Average Rating: 
Rating:  - Just not funny.
The only good thing about this show is the baby. Other than that, I can't NOT recommend this series enough. Unless you're a big fan of toilet humor and characters who desperately WANT to be Homer Simpson, but fall sadly short, that is... Don't bother with this.
Rating:  - Excellent comedy series, but DVD could've been better
When Family Guy made its world premier on Fox following the Super Bowl, it was an instant hit. Once it started airing regularly, it was even more of a hit. To quote my younger brother, this show was "pure genius." Unfortunately, the show wasn't loved by all, and was cancelled in 2002, after only three seasons. What a shame. This show was every bit as funny, if not better, than The Simpsons, Futurama, and King Of The Hill. For those of you not familiar with the series, let me give you a brief summary. The show is about a Rhode Island family, and their everyday lives, which somehow manage to be extremely funny. There's Peter, the husband/father who works in a toy factory, Lois, the wife/mother, Meg, the teenage daughter who struggles to fit in with the popular crowds at school, Chris, the teenage son who is both fat and stupid, Brian, the family dog who, oddly enough, can talk, and most important of all - Stewie, the family's one-year-old son, who is super intelligent. The family's neighbors only add to the comedy value. Joe is a wheelchair-bound police officer who has extreme self confidence. Cleveland is an African-American deli owner who has a wife that doesn't allow white literature in their home. And of course, there is Quagmire, the lady's man (If you've seen King Of The Hill, the number of things this guy has in common with Boomhauer are astonishing.) The series features a number of pop culture references, flashback scenes, and song/dance numbers, all of which add to the comedy value further. Now for the episodes. Normally I'd write out every episode and a brief summary of each, but the set has 28 episodes, and Amazon's word limit is 1000. Certainly I would exceed that limit if I went by that style, so I'll just give summaries of some of my favorites. In one episode, Peter knocks over a satellite dish and the entire town loses cable TV. While he tries to cover up his sin, Stewie uses the remains of the satellite dish to build a weather control satellite. This way he can create freezing rain and kill all the world's vegetable plants. Another good episode features Peter punching a woman he thinks is a man. After this, he gets placed on house arrest, and builds a bar in his basement to pass the time by. It goes well at first, but when his wife begins to perform there, she becomes the town's sex symbol. Another good one features Lois running for school board. When Peter hears that she doesn't support the reinstatement of his favorite childhood teacher, he runs against her, and to ensure a victory, spreads an erotic photo of her across town. Those are just 3 of the 28 awesome episodes this collection offers. And now for the DVD itself. It's a good DVD, but a bit lacking in the extras department. There is commentary for some episodes and a making of featurette, but that's it. I would have liked to see deleted scenes or something of the like. I've heard rumors that some of the episodes on this DVD are edited, but I can't confirm this, because I missed most of the episodes original air dates. Also, a photo gallery of early character drawings would've been cool. An interesting bit of trivia - Lois was originally going to be blond, and Meg was going to wear white. Don't ask why, I don't know. TV Tome, a website with info on various TV shows, has a picture to prove this. Final verdict? If you like Family Guy, THIS IS FOR YOU. I'm not sure if the episodes on here were edited from the originals or not, but what I do know is Seth Macfarlane is a creative genius, and this show demonstrates that beautifully. Another interesting bit of trivia - Seth was scheduled to fly on September 11, on one of the flights that was hijacked, but due to a travel agent error, he didn't fly and his life was saved, accordingly. It's just a shame this show didn't last longer than it did. It's not being seen on Fox anymore, but Cartoon Network now airs it late at night. A Third Season box set is on the way, but it won't come out until September, because Fox takes their sweet time putting DVDs out. Until then, you should be able to kill the time with this.
Rating:  - Family Guy Volume 1 DVD Set
First of all I should point out that the first person to write a review of this item was referring to the 14-episode UK release of season one, which does not have any extras. This 29-episode US/Canada release will include the first two seasons, which includes the season two episode "When You Wish Upon A Weinstein" which was banned by Fox and never aired.4-Disc Set. DISC ONE: Audio commentary on "Death Has A Shadow" and "The Son Also Draws"; Fox promos; DISC TWO: Audio commentary on "Peter, Peter, Caviar Eater" and "Holy Crap"; DISC THREE: Audio commentary on "Fifteen Minutes Of Shame" and "Let's Go To The Hop"; DISC FOUR: Audio commentary on "He's Too Sexy For His Fat" and "E. Peterbus Unum". UPDATE: The producers of Family Guy announced that "When You Wish Upon A Weinstein" will be on the season 2 DVD, however recently Fox has announced that this banned episode will NOT be released on Family Guy - Seasons 1 & 2. I assume it is being saved for a special feature DVD which will be included on the Family Guy - Season 3 DVD set.
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