Family Guy Spins off Cleveland

E Online is reporting that a new spinoff is currently in the works to feature Cleveland, the soft-spoken neighbor in popular animated sitcom Family Guy. "Not much is known about Cleveland other than the fact it will revolve around the Brown clan. It's unclear whether the series will remain set in the town of Quahog or whether Cleveland, along with his wife and son, will continue to appear on Family Guy, though as both series are animated, the double-billing won't so much be a logistical problem as a creative decision."

Comments

Why?

[ArcherB]

Why Cleveland? Why not Quagmire (Cleveland's wife agrees) or any of the other more interesting characters? When I hear Cleveland, I just want to go to sleep until I hear a "Diggity".

Re:Why?

[Brian Gordon]

I bet every voice will be Seth MacFarlane like American Dad..

Re:Why?

[spun]

Why Cleveland? Why not Quagmire (Cleveland's wife agrees) or any of the other more interesting characters? When I hear Cleveland, I just want to go to sleep until I hear a "Diggity". I agree, almost anyone but Cleveland would be more interesting. Just as long as it's not Herbert.

Re:Why?

[LighterShadeOfBlack]

Quagmire's too gimmicky to be a main character. As a recurring secondary character the jokes work fine, but if you had them constantly for 22 minutes per show it'd grow old fast.

Re:Why?

[jollyreaper]

Why Cleveland? Why not Quagmire (Cleveland's wife agrees) or any of the other more interesting characters? When I hear Cleveland, I just want to go to sleep until I hear a "Diggity". Giggity, man, giggity! Man, if this were a Star Trek reference you mucked up, you'd be eaten alive.

Re:Why?

[Chris Burke]

I say why a spin-off at all?

And the answer is because Fox Broadcasting is run by clinical retards (no offense to anyone who is or is related to an actual retarded person, as you or they are probably vastly overqualified to run Fox).

Seriously, first they dick around with Family Guy's time slot enough that nobody knows when its on, it gets bad ratings, so they cancel it. Then the simians (apologies to monkeys) realize they were flushing a heap of cash down the toilet when the DVD sales were through the roof. So they brought it back, and hey, if a little Seth McFarlane humor is good, more is better, so let's make American Dad too! And hey that's not doing bad so let's go for broke and make a third show that's essentially the same!

I bet once they've saturated the market (more), the spin-offs won't do so well and they'll start screwing around with the scheduling of all three shows until they've once again convinced themselves they aren't worth it and shit-can the lot.

And it isn't like they haven't screwed up plenty of shows before like this *cough*Futurama*cough*Firefly*cough* Personally I think the only thing they ever had going for them is that they'd air shows other networks wouldn't take a chance on, and the only reason they had their early hits of The Simpsons and Married With Children is because back then they were so starved for content they simply didn't have the capacity to screw up those shows.

Anyway, I think pretty much any Family Guy spinoff is doomed to failure, whether it's Cleveland or Quagmire or Meg for that matter (oh hey, they have a Mike Judge show, maybe a Family Guy/Daria crossover! where's my money, Fox?!)

Re:Why?

[Anonymous Coward]

the jokes work fine, but if you had them constantly for 22 minutes per show it'd grow old fast. So, pretty much like all the other jokes on Family Guy?

Re:Why?

[milsoRgen]

Why Cleveland? Why not Quagmire (Cleveland's wife agrees) or any of the other more interesting characters? Because most of the other characters already have their place in the shows cannon, they are well established features that are nothing in and of themselves but when taken as a whole with the griffin family the create family guy. Cleveland is unique in the fact not much is set in stone about him, he isn't a sex offender, he isn't a cop with something to prove due to physical short comings. He is somewhat like mort, I can understand why the chose Cleveland as he is one of the more major characters yet has little established about him other than, he has a son we haven't seen in some time, a wife that left him, and a speech impediment due to a head injury. He was once an auctioneer. It seems that as one of the major minor characters, with little explained or developed about him (other than his mild-mannerness (is that word?)) he has the most popularity and greatest potential in regards to character development.

Just my 0.02

When I hear Cleveland, I just want to go to sleep until I hear a "Diggity". I am sorry you feel that way, I don't have cable. I buy seasons on dvd, so I have watched the series more than most, and in my opinion Quagmire is one of the most shallow one dimensional characters in the series. Granted I love the guy, I love any sexually oriented humor that continues to push the boundaries on broadcast television. But his jokes are generally in your face and lack the nuances alot of the episodes/other characters tend to provide, which can only really be rivaled by Arrested Development. Another show I watch, over and over.

Re:Why?

[djupedal]

It's Giggity.

Waltrip - NASCAR - ring a bell? Maybe the op sleeps until the race starts on Sunday...

Re:Why?

[MightyMartian]

I am sorry you feel that way, I don't have cable. I buy seasons on dvd, so I have watched the series more than most, and in my opinion Quagmire is one of the most shallow one dimensional characters in the series. Granted I love the guy, I love any sexually oriented humor that continues to push the boundaries on broadcast television. But his jokes are generally in your face and lack the nuances alot of the episodes/other characters tend to provide, which can only really be rivaled by Arrested Development. Another show I watch, over and over.

"Nuanced" is not a word I would apply to Family Guy's humor.

Re:Why?

[kesuki]

i think fox is run by the guy who kept changing the time slot of 'quantum leap' over on another network that's done this kinda ridiculous stuff before...

i mean naruto and bleach don't have to deal with stuff like this, the only time slot changes are special 1 hour episodes, and of course when naruto went from the evening to prime time.

Smallville fortunately has never had it's time slot played with, as best as i can remember neither cheers nor star trek the next generation had to deal with the 'time slot shuffle'

the time slot shuffle usually kills off a show, and to be totally honest internal network politics is the most likely reason why stupid networks kill off profitable shows. 'oh you cant kiss the butt of the president of this network then Die' is what i imagine something like what happens when a show can't contractually be canceled, but they want it to suffer bad enough that can cancel it at the next option to do so..

Re:Why?

[Your.Master]

I'm not sure we "know" he was once an auctioneer anymore than we "know" that Peter's shoulder-angel has its own shoulder-devil and shoulder-angel.

Re:Why?

[zoltankemeny]

Don't forget Arrested Development!

Re:Why?

[squiggleslash]

Because Cleveland's the straight-man, and thus probably the best character to base a show around.

Re:Why?

[Hadlock]

I thought Next Generation went from thursday nights to Sunday nights? Or was it only Sunday nights? I think I was in 6th grade when they aired the final episode so it's been a while.

Re:Why?

[NoobixCube]

If they have a place in the show's "cannon", they will soon be fired. I think you meant canon :P. Don't mind me... Grammar-nazi...

Re:Why?

[WhatAmIDoingHere]

The race is on before Family Guy.

Re:Why?

[Daimanta]

Yeah mean, bif hon and krosper.

Re:Why?

[ArcherB]

nd the answer is because Fox Broadcasting is run by clinical retards (no offense to anyone who is or is related to an actual retarded person, as you or they are probably vastly overqualified to run Fox). Now-Now. They are not completely worthless. Why just look at Torgo's Executive Powder. Now there is a good use!

Re:Why?

[iamhassi]

"I bet every voice will be Seth MacFarlane like American Dad.."

Of course! That's called job security. Can't outsource voice-overs to India.

Re:Why?

[Keith Russell]

Can't outsource voice-overs to India.

At least until The Simpsons spin off Apu.

Re:Why?

[jtownatpunk.net]

Um...That's what Tivo is for. I don't know what day/time anything airs anymore. I just watch what I feel like watching when I feel like watching it.

Re:Why?

[zippthorne]

i think fox is run by the guy who kept changing the time slot of 'quantum leap' over on another network that's done this kinda ridiculous stuff before...

Y'know, fans of Quantum Leap of all shows should expect and even appreciate that kind of thing.

