A few notes for Seth MacFarlane on his cartoon kingdom
Dear Seth,
I just wanted to drop a line and congratulate you on basically turning Sunday nights on FOX into “Seth Sundays.” I don’t think the monopolization of a network by one person has been done since Aaron Spelling dominated ABC during the 1970s and ’80s. Of course, being the king of the Animation Domination, you are subject to criticism as well as compliment. So, I’d like to give you both.
First, the compliment. I missed much of last season’s Family Guy, so I don’t know if your tribute to the SuperFriends was done already. However, since it was new to me, I’m going to give you a virtual high-five for the intro to Sunday night’s episode. I know you’ve done this before with, for instance, your little vignette featuring the Jetsons, but I haven’t seen it done in the intro. My favorite moment was replacing the Wonder Twins intro with a simple, deadpan “Meg.”
Seth MacFarlane’s Cavalcade: no need to clear the streets
Last year Seth MacFarlane debuted a slew of webisodes on YouTube called his “Cavalcade of Cartoon Comedy,” made up of short videos with many of the same voices and animation styles you’d find in hist much more popular show, Family Guy. Put all together, it reminded me of the shorts Robot Chicken produces, only in animated form.
Recently an “uncensored” DVD containing all of the webisodes was released (we had a giveaway for some copies not long ago), and I got a chance to give it a watch. I only caught a few of the videos up on YouTube, so it was great to get to see them all together in one sitting.
FOX Sunday night lineup – Clacking the dream
Yes, the 2008-2009 network television season’s in the bag. But, you know what? It’s not all tears and depression. Let’s be honest; most nights, the networks air a pretty stinky lineup of shows. Apparently, it’s really hard to put on three straight hours of quality programming, and some networks even struggle to put on two (and when that’s hour-long shows, it’s only two series per night. Why so tough, FOX and The CW?)
But even more true is the fact that today is no exception. The networks have rarely managed to keep us satisfied all night (this is a family post, perverts!), so enough with our lamenting the good old days. Instead, I propose an alternative: a build your own strongest lineup for each night of the week from each one of the big four networks (never will The CW have enough good to qualify. Although we might be able to mine something from The WB and/or UPN….)
A few months back, we discussed the ultimate in nights of television, NBC’s Must See Thursdays. But, plenty of other nights, and other networks, have storied histories (both good and bad). So, with a little suggestion from Peter Lynn, and a little chronological order, what say we visit Sundays on FOX, first. Read the rest of this entry »
FOX lays a giant goose egg
I know that, for some of you, the announcement on Monday of FOX’s 2009-2010 TV schedule was a hallelujah moment. Whether you were happy about the consistency of the scheduling through the spring, or the shows that did (or didn’t) make the cut, many people cheered when FOX shared what it has planned for us this fall and beyond.
I, however, did not share in the excitement. I read through the schedule, and then looked again, slowly going from hour to hour, day to day. I couldn’t believe it! Not a single thing piqued my interest until I hit Sunday night, where Animation Domination rules. In truth, I only semi-enjoy the offerings, but I’ve been diligently recording The Simpsons and Family Guy for so long now, that, not only do I plan to continue, I will also check out Seth MacFarlane’s newest drunken experiment, The Cleveland Show.
And, yes, I have no predetermined opinion about the handful of new offerings from FOX, most of which are set to premiere in the spring, suckling at the teat that is American Idol. However, the shows that make up the majority of the lineup? From House on Monday’s at 8, to America’s Most Wanted on Saturdays at 9, each show, and each hour, gets a quick pass from me.
What do you care, right? Read the rest of this entry »
Seth MacFarlane’s Cavalcade of Cartoon Comedy: Uncensored – CliqueClack Giveaway
I first heard of Seth MacFarlane’s Cavalcade of Cartoon Comedy via Wil Wheaton some time last year, when he announced making an appearance on the show. Sadly for me, other than that, I never caught the show, though I always wanted to; it’s freely and legally available on the ‘net. Luckily I’ll have a review copy of the DVD coming to me real shortly, so I’ll let you all in on what I think. The set is available in stores starting today, so now you can see uncensored penises and everything.
Luckily for the rest of you, we’re giving away three copies of this series on DVD to random commenters to this post!
Family Guy and huWil huWheaton
Sebastian’s back Guest-clacking for us again, after sharing his thought about Friday Night Lights‘ last few episodes….
Are you one of those people who can’t stand Family Guy anymore? Hate the silly cutaways? The idiotic antics? The in-your-face humor? Is Family Guy totally getting on your nerves?
I hear you. I was right there with you last year. I couldn’t stand it anymore. It became repetitive. No innovation. Boring. I mean, how often is Adam West’s silliness funny? Same goes for American Dad. I can’t stand it anymore at the moment. But let me tell you what saved Family Guy for me at the end of the last season: Sci-Fi spoofs. For one: “Blue Harvest,” the Family Guy spoof of Star Wars – A New Hope (that’s Episode IV for you uber-nerds). That was an awesome episode; I laughed my ass off. That episode gave me back the confidence I had in the show when it went off the air and I couldn’t understand why.
Read the rest of this entry »
Seth MacFarlane has us in a Quagmire
The awkward pause is a trusty tool of the comedy. If done just right, it makes the actors themselves cringe, sending viewers into hysterics. The Office is the master, but only one show has come to dominate the genre of the awkward pause, for better or worse: Family Guy.
How many times can Seth MacFarlane leave us praying for the pain to stop? I wouldn’t want to ask him myself. The man turned a gag with a guy in a chicken suit into a five-minute-long battle. On two separate episodes. In two different seasons.
MacFarlane gave us Peter Griffin, man who hurt his knee, wincing through the pain, minute after minute after minute after minute. Why? What have we done to deserve this? And why can’t we seem to look away? Not only are we trapped in this comedic torture, we even brought it back on the air!
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