The Fox Network made a huge mistake in 2002 when it dropped “Family Guy.” Fortunately, the network has given the cult classic a second chance. After it cancelled the show, Cartoon Network picked up reruns of it as part of its nightly “Adult Swim,” which also includes old “Futurama” repeats.
The show then exploded in popularity, reaching cult status, and DVD sales—not to mention Internet piracy—have skyrocketed. This newfound popularity is undoubtedly what spurred Fox to contract new episodes, and executives will probably be laughing all the way to the bank due to this decision.
As soon as the show hit the airwaves in its return, creator Seth MacFarlane got a jab in at the Fox network. Peter Griffin, the patriarch of dysfunction, told his family the show was canned because Fox had to make room for other shows. Peter listed 29 shows in all, including “Dark Angel,” “Titus,” “Undeclared,” “The Tick,” “Louie,” and “Greg the Bunny,” then added, “If all those shows go down the tubes, we might have a shot.”
The return episode fits right in with the others from the series. It also continued to play on one of its biggest strengths—little side jokes that contain many pop culture references, both dated and contemporary. There were references to Bed, Bath and Beyond—specifically, the “Beyond” section—Two and a Half Men, GI Joe, Pinocchio, The Honeymooners, and Peter’s experiences with gene splicing and the time when he forgot how to sit down. There were a number of hidden jokes, too, in keeping with the consistency of the series. Brian, the anthropomorphized family dog, had a Kucinich ’04 bumper sticker on his car and was seen reading a copy of Michael Moore’s “Dude, Where’s My Country.” Baby Stewie also stitched a needlepoint saying “Die Lois.”
The show also paid homage to obscure characters from the past, including the monkey in Chris’ closet, Ollie Williams, and the “greased-up deaf guy.”
Despite all of this, there were still a number of drawbacks. First, some of the voices sounded off, which was to be expected. Neither Chris nor Meg sounded quite the same as in previous seasons. In addition, secondary characters such as Cleveland, Quagmire, and Joe were nowhere to be found. Whether they will return in the new episodes remains to be seen.
All things considered, this was a successful return for a notoriously funny show. It will be tough, however, for the writers to keep up the hilarity standard they have set for themselves. Nevertheless, no matter what happens, I bet “Family Guy” will still be funnier than “American Dad.”