Re:Why?

[maxume]

To be fair to Fox, it isn't all the likely that Firefly ever would have gotten ratings high enough to justify its production costs compared to the ratings that they can get with a much cheaper show(something like 1/2 the ratings at 1/10 the cost if that wasn't clear).

Re:Why?

[xSauronx]

I just dont watch. Theres very little TV i enjoy, and Im a busy person with school, kids and a job to deal with. If I had a tivo id never get a god damn thing done :-/

Pity, as theres a few things id love to see regularly, but I just dont have the time. /netflix is my saviour

Re:Why?

[utopianfiat]

Karma Sacrifice Mode Activate!
NASCAR might ring a bell if the parent was a bud-light-drinking, bible-thumping, inbred, white-trash redneck.

Re:Why?

[OECD]

Y'know, fans of Quantum Leap of all shows should expect and even appreciate that kind of thing.

"Al, why haven't I leaped yet?"

"Well, this isn't Fox, for one thing..."

Re:Why?

[slashdotnickname]

Seriously pal, quit masturbating every night and move out of your parent's basement already. Your paranoid-driven angst is almost painful to read.

Family Guy was never originally good with the ratings. Fox's schedule shuffling was an attempt to keep it alive (not purposely kill it like you think) by finding an audience that could compete share-wise with their other programming. Re-airing on Adult Swim saved it because it allowed it to gradually build a fan base at a pace that bigger networks (which compete with other bigger networks) can't afford. I too, originally, didn't like it but now I'm a huge fan and I'm glad it came back.

As far as why Cleveland, why not? Who are you to say what the writers feel they have more potential with? Are you a successful animation creator?

This reminds me of the time I fucked your fat mother (insert family guyish non-sequitur here).

Re:Why?

[Evangelion]

Now you have me wanting a show about a different Herbert. Thanks.

Re:Why?

[CastrTroy]

Yeah, kind of like Beavis and Butthead.

Re:Why?

[Captain Splendid]

Just as long as it's not Herbert.

Oh, come one. Who wouldn't want to watch the (mis)adventures of an elderly pervert?

"Aww, now you're starting to piss me off, you piggly son of a bitch. Call me!"

Re:Why?

[SuperDJ]

Cleveland's voice is done by Mike Henry. The same guy that does Herbert, Greased Up Deaf Guy, Bruce and Fouad (The Arab guy from the brewery).

Re:Why?

[yamiyasha]

Well you do know what they do with the ex-heads of Fox in the future, Torgo's Executive Powder, it has a million and one uses!

Re:Why?

[0100010001010011]

The Tick,
The Adventures of Brisco County Jr.,
Sliders,

Fox definitely doesn't have their fingers on the pulse of the viewers.

Re:Why?

[babyrat]

What the hell is a diggity?

I'm sure the producers will take great stock in a comment from a true fan like you.

Re:Why?

[fuzzix]

At least until The Simpsons spin off Apu.

I was about to bring up The Simpsons... not in a racist way... more in a "This show is no longer worth watching" way.

To my mind Family Guy suffered a faster decline than The Simpsons, dying suddenly in series 5 rather than suffering a patchy sort of decline from series 7 while continuing to air the very occasional, almost classic episode on into the ninth series before finally dying completely in the tenth.

A Cleveland spinoff... I'd actually rather watch Chief Wiggum and "Skinny Boy" arsing around the remains of New Orleans.

For American Readers:

:%s/series/season/g

;)

Re:Why?

[Yocto Yotta]

Whatever man, Beavis and Butthead was a critique of culture and everything wrong with human behavior. Brilliant.

Re:Why?

[everphilski]

Aw man, you'd have to keep it on Adult Swim, but that'd actually be pretty hilarious IMO.

I mean, look at the job they did of him being Obi Wan Kenobi on "Blue Harvest"

Re:Why?

[ArcherB]

"Al, why haven't I leaped yet?"

"Well, this isn't Fox, for one thing..." Al: Work the shaft, Sam, work the shaft!

Re:Why?

[Headcase88]

I'll move out of my parent's basement when I can, but your other order is unconsionable and I won't stand by it.

Re:Why?

[morari]

Precisely what happened to the Lone Gunmen series. Instead of having fairly serious, more "real world" conspiracies to deal with, they did almost nothing but silly and often times cheesy humor based plots.

Really though, Family Guy in and of itself is iffy. Sometimes it's pretty funny but more often than not it just feels slapped together. The innate randomness of the series makes sure that nothing ever really happens, and its reliance on topical humor and pop culture references ensure that any given episode will be completely irrelevant after a few years.

Re:Why?

[argiedot]

Sort of like Slashdot, then.

Re:Why?

[Popsmear]

American dad was actually started before Family Guy returned to TV. It was going to be Seth's new show, since family guy had died. Then when FOX decided to bring Family Guy back, they just kept both since they had already planned to air American Dad. The pilot show for American Dad had been floating around on the internet for a long time before Family Guy was announced as returning. Most of the good original writers went over to American Dad upon its creation.

Re:Why?

[plover]

Fox definitely doesn't have their fingers on the pulse of the viewers.

They do, it's just that the handful of us that thought the Tick was great also have Tivos and ReplayTVs. Our opinions don't mean squat because we blow by their commercials.

Re:Why?

[Doggabone]

The thing about Quantum Leap was that you could only leap within your own time - you couldn't before your beginning or after your ending (thus avoiding all that "grandfather paradox" mojo). Fans of Quantum Leap would be especially confused it aired before it's start time, or after it's end time!

Re:Why?

[RealGrouchy]

Why Cleveland? Maybe Seth was a big Jeffersons fan?

(Because the Jeffersons was a spinoff of All in the Family, for those who are too young to get that)

- RG>

Re:Why?

[seandiggity]

Since the screwup involved the word "Diggity", I'm gonna have to allow it.

Re:Why?

[TheBlunderbuss]

Since they're voiced by the same person, I can easily do uncanny impressions of both.

Re:Why?

[Chris Burke]

Wow, a little to much unintentional self-revelation in there. Seriously, masturbating to other peoples' mothers that you haven't met in your parents basement is pretty sad.

I didn't say it was intentional, by the way, unless you think retards do stupid things on purpose, so you're completely off base on the paranoid thing. But then again you probably think you say the stupid things you say on purpose.

Go back to your BBW websites.

Re:Why?

[stupidflanders]

Why bother outsourcing? Voice changing software would do the job just as well (NOT an advertisement, seriously -- just offering a link). You would only need one voice actor. It is creepy how well some of this software works, really... they even have templates for celebrities.

On another note, all of you pervs who were voice chatting with a hot, lonely girl on Yahoo last night? Just remember: "The Internet! Where the men are men, the women are men, and the teenage girls are undercover FBI Agents! "

Re:Why?

[Zeio]

I wish they would bring back "The Winner" with Rob Corddry before doing this. That show was funny as hell and never got the ending it deserved.

Re:Why?

[computerman413]

Actually, Waltrip says Boogity! Boogity! Boogity!

Re:Why?

[hal2814]

"And it isn't like they haven't screwed up plenty of shows before like this *cough*Futurama*cough*Firefly*cough* Personally I think the only thing they ever had going for them is that they'd air shows other networks wouldn't take a chance on, and the only reason they had their early hits of The Simpsons and Married With Children is because back then they were so starved for content they simply didn't have the capacity to screw up those shows."

And don't forget Arrested Development and Undeclared. That they couldn't get ratings with Arrested Development after winning so many awards is a massive failure on Fox's part but like the other shows, they greenlight something strange and then don't know what to do with it. Note that Firefly got a movie made, Futurama has one in the works, and most of the Arrested Development cast have been contacted about their schedules for a new movie project. Undeclared and Freaks and Geeks are dead as can be but Judd Apatow is one of the hottest people in Hollywood right now heavily using cast and style of humor from those shows. I'm kind of torn about Fox because no other network would've even given these shows a chance, but in my best GOB voice: Come on!

