"Family Guy" Reunion in the Works (FOX considers resurrecting the series)

E! News online (via Yahoo TV) ^ | 11-19-03 | Lia Haberman

[Petronski]

"Family Guy" Reunion in the Works Wednesday November 19 4:30 PM ET

By Lia Haberman

Victory may still be Stewie's.

The pint-sized tot with plans of world domination could return to Fox as the network considers resurrecting its animated comedy Family Guy.

Truth be told, strong DVD sales and not Stewie's heavily accented scheming are reportedly behind the move to reinstate the cartoon 18 months after it was yanked from the airwaves.

At this time, production of the dysfunctional family cartoon is "under discussion" according to a Fox spokesperson.

Calls to creator Seth MacFarlane's rep were not returned.

As many as 35 new episodes could premiere in January 2005, according to the Fox spokesperson, which would mark the first time a canceled series has been revived on the strength of its DVD sales and syndication ratings.

Fox head honcho Sandy Grushow told USA Today the series was a late-blooming phenomenon that may have aired before its time.

DVD and cable viewers have "created a kind of groundswell that could lead to better ratings," said Grushow.

Indeed, despite being canceled after only three season, Family Guy is this year's top-selling TV title and the fourth best TV series seller ever, according to Video Store magazine.

A DVD set released in April of the show's first 28 episodes has sold close to 1 million copies while a second collection of 22 episodes has already passed the 500,000 mark. Reruns of the show also rank number one among adult viewers on Cartoon Network.

Family Guy premiered to 22 million viewers on Super Bowl Sunday in 1999 and high praise from critics ("gloriously twisted" said TV Guide). Created by then 24-year-old MacFarlane, the show revolved around the dysfunctional Griffin family of Quahog, Rhode Island, including talking toddler Stewie who vowed revenge for being incarcerated in his mother's "cursed ovarian Bastille" for nine months.

MacFarlane had his stamp all over the Emmy-winning series, lending his voice to the roles of patriarch Peter Griffin, son Stewie and family dog Brian, while Seth Green and Mila Kunis played sibs Chris and Meg Griffin, respectively.

However, the series had difficulty maintaining its following as Fox bounced the show all over its schedule. The series was also the target of an advertiser boycott instigated by MacFarlane's former prep school headmaster, the Reverend Richardson Schell.

Schell convinced several advertisers to abandon the 'toon, alleging that it contained anti-Semitic, racist and sexist content. Schell had previously asked MacFarlane to change the cartoon family's surname. Griffin was the same last name as that of Schell's assistant, Elaine Griffin.

More than 125,000 fans fired back with their own online petition announcing their intention to boycott the network and its advertisers if the series was canceled, all to no avail.

Now, the last laugh may be MacFarlane's. Not only is the network considering reviving the sassy series, but earlier this year he revealed that a direct-to-DVD project featuring the animated Griffin family could be in the works for next year.

[Petronski]

The dog really speaks, and everyone understands him and thinks nothing of it. Stewie really speaks too, and he is understood, but no one takes his threats and megalomania seriously....it's just 'cute.'

[presidio9]

QUAGMIRE ALERT!

[Green Knight]

Thanks for the link.

Now if only Futurama would get new eps.

[rwfromkansas]

The dvd is very popular here on campus....see it in a lot of dorm rooms (I have King of the Hill, but not Family Guy).

I will have to borrow it and see what all the fuss is about sometime.

[IYAS9YAS]

Aw, Jeez Lois!

Whooo Hooo!

[discostu]

The answer, which is part of what makes the show funny, is it depends. Usually Stewie can't be heard by other characters, usually Brian can. Except Brian almost always hears Stewie and usually Stewie can't hear Brian. Sometimes though everybody can hear Stewie and sometimes nobody can hear Brian. Basically the answer Seth said in one of the commentary tracks is: it all depends on what would be funny in that scene.

[Paul C. Jesup]

Yea I know. Their all good shows. By the way, you need to check out Big O, it is a good anime.

[Paul C. Jesup]

See post 32 of this thread.

[Mad Dawgg]

"Sweet. Great show, raw random funniness, you never knew what to expect. Why Fox couldn't settle it in a timeslot and let it grow will be one of the big mysteries of TV."

They did the Same thing to Firefly and now the rumor is the Firefly DVD has sold through the first run already (release date is Dec 9th)

Apparently FOX has no clue on how to keep good programing on, which is a shame.

[rwfromkansas]

lol.......love newscast funny stuff. I will have to check Family Guy out for that alone. :)

[Pahuanui]

Sweet. Great show, raw random funniness, you never knew what to expect.

Absolutely, esp. in regards to the randomness.

One episode, I don't remember what it was about, for no apparent reason, suddenly broke to a 20 second short of 'Out-takes from "Joanie Loves Chachie"', wherein J&C were sitting on a couch, the doorbell rings, Chachie gets up to answer it, and a huge, ravenous grizzly busts down the door and eats them both.

Then the episode continued as if nothing had happened, with no explanation.

Sheer, unadulterated genius.

[IYAS9YAS]

The Dog can talk and be heard by the family. He can also converse with Stewie...there was one episode where future kids in a classroom actually ask whether or not the family can actually understand Stewie. Stewie is kind of a mystery. I'm guessing the family can hear him, but they don't hear what he saying literally.

[Texas Federalist]

I'll never get over the 3 minute cutscene to Peter's fight with the chicken.

"Chicken . . . . gave me . . . a bad coupon."

[Modernman]

"I mean, I'm not naive, I've licked my share of peanut butter"

[fortunecookie]

I love Brian and his high-brow sophistication and especially his from-a-distance, unrequited love for Lois. LOLOLOL.

[ffusco]

The safe word is "banana".........

[Modernman]

Stewie really speaks too, and he is understood, but no one takes his threats and megalomania seriously....it's just 'cute.'

I thought only Brian could understand what Stewie was saying. That seems to make sense, in cartoon logic.

[Petronski]

Watching the Smurfs on TV:


- Hey'd you have fun at the party last night?
- Yeah, smurftacular!
- Hey, I saw you leave with Smurfette...
- Yeah, right when we get out of the bar, she starts smurfin' me.
- No way!!, right in the smurfin' parking lot?!
- Smurf yeah!!!
- Oh, that's freakin' smurf... that is freakin' smurf!!

[Britton J Wingfield]

Brian the dog really talks, but with Stewie you're hearing his thoghts, or what he's trying to say. His family just hears baby-talk.

[RJS1950]

IMO, the show is a crap-o-rama, Futurama would be a much better choice to bring back.