Family Guy, Vol. 1 (Seasons 1 & 2) Reviews

• Stuff on DVD

  
  By A3BX1GRQGP1C3X on 2003-01-09
  Heres an official thing i found. well not official someone else posted it in another place... i think i added up 27 episodes, but who knows I was educated with new math

  FAMILY GUY VOLUME ONE DVD COLLECTION

  FAMILY GUY debuted after the Superbowl in 1999 and currently airs on Thursday on FOX Television Networks.

  (that last line i didnt understand...)

  FAMILY GUY VOLUME ONE DVD Special Features And Disc Content Specifics:

  All Season Two episodes of FAMILY GUY are compiled on 4 dual-layered discs (full frame, aspect ration 1.33:1). Each episode is presented with English Dolby Surround, French Stereo and Spanish Dolby Surround Sound. In addition, the following special features are exclusive to each disc:

  Disc One:
  Episodes
  Death Has a Shadow (1/31/99)
  I Never Met the Dead Man (4/11/99)
  Chitty Chitty Death Bang (4/18/99)
  Mind Over Murder (4/25/99)
  A Hero Sits Next Door (5/2/99)
  The Son Also Draws (5/9/99)
  Brian: Portrait of a Dog (5/16/99)

  Bonus Features

  Commentary: "Death Has a Shadow" and "The Son Also Draws"
  Seven Internet Promos

  Disc Two:
  Episodes
  Peter, Peter, Caviar Eater (9/23/99)
  Holy Crap (9/30/99)
  DaBoom (12/26/99)
  Brian in Love (3/7/00)
  Love Thy Trophy (3/14/00)
  Death is a B(i)tch (3/21/00)
  The King is Dead (3/28/00)
  Bonus Features
  Commentary: "Peter, Peter, Caviar Eater" and "Holy Crap"

  Disc Three:
  Episodes
  I Am Peter, Hear Me Roar (3/28/00)
  If I'm Dyin', I'm Lyin' (4/4/00)
  Running Mates (4/11/00)
  A Picture Is Worth 1,000 Bucks (4/18/00)
  Fifteen Minutes of Shame (4/25/00)

  Road to Rhode Island (5/30/00)
  Let's Go to the Hop (6/6/00)
  Bonus Features
  Commentary: "Fifteen Minutes of Shame" and "Let's Go to the Hop"

  Disc Four:
  Episodes
  Dammit Janet! (6/13/00)
  There's Something About Paulie (6/27/00)
  He's Too Sexy for His Fat (6/27/00)
  E. Peterbus Unum (7/12/00)
  The Story on Page 1 (7/18/00)
  Wasted Talent (7/25/00)
  Fore, Father (8/1/00)
  Bonus Features
  Commentary: "He's Too Sexy for His Fat" and "E. Peterbus Unum"
  
  

• The Funniest Animated Fox Show Yet!

  
  By A2JU4FUSW1PBEC on 2003-01-26
  I am a long-time Simpson fan...ever since the Simpsons first came on the scene back in the late 80's I would watch the show every chance I got. But over the years the Simpsons started getting a little stale. And that's when Family Guy came in.

  Family Guy is, by far, the funniest animated television series since the Simpsons were in their prime. We're weighing in alot of shows here...Ren and Stimpy, Futurama...but there's something about Family Guy that just warrants gut-busting laughs. Maybe it's Quagmire's ridiculous attempts at picking up women, Peter's wealth of ignorance, little Stewie's attempts at world domination, or just the random silliness thrown in to all of the episodes, such as appearences by the Kool Aid man, the 'Two Scoops' sun from the old Raisin Bran commercials, references to the old Incredible Hulk television series...and alot more.

  Family Guy is definitely not for the kids...all of the situations are adult and sometimes are borderline risque (which got the series cancelled, unfortunately). The network censors and committees have no idea what they've done...they threw away a gold mine.

  While it could never truly replace the Simpsons, Family Guy was well on its way to becoming the new dominant animated series on Fox. The Simpsons have been stale the last few years...Family Guy breathed new life into prime time animation that you just don't see anymore. It's too bad, really. In any case, don't pass up the opportunity to own every episode on DVD!!

  Fans will love to have all episodes on dvd, I know i'm looking forward to it. And even if you've never seen it, then take my advice: Pick it up anyway! You will not regret it! The extra features are a little bare bones, but it doesn't matter. The show has enough laughs to keep you coming back...even watching the same episode twice won't lessen the amount of laughs you get from it. Definitely a great idea to put this classic but short lived series on DVD!
  
  

• TV before reality shows

  
  By on 2003-01-21
  I really wish I could boycott this DVD so that FOX wouldn't get a dime for selling it. After all they don't deserve it. They take great shows like the Family Guy and trash them, then give us who wants to marry a rich guy sing on TV eat bugs on an island reality shows. Family Guy is they way TV should be, risky, intelligent, creative, funny, and entertaining.

  Sadly I can't boycott this DVD because the Family Guy is one of the funniest shows on television. I mean no longer on Television, thank you Rupert "a-hole" Murdock.

  You must buy this DVD.

  P.S. If your one of those people who prefer brain dead reality shows to actual entertainment, do us all a favor and throw the TV out your trailer window, run down to the local clinic and get yourself sterilized so that your inferior genes can be wiped from the face of the earth and the rest of us non-knuckle dragging homosapians can go on living productive lives enjoying more intelligent forms of entertainment
  
  

• One of the Funniest Animated Shows Ever Made.

