The Cleveland Show: Season 1

[Dee.]

Actually started to watch this every week.
I Was never into Family guy somehow,so I'm watching American Dad and This Cleveland show.

[Andrew]

The show's a veritable car wreck, horrible to look at yet I can't look away. Perhaps it's the thought that it could be one of those shows that is kind of weak in the first season but "grows the beard" and picks up as it goes along, though I don't have a lot of confidence in that idea. It could work, but the jokes are too familiar, the characters too unlikeable or just plain unfunny. There's potential, but so far it's just turning out to be a really bad version of Family Guy.

[el badman]

Cleveland really didn't feel like the same character at all when he was in Family Guy. His slow-paced tone and awkward vocabulary made him a likable character then (although not enough to justify a spinoff). But in this show, he's just become the most irritating character McFarlane may have come up with maybe. Except for a couple of good jokes here and there, he's simply unlikable now, and since none of the other new characters are particularly good either, this is just 22 painful minutes of television.

[benji]

That sounds like racism.

[Andrew]

Cleveland really didn't feel like the same character at all when he was in Family Guy. His slow-paced tone and awkward vocabulary made him a likable character then (although not enough to justify a spinoff). But in this show, he's just become the most irritating character McFarlane may have come up with maybe. Except for a couple of good jokes here and there, he's simply unlikable now, and since none of the other new characters are particularly good either, this is just 22 painful minutes of television.

They've basically made Cleveland a slightly less mean-spirited, somewhat smarter version of Peter instead of expanding on the more affable characterisation he had in Family Guy. If nothing else, there's a feeling of "seen it all before".

[Kenny]

It is sad to think that ultimately King of the Hill was axed to make way for this.

I couldn't agree with you more. That show was brilliantly written and had a great balance between comedy and realism (to a point).

I have to admit, I have lost what little faith I had in Seth MacFarlane like, after the 3rd season of Family Guy. All his shows seem incredibly formulaic, to a point where each of his three shows need some kind of character that isn't human to be "random". I hate the way these shows are written. Out of curiosity I saw the first episode of the Cleveland Show, expecting maybe something a little different, but I was only disappointed.

[Andrew]

That's the thing, if The Cleveland Show was his first project, I reckon it might have had a chance to be a better show and I could've liked it more because if nothing else, it would've been fresher. As a spinoff, it needed to stand out as a different kind of show but they've transplanted a dynamic, characterisations and even jokes that were already getting stale. If there hadn't already been over 100 episodes of Family Guy though, I do think The Cleveland Show would've at least had a bit more originality going for it.

[Kenny]

As far as cartoon are concerned, I much prefer the works of Matt Groening, Mike Judge, Trey Parker and Matt Stone. Seth MacFarlane has been on a decline since season 4 of Family Guy. American Dad has it's moments, but it's far too hit/miss for my liking. I probably should check out a few more episodes of the Cleveland show though. I often like to give something a fair go before I write it off completely.

[Andrew]

Agreed, though I do like the pre-cancellation seasons and the first two-and-a-bit post-cancellation seasons of Family Guy. If I had to choose however, I'd rather watch the best of The Simpsons, Futurama, South Park and probably King of the Hill compared to Family Guy, even at its best.

[benji]

American Dad doesn't even involve Seth anymore (outside of voice work, it's written entirely by a completely different staff), and it shows. It's a fantastic show because it's an adventure comedy which is so lacking anymore.

Cleveland Show has good jokes, comparable to the one or two Family Guy delivers. But Cleveland can't find it's voice, it was supposed to restore the "family" and "one plot" sense of early Family Guy, but it lost that faster than anything ever and now is just the Family Guy with a black guy and a bear clone we all thought it would be.

Family Guy was a good show when it mocked the conventions of a standard 70s/80s sitcom while throwing in stupid references/set pieces that got a "this is stupid LOL!"

Old Simpsons, KOTH, Old South Park understood this. Ground the plot so you're forced to deal with and make jokes within it instead of dismissing it to make bad jokes.

Also to note real quick, KOTH was not entirely axed for Cleveland. KOTH got way more chances than it deserved ratings wise and was allowed a chance to write its own finale. (And will get a burn off on Adult Swim.) Writing was on the wall for KOTH (which might be the best animated series ever) but it lucked out when everything else FOX threw out bombed and so it was allowed to return and DELIVER with some epic seasons that made up for the former "last seasons" but everyone knew it was going away. Threads for FOX's Animation Domination on various forums made that clear, KOTH's half hour was mostly silent except for some smart people, while Family Guy was full of for even the worst jokes.

The Goode Family deserved at least a second season though.

[Andrew]

Well put.

[Kenny]

The best joke by far on the Cleveland show so far was the one about the kid's dog not being replacable like Jennifer Aniston. I'll agree that it is like watching a train wreck.

[Andrew]

I actually thought that was good example of a pretty weak "McFarlane joke", the standard "Take that, (celebrity)!" that continues to run Family Guy into the ground. Once upon a time it was kind of edgy and had some shock value, now they're just lame attempts to be cutting.

[Kenny]

I see where you're coming from... I guess it's probably just my distaste for Jennifer Aniston that made it funny

[Andrew]

That's the thing with the whole "Take That" approach to comedy. If the target is widely considered to be justifiable or the viewer agrees with the writer's point of view, it works. If not, it comes off as unfunny, petty and at times hypocritical. Or in some cases in recent Family Guy episodes, just plain outdated.

[Kenny]

Yeah I saw it in earlier episodes of American Dad were they singled out both Scrubs and Arrested Development. Both those shows are far superior, so I didn't like it that much. It is a really hit/miss way to write jokes.

[Andrew]

Yeah I don't care for the constant jabs at Scrubs in Seth McFarlane's shows, nor the shots at Robin Williams. I suppose there's a fair amount of people who don't like them and it's not like there aren't legitimate criticisms you could make about them, but the jabs on McFarlane's shows have just been uninspired and hypocritical.

Meanwhile, the latest episode was well up to the usual standard of garbage. I should probably just quit while I'm ahead but I've come this far so I might at least see the first season out in the hopes that it might grow into a better show, the way I'm told that American Dad did. If not, Futurama is back next year.

[el badman]

I have no idea why I end up watching this either. That episode was simply awful once again. I guess I'm just too lazy to even change the channel at that specific time on Sundays...

[JaoSming]

it sucks because they cram it between simpsons and family guy/american dad and most other shows on at that time are hour long shows so they are already half over

[Andrew]

There's probably a part of us that enjoys complaining about it, which is keeping us watching. I don't think it'll extend past the first season for me, barring a drastic improvement.

[Andrew]

Caught the latest episode as I've decided I'll come far enough that I'll at least get through the first season. Decent idea for a plot (though the whole Cleveland is a jerk before reconciling with Cleveland Junior premise is already wearing thin) but the humour was completely lacking.

[el badman]

I really do need to build up the strength to push on any random button from my remote between the Simpsons and FG...
Another waste of an episode, maybe worth a chuckle or two at times, but shameful otherwise.

[Andrew]

I've got to hand it to them, the "Balls Deep" number was entertaining, for the innuendo and Scottie Pippen appearance. A Seth MacFarlane show calling Alan Alda a "liberal know-it-all" is funny for all the wrong reasons. All things considered, probably one of their better/less wretched episodes but that's still not saying much.

[Dee.]

It's not all that bad,i watch it every week and have no complains.

[Andrew]

Glad that you enjoy it, I'm sure it does appeal to a decent amount of people. I guess I just expect more out of a comedy series.

(Like humour.)