Re:Why?

[edward2020]

Yeah, I stopped watching it when they felt the need to include Vaudeville shit in every episode. Lame - lamer even than Sealab's Bizzaro episode.

Re:Why?

[totally bogus dude]

If by "sort of" you mean "s/a critique of culture and/the embodiment of/". ;)

Re:Why?

[Urza9814]

...The Simpsons is no longer worth watching?

Damn. I musta missed something....

Re:Why?

[zopf]

No "Diggity!". You gotsta bag it up.

Re:Why?

[Poppler]

The Simpsons is no longer worth watching? Damn. I musta missed something.... apparently the last eight or nine seasons ;-)

Re:Why?

[vuffi_raa]

To my mind Family Guy suffered a faster decline than The Simpsons, dying suddenly in series 5 rather than suffering a patchy sort of decline from series 7 while continuing to air the very occasional, almost classic episode on into the ninth series before finally dying completely in the tenth. I still enjoy family guy- simpsons has been unwatchable for a good 5 seasons or so

Re:Why?

[ari_j]

Fox just kills good shows. If I worked at another network, I'd just buy up any franchise that Fox killed off without a proper farewell. And these shows get bad when they're brought back, generally. I am not sure why, but I suspect it has to do with wanting to please Fox enough to stay on the air more than a season or two the second time around.

Re:Why?

[Anarke_Incarnate]

Except he DID leap to a time way into his past because of a strong similarity in his genetic makeup to an ancestor. I don't know how that's possible without some serious crossing over of genes or some serious inbreeding, but whatever.

Re:Why?

[kalirion]

And we finally found out what really made Anakin go Darth!

Let me be the first to say

[moderatorrater]

How is this news for nerds or stuff that matters? It's worthless drivel like this that drags the whole site down!

And, because I seriously hate people who say that shit, I'm going to point out that cartoon network's adult swim (which brought the show back from the dead) is largely viewed by nerds, and adult animation is mostly enjoyed by nerds, and dammit, it's a good show.

However, I do hope that it's not just another family guy clone like American Dad. Seriously, why not just do 3x as many family guy episodes and not have american dad or this new cleveland one?

Re:Let me be the first to say

[lazy_nihilist]

Even better, more futurama.

Good news, everyone!

Re:Let me be the first to say

[Anonymous Coward]

Once you've seen 5 Family Guy episodes you've seen them all... and it gets tiring, just like any other show which continuously uses the same elements (flashbacks, apparently random scenes, I'm looking at you). All of the Adult Swim lineup seem to condense a lethal dose of these types of things into the shows, which makes me wonder why people still like it?

Re:Let me be the first to say

[countSudoku()]

Mod that comment to on-topic please. This is certainly the place to voice your concerns about this crap show and question why anyone thinks this is news for nerds. South Park and Simpsons wipe their asses with the Family Guy scripts. Was that too strong? Seriously, FG is not that clever or funny, unless you're a complete idiot, then you might actually enjoy it greatly. Sorry about you being an idiot though. No offense was meant. Maybe read some more. It helps.

Re:Let me be the first to say

[garett_spencley]

Say what you want about American Dad but when a series casts Patrick Stewart as a hooker-murdering CIA director it's impossible to not like it.

Re:Let me be the first to say

[KublaiKhan]

Not everything has to be cerebral. Sometimes it's nice to take a few drinks of something high proof, sit back, and enjoy a few dumb laughs.

Besides, the concept of the evil genius toddler amuses me.

Re:Let me be the first to say

[ArcherB]

South Park and Simpsons wipe their asses with the Family Guy scripts. Was that too strong? Seriously, FG is not that clever or funny, unless you're a complete idiot, then you might actually enjoy it greatly. Sorry about you being an idiot though. No offense was meant. Maybe read some more. It helps. It was a LOT better before the manatees went on strike. No one can get too much of Mohamed Salmon Helmets!

Re:Let me be the first to say

[DarkOx]

"The Simpsons" are your for real? That show has been hit and miss for the last 8 years or so. It holds its viewership today because its more of an Institution then anything else. Honestly "The Simpsions" deliver some great stuff even today but its few and far between. It was much more inteligent in pre 2000 or there abouts then it is today. Mostly its the same tired jokes over and over again now, with names replace with whatever is popular this week, often these jokes don't even really fit anymore.

I still watch but its not what it used be. "Family Guy" and "American Dad" are at least IMO as strong as the "Simpsons" and that is not saying much. Frankly I have been much more impressed with the Live action Comedy CBS and expecially NBC have been doing lately. Fox has lost its edge.

Re:Let me be the first to say

[Anonymous Coward]

The Simpsons still has its moments, but South Park hasn't been funny ever since they degenerated into making every single episode a tediously drawn out morality play. All three of these shows have been going downhill for years, but I have to say South Park went the fastest.

I'm not sure why you think that either of those shows is more sophisticated than Family Guy. They all rely on the same sorts of humor, just in slightly different proportions.

Re:Let me be the first to say

[Hadlock]

It's a clip show format, like SNL, but a smaller, more static cast. Sometimes the clips last longer than 30 seconds, but usually then it's for effect, like fighting with that chicken for 3-4 minutes straight. If you don't like clip shows, might I recommend (the canceled) Studio 60, The West Wing, or most anything on HBO? Family guy is not about character or plot development.

Re:Let me be the first to say

[RyuuzakiTetsuya]

South park pisses me off with it's "never understand the issues and never dig deeper" libertarian attitude towards life.

Seriously, ManBearPig? You're going to make fun of Al Gore for being an advocate for something he's been an advocate for since the 70's and 80s?(or just 80s? I can't remember).

Re:Let me be the first to say

[geekoid]

You would be right if south park didn't suck. It's juvenile humor for juvenile minds. Certainly not for nerds.

Hey I know, lets have a talking turd, that's intelligent and something to think about.
Cheap shock humor.

All this coming from a guy who thinks Sodoku is a challenge.

Re:Let me be the first to say

[Martin Blank]

I was beginning to think I was the only one here that not only watches American Dad, but enjoys it. It is clearly Seth's brand of humor, but unlike Family Guy, it has its subtle moments, and there is some actual character development as the series goes. Aside from the humor, I like watching Haley battle her need to be practical with her desire to be a far-left feminist.

Re:Let me be the first to say

[nstlgc]

However, I do hope that it's not just another family guy clone like American Dad.
Say WHAT?! American Dad is MILES better than Family Guy. No offense, but perhaps you should actually watch more than 2 episodes of a show before commenting on it.

Re:Let me be the first to say

[DoofusOfDeath]

How is this news for nerds or stuff that matters? It's worthless drivel like this that drags the whole site down!

/. is News For Nerds, not necessarily Nerdy News. /. is a nerd site, and many nerds like Family Guy. So what's the problem? If you don't like this article, tune it out. Sheesh.

Re:Let me be the first to say

[Joe Tie.]

I hated the first season, possibly even the second. But the show's grown on me, and has become something of a semi-guilty pleasure that I look forward to watching. The characters are still stereotypes for the most part, but they're still changing as the show progresses. That alone is pretty amazing for a wacky joke show.

Re:Let me be the first to say

[mightyQuin]

Not the parent, but I just read this valid criticism of the show:

Don't you ever, EVER compare me to Family Guy, you hear me Kyle?...
When I make jokes they are inherent to a story! Deep situational and emotional jokes based on what is relevant and has a point, not just one random interchangeable joke after another!

--Eric Cartman, Cartoon Wars Part I

Re:Let me be the first to say

[Eli Gottlieb]

Except that they then changed him into a closeted homosexual who does nothing but comment on pop culture.

Re:Let me be the first to say

[MikeyC01]

Because advocating something for 20 or 30 years makes it right?