  
  By A2XZMO6OAZ9YXG on 2003-01-02
  Although I don't think the show was better than the older episodes of the Simpsons, I do think that during the time it was on the air it was better than the Simpsons. The show is really fond to pop-culture junkies or just people in need of a good laugh. Unfortunatly, FOX cancelled it and it's not coming back. To all of you angry fans that hate FOX for cancelling it, don't. It wasn't FOX's fault. The show stopped because the cast and crew split up. Luckily (in my opinion) South Park has been getting funnier. But still I'm thankful that the FOX production companies are immortalizing this classic series on DVD.

  The thing I like most about Family Guy is the range of inteligence that it appeals to. Whether your a know-it-all super genious with high standards or a complete moron the show is sure to please because it's funny on so many levels.

  For fans of the show this is a must buy. For newbies, find a friend who is a fan of the show. Unless your in the category of the pretensiously snobby, Family Guy is sure to please.
  
  

• BETTER THAN THE SIMPSONS!

  
  By A3G3DN6ODH3RXR on 2003-03-29
  Here's the honest truth, America: "Family Guy" is the one show that tops "The Simpsons". Honestly, can you IMAGINE what this show could have been if it had been allowed to continue? Unfortunately, it was just too witty, satirical and shocking for the American palate.
  Now, here is why I think "Family Guy" deserves to be ranked among the best shows ever. What "Family Guy" really is is a facade of outrageous humor that masks a secret agenda: to show our American life for what it really is. The absurd situations in which Peter consistently finds himself are indicative not of a crazy made-up world, but our America and our way of life. You'll notice that while the adventures of the Simpsons unfold in the Springfield of a state that is never revealed, the very first episode of "Family Guy" informs us that the Griffins make their home in Rhode Island, though the name of the town itself is fictional. I believe that this points to an undeniable "realness" of the show as a whole: the characters do human things, and more importantly they exhibit characteristics (and problems) of the real modern world. Peter is dense and absorbed by TV, Meg is run-down by the pressures of being a girl (she has a friend who encourages her to throw up to get thin), Lois is underappreciated by her family, Brian is a recurrent problem drinker, and Chris is a typically overweight adolescent who leaves the house every day "to go get wasted". Those are just the main characters! However, to really appreciate this show and its VERY well-written storylines, you'll just have to watch it. I guarantee you you'll be shocked, surprised and, if you have even the slightest predisposition towards laughter, on the floor before the end of the first episode. All hail "Family Guy", the best show of all time!
  
  
• If only the "Simpson's" could be this consistently fresh...
  By A30AGM4ARFLGFH on 2003-06-04
  It's sad to think that in tne years or so, the "Off-color" humor offered here will be the norm. Ah, well. At least "Family Guy" died in its prime. And here we have the cream of the crop: the first two seasons. Let me put it this way: I'd only seen ONE episode of this several years ago and, thanks to its sporadic schedule, I saw no more. And that one episode prompted me to shell out the money needed for the first two seasons.

  People compare this to the "Simpsons" and there are two camps: those that think "Family Guy" is a rip off and those that think these people are dumb. I'm of the latter category. I loved the simpsons. But the first season was pretty bad, the second was a little better. Only in its third seaons did it begin to become classic. And lately it has slipped. That said, "Family Guy" never did that, despite being dragged through the mud for being edgy.

  The humor in "Family Guy" in nonsensical. It takes familiar situations and adds surreal, absurd humor to it, whereas with, say, "Simpsons" it took nonsensical plots (HOW many jobs have Marge and Homer had? At least a hundred) and added familiar humor to them. Both work. Let it go.

  The cast of "Family Guy" is a gem. Peter Griffin is your typical sitcom figurehead -- fat, oafish, lazy, stupid, a borderline alcoholic. He has a lot of Homer-esque qualities minus, you know, the child abuse.

  Lois always makes for a good laugh ... she seems like a typical sitcom mom, but then she and Peter will laugh like Beavis and Butthead if one of them says "meatlog".

  Meg and Chris (voiced by Seth Green!) have little done with them, but Seth Green brings hilarity to dim Chris and Meg is always good for a teen-angst plot device.

  And then we have the two greatest characters: Brian and Stewie. Brian is their dog who walks, talks, drinks, and hits on women. He act essentially like Wilson from "Home Improvement" were he a social drinker and a mutt. The oddity that he interacts freely with the family is addressed only once and as a throwaway joke, at that.

  Stewie is barely a toddler, maniacal, matricidal, and hilarious. It's never outright clear that the family can understand him or whether h's speaking baby talk, but he gets all the best lines and subplots. Imagine a Bond villain or Dr. Evil as a child. That's Stewie.

  The "Clerks" of televison, "Family Guy" is a must own for those with a willing palate. And maybe were you to watch this too often, the episodes would go the way of the "Flaming Moe": still funny, but why isn't the laughter as hard as it was the first time. But maybe not. The unexpected cameos and oddities have, upon my third time through, remained fresh. So buy this. But NO SPRINKLES! For every sprinkle I find, I shall KILL YOU!
  
  

• Excellent series.
  By A137QJXNEWH7MR on 2003-01-09
  As someone posted here, this set contains 28 episodes (entire first and second season by air dates) and the unaired episode When You Wish Upon a Weinstein (which would've been part of the 2nd season by production number). Despite no pages having this information yet, if you check the front cover you can clearly see it states 'Seasons 1 & 2'. These are the seasons according to air dates.
  Eight episodes total will have commentaries, and word has it there are other features. These features don't count towards the running time of the set.

