DVD Corner

Family Guy Volume 9 DVD Review

Volume 9 is the start of the quality decline for “Family Guy.”

In the 14 episode “Family Guy” volume 9 DVD set, expect to see episodes about: Plots: Peter controlling Lois’s father’s company, Peter getting amnesia, Meg falling for a young man in jail, psychic readings, Stewie cross dressing and falling in love, Peter and his boss Angela, Brian pitching a pilot script, an April Fool’s Day Prank gone wrong, Brian and Stewie getting trapped in a bank vault, Quagmire’s father, a joke, James Woods, Brian befriending Rush Limbaugh, and Lois’ father having an affair. Note: These episodes are uncensored.

For the first six seasons of “Family Guy,” I quite enjoyed the animated adventures of the Griffin family and their bizarre Quahog friends and neighbors. I found the show’s clever pop culture references and bizarre asides to be quite funny and refreshing compared to other animated series. Oddly enough, however, it is with these 14 episodes that I feel “Family Guy” has started to grow stale.

Aside from the “Star Wars” specials, “Family Guy” appears to be past its prime now. Once Cleveland left the show and had his own unfunny spin-off, the show just hasn’t been the same. Granted, there are a few memorable moments here such as Peter repeatedly crapping his pants, the surprising Agatha Christie/Hitchcock influenced episode “And Then There Were Fewer” and the return of Cleveland, but none of these episodes are classics. More often than not, the episodes fall flat like the Meg love story or the episodes involving Lois’ father.

Summary: I suppose it’s not surprising that “Family Guy” is starting to fade in quality as that happens with any 22 episode season sitcom (whether it be animated or live-action) that has been on the air for a long period of time. I’m sure hardcore fans will enjoy this set, but if you want to see the show in its prime, check out the first 6 seasons instead.

Video/Audio:

The fullscreen video quality is fine, but I’m quite surprised there isn’t a Blu-ray release considering how popular “Family Guy” is.

There isn’t a false note with the Dolby Digital 5.1 audio track. The music, voice work,  and sound f/x are all impressive to say the least.

Extras:
* “The Cleveland Show” ad.
* Deleted scenes from various episodes. There are some gems here such as an “American/Dad” cameo and Peter’s “The Apprentice” audition video.
* A mediocre episode of the “The Cleveland Show” titled “The Way The Cookie Crumbles”. An intro by Mike Henry is also included here.
* A dull commentary on “The Splendid Source” by Mark Hentemann, Danny Smith, Shannon Smith and Peter Shin.
* “Who Done It? The Making Of And Then There Were Fewer”- A look at the animation process, the score, the plot, the surprises, etc.
* “The History Of The World- According To Family Guy”- A timeline of the goofy history in the “Family Guy” universe.

*“Family Guy At Comic-Con 2010”- The 30 minute plus “Family Guy” panel at San Diego Comic Con with Seth MacFarlane, Alex Borstein, Seth Green, and others.

January 8, 2012 - Posted by nicklyons1 | DVD review | Cleveland Show, Family Guy Volume 9 DVD Review, Meg, Peter Griffin, Quagmire, Stewie