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

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

List Price: $49.98
Your Price: $34.99
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 4 stars
Summary: The Funniest TV Show Ever
Review: First of all, I have been waiting for this series to be released since it was off the air. The title of my review is no mistake: this really was the funniest show ever put on television. It may not have been the most intelligent from time to time, but intelligence does not always dictate funny.

The set is worth owning if only for the commentary tracks alone. Seth Macfarlane and various other cast/crew members comment on making the series and the past of the series and even if you aren't a die hard Family Guy Fan they make episodes you may have already seen 6 times fresh and even funnier than before.

The only reason this set doesn't get the full 5 stars is because I noticed they've changed some of the jokes, which apparently were too offensive for even the DVD. I say they should have gone all out on the DVD, I mean they can even swear in the commentary tracks so why censor what was already on the air anyways?

Despite that disappointment (and I'm sure if you don't remember the original series as vividly as I do, it won't be as big of a deal) this show remains a rare gem in the manure pile of modern television. Always edgy, *most* of the time extremely intelligent (I'm thinking of the cameo of Benjamin Disrailli) and contantly reminding you of things you didn't know you remembered, The Family Guy can now serve as inspiration to the next generation and for those who weren't lucky enough to catch it when it was on the air.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: HILARIOUS SHOW!
Review: the simple fact that the creators of this show haven't been struck dead is my proof that god has a sense of humor. even though this show was cancelled and offended many people, does not mean that it wasn't brilliantly written AND executed.

this show was meant to offend the senses, and to knock some sense into us all about how life can get so absurd.

suggestion: watch this alone for the first time so you can laugh at the parts that you may feel guilty for laughing at with others around you.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: This was the best show ever!
Review: I never really watched Family Guy until my sisters started taping every episode and I've been a huge fan ever since. I think Family Guy is clever and humorous, and I've gotten all my friends to watch the episodes, and now they are also hooked. It's a shame that a number of people have something stuck up their behinds, and put such a great show off the air. Whatever happened to freedom of speech? On the bright side, I heard that if enough people buy the Family Guy episodes, they might make a movie. So if you want to laugh hysterically, I highly recommend buying these DVDs. You won't be disappointed!

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Family Guy is stuck somewhere in the middle.
Review: I remembered Family Guy as an extremely funny show when I watched it on Fox, but watching it again on DVD, I have to say that the show is only average.

For every huge belly laugh gag (the Kool Aid Man, the Dukes of Hazard Fight, Brian chasing the chuck wagon, Stewie's dialogue, etc...) there are huge spans and even entire episodes which honestly have no real laughs, they just give you a small smile, and occaisionally a big groan when the joke simply misses (most of Peter's jokes).

Peter is an idiot, but unlike Homer Simpson, he is dificult to even care about. Meg, Chris and Lois are exceedingly average and hence uninteresting. Stewie the baby and Brian the dog are easily the funniest, most interesting characters on the show, but tragically they are underused most of the time.

At it's worst, Family Guy is still miles above the worthless King of the Hill, and at it's best (the occaisional big laughs) it's even better than the Simpsons. But most of the time, Family Guy is stuck somewhere in the middle.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Insanely funny!
Review: Often one will hear the phrase tossed about that a show was "too edgy" for TV. Usually, this is just apologia for a poorly conceived product, but in the case of "Family Guy" it is absolutely true. This is a show that was every bit as radical as "South Park" but in a much more sophisticated, droll manner. The odd thing is that at the same time it's skewering every sacred cow imaginable (more on that latter) with brilliantly satirical writing, it was also producing some of the most hysterical physical (for lack of a better phrase for a cartoon) comedy I have ever seen on any show.

Much like "The Simpsons", "Family Guy" revolves around one family, in this case the Griffins. That's pretty much where the similarities end though. Whereas the Simpsons interact with a huge cast of characters, and will frequently tackle an overarching theme, "Family Guy" involves a cast that is largely replaced from episode to episode (other than a few neighbors) and manages to turn utterly inane pop-culture references and mundane household events into major plot points. A particularly good example of this would be when Peter (the father) has his choice for the town parade theme selected; the fact that his theme revolves around an obscure reference to the '80's TV show "Who's the Boss?" barely even registers as odd within the context of the show.

Also, whereas "The Simpsons" operate within the context of a 'world' that is relatively similar to our own, the Griffins have a talking, booze-swilling dog and a psychotic, super-genius baby bent on killing his mother. Furthermore, there are constant flashbacks, pop-culture references and super-natural visitors (Death appears in several episodes).

All those details aside, what makes this show so brilliant is that it's willing to tackle any subject. Bathroom humor? Done. Abortion? Done. Politics, the handicapped and sex? Done, done and done. There is absolutely nothing "Family Guy" won't tackle, and it does so in such a pragmatic way that one can't help but laugh. I suppose if you're really sensitive, this isn't a series for you, but since everyone and everything is a target, it's hard to get too upset (especially since you'll be too busy laughing yourself sick).

In the end, "Family Guy" is the perfect blend of satire, physical comedy, pop-culture send-ups and excellent animation. It is a genuinely raw show that on more than one occasion left me thinking, "Can they say that?" and that's probably why it's not on the air anymore. But it's also hysterically funny, and well packaged on the DVD's in this set. While the extra's are nothing to get worked up about, the episodes alone are more than funny enough to justify the purchase.

Enjoy!

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Awesome set for an awesome series
Review: 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. [...]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: 5 stars
Summary: I love this show.
Review: ...Road to Rode Island is my fav. episode. It reaches so much. The 'Boy will your face be red when they find the black box on this one' and '1111111', '1111112', '1111113', 'what? stiff upper lip?', 'I hope Osama doesn't know show tunes', and we find out Brian's origin.
I don't like how they cut the Osama part, Luckily I recorded the original...

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A great show done wrong
Review: First of all, this show does not have all the depth that The Simpsons does, but I daresay it is consistently funnier. It is totally off-the-wall, and like nothing else on TV, which is why you will laugh out loud watching this DVD. I watched all ten hours plus commentary (which is also funny) in less than a week. By the way, Fox has cancelled it because after they changed the time slot 6 or 7 times and put it on an indefinite hiatus twice, even the fans could not figure out when it was coming on. Shame on them.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Pure Genius
Review: If you are into the Simpsons, Southpark or any adult kind of cartoon then this is the DvD set for you. You will never get sick of it. Family guy was the best show I have ever seen. I am a huge fan of the Simpsons but this show hands down blows it out of the water. Hopefully Comedy Central will pick up this show in the near future. They are comming out with the 2nd volume in Sept and I already have mine on pre-order, trust me those episodes are just as funny as the first volume.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: great show
Review: Family Guy was a wonderful show for all of us who are part of its' 'cult' fillowing. I'm not sure that people take this show serious enough as a stand alone show, not a Simpsons knock off. Though there are parallels Family Guy did things as a cartoon that the Simpsons would never touch, in subject matter and satire. The witty approach that Matt Groening uses to weave his characters while making you feel attached yet amused by the characters, where as McFarlane suceeds in making characters only suitable for those with the comedic tastes of a two-year olds, such as my self. Everything about these DVDs is great except for the commentary which I found to be quite lacking in every since. Somehow this commentary stuck me as the commentary for Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, the special edition, just not very enthralling.


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