  All in all an excellent series. Family Guy packed as much humor as it could in every episode without ever overdoing it. It's comedic style is very different from the Simpsons and South Park (more pop-culture oriented), but i personally find it superior and more clever. The production quality is excellent and constant from the very first season (unlike the Simpsons). Probably best of all is Seth Macfarlane's outstanding job giving the voices of Peter, Brian and Stewie. Excellent story lines with a remarkable and memorable cast of characters. Definitely my favorite animated TV show of all time.

  This set is the first part of a two volume collection. Unfortunately Family Guy was only three seasons long when it got canned by Fox.
  
  

• Tradgedy
  By A2AD0S8AJLBBNH on 2003-06-06
  Here lies the grave of Family Guy. The greatest television show known to man. Rest in peace, and may heaven recognize you in all your glory.
  
  
• All the episodes that aired in seasons 1 & 2
  By A17I8VPENY204F on 2003-04-10
  Family Guy only had a three season run (I think after a year of silence it's safe to say there won't be anymore). These two DVDs make up over half of the 50 episodes in the series. Despite what you may have heard, these 28 episodes entail every episode that aired in the first two seasons. Because of Season 1's late start, a lot of season 1 episodes were pushed into season 2, which in turn pushed some season 2 episodes into season 3.
  The series starts of very strong for a first-time viewer. The episodes are packed tight with jokes and often go off on wild tangents. The early stories are a little weak, but they pick up in the second season where the series gets even more creative. Definately something that keeps getting better through the second season. The third season was a little weaker, so if you were only getting one of the two sets, I'd recommend this one.
  If you've never seen Family Guy, then be warned: it's not for everyone. It's got crude humour, and isn't afraid to poke fun at just about anything, despite what popular opinion might be.
  The DVD set also comes at a relatively cheap price, considering you're getting 28 episodes of Family Guy goodness. The third season set would most likely entail the other 21 episodes (22 if they include the unaired "When You Wish Upon a Weinstein") and thus in two purchases you can have all of Family Guy.
  
  
• Missing Episodes
  By on 2003-04-05
  I would have given this DVD set a 5 star rating, but it apparently does NOT CONTAIN ALL SEASON 1 & 2 EPISODES.

  Amazon.com's info section says there are only 28 episodes, but both seasons combined actually had 37 episodes. There were 15 episodes in Season 1 and 22 episodes in Season 2. So it seems they are leaving a lot out of material, including the racier & banned from TV episodes. This is extremely disappointing considering I thought the entire point of this DVD collection was to finally give fans ALL the episodes.

  Hopefully when/if they release a boxset of Season 3 (which *should* contain 13 episodes), they will add the 9 episodes that are missing from this Season 1 & 2 collection.
  
  

• Basically a Bad Show
  By on 2004-02-06
  Seth MacFarlane was a writer for Hanna-Barbera when he sold Fox on his "Family Guy" pilot (I think his rough pilot is on the second DVD set), with most of the characters voiced by himself. Though Fox assigned KING OF THE HILL writer-producer David Zuckerman (who wrote some of the best episodes of that show) to help give the show some structure, the finished product obbviously reflects MacFarlane's sensibility: Lots of references to the shows and commercials he grew up watching, plenty of sex jokes, and an attempt to create a more "cartoony" animated sitcom than the relatively conventional family sitcoms THE SIMPSONS and KING OF THE HILL. While FAMILY GUY bombed on Fox (and don't let anyone tell you that Fox tried to kill it; Fox renewed the show twice even though the ratings stunk almost everywhere and the reviews were scathing), it's become a huge success on DVD and cable, leading to the production of new episodes of the show.

  So what's my problem with it? Well, first of all, almost everything is derivative of other, better shows. And not just THE SIMPSONS, but PINKY AND THE BRAIN (Stewie, the little big-headed megalomaniac, is a direct ripoff of the Brain). Second, the show uses references as a substitute for humor -- which is to say that they'll often refer to some '80s TV show or commercial and expect us to laugh just because we get the reference; there's rarely any satirical point being made about the shows it's supposedly "parodying." Third, the voice acting is often quite poor -- MacFarlane improved as the series went on, but his acting is often stiff and one-note, with none of the interesting vocal inflections that, say, Dan Castellanetta brings to Homer Simpson. (To be fair, MacFarlane is better as Brian the Dog than as Peter.) Fourth, the show doesn't have much variety in its gags; the basic tropes -- sexual innuendoes, parodies, famous historical figures acting inappropriately -- are repeated from show to show.

  But the biggest overall problem is that the characters are just not worth following. The characters are so clearly sitcom stereotypes, and the stories are so minimal (just a clothesline on which to hang the gags) that the greatest joy of a good sitcom -- following interesting characters like a Homer Simpson or a Hank Hill or even an Eric Cartman -- is not there. All that's there is the gags, and eventually they all come to seem the same because they are based on nothing; the characters are too shallow to be humorous. (Stewie was such a one-note character that by the final season, almost every joke involves him acting *out* of character in some way -- a sure sign that a character was ill-conceived in the first place, and a sad contrast with the far superior Brain from PINKY AND THE BRAIN.) Brian is the only character with some depth to him, and the episodes focusing on him tend to be the best.

  I will say that by the last season, the writers seemed to be trying to tell more coherent stories and give the characters a bit more life. This bodes well for the new episodes. But the 50 or so episodes that already exist add up to a show with poor writing, poor story structure, poor voice acting, poor animation (Peter's face is so inexpressive that his "happy" face looks about the same as his "sad" expression), and above all weak characters. In other words, a poor show. Its cult success is impressive, but then, we can all name shows that are successful without being any good.
  
