Family Guy: Volume Three DVD

Cast: Seth MacFarlane

Studio: Fox

Rating: 7/10

CORPORATE LINE: Heading up the eclectic “Family Guy” household is Peter Griffin, a big, boisterous, lovable oaf who isn’t afraid to say what’s on his freakin’ mind — usually the wrong thing at exactly the wrong time. He lives in Quahog, Rhode Island with his wife, Lois, and their three children — Chris, Meg and Stewie, a brilliant, sadistic baby bent on destroying the world. And, don’t forget his well-spoken, cynical best friend, Brian, the family dog. “Family Guy” debuted after the Super Bowl in 1999 and ran for three seasons before it was cancelled. In 2003, over 100,000 people signed an online petition to bring the show back to the air.

“Family Guy” Volume Three DVD Collection Special Features And Disc Content Specifics:
The “Family Guy” Volume Three DVD Collection is compiled on two single and one dual-layered discs (full frame, aspect ratio 1.33:1). The third volume is presented in full screen and features English 5.1 Dolby Surround Sound as well as English, French and Spanish subtitles. In addition, the following special features are exclusive to each disc:

THE SHOWS: Before Family Guy was canned it was one of the most abrasive and utterly hilarious shows on television. With all its pop culture riffs and insanity you’ll be mortified that you are laughing so hard at so many tasteless jokes.

The fourth season started off stale—but it didn’t take long for it to hit a groove. There are occasions when you can’t help but laugh hysterically and others where you feel like you’ve been there before. There are many episodes that are absolutely brilliant and show why fans demanded its return.

THE EPISODES:
Disc 1:
Episodes
 North by North Quahog
 Fast Times at Buddy Cianci Jr. High
 Blind Ambition
 Don’t Make Me Over

Bonus Features
 Commentary on North by North Quahog and Blind Ambition

Disc 2
Episodes
 The Cleveland-Loretta Quagmire
 Petarded
 Brian the Bachelor
 8 Simple Rules for Buying My Teenage Daughter

Bonus Features
 Commentary on The Cleveland-Loretta Quagmire, Petarded, Brian the Bachelor and 8 Simple Rules for Buying My Teenage Daughter

Disc 3
Episodes
 Breaking Out Is Hard to Do
 Model Misbehavior
 Perfect Castaway
 Peter’s Got Woods
 Jungle Love

Bonus Features
 Commentary on Breaking Out Is Hard to Do, Perfect Castaway, Peter’s Got Woods and Jungle Love
 World Domination: The Family Guy Phenomenon featurette
 Score! featurette
 Deleted Scene Animatics
 Three Multi-Angle Table Reads
 Three Story Board/Animatic Comparisons
 American Dad promo spot
 Trailers

THE EXTRAS:
There are nine episodes which feature commentaries by Seth MacFarlane and his team. This is mostly for fans. If you occasionally like the show you won’t find this interesting at all—particularly the rambling discussions.

“World Domination: The Family Guy Phenomenon” featurette discusses how the show came back to life after being cancelled. We find out what happened between the third and fourth season.

“Score! Featurette” featurette is little more than a look into the show’s music. This is not a necessary feature.

“Deleted Scene Animatics” is a hilarious addition of Brian singing a song about students—finally it gets a full treatment.

“Three Multi-Angle Table Reads” is very interesting because you get to see the cast doing their dialogue.

“Three Story Board/Animatic Comparisons” offers up early animations and their finished counterparts.

The American Dad promo and the trailer are the usual fluff.

FRANKLY: One problem with the Volume 3 box set is that you don’t get all of the fourth season. Each volume has been shorter and shorter—Volume 3 is nearly half as long as Volume 2 and a third long as Volume 1. For fans of Family Guy it’s a must buy. MacFarlene seems energized and really starts to hit his stride.

+ Charlie Craine