Re:Let me be the first to say

[Scrameustache]

wipe their asses with the Family Guy scripts. Was that too strong? Seriously, FG is not that clever or funny, unless you're a complete idiot, then you might actually enjoy it greatly. Sorry about you being an idiot though. Why is blatant flamebait modded up?

Re:Let me be the first to say

[antdude]

I watch it too. I like the whole spy comedy things. Get Smart, No One Lives Forever games, Austin Powers, James Bond, Mission Impossible, etc.

Re:Let me be the first to say

[gad_zuki!]

>Maybe read some more. It helps.

Whoa! Maybe you should stop watching so much South Park and Simpsons. It sounds like youve internalized the brands and self-identify with them to the point of calling people who watch almost identical counterparts like Family Guy or American Dad, morons. People like you are why advertisers drive luxury cars and sleep well at night.

Im really sick of seeing the acceptance of shameless corporate branding in geek culture. The bullshit Apple/PS3/whoever fanboy flaming. This is nothing but your generations version of Ford vs Chevy. Seriously. Maybe you should be the one reading more. Mods, honestly that shouldnt be +5 insightful it should be 0 troll.

Re:Let me be the first to say

[RiotingPacifist]

South park pisses me off with it's "never understand the issues and never dig deeper" libertarian attitude towards life.

Its like they were trying to be funny or something! They can clearly play the 'Stewart defense'
And i hope you mean the libertarian as in the world usage not the American usage, i find their shows to be more taking the piss with a liberal POV than anything else tho.

Its always hard to judge an episode of SP i find about 75% have some sort of point but 35% are just there for the "WTF, they got this on TV?"

I find family guy funny if i catch it but would never set out to watch it (read, D/l), i find american dad much funnier, well playd manatees!

Re:Let me be the first to say

[modecx]

South Park doesn't suck because of the style of the humor, it sucks because of the cheesy morals on which they often base the storyline, made it become formulaic and unfunny, and therefore sucky.

If you generally don't like constant slapstick, potty humor, I can't fault you. However, people who consider themselves intellectually superior because they can't get off on joke that's not related to physics, astronomy, 15th century Spanish literature (or whatever esoteric subject they happen to care about) just plain suck; suck the fun out of everything, that is. Does everything have to provoke intellectual stimulation?

For fuck's sake, we don't even let kids be kids anymore. They get bombarded by Mozart in the fucking womb, they get started down a path which makes them become sedentary and myopic by being planted in front of shit like Baby Einstein, and they don't go outside because their lazy and idiotic parents can't supervise and prevent them from being abducted, and molested by people who were also the product of technocratic disease--and then you wonder why our culture is breeding people who are apathetic, uncreative failures-at-life. I for one am glad that the fun isn't completely gone yet. I know why these kids go and shoot up schools, malls and etc: because at least their last few moments might be somewhat entertaining.

Re:Let me be the first to say

[Headcase88]

"I mean, I know it's just joke after joke, but I like that. At least it doesn't get all preachy and up its own ass with messages, you know?"

--Trucker, Cartoon Wars Part II

Re:Let me be the first to say

[freeweed]

An evil santa clause, a jewish lobster that everyone hates, constant 21st century references via heads in jars.

Holy christ, I think you've seen all of 3 episodes.

Humour's a subjective thing, I'll give you that. I didn't even really like Futurama when it was fist aired. But trying to claim that it's PREDICTABLE?? Dear sweet jesus, what the hell do you watch that's less predictable than Futurama? Random snow on untuned channels??

Re:Let me be the first to say

[moderatorrater]

what the hell do you watch that's less predictable than Futurama? Random snow on untuned channels?? You call that random? Each pixel's going to be white or black and that's it. Extrapolating out from there is child's play. Oh look, more white. Oh look, more black. Oh look, a faceless monster whispering messages to me. Oh look, more black.

Re:Let me be the first to say

[MobileTatsu-NJG]

"Futurama is the most predictable show ever. An evil santa clause, a jewish lobster that everyone hates, constant 21st century references via heads in jars. I have never so much as chuckled while watching Futurama."

Right. So compare that with Family Guy. Heh.

Re:Let me be the first to say

[Anonymous Psychopath]

I think it's funny. I suppose I'm an idiot, then. (shrug)

Re:Let me be the first to say

[NonSequor]

Here's the basic template for a South Park episode:

A social phenomenon is characterized as an imminent threat to the public. Stan and Kyle become embroiled in the issue. Cartman exacerbates the situation. In the end, it's revealed that the problem can be resolved by a glib solution.

Re:Let me be the first to say

[Lord Kano]

No. DVD sales is what brought the show back from the dead.

Fox seems like they're actively trying to fuck it up again. Every time I turn it on to watch Family Guy, there's some bullshit sports event on. Before they had to cancel it the first time, they kept putting on sports and moving it around so that the fans lost interest.

LK

Re:Let me be the first to say

[Eddi3]

"Seriously, FG is not that clever or funny, unless you're a complete idiot, then you might actually enjoy it greatly. Sorry about you being an idiot though. No offense was meant. Maybe read some more. It helps."

I disagree. Most of Family Guy's jokes rely heavily upon popular culture references, and a good understanding of them (and a quick enough mind to link them up fast enough to get it, IMHO). I definitely wouldn't recommend Family Guy to someone of average, or less then average intelligence, because in my experience, they don't get it.

That said, I would agree that Family Guy is very much a niche comedy. But saying I, and others like me, are idiots because we like it, is just stupid.

Re:Let me be the first to say

[Peaker]

The Simpsons still has its moments, but South Park hasn't been funny ever since they degenerated into making every single episode a tediously drawn out morality play. All three of these shows have been going downhill for years, but I have to say South Park went the fastest.

I'm not sure why you think that either of those shows is more sophisticated than Family Guy. They all rely on the same sorts of humor, just in slightly different proportions. I personally think South Park was crappy until they became moral plays. Season 5 is about when they started becoming funny.

South Park might do shallow depictions of situations and events, compared with WikiPedia, for example. But it goes way deeper than most other shows, and hell, deeper than most discussions you see on the news, or by politicians on the same topics.

I love seasons 9-11 (and the season about 9/11 :-), and some episodes from season 5-8 are also awesome.

Re:Let me be the first to say

[Mister Transistor]

You forgot:

"In the end, Kenny gets killed, and it's revealed that the problem can be resolved by a glib solution."

Re:Let me be the first to say

[CopaceticOpus]

Say what you want about American Dad but when a series casts Patrick Stewart as a hooker-murdering CIA director and it's still not funny, something went terribly wrong.

Re:Let me be the first to say

[Mister Transistor]

"Not that clever"??

Man, them's fightin' words if ever I heard any!

Re:Let me be the first to say

[Bluesman]

On Fry's wall in the Futurama movie:

"Family Guy: 12 Laughs a Year" calendar

Re:Let me be the first to say

[RyuuzakiTetsuya]

no, because it means you're not doing it for attention, like the MBP ep insinuates.

Cool...

[owlnation]

... hopefully the spin-off features original characters, concepts and comedy. Or does this spin-off involve a robot, and one-eye girl, a lobster guy and a elderly professor?

I for one

[Gat0r30y]

Hope this series focus' on Cleveland's previous occupation as an accomplished auctioneer. Going Once... Going Twice... Its friday and i'm going home!

The character's name is "Cleveland Brown"

[holden caufield]

That's comedy gold right there.

Giggity Goo!

[illumin8]

Where the hell is my Quagmire spinoff?

Giggity giggity goo! Alllright!

You've gotta be kidding me

[jez9999]

Cleveland is the most tedious, annoying character in the WHOLE of Family Guy. Well, at least maybe they can take Cleveland out of Family Guy now so we can concentrate all the crap of his storyline into this one and ignore it. :-)

Re:You've gotta be kidding me

[geekoid]

He has more depth then Quagmire, and he has a lot more potential the Joe.