  

• It was too smart & too good a show for TV....
  By A2N5YX7DLGPG3K on 2003-02-02
  "Family Guy" required attention, but it was well-worth the "effort." Smart, funny, sometimes even offensive, it never, ever disappointed. But quality TV doesn't always mean good ratings; this show will go on the long list of shows that died premature deaths because it was too hip for TV. Moments of this show pop into my mind from time to time, and I always find myself smiling and laughing when they do. Check this set out and get the same enjoyment that I have. This was one of television's very best.
  
  
• WARNING!! CENSORED RELEASE!!!
  By on 2003-04-11
  This DVD release has been CENSORED!!

  "When You Wish Upon a Weinstein," which is included in the Region 2 set, has been censored in this release!.

  A Bin Laden joke is also censored from the "Road to Rhode Island" episode!

  This is what many people were waiting for a DVD release for!
  
  

• AWESOME! A MUST GET FOR ANY FAMILY GUY FAN!
  By A2WS409CFVVKDS on 2005-03-06
  These episodes for Family Guy on DVD are AWESOME! I would say the Season 3 DVDs are a little bit more funny than the Season 1 and 2 DVDs but also with more adult jokes. Any fan of Family Guy should get all 3 Seasons on DVD. I've seen every episode about 5 times each but they are still hilarious! (I even notice some new jokes every time I watch an episode again)! This show NEVER gets boring and will keep anyone laughing for a long time. Probably even people who haven't seen a single episode will fall in love with Family Guy (I did and now I'm a big fan).
  
  
• BEST SHOW EVAR!
  By A31V63MPVYSR0K on 2003-02-08
  This show OWNED my computer harddrive for sometime. I can't wait to get the episodes in a high quality DVD! This is by far the funniest 20 minutes you can sit down and watch. The wit goes over most of Americas head, but I get it. The showed failed because it was too good. Go figure!
  
  
• God bless Fox for bringing the family guy to DVD
  By A3EWDB3BGC9YD4 on 2003-01-03
  I was so upset when the family guy was cancelled because it was by far the funniest show on television at the time. If you watched any episodes you know that it is more mature than the simpsons and in my opinion a lot funnier. They cancel family guy but keep futurama? Sure the show wasn't getting the great ratings it had from the past seasons but that was because they kept moving the timeslot. I wish for the family guy to come out with new episodes but i'll take the dvd box set as a consolation prize. I have all the episodes on my cpu but i must own them on dvd. Great show for anybody who likes to laugh.
  
  
• Seth Macfarlane is a genius... in the cartoon world
  By A3OT6IQ0YHGDCB on 2003-10-30
  Not quite the Simpsons, not quite the Flintstones, a little bit wrong, but all is right in the end. Hilarious, risque, crossing the line, and a little blurry (joke from Running Mates), it's the best way to describe this phenomenal series from creator Seth Macfarlane.

  For those of you who cannot take a joke well, don't bother. Peter Griffin et al poke fun at most any group they can. Whether it's Disney, high school teachers, the press, Republicans, etc..., there are few lines that Family Guy does not cross. You should realize, though, that the mindless ramblings of a middle-class male chauvenist do not speak the minds of the creators or the message behind the episode. Rather, it is the opposite that typically is the message. Life's lessons are learned through the ludicrous and lurid. You simply have to accept the humor value behind it all and ignore the joke seeing it for what it is.

  If you have an open mind and enjoy comedy that pokes fun of society and its flaws, this is the DVD collection for you. And don't forget to pick up Season Three, also available on DVD.
  
  

• Ugh.
  By A2LPJD19MGBNXJ on 2003-04-07
  I'm wanting and awaiting a release of the third season of "The Simpsons", and yet, here is "Family Guy" in all of its humorless glory, still (trying to) ride Homer's coattails. Yes, if you buy the Simpsons, you can get a discount on this second- (or third-) rate knockoff.

  I tried to give this show a chance, despite its already horrible premise. You have a fat, overweight, lackadaisical Everyman, his semi-reasonable wife, a smart daughter, a dumb son, a super-intelligent baby (with a disgusting 40-year-old voice) and a talking dog. The family would get into, and out of, ludicrous capers (which isn't necessarily bad - the Simpsons is often at its best in these moments; I mean, Homer becomes an astronaut?).

  However, where the family guy really runs afoul is in its horrible writing. Whereas the Simpsons often times tweaks popular culture and current events, the Family Guy runs over them with a sledgehammer. In fact, this show seems to want to be more South Park than the Simpsons, but is afraid to jump over the cliff in the profanity aspect. So instead, we are treated to mean-spirited jokes about Oprah Winfrey or the NBC network, which fail to amuse.

  I am surprised by the reviewer who claims this show is just "too witty, shocking and satirical" for American tastes. In fact, the Family didn't fail because of its shock content; in fact, most of America hardly batted an eye during its two (or maybe three, but who's counting?) season run. I remember reading a TV critic who lamented the Fox network's choice of ignoring a gold mine in Futurama, while continuing to run episodes of the sad-sack Family Guy. Indeed, I lament those of you who shell out your hard earned money for this tripe.
  
