Family Guy (TV series)
| Family Guy (TV series) | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Year Released: | 1998 |
| Network: | Fox |
| Genre: | Animated comedy |
| No. of seasons: | 13 |
| Director: | Seth MacFarlane |
| Starring: | Featuring the voices of: Seth MacFarlane as Peter Griffin, Brian Griffin, and Stewie Griffin Alex Borstein as Lois Griffin Seth Green as Chris Griffin Mila Kunis as Meg Griffin |
Premise
Family Guy is an American adult animated sitcom created by Seth MacFarlane that debuted on the Fox network in 1998. The series follows the adventures of the Griffin family. The show is set in the fictional city of Quahog, Rhode Island and is an animated situation comedy reminiscent of the Honeymooners.
The series was canceled in 2000 but due to strong video sales and the popularity of the show in syndication, it was brought back into production in 2005. It was the first canceled show to be brought back due to DVD sales.
Family guy has drawn harsh criticism from conservative groups and family protection groups due to the show’s use of crude humor, profanity, animated nudity, violence, and satire.
Main Characters
Peter Griffin:(Seth MacFarlane) is the main is the protagonist of the show. He is depicted as a fat, loud-mouthed, buffoon.
Stewie Griffin:(Seth MacFarlane) is the youngest of the Griffin children. He has a love/hate relationship with his mother Lois and it is often his goal to kill her. He is depicted as highly intelligent though often seemingly maniacal and sociopathic. He is best friends with the Griffin’s dog Brian, who often acts as his conscience.
Brian Griffin:(Seth MacFarlane) is the Griffin’s anthropomorphic dog. He often acts as the voice of reason amidst the madcap antics of the people of Quahog. He is often depicted as a struggling writer and alcoholic, who enjoys the company of women. He also has secret desire for Lois.
Lois Griffin:(Alex Borstein) is Peter’s wife and mother to the Griffin family. She is portrayed as a stereotypical sitcom mother despite her drug use.
Chris Griffin:(Seth Green) is the Griffin’s oldest son and is portrayed as a typical awkward teenager as well as fat, dimwitted, and often self-conscious. He is the object the affection of the Griffin’s boylover neighbor Herbert, who often tries to get Chris to take off his shirt.
Meg Griffin:(Mila Kunis) is the family’s only daughter. She is taken for granted by the family and is often the target of Peter’s jokes. Meg wants to be a cool kid but is socially awkward and attention seeking.
Mr. Herbert
Mr. Herbert is one of the first boylover characters to be regularly featured on a prime time situation comedy. He is voiced by Mike Henry and first appeared in season 3 in an episode entitled, "To Love and Die in Dixie” and has become very popular with the shows audience. Mr. Herbert lives alone with his old, crippled dog, Jesse and is a retired United States Army veteran who served in WWII.
His relationship with Chris is satirical and stereotypical but also surprisingly sympathetic. Mr. Herbert is depicted as showing genuine concern for Chris as demonstrated in a number of episodes where he has prevented disaster form befalling him. Chris however is oblivious to the depth of Mr. Herbert’s affection for him. In the episode "To Love and Die in Dixie”, Chris is shown to be Mr. Herbert’s Paperboy. Upon the families returned from the South, Mr. Herbert has left 113 messages asking what had happened to the paperboy. “In "The Courtship of Stewie's Father", Chris breaks his window with a baseball, and Lois decides to pay for the broken window out of Chris's allowance. At Herbert's suggestion, Peter makes Chris do chores for Herbert. He later takes Chris out to dinner. At that point, he fantasizes about life with Chris. In his fantasy family, he and Chris have two children, a boy who resembles Chris, and a girl who resembles Herbert. In the last scene of the episode, he turns on the TV to an announcement of the Little League World Series. He perks up and responds: "Jackpot!"[[1]]
Mr. Herbert is known for making colorful and sexually suggestive comments including:
- “If it gets too hot and sweaty for you out here, feel free to take your shirt off”
- “Alright everyone but Chris keep your pants on and let's figure this out.”
- Guess who? Sorry to leave you so many messages. Just lonely here. Thinkin' about the muscly-armed paperboy. Wishin' he'd come by and bring me some good news.
- He sees Jeff Campbell, a teenage nudist, and says "Holy moly, it must be my birthday!"
- At the Griffin's garage sale, Herbert asks Chris if he is selling any clothes from the summer. Chris then tells Herbert that all he has fitting that description is a pair of shorts, to which Herbert replies "Sweet Jesus!".