A road trip with Stewie and the Evil Monkey might be cool.

Re:You've gotta be kidding me

[Scrameustache]

Cleveland is the most tedious, annoying character in the WHOLE of Family Guy. Yeah, it's as if they wanted to make a spin-off of Beavis and Butt Head and base it on their up-tight neighbor.
Or one based on their acerbic school mate.

What's next, a spin-off about the tedious, annoying shrink from Cheers?

It's madness, I say. MADNESS!

Re:Another suckfest?

[Myopic]

That's true. It's rare for a spinoff to work well, but there are some excellent examples. "Frasier" was never my favorite show, but it was a huge success that won a lot of awards. I can't think of any other examples of good spinoffs, but I can think of a few bad spinoffs.

I'm willing to give this one a chance if it is made by the same funny guys as the original.

It worked for the Jeffersons.

[BeeBeard]

Most people familiar with their favorite couple who moved on up, to the East Side, and finally found their piece of the pie, aren't aware that the sitcom actually started as a spin-off of All in the Family, on which Family Guy is itself heavily based. Even the piano playing sequence at the beginning of Family Guy is a callback to the opening sequence of All in the Family.

Re:It worked for the Jeffersons.

[Wandering Wombat]

But the Jeffersons were iconic. This is more comparable to that "Dynomiiiiiiiiiiite!" guy getting his own show.

Re:It worked for the Jeffersons.

[elrous0]

Hah, not always.

Re:It worked for the Jeffersons.

[fermion]

Beyond the obvious similarities, the reason, IMHO, that The Jeffersons succeeded was because it was a significantly different show. As entertaining as MacFarlane is, he does not seem to anything other than family guy. American Dad, for instance, just is not that different, simply the same show with a plot instead of arbitrarily strung together jokes. Recall that "All in the family" had many spin off, some good, some not. In particular "Archie Bunker's Place", though successful, was pretty bad.

Re:It worked for the Jeffersons.

[QRDeNameland]

FWIW, the show the "Dynomiiiiiiiiiiite!" guy was on ("Good Times") was a spinoff of "Maude" (the mother, Florida, was Maude's maid), and "Maude" itself was a another spinoff of "All in the Family" (Maude being Edith Bunker's cousin, I believe).

Re:It worked for the Jeffersons.

[MightyMartian]

All In The Family was definitely a "diminishing returns" thing. There were a few spin-offs of it, the only one that was remotely funny was The Jeffersons. I think Bea Arthur is a funny lady, but Maude just never cut it. Gloria was a short-term joke (a Meathead spinoff would have been a lot more fun). Good Times tried to brave in showing a realistic 1970s black family, but the producers let that useless ham Jimmy Walker completely fuck it up. Archie's Place was sort of like watching an Olympic sprinter with one leg try to run the 100m dash; without Edith the character of Archie Bunker just didn't work.

Spinoffs by and large fail mainly because the chemistry of the successful parent show isn't there. You quickly find that the character you find funny or interesting is only that way because of the entire ensemble, and when taken out of that, it just flounders. Try to imagine any of the major Seinfeld characters out on their own. It would be unwatchable.

Re:It worked for the Jeffersons.

[Joe Tie.]

Good times did turn into something that might as well have been the "Dynomiiiiiiiiiiite!" show after a couple seasons.

Re:It worked for the Jeffersons.

[techno-vampire]

The reason Gloria was such a flop is because by the time they made it they'd forgotten what it was that made the character so good. Instead of a feisty young woman standing up for her rights, we saw a spineless wimp going "poor little me" over and over.

Re:It worked for the Jeffersons.

[Criceratops]

And here I thought it was like when Benson got spun off of Soap.

Re:It worked for the Jeffersons.

[popmaker]

But if you DO have new characters with their own chemistry it might works. I happen to actually like Frasier.

Re:It worked for the Jeffersons.

[MightyMartian]

Frasier and the Jeffersons seem, to me, to be something of an exception. But in both cases the writers and actors were able to create a chemistry of their own. They may have been spin-offs, but they stood on their own two feet.

Perhaps part of it too is picking the right characters. Frasier wasn't the obvious choice for the character to spin off into a new series, but he was the right character. There were all the standard comic personality traits, but also humanity as well. Somebody like Cliff or Norm would have been a disaster, because they were ultimately pretty one-dimensional characters (funny, I'll admit, but where could you go with them?).

Re:It worked for the Jeffersons.

[bill_mcgonigle]

All in the Family, on which Family Guy is itself heavily based

Naww, seriously - you've seen All In the Family, right?

That's the one that dealt with current social mores through satire and introspection. Family Guy is the one where they have a baby beat a dog bloody, or have a guy go to his reunion in a spacesuit to prove that he's not a loser - parables that make Scooby Doo look like major philosophic coursework.

When is /. going to spinoff ?

[garett_spencley]

I've been waiting years for CowboyNealDot.

Re:When is /. going to spinoff ?

[The Yuckinator]

oh c'mon mods, that's definitely funny!

The Brown clan? What clan?

[phillymjs]

Unless it's a prequel of sorts, what clan are they talking about? Cleveland's wife left him, and his son hasn't been seen in who knows how long.

Re:The Brown clan? What clan?

[geekoid]

"Cleveland's wife left him, and his son hasn't been seen in who knows how long."

And you see no story potential there?

Jeez, I hope you don't complain about Hollywood's 'lack of new ideas'

Re:The Brown clan? What clan?

[ACMENEWSLLC]

So he gets re-married and the wife has her own kids.. Nothing says Cleveland's voice has to stay the same. Meg's voice is not what it was in the first season.

Re:Another suckfest?

[jsheedy]

That's true. It's rare for a spinoff to work well, but there are some excellent examples. "Frasier" was never my favorite show, but it was a huge success that won a lot of awards. I can't think of any other examples of good spinoffs, but I can think of a few bad spinoffs.

I can think of two older ones from the same show. Laverne and Shirley, and Mork and Mindy. They were both spinoffs of Happy Days.

Re:Another suckfest?

[geekoid]

as was Joanie Love Chachie

A spin off is neither good or bad, it's the acting and writing. Just like ANY show.

Small Correction to the Summary

[mikee805]

Cleveland doesnt have a wife they divorced after she slept with Quagmire http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0576966/plotsummary

Re:Small Correction to the Summary

[matazar]

I was waiting for someone else to point this out. At first I was very confused.

Re:Small Correction to the Summary

[DewDude]

In the immortal words of Peter: "THANK YOU!" Seriously, have any of you all been watching the series? Don't you remember when Loretta cheated on Cleveland and she kicked him out and Cleveland went through that whole ordeal? Then Peter had to use the masks and "wrestle" with Brian on the floor to trigger Clevelands rage? hmm? just a little minor point to the plot? enough to put a hole in this story? make it totally false? Gotta, gotta compelling protaganist? Yeah? Gotta obstacle for him to overcome? Huh? Gotta story brewing there? Working on, working on that for quite some time? Huh? Yea, talking about that 3 years ago. Been working on that the whole time? Nice little narrative? Beginning, middle, and end? Some friends become enemies, some enemies become friends? At the end your main character is richer from the experience? Yeah? Yeah? No, if past cartoons are any indicator they'll write it anyway. Still, a Quagmire spinoff would be better. He's Quagmire, Quagmire, "Giggidy-giggidy-lets have sex!"

spinoff???

[logicassasin]

Yeah... not seeing how this is gonna work.

We all remember "Joanie Loves Chachi", "Enos", "The Ropers", "Flo" (I may be the only human that remembers this pile), "After M*A*S*H", and that wretched Jeffersons spinoff "Checking In" (seriously, this sucks more than anything that has ever sucked before), and we all know how badly 99.999999999999999999999% of all spinoffs suck. So why, then, does Fox wish to taint the excellence that is Family Guy with a spinoff? And of Cleveland???!!! I'da figured Quagmire, but not mr "Hhhhheeeeeeeellooo Peeeeeeeeeeeeeeetaaaaah" Cleveland!