  

• copy of the simpsons
  By on 2004-03-14
  I know every one who reads this will taunt me with negitive comments but hear me out. Family guy is a complete copy of the simpsons, especially there early seasons. Simply look at the charecters ( Peter= homer, both stupid, middle class, fat, look very similir. Stewy= maggie, matt groaning desighned maggie with great charm in that she is mute, they were creative in expresing her inteligence through her actions not throgh stupid lectures stewy gives.) The writers are extreamly bad at concealing the use of old simpsons jokes too which if you watch episodes of family guy are clearly similir to early simpsons jokes. Also the fact that when the simpsons begain they writers created a joke file which contained jokes to be place inj episodes for future use came to be in the hands of Family guys writers proves there lack of creativity. It ticks me off so much to watch a show which is a complete rip off of another show. The simpsons are so origional and funny but family guy just tries to make it as contiversal as posible so itll look cool to watch.
  
  
• Family Guy: Setting the Bar and Stretching the Limits
  By A30CB33NAE4HMO on 2003-02-18
  By far one of the best shows to hit the airwaves in the past twenty years. I have never laughed so hard. This show, as mentioned by Justin, was ahead of it's time. Not only that, but it arose from the comedic pits to pull every animated show of the time from their plummiting lack of creativity. I remember the Simpsons at the time before Family guy, and I have to say it was not up to par with it's former quality. Once Family Guy hit the air, Matt Groening, not to mention T. Parker & M. Stone, realized they had to get off their assees and write some funny. So, to anyone who likes the Simpsons or South Park I hope you thank Seth Macfarlane every Wednesday and Sunday night that Homer and gang are still around making you laugh. I say bring Family Guy back (The Simpsons / SP need a shot in the arm). Our kids will realize the importance of this show and the impact it had on calling the world as it is, not how our PC establishment wants it. I toast to Seth Macfarlane for his ideas and wonderful sense of humor. Thanks for the hours of laughs, and now with the shows on dvd, I thank you in advance for a life time of Family Guy.
  
  
• The Simpsons lost their edge but Family Guy found it.
  By A1JV3OZZVLHW85 on 2003-09-19
  Let me start my review off wih some good news: Seth MacFarlane revealed in an interview with Cinescape.com that he is hashing out a budget with FOX to create more Family Guy episodes (on tv or dvd, I don't know) and a feature length movie (direct-to-dvd). The projects should take bewteen a year and a year and a half. Now before I decided to write my review on this great show I decided to read the 1 and 2 star reviews (at this time a combined 12) and the 4 and 5 star reviews (at this time a combined 311, mine not included) and alot of the 1 and 2's had kept saying that this show is just a blatant rip off of The Simpsons. Well I'm sorry to tell you this 1 and 2's but it's not. Family Guy is better. Now don't get me wrong, I love the Simpsons, I remember watching their first episodes when they were airing on Thursdays I believe. But after about 13 years the show can get a little stale. This will eventually happen to King of the Hill, Futurama and of course Family Guy. But since Family Guy is the new baby in the house maybe it's about time for the Simpsons to bow out gracfully and pass down the torch. Now alot of the 1 and 2's said that the members of both families were exactly the same but this is not true. And I'll prove it to you by playing Simpsons vs. Griffins. I will take the same member of each family (mom vs. mom, dad vs. dad) and I will compare them. We start off with Homer vs. Peter: Same height, same colored hair (if Homer still had his) but Peter is fatter. Now one worked at a toy company making sure they were safe to play with. The other works as a safty inspector at a power plant. Different jobs, same responibility. But while Homer learns from his mistakes, alot of the time Peter learns nothing, like in the episode "He's too sexy for his fat". But in the end: Homer and Peter might have been long lost brothers. Marge vs. Lois: Lois is around 5'2", Marge is around 7'5"-8' (with hair). Both are house wives. One became a flight attendent for a while and ones father was a flight attendent. Lois was born rich, Marge was born just below middle class. Marge and Homer like to do it in public. Lois and Peter do it with whips, chains, leather, and Peter dressing up like the Gimp in Pulp Fiction. In the end: Both are kinky and at times can be as bad as there husbands. Now when it comes to the parents it's almost identical but the kids aren't alright. Take Bart vs. Chris: Both have blond hair, but that's all. Bart is a little chunky, Chris is just fat. Bart is a smooth talker that can get himself out of almost any problem. Chris is kind of an idiot and might be "special". Bart rides a skateboard. Chris can barely walk staight. Bart fears almost nothing. Chris is afraid of the evil monkey in his closest. Sorry but in the end: They maybe two Jacks but their of a differnt suit. NO MATCH. Lisa vs. Meg: Lisa and Meg are both whiners but Lisa whines about social issues, Meg whines about her social life and not having the things her friends have. Lisa is basicly an intellectual loner that doesn't really care what others think about her, all Meg ever cares about is what poeple think about her. In the end: One is a political and environmental activist, the other is just a brat (of course to some people that's two of the same thing). NO MATCH. Maggie vs. Stewie: You can't get more opposite then this. Both are the same age but most of the time Maggie acts her age. Stewie acts like a gay, british Lex Luther hell-bent on taking over the world and getting rid of his mother once and for all. Maggie loves her mommy and her bo-bo (pacifier). Stewie talks eloquently and creates weapons and devices for world domination. Maggie creates drool and the only word I ever heard her say was daddy. In the end: they may be a pair quarters, but ones facing heads and the others facing tails. NO MATCH. When I said you couldn't get more opposite then Maggie vs. Stewie I was wrong beacuse I forgot about Santas Little Helper vs. Brian: S.L.H. eats dog food, drinks water out of his bowl, barks when he wants too and is basicly a stupid dog (stupid as in not smart not stupid as in he sucks). Brian eats whatever the Griffins are having for dinner while sitting at the dinner table. He drinks martinis, gin and tonics, jack and cokes, and other forms of alcohol. He speaks, not like when you ask a dog to speak but he talks like a person (english and bad spanish). He is almost always out-smarting Stewie so he is very intelligent. In the end: Sorry but S.L.H. isn't fit to be near Brians martini glass. NO MATCH. The neighbors are different as well. The Simpsons have Flanders (extremely religous guy), Reverend Lovejoy (not as religous as Flanders) and an old couple. The Griffins have Cleavland (smart black guy), Joe (suped-up cop in a wheelchair) and Quagmire (sex-crazed weirdo). On the political side you have Mayor Quimby and Mayor Adam West (yes, Batman). One is an embezzler (never proven of course) and the other is insane (proven everytime you see him). Some people say that Family Guy is sexist, racist, misogynistic and a little bit anti-semitic but that's what makes it funny. Its political incorrectness is what gives it its edge. Take away the edge and then your ripping off The Simpsons.
  
