Take Family Guy, American Dad, a catchy theme tune, and just a touch more Family Guy, and you have the ridiculous mess that is The Cleveland Show.
Last night's season premiere was an utter disappointment, although to be honest, I wasn't expecting much in the first place. The premise of Seth MacFarlane's newest comedy "hit" is a simple one: Cleveland lost his house in his divorce from Loretta (a now obscure Family Guy character), and has decided to move away from his tiresome life in Quahog. He takes his son Cleveland Jr., now a pudgy little nerd, and visits his home town of Stoolbend, Virginia. There, he meets up with his old high school flame, Donna Tubbs, and her children, and by the end of the gag-filled half hour, Cleveland and Donna get married and start their lives together.
It is a very cliche plot, and it shows. The episode started out like another episode of Family Guy, with cameos from Peter, Quagmire, and the rest of the Quahog gang, and it felt that way right through the whole thing. I just don't see The Cleveland Show having a very bright future, even with its wide assortment of guest voices. It's not a spin off of Family Guy, it's a ripoff.
True fans of Family Guy might find something special in this show, but the average viewer will avoid it. The jokes are tired, the stereotypes are lame, and hearing Cleveland's voice for a whole 30 minutes is annoying. Plus, why is a talking bear living next door to him? Has MacFarlane simply run out of ideas? Well, no matter what the case may be, with the addition of The Cleveland Show, MacFarlane now has three of the four animated shows on Fox’s Sunday night line-up. Imagine the money he must be making. Love it or hate, The Cleveland Show has already been ordered for a second season. Hopefully it gets better quick.
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