Re:spinoff???

[Irish_Samurai]

"Flo" (I may be the only human that remembers this pile) You wanna compare archaic shitty spin off references? How about that pile of crap "Fish" spin off from "Barney Miller." There's some completely useless knowledge taking up brain space for you.

Re:spinoff???

[The Good Reverend]

we all know how badly 99.999999999999999999999% of all spinoffs suck.

Yeah, like Mork & Mindy (and Happy Days, really), Frasier, The Simpsons, Daria, All the new Trek shows, and Stargate: Atlantis, among others. Those all suck.

Re:spinoff???

[Culture20]

Yes, 50% of those shows suck. That leaves you with 2 proven good spinoffs (the Simpsons excluded since it's not _really_ a spinoff of the tracey ulman show). Of course, GP would have to have a _lot_ of spinoffs to match the touted 99.999999999999999999999% suckage stats.

Re:spinoff???

[Lord Kano]

Fuck you, the Jeffersons WAS a spin off and it rocked.

LK

Re:spinoff???

[logicassasin]

yeah Braniac, we all know The Jeffersons was a spinoff, just like Maude and Good Times.

No one was talking about the GOOD ones, I'm talking about the BAD ones.

so... Fuck YOU.

Re:spinoff???

[logicassasin]

I quite vaguely remember this show. VERY vaguely... As in, I watched Barney Miller as a kid, but seem to remember something about "Fish"...

A quick trip to Wikipedia brought a bit of it back, but not enough.

Re:Another suckfest?

[cbart387]

The Simpsons was spun from the Tracy Ullman Show (can't forget that if you're discussing Family Guy).

Wheelie Time!!!

[aaronhaley]

But no really, this is going to suck donkey balls. Who green lit this?! Oh evil monkey, you're the evilest!! Do we have a clip? no, oh. okay then.

seriously

[Some_Llama]

Who the hell's cousing/nephew/son is Seth?

Why does this most mediocre of cartoon comedy flourish, with spin off after spin off when there are WAY better shows that could be given airtime (to see some watch adult swim on the cartoon network).

I just don't get it.. Family is ok, just ok, not even close to South park or futurama but it seems to be promoted and extended forever?

Family guy is like the middle manager who becomes CEO while the smart kid languishes in employee hell.

Re:seriously

[Derek Loev]

A wise man once said: "Futurama is like watching a beautiful sunset, Family Guy is like a blowjob."

Re:seriously

[Bill, Shooter of Bul]

Thank you. Its like no one here saw the South park episode about Family Guy. I think some people laugh because their brains don't understand (Fans of Seth Shows), others laugh because they do understand (cartoon network shows).

Re:seriously

[Some_Llama]

You went a spin-off too far there. This is the first and only spin-off of Family Guy."

I consider american dad to be a spin off of family guy, hmm same exact characters in different outfits, how original.

What's more troubling...

[DoofusOfDeath]

... is that I actually want to do Lois. Am I alone in this?

Re:What's more troubling...

[dookiesan]

Lois
http://tv.yahoo.com/alex-borstein/contributor/198110/photos/1

or Meg
http://www.imdb.com/gallery/granitz/4529/Events/4529/MilaKunis_Grant_8069156_400.jpg.html?path=pgallery&path_key=Kunis,%20Mila

Re:What's more troubling...

[DoofusOfDeath]

Lois http://tv.yahoo.com/alex-borstein/contributor/198110/photos/1 [yahoo.com]

Cured! Thanks!

Re:What's more troubling...

[bm_luethke]

While Mila is quite attractive, I'm not quite ~25 anymore - in fact I'm quite a bit older than that. As such she kinda looks like a kid (though a very nice looking one). As far as legality goes, yep very much past that point and I can't say I would complain of one was interested in me (haha, yea right).

However I find Alex to be quite nice. She is even a fuzz older than me so she has that whole "older woman" thing going and is still on the quite attractive side. She isn't enough older that it is strange (only a couple of years) and she has a fairly decent body *and* I like her humor so I wouldn't complain.

As for their voice, well no question - even when not in character I prefer Mila. But then neither are really my favorite voice in the world so I guess that isn't so much of a variable in the whole equation.

Of course since in reality I will never have said choice it is all academic anyway - there are quite a few super models I would rather have regardless their age so those two are still low on the whole "I want" totem pole :)

Re:Family guy sucks

[stratjakt]

What the fuck? You don't see any racist jokes in south park or simpsons? What is Apu? What is Token? What was chef?

I guess you don't get the idea of comedy bringing socially taboo topics into the limelight, and the very fact that a joke can be offensive and funny at the same time allows us to learn a little something about society.

It's attitudes like yours that divide us along racial lines. Shows like Chappelle's show, South Park and Family Guy bring us together by mockery of stereotypes, not by reinforcing them.

mod parent up

[Doug Neal]

What the fuck? You don't see any racist jokes in south park or simpsons? What is Apu? What is Token? What was chef?

I guess you don't get the idea of comedy bringing socially taboo topics into the limelight, and the very fact that a joke can be offensive and funny at the same time allows us to learn a little something about society.

It's attitudes like yours that divide us along racial lines. Shows like Chappelle's show, South Park and Family Guy bring us together by mockery of stereotypes, not by reinforcing them. Seriously, why is this at -1 while the GP is at 1, Interesting?

Good post.

Re:Another suckfest?

[Gutboy]

The Jeffersons and Maude were both spinoffs from All in the Family.

Darn

[Canosoup]

I thought they mean the one in Ohio

You FAIL!

[geekoid]

Meg (as she walks in on him):- Oh my god Mr. Quagmire, I'm so sorry
Quagmire: hey that's all right Meg, you probably bought me three more minutes, ohhhh riiiiight giggity diggity giggity!

He says both.

Oh, come on, you nerds.

[UncoolestDudeEver]

Can't you tell that this post is a joke, solely meant to rope you suckers in? A Family Guy spinoff featuring Cleveland????? Seriously, if any of you REALLY believed that, you are idiots.

Re:Oh, come on, you nerds.

[WK2]

It says FOX.

Wrong

[geekoid]

It's a lot, but there are also many notable successes.

If A spin off getsd treated like ti's own series, and is good on it's won merits it will succeed.
well, until Fox screw's around with it.

Re:Family guy sucks

[poot_rootbeer]

You don't see any racist jokes in south park or simpsons? What is Apu?

Besides the most visible, and most respectfully written, Hindu character in mainstream American television?

Re:Family guy sucks

[Hadlock]

No no no, if you're going to troll properly, you have to use the right terminology; it's crypto-fascism. Jesus christ, n00b. Where's the troll-cyclopedia when you need one, to school these - literally - kids?

I CANT TAKE IT ANYMORE

[florescent_beige]

My apologies to all, I know this is bad form but here I go anyway...

A cartoon spinoff is news for nerds? Not even a science fiction cartoon?

The reason this bugs me is the last two stories I submitted were rejected. One about DARPA's oblique flying wing called Switchblade, and one about active sonic boom suppression on Gulfstream's supersonic business jet.

But a cartoon spinoff is more news worthy? I'm sorry, but this is shenanigans.

Re:I CANT TAKE IT ANYMORE

[geekoid]

I understand the family guy being here, what is unacceptable are the two you mention being rejected. It's not like they couldn't post all three.

The Family gyu has huge geek appeal.

Yeah, I know, this sight is supposed to be for nerds, but that went away years ago. N more ar the 300 posts discussing what you would need to make a light saber, complete with supporting math. Now it's 2600+the most mainstreem form of geek dome allowed.

I'm going to start my own nerd site, with blackjack..and hookers...oh, forget the blackjack and hookers.
Hey I AM a nerd you know.