  
• Strikingly original and hysterically funny animation
  By A16QODENBJVUI1 on 2004-02-01
  Above all else, FAMILY GUY is a funny, funny show. I almost always watch TV, DVDs, or video when I eat my meals, but I have discovered that it isn't entirely safe to do so while watching this show. It is funny to a degree that simply isn't compatible with eating food. What is amazing about the show is that while on one level it will strike just about any viewer as a semi-ripoff of THE SIMPSONS (just check all the SIMPSONS references in other reviews--it is almost impossible not to compare the two), it nonetheless manages to come across as remarkably fresh and--paradoxically--underivative.

  Although the show uses a number of voiceover artists, the majority of the voices are supplied by only two actors: Seth MacFarlane and Alex Borstein (who will be familiar to fans of MADTV). It isn't fair to say that MacFarlane is the Matt Groening of FAMILY GUY, since Groening does so much less in the SIMPSONS. MacFarlane is the creator of the show, voices most of the male characters, and is one of the main writers. Alex Borstein voices most of the female characters and is also a writer.

  FAMILY GUY is THE SIMPSONS on speed and with a bawdy streak. Like the Simpsons, the show recreates a small town and introduces a host of characters. Like most people, my two favorites are Stewie, the one-year old evil super genius who also doubles as the youngest Griffin, and Brian, the talking family dog, who is also exceptionally literate and an alcoholic. Unlike THE SIMPSONS, where Lisa and (usually) Marge are voices of reason, absolutely no one on FAMILY GUY really has their stuff together. Brian, Meg, and Lois are relatively sane, but all can exhibit bizarre behavior at key times. Brian can serve as the voice of reason, but his drinking problem can get out of control at inopportune times.

  This show is absolutely NOT for the children. There is a huge amount of sexual humor, frequent references to genitalia, and the next-door neighbor is a sexual predator. The show was designed with a late nighttime slot in mind, and it shows. Much of the humor is scatological, and there really are no sacred subjects. To be honest, when the show goes off color, I generally find it to be less funny than in the more primetime moments. Much of the humor becomes ritualistic (a detractor might say formulaic). For instance, whenever any character uses the phrase "like the time" you know you about about to get a flashback. Transitions can be rapid, unexpected, and exceedingly weird. And unlike THE SIMPSONS, when they introduce a song, it is almost always exceedingly funny.

  Just don't try to eat and watch FAMILY GUY at the same time.
  
  

• The Funnies and Best Cartoon Ever
  By A2PFHMB59BI1P3 on 2003-01-25
  I swear this is the best show ever! I have downloaded all the shows on Kazaa and watch them all the time Multiple times. You can watch the shows over and over and still laugh like crazy. I have been waiting for these to come out on DVD for years. I guarentee this is a DVD you won't regret buying.
  
  
• All Season 1 and 2 episodes are here.
  By on 2003-04-18
  Disregard the poster that claims there are missing episodes. He or she doesn't know what they are talking about. Season 1 had 7 episodes and season 2 had 21 episodes, so they are all here. Season 3 (22 episodes, one unaired) will be coming later this year.

  Excellent Show!
  
  

• Just not funny.
  By A2S8Z5FUXPI7B2 on 2003-05-05
  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.
  
  
• Horribly Produced DVD sets, wonderfully, FUNNY show!!
  By on 2003-12-22
  I purchased BOTH Family Guy DVD sets and was so excited to get them. But when they came and were played, the DVD encoding was obviously horrible. I am not joking - it seemed like it was a bad home copy of a movie. The encoding was bad because there was frequent blurs and stripes down the screeen. It happened every few minutes or more. At one point, half the screen was erroring in a stripe pattern...I was thinking....this is what I paid for??? The audio would skip too, and this is with a quality DVD player! One of the season 3 disks would load to the menu, but they would freeze EVERY time I tried to play a movie on that disk! I gave up! I am returning these two sets to Amazon for a refund, NOT replacement because I've read other reviews that say this is a common problem. These DVD sets were spit out too fast and quality was NOT an issue. I LOVE this show, it's so funny, but I am so dissapointed with the quality of set: encoding, sound skips, etc for an almost $70 investment for the 2 sets. Not happy......

  Also, it's obvious these DVD were produced very quickly. The DVD holders are cheap and thin, the paper ads on the DVDs are misprinted and not straight on the sides, and it just doesn't feel like this set was made well.

