems to be constitutionally incapable of wrapping things up on a mean-spirited note. Nobody ever "learns a valuable lesson" on The Family Guy; it's kinda like Seinfeld or Curb Your Enthusiasm in that sense.
It's obviously a matter of personal taste, but if you haven't seen The Family Guy you should at least give it a shot. When it first aired I dumped it after a couple of episodes because the whole "Stewie killing Lois" thing was way too overwrought for me, but after jumping back in for the Adult Swim airings I realized just how good a show it is. Arguably it's the most tightly-written network comedy in recent memory.
(I would leave King of the Hill out of the discussion, because it's a completely different kind of show -- much more grounded and less reliant on pop-culture references and flights of whimsy and "wackiness" than TFG or Simpsons, or even your average network sitcom.)
My GOD!!! That chicken sketch was the most action packed cartoon scene I have ever seen. Right near the end when Peter says, "Chicken, gave me a bad coupon...", and it starts up again... Just thinking about that makes me laugh but I digress. I think that is one of Family Guys strengths. They keep going with stuff, and it really has an effect on me.
Ditto