Re:I CANT TAKE IT ANYMORE

[trytoguess]

Haven't you figured it out? Slashdot's priorities are "whatever makes money," then "news for nerds and stuff that matters." We're a true news site now, and it makes a small part of me sad.

Re:I CANT TAKE IT ANYMORE

[Dun Malg]

A cartoon spinoff is news for nerds? Not even a science fiction cartoon?

The reason this bugs me is the last two stories I submitted were rejected. One about DARPA's oblique flying wing called Switchblade, and one about active sonic boom suppression on Gulfstream's supersonic business jet.

But a cartoon spinoff is more news worthy? The problem is that the "editors" here aren't actually real nerds, they're just idiots who think they're nerds because they know how to log in to a linux box and once bought caffeine soap off ThinkGeek. It was better when it was Hemos and Taco, who could actually claim the nerd title legitimately. Now, we have a bunch of trained chimps, little more than tech dilletantes. Press that button, monkey, press that button! Ooook! Oook! Story about cartoon! Me like cartoons! Front page! Flying DiAPRA switchblade? No switchblades in baby's diaper! No!

Re:I CANT TAKE IT ANYMORE

[patrixmyth]

Hey, why not make a spin-off of Slashdot, based solely upon obscure government research projects and acoustical physics?

Switchboom- Oblique Flying Wing News from Darpa. Stuff that suppresses sonic booms.

Watch out for that Switchboom effect, though, as readers heads slam into their keyboard, unable to remain awake.

Oh yeah, because that would suck! I'm sorry your stories didn't get picked, but lighten up, Family Guy is hella-mega cool, and we want to read and comment on it, and make obscure references that only other nerds comprehend. Like, remember that time we went back in time, and everyone thought Spock was a hippie? A TV Show? No friggin way! Wait a minute, this coupon is expired! What the Deuce! Oh, Damn you all!

Plainly, however, the best spin-off would be the evil monkey and the old man. They could travel around in a big rig, always just a step ahead of bungling lawmen. That is totally my original idea.

Time slot?

[Dutch Gun]

What's this "time slot" you keep refer...

Oh....

I see... You don't have a TiVo.

Re:Time slot?

[Random Destruction]

the peasant!

Re:Makes no sense

[geekoid]

I prefer me between two pieces of Ginger! With Mary Anne as catcher.hmm. well, no more works getting done today.

Comment removed

[account_deleted]

Comment removed based on user account deletion

Re:Another suckfest?

[0100010001010011]

Family Matters was a spinoff of Perfect Strangers.

Wiki to the rescue...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_television_spin-offs

So Sabrina the Teenage Witch (With Melissa Joan Hart) is a remake of a spinoff of The Archie Hour.

Damnit that's the problem with wiki....

!Slashdot News

[martinmcc]

There is a lot of overlap between geek culture and pop culture, and slashdot generally hits the nail on the head. In this case however, I have to throw my lot in with the '!news' ground and say this is not a topic slashdot should be covering, and it is not a direction I want to see it go in. I like family guy, and am mildly interested in a spin-off. In fact, i have a few opinions on the matter I might be inclined to share on a comment site - but not slashdot. Slashdot is my haven of geekhood, where I read about the latest hizzy fit between RMS and theo de raadt, SCO zanyness, steve balmars latest dance moves etc. It is not where I go for the latest goings on in the realm of 'generation X', pop culture, my-face-bebo-boy land. It does overlap, but that doesn't mean there aren't boundries.

Sure, there was a few articles about futurama - futurama = sci-fi = geek. No problem. Perhaps somehow a confusion arrived thinking futurama = animated, family guy = animated, therefore it is geek! Family guy has no geek crediential. No reason to be on slashdot. This is not fox-watch, not 'animation-maniac-fans.com'. They are not using some highly clever bit of software automate production of the two shows. It is news for pop-culture, not news for nerd.

Where is it going to end - a sidebar with the top ten funniest you-tube clips? 50 different smiley characters and RTF entry text box to spice up the comments (not fogetting flashing text)?

Lets try to keep slashdot geek, and let the pop-culture sites do pop culture.

Re:!Slashdot News

[diabolus_in_america]

You said: "Family guy has no geek crediential."
I disagree. The entire Blue Harvest episode is an hour's worth of "greek credential." They riff on Star Trek often. There's been TRON, Back to the Future, Indiana Jones, and Poltergeist segments that were not only hilarious but also very true to the originals. I've not counted, but it seems like a quarter of the jokes are references to science fiction TV shows or movies. MacFarlane comes across in many interviews as a geek. Sure, he has his political points to make, and his jokes are often no more than riffs on popular culture. But Star Wars, Star Trek, et. al. are points where geek culture intersects with pop culture.

Let him be the last to say

[Scrameustache]

How is this news for nerds
[...]
largely viewed by nerds, and adult animation is mostly enjoyed by nerds, and dammit, it's a good show. Why ask a question to which you know the answer?

Why is sci-fi better?

[reidconti]

... maybe this is news for us nerds who can't stand Sci-Fi or Star Trek or RPGs but don't complain every time an article about one of the above is posted?

Re:Family guy sucks

[turing_m]

South Park? That show cracks me up! I just don't understand how busy men such as Perle, Feith and Wolfowitz found the time to write half the episodes!

Re:Makes no sense

[Culture20]

Who else but Quagmire?!? geekoid, apparently.

Hmmm...

[bdkraem]

It's not April 1st.... so that's not it.

Re:Family guy sucks

[dasunt]

Besides the most visible, and most respectfully written, Hindu character in mainstream American television?

Is there another practicing Hindu on mainstream American television?

This is a serious question, I can't think of one, but I don't watch much TV...

Re:Family guy sucks

[sheepofdarkness]

That says more about mainstream American TV than it does about Apu.

Good

[Vampyre_Dark]

Another SOMETHING UNEXPECTED unfunny show BIG NOISE for people RANDOM YELLING with advanced ADD.

No.

[syphaxplh]

Mod me troll or flamebait if you must, but I just cannot bite my tongue... er, fingers. To borrow some rhetoric from the Filthy Critic, holy shit does this show fucking suck. I cannot understand for the life of me how anyone finds any merit in this incessantly crude, unimaginative, overbearing, insultingly banal bullshit. It defies reason. I noticed a lot of banter in previous comments in which South Park and the Simpsons were discussed and/or criticized. Any mention of these two has no place in a discussion of Family Guy, which unlike those shows is a complete waste of time, resources, and intellect. The biggest conundrum of all is how in apparently trying so hard to wring laughs out of the audience at any cost, the writers of this mierda really are not trying at all. And yes, I'll admit I am editorializing, and have just wasted a good two minutes complaining about this absolutely miserable excuse for an adult animated comedy. Strewth.

Re:No.

[swordgeek]

First of all, you have to look at your age. Family Guy started out as a cartoon for 35-45 year-olds. TONS of cultural references that just went straight over the heads of the 'youngsters.'

At least for the first 2.? seasons. Somewhere in the middle of the third season, they fell completely apart. Everything became puke, sex, and blood jokes. Nothing about the movements we either grew up with or grew up hearing about, thirty years ago. Now it theoretically appeals to the 17-year-old crowd, but I've got my doubts.

But make no mistake, there WERE some genuinely funny bits early on, at least for us old folks.

Re:Why ??

[Dun Malg]

This is not news. This is not stuff that matters. Why on earth is this on the front page??? "Editors" who aren't True Nerds but rather just technophilic Normals probably has a lot to do with it. The dupes, hoaxes, and ridiculously wrong headlines don't point to an exceptionally bright nor diligent crew. That's probably only half of it, though. I have in mind an imaginary scene from a Slashdot staff meeting with their corporate bosses...