  ALSO, I MUST say something about load time, not the movies themselves, but GETTING to the movie menu takes over 1 whole minute. Sounds like a minor complaint, but sit there for an entire minute waiting for the show to load because of MANY (4) warnings from the government for copying, from FOX for lawsuit reasons, it takes FOREVER to load......really annoying when you want to watch the movie with friends/family!!!

  I love Family guy, but this DVD set's quality was a BIG BIG letdown. better luck to you.
  
  

• The best animated TV series since The Simpsons...
  By AY69ZK7G6CNYJ on 2005-04-20
  Having first aired after the 1999 Super Bowl, Family Guy really hit its stride via cable re-runs and DVD sales (prompting Fox to announce the launch of Season 4 in May 2005, following the show's original cancellation following Season 3). An animated series building a similar cult following to The Simpsons and Futurama, Family Guy employs its own unique brand of humor distinct to its other animated peers...
  
  Family Guy follows the life and exploits of Peter Griffin, an idiotic family man flanked by his intelligent and loving wife, Lois. The couple have two children - Chris (an overweight, mentally challenged teenage boy), Meg (a neurotic teenage girl with low self-esteem), and Stewie (a super-intelligent infant who believes his mother is his enemy). Together, the Griffins live with their human-like dog, Brian, in suburban Quahog, Rhode Island...
  
  Below is a list of episodes and their plot summaries as they appear on the Family Guy (Season 1) DVD:
  
  Episode 1 (Death Has A Shadow) Air Date: 01-31-1999
  When Peter mistakenly receives a welfare check for $150,000, he attempts to return the money to taxpayers from a blimp at the Super Bowl.
  
  Episode 2 (I Never Met The Dead Man) Air Date: 04-11-1999
  After Peter topples the local cable TV satellite by crashing his car into it, he then drives the family nuts by spending more time with them - without television.
  
  Episode 3 (Chitty Chitty Death Bang) Air Date: 04-18-1999
  Meg infuriates Lois by going to a party instead of celebrating Stewie's birthday, and to make matters worse, the party turns out to be a cult meeting.
  
  Episode 4 (Mind Over Murder) Air Date: 04-25-1999
  After punching a woman he thought was a man at a soccer game, Peter is placed under house arrest and turns his basement into a bar where Meg becomes an acclaimed lounge singer.
  
  Episode 5 (A Hero Sits Next Door) Air Date: 05-02-1999
  Peter gets extremely annoyed when a wheelchair-bound neighbor one-ups him with his winning attitude and slick maneuvers at a company baseball game.
  
  Episode 6 (The Son Also Draws) Air Date: 05-09-1999
  Peter takes a wrong turn heading for New York City and winds up at a Native American casino where Lois becomes a slot machine addict.
  
  Episode 7 (Brian: Portrait Of A Dog) Air Date: 05-16-1999
  Brian's misbehavior at a dog show temporarily lands him on death row at the pound.
  
  Episode 8 (Peter Peter Caviar Eater) Air Date: 09-23-1999
  The solution to making good on a ten million dollar bid Peter makes at a charity auction seems to be donating a mansion Lois just inherited from an aunt - until the building, formerly a whorehouse, is deemed worthless.
  
  Episode 9 (Holy Crap) Air Date 09-30-1999
  When Peter's dad is forced to retire, he is hired on at Peter's factory, but the old man quickly creates misery with his autocratic style. Peter's idea for getting him fired again - convince him to kidnap the Pope.
  
  Episode 10 (Da Boom) Air Date 12-26-1999
  When worldwide disasters usher in the new millennium, the Griffins relocate to a new town where Peter becomes the weapon-championing leader of the citizens of this new world, who eventually run the family out of town.
  
  Episode 11 (Brian In Love) Air Date 03-07-2000
  A therapist tells Brian his carpet-wetting is the result of his repressed feelings for Lois.
  
  Episode 12 (Love Thy Trophy) Air Date 03-14-2000
  When Stewie is placed in a foster home because Meg falsely claims he's a crack baby in order to get bigger tips as a waitress, the neighborhood puts aside its differences to get him back.
  
  Episode 13 (Death Is A Bitch) Air Date 03-21-2000
  In an attempt to avoid a hospital bill, Peter pretends he's dead, thereby attracting, then trying to outrun, Death. When Peter injures Death in a scuffle, he must temporarily take over Death's unpopular duties.
  
  Episode 14 (The King Is Dead)Air Date 03-28-2000
  Peter wrestles control away from Lois during a Quahog Players theatre group production of "The King And I," making the play into a cyborg battle, complete with bikini-clan dancing girls.
  
  Episode 15 (I Am Peter, Hear Me Roar) Air Date: 03-28-2000
  Peter's sexist remarks at work land him face-to-face with feminist attorney Gloria Ironbachs, who sends him to a sensitivity training class that makes him too sensitive.
  
  Episode 16 (If I'm Dyin', I'm Lyin') Air Date: 04-04-2000
  Peter gets a reputation for being a healer when he "miraculously" cures a made-up disease Chris uses as part of a scam on the "Grant-A-Dream" Foundation.
  
  Episode 17 (Running Mates) Air Date: 04-11-2000
  Lois and Peter face off against each other in a bitter run for the school board, culminating in Peter spreading lies and sexy pictures of Lois around town.
  
  Episode 18 (A Picture's Worth A Thousand Bucks) Air Date: 04-18-2000
  When Chris's painting is championed by a snobby New York gallery owner who alienates Peter, Peter decides to exploit Meg's bird whistling talents.
  
