Family Guy Spin Off Series

New Fox cartoon set for spring launch

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Things have never been so murky 10 days before the networks preview their wares for advertisers during the annual "upfront" week.

With most pilots yet to be delivered to the networks because of delays stemming from the 100-day writers strike, the horse race for slots on the broadcast schedules remains wide open.

One virtual certainty is that Fox will be launching its first animated comedy -- or comedies -- in three years. "Cleveland," a spinoff of "Family Guy," is expected to get on the air with a 13-episode order. Staffers are being hired for the show, which focuses on the Griffins' henpecked neighbor.

Coincidentally, the last two animated series entries on Fox were "American Dad" and the resurrected "Family Guy," both from "Family Guy" creator Seth MacFarlane.

The show, which is expected to be ready for a spring launch, might be joined by two other new cartoons: "The Pitts" and "Sit Down, Shut Up."

Both projects took a nontraditional development route when Fox sped up by the process by eschewing the traditional pilot order. They are expected to produce one- to two-minute presentations to be ready for Fox's upfront presentation.

On the live-action side, early front-runners include prolific producer Jerry Bruckheimer's drama "Eleventh Hour" for CBS, "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" creator Joss Whedon's "Doll House," "Lost" producer J.J. Abrams' "Fringe" and the Bruce Helford/Bernie Mac comedy "Starting Under," all for Fox. All four are looking good to land on the schedule.

And then there is the CW's "Beverly Hills, 90210" spinoff, which is as close as it gets to a sure thing. The cast already includes Toronto teen and Lori Loughlin ("Summerland").

-Reuters/Hollywood Reporter

That's odd.
They can't think of anything new?

Spin-off series don't work. Don't people know that? I think Frazier is the only one that's done well. If they don't work with real life actors, I don't think it can work in cartoon.

Cleveland definitely can't hold a whole show on his own. He's hilarious, no doubt, but you can only stand him for about 3 or 4 minutes tops.

Plenty of spin-offs work. Not so much these days, however. Then again, they don't try it all that often.

The Cleveland Show will feature him with a new family. Here's a picture:



For starts, there is a small kid, the answer to Stewie. A fat kid doofus with glasses. A hot daugther. Homely wife. No pet though. Hmmmm.

The neighbors are bears and uptight white people. Comedy gold.

How can you go wrong? Oh wait...

-HECK!

The fat kid reminds me of Steve's friend in American Dad. The really stupid one... forget his name right now. The guy who turned into a diabolical genius when he stopped taking his vitamins.

HECK, you missed that the bears that live next door to him are obviously gay.

I give the show one season, though. It can't have the same wham-bam humour that Family Guy has, can it?

There are some preview videos online.

This seems to be the theme song

This is Peter and Cleaveland discussing the show

I dunno, I guess I'm going to give it a try (it doesn't cost me anything but my time).

Yeah, have to give it a try.

American Dad is hit and miss for me. I watch it on occasion. Good for maybe a few laughs.

Who knows how the Cleveland Show will do. Depends on the formula.

Cleveland's persona can only go so far.

-HECK!

I agree. I mean, the joke about Cleveland is that he's boring, right? How can that hold up a show? But you never know. Maybe the hot daughter gets naked a lot.

I like American Dad. It's not as good as Family Guy, but I always get a laugh out of it. I do like when Stan spouts a lot of right-wing nonsense.

The supporting cast around Cleveland will have to carry the show. It all depends what kind of dynamic they come up with.

So, Cleveland will be off Family Guy I assume. Wonder if Peter will get a new friend.

-HECK!

Yeah, good point. He's pretty funny on Family Guy, since he's the butt of many of the black jokes.

Are there any other black people in Quohoag?

Family Guy copies off the Simpsons, then they have American Dad, now they have this

where will it end??

and Quohoag's are called "stuffies" in New England

get a clue man

I ordered "quohoag's" in a restuarant in Rhode Island, and the waitress looked at me like "oh, you're so quaint..."

"you mean stuffies?"

In French McDonaldses, a Big Mac is called a Le... Big Mac.

What do they call a Whopper?

-HECK!

It's a 'Wooopper.'

Best part of the Cleveland Show pilot? Cleveland asks Bonnie and Lois to make out and they totally go for it.

You saw it?

-HECK!