Boss in Pressed Jeans: "We think that you should appeal to ALL nerds, even the ones that watch reality TV, don't read, are proud they don't 'know computers', don't know ASCII from ANSI, think assembly language is the bad English found in instructions written in China, or think video of a man getting hit in the nuts is the pinnacle of humor."

Slashdot Chimp/Editor: " Are those like... y'know... really nerds at all?"

BiPJ: "If appealing to them will increase page hits, I say they're definitely nerds."

SC/E: "Boss is always right! Monkey press button, get paycheck!"

Sadly, I'm probably only slightly off reality. You might ask "why do you keep coming back?" Isn't it obvious? I like complaining.

Re: What the hell is a diggity?

[Stuart Gibson]

Kevin Rose's user generated and rated porn site.

Not sure why this is on slashdot, but...

[shotgunefx]

..sounds dumb to me. I like Cleveland well enough, but a whole show centered around him?

Hopefully it's less of a turd than American Dad.

Re:What a ripoff!

[Lord Kano]

Teenagers don't get many of the 80s specific jokes on the show. Seth made that show for people in his age group. Those of us in late 20s through mid thirties are the ones who watch the show. When it's not preempted for racing, football or some other gay ass sporting event.

LK

Re:Another suckfest?

[NFNNMIDATA]

And Maude begat Good Times.

Re:Family guy sucks

[ArAgost]

Raj from The Big Bang Theory is Hindu, AFAIK.

Re:Family guy sucks

[stormguard2099]

Apu works in a convenience store, he has an abundance of kids and he even says "Good rice, good curry, good Ghandi, let's hurry." as a blessing before eating.
You can still claim he is the most visible and most respectfully written Hindu* character in mainstream American television but don't say there are never jokes about his race.
*Last time I checked wikipedia, Hinduism wasn't a race. I'll assume you meant to write Indian or something more relevant the racism claim.

Re:What a ripoff!

[BarneyL]

You've obviously missed the new episodes of the Simpsons and that isn't a bad thing.
Sure the classic episodes outclass Family Guy and co but series by series from about season six the simpsons has transfomed itself into complete trash, here is how every single episode now proceeds:
Homer does something crazy, as a result he goes somewhere or becomes something with hilarious consequences (a phrase in comedy which indecates the episode will be in no way funny). In the process Homer will meet a celebrity.
I don't even get a single laugh from most of the latest episodes shown here in the UK. American Dad on the other hand which has just started airing here actually has laughs, a point to the plots and decent heaps of satire that were sadly lost from the simpsons about a decade ago. It will never match the truely great episodes of the early Simpsons but it's up to the average episodes.
Anyway, if you like the Simpsons as much as you say you'll have picked up the early series boxed sets and can watch all the good episodes that are likely ever to be produced.

Here's a suggestion:

[NeutronCowboy]

Don't read the stories that don't interest you. If you find that there's no reason left to read slashdot, don't read it. But don't expect it to cater exactly to your wants and needs. Personally, I couldn't care less about the latest hissy fit between RMS and Theo, the latest Ballmer antics, or most of the other crap you listed. Why should Slashdot cater to you rather than me?

I know my personal threshold for when I'll stop reading it. I've seen a few stories that make me question what editors were smoking. But I take serious offense when people try to pretend that their view of geekdom is the only valid one, and that slashdot should only cater to their exact view of it.

Andd btw, there's no confusion about Family Guy being geek. If you would have watched more than one or two episodes, you'd know that it is chock-full of geek humor, geek issues and geek cred.

In short, hand in your geek card, sign up for a frat, and stand in line for initiation paddling.

Re:Here's a suggestion:

[martinmcc]

"Don't read the stories that don't interest you"

Yep, that's a novel one, might try that.

"If you find that there's no reason left to read slashdot, don't read it. "

Where did you get "no reason left to read slashdot" from? Perhaps my comment " ...and slashdot generally hits the nail on the head" might have given you a clue that I usually am quite happy with slashdot? Or perhaps you are answering a point other than the one I made?

"Personally, I couldn't care less about the latest hissy fit between RMS and Theo, the latest Ballmer antics, or most of the other crap you listed. "

Fair enough, you have your own reasons for coming here, I am sure they are valid, not exactly sure what point that is making though.

"I know my personal threshold for when I'll stop reading it. I've seen a few stories that make me question what editors were smoking. But I take serious offense when people try to pretend that their view of geekdom is the only valid one, and that slashdot should only cater to their exact view of it."

Nobody is trying to pretend that. There are plenty of stories on slashdot that don't interest me, and don't hit my 'geek' buttons, but I do recognize them as valid topics and gently pass over them to the next. I do think the 'everyone has a different view so you can't make that call' argument a tad weak. People do have their differences, there are overlaps and the boundaries are fuzzy, but anyone who can take a step back and make a reasoned argument should not cause anyone 'serious offence'. Perhaps a little on the sensitive side?

"And btw, there's no confusion about Family Guy being geek. If you would have watched more than one or two episodes, you'd know that it is chock-full of geek humor, geek issues and geek cred."

So pop-culture making references to geek culture makes it geek? I don't buy it. As mentioned, I do enjoy family guy, have have watched a fair few more than one or two episodes. Just as pretty much all other pop-culture, it certainly does have plenty of references to geek culture. I recall an episode where Luis learned kung-fu, should this article also be in a kung-fu journal?

Expecting a site with a defined topic 'News for nerds', and more importantly an inferred audience type to stick to its agenda is hardly an unreasonable request. Slashdot is made by the audience, so I don't see how an audience member (me) taking some time to voice my opinion on how I would rather not see it move further in this direction should cause 'serious offence'. I did not say 'wtf is this doing on slashdot, what are the editors smoking, slashdot suxs' I briefly laid out my reasons without getting too bogged down.

"In short, hand in your geek card, sign up for a frat, and stand in line for initiation paddling."

I'm interested in how you get 'This topic shouldn't be on the agenda' to 'inference of no valid reason to consider yourself a geek, frat boy'.Particularly with someone who takes 'serious offense when people try to pretend that their view of geekdom is the only valid one'.

Perhaps you should consider tightening your argument skills before mounting ill advices ad hominem attacks.

Re:Family guy sucks

[dctoastman]

Kelly Khapur from the Office.

Re:Why ??

[reidconti]

Sorry if not all of us live up to your high standards of being nerds just because we can't check all of the dork boxes.
Not sure it's grounds for calling us unintelligent, though.

Is Cleveland "movin on up"?

[stuntpope]

I haven't looked into it, but I'm certain the writers of Family Guy are around my age (early 40s) and watched the same entertainment as I did. The cultural references thrown in often seem just for me - from "The Incredible Hulk" TV show closing music, with Stewie on the road hitchhiking, to Peter being a game character in Tron. I love it.

So when I read they are spinning off Cleveland's character (whom I don't really care for, BTW), my first thought was of "All in the Family" begetting "The Jeffersons".

Geek Cred

[jjk3]

Don't forget the episode where Lois and Peter decided to doing some "role playing".

Lois Griffin: [dressed in a school uniform] Oh i need a spanking, ive been a bad, bad girl.
Peter Griffin: Im a paladin with 18 charisma and 97 hit-points, i can use my helm of disintegration and do one d4 damage as my half mage elf wields his +5 holy avenger.
Lois Griffin: Paladins cant use the helm of disintegration.
Peter Griffin: Oh, ok, then im a black guy.

Clasic!

American Dad?

[WebmasterNeal]

When watching American Dad, all I can think of is how it's more or less an extension of family guy as it is. I don't think there is anymore room for another one of Seth McFarlane's shows on TV.

Cleveland!?

[dmehus]

Cleveland? Give me a break! He's got to be the worst Family Guy character, other than maybe Chris Griffin.

I have to agree, a spinoff set around Quagmire or the guy in the wheelchair would be much better. Or, what about the old pervert from the Griffins' neighbourhood?

Cheers,
Doug