Family Guy: Volume One on DVD

It seems today that all you see is violence in movies and sex on TV. But where are those good old-fashioned values on which we used to rely?

Fox seems to be the only TV station (other than the cartoon network) that can make a hit out of a primetime animated show. And the only primetime animated show that, on a good day, can even rival the quality of The Simpsons is the one that probably has the greatest number of similarities: Family Guy

Not to say that it’s a bad thing to share qualities with The Simpsons. It’s probably one of the most influential TV shows of this generation. So why wouldn’t another show, hoping to be a hit, take a few pointers from the book of successful primetime animated shows?

Peter Griffin is our Homer: he’s a fat, lazy, selfish, but somehow lovable oaf who works a dead-end job in a toy factory. His wife, Lois, is the levelheaded but nagging wife who stays home and looks after their newborn baby. Speaking of whom, Stewie is a mere one-year old intent on world domination, and who, for some reason, wants to kill his mother (“It’s not that I want her dead, I just don’t want her to be living anymore”). Chris is the dim-witted teenage son who eats like Rosie O’Donnell (editor's note: we're unsure of what the reviewer means here, and were too lazy to ask him. Does she eat with her feet, or spread food all over her face or, like Rosie, is this some kind of lesbian joke?); Meg is the depressed younger sibling who’s constantly embarrassed by her family; and Brian is their talking dog, a sarcastic and sophisticated mutt who’ll gladly point out the flaws of the others.

The better episodes in this 28-episode set easily rival some of the better Simpsons shows (but not the best ones), particularly Chitty Chitty Death Bang, Death is a Bitch and E Peterbus Unum. Unfortunately, the most entertaining aspect of Family Guy’s writing is very difficult to describe. Instead of characters merely referencing something from the past or imagining something, we actually get to see it happen, and they are often the best parts of the show.

It’s really a shame that Fox kept changing the time slot of the show, so fans were never able to find it and, ultimately, it got cancelled/revived several times. But now it has a new hope. Fans of the show will be more than pleased to have it on DVD, especially since The Simpsons is taking its sweet time.

Volume One of Family Guy features all the episodes from seasons one and two (seven from the first and twenty-one from the second). There are seven episodes on each disc, and the four discs are enclosed in their own little case.

Yes, Family Guy is on DVD, but we’re not quite sure how we feel about the presentation. Obviously, it’s shown in full screen, but the picture is for some reason very poor. The colors are far too bright, and are almost squint inducing in a darker room, and there’s something else we can’t quite put our finger on. Watching the show, we noticed some sort of a problem that makes it difficult to watch, but that again, we can’t figure out. We’ll just say (and this is really difficult to say) that it actually looks better on TV. (Editor's note: HUH?)

The audio is Dolby Surround, but it usually sounds more like mono. Not that it really matters in this case, and we complained enough about the picture to hit our whine quota. The audio is just fine, so there’s not much more to it.

There are two audio commentaries on each disc (eight in total, since it’s a four-disc set). Seth MacFarlane (series creator and several voices) is included on every one, and several others are also included, including executive producer David Zuckerman, Seth Green (voice of Chris), Alex Borstein (voice of Lois), and various writers and directors. Most of the commentaries are fairly enjoyable, with MacFarlane leading the way. There’s not usually a lot of talk about the production, but at least you’re being entertained.

Other extras include some Internet promo spots and a very short behind-the-scenes featurette.

Family Guy: Volume One, from 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
624 minutes, 1.33:1 full screen, Dolby Surround
Starring Seth MacFarlane, Alex Borstein, Seth Green, Mila Kunis, Patrick Warburton
Created by Seth MacFarlane

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