  Episode 19 (Fifteen Minutes Of Shame) Air Date: 04-25-2000
  The Griffins star in a reality television show, but Meg quits, prompting the producers to replace her with a scantily-clad vixen Meg while the real girl becomes a nanny for the Von Trapp children.
  
  Episode 20 (Road To Rhode Island) Air Date: 05-30-2000
  Brian goes to California to escort Stewie home from his visit with his grandparents, but the dog's drinking binge results in the two travelers losing their luggage and tickets, prompting them to jump trains and trucks all the way back to Rhode Island.
  
  Episode 21 (Let's Go To The Hop) Air Date: 06-06-2000
  When a craze involving frog-licking hits the high school, Peter goes under cover to stop the euphoria-causing trend and winds up as an icon of cool.
  
  Episode 22 (Dammit, Janet!) Air Date: 06-13-2000
  Stewie falls in love with a toddler in a day-care named Janet, while Lois, now a stewardess, and Peter, taking advantage of free trips, board a plane that is hijacked to Cuba.
  
  Episode 23 (There's Something About Paulie) Air Date: 06-27-2000
  After the mob helps Peter get his car repaired, he and Lois keep trying to avoid repaying the favor. In the process, Lois offends the nephew of the Don and a contract is taken out on her life.
  
  Episode 24 (He's Too Sexy For His Fat) Air Date: 06-27-2000
  Although Chris rejects the idea of liposuction in his efforts to lose weight, Peter becomes addicted to plastic surgery.
  
  Episode 25 (E Peterbus Unum) Air Date: 07-12-2000
  A technicality allows the Griffin home to secede from the United States as an independent country, but Peter's abrasive behavior towards his neighbors prompts sanctions against "Petoria" by the federal government.
  
  Episode 26 (The Story On Page One) Air Date: 07-18-2000
  Meg writes an unflattering newspaper article on Mayor Adam West, which Peter discovers before press time and replaces with an article claiming that actor Luke Perry is gay. Peter than tries to seduce Perry to prove the validity of his article.
  
  Episode 27 (Wasted Talent) Air Date: 07-25-2000
  An over-zealous Lois loses a young piano student she chloroforms in order to force-train the girl to win the State Piano Competition, but then discovers that Peter, when inebriated, is a piano-playing genius.
  
  Episode 28 (Fore, Father) Air Date: 08-01-2000
  Peter unsuccessfully teaches Chris to be responsible on a camping trip and then on the golf course. Meanwhile, Brian successfully convinces Stewie that booster shots he just received are part of an attempt to control his mind.
  
  The DVD Report
  
  
• Like all good things it came to an end.
  By A8GPNFOCFQRA4 on 2003-05-22
  What I am about to say, may get me a stoning.

  Family Guy is better than the simpsons.

  Why you ask? Well, while the simpsons is grounded in (close) reality, Family Guy is surreal, and isn't afraid to do things that would never happen. an example: In one episode, a man dressed as a chicken gives peter a coupon, and Peter refuses saying he learned his lesson from last time. He then has a flashback with a five minute segment featuring him battiling a chicken on top of trucks, holding onto a helecopter, and crashing into an office building, where he slams the top of a copier machine into the chicken's head, and walks out of the hole they created saying only "Chicken...Gave me a bad coupon"

  The show was apparently too controversial and was canceled, which is a shame because the show had huge potential. Everyone should see at least one episode of Family Guy before they die.

  This is a must own DVD set.
  
  

• Simpsons knock-off
  By A24M2KN27MDEXO on 2003-09-10
  The Family Guy has to be one of the most blatant TV shows to come down the line that rips off The Simpson. Aside from the Dog, it almost a character-for-character rip off of that classic series. The "hook" for this series was supposed to be that "The Family Guy" would push buttons that "The Simpsons" could only dream about, and they succeded at it. However, while "The Simpsons'" wit and great writing have prevented the characters (for the most part) from devolving into stereotypes; "The Family Guy" desperately tried to be more shocking with each episode and eventually collapsed under the weight of its own hype. In addition, simply because a show "pushes buttons" doesn't automatically make it funny. The true redeeming value of the Simpsons (and more recently South Park) is that the shows make you think and have dynamic characters that the viewer actually cares about while either dancing (or sometimes trampling) on "the line" of what's socially acceptable. "The Family Guy," while containing some genuinely funny moments, simply could not compete with either the Simpsons or South Park. The deathblow to the show came with Fox's juggling of the time schedule (which ironically hurt the Simpsons ratings when they put it up against The Cosby Show in the 2nd season). However, the cult that surrounds this show still continues to be resilient online, thus resulting in the DVD's that have been recently released. My guess is that while "The Simpsons" will continue to age like a fine wine, "The Family Guy" will age like a can of Natural Light that goes flat when you open it and finally be tossed on the ash heap of history with the several other shows that were either good or ok and that were in some way or another Simpsons knock-offs (such as "Duckman" and "Dinosaurs!").
  
  
• An open wound is funnier...
  By on 2004-01-20
  This series really merited a rank of zero stars but that option wasn't offered. Cretinish, low-brow humor, nasally irritating voices and tiresome characters that are grindingly unwatchable. I jump for the remote to change channels even when the commercials come on. Turn the TV off if this is all that's on.
  
  

• Family Guy, Vol. 2 (Season 3)
• Family Guy, Vol. 3 (Season 4, Part 1)
• Family Guy, Vol. 4 (Season 4 Part 2)
• Family Guy Presents Stewie Griffin - The Untold Story
• Family Guy, Vol. 5 (Season 5 Part 1)