The Show:

I rarely watch television shows any other way than renting them when the seasons become available on DVD. So, I’ve never had the chance to see the first season of The Cleveland Show before viewing this set of DVDs for its second season. This is what I gather about the show: upon leaving town on Family Guy, Cleveland moves back to his hometown with his son, Cleveland Jr. There he marries a single mother with two children, a teenaged daughter and a Stewie-sized five year old called Rollo. He also has his neighborhood friends who are also his drinking buddies. They hang out at a local bar where a David Lynch voiced barkeep serves them drinks.

The template is obviously Family Guy. To me that just seems like lazy writing. They didn’t feel they needed to do that with American Dad. Besides that, I just don’t find the the supporting cast to be very interesting much at all. When I first heard about the show I felt that the Cleveland character wouldn’t make a good lead for a spin-off from Family Guy. But, he seems just fine. The makers just surrounded him with what I feel are a rather uninspired cast of characters. Cleveland Jr. and Rollo are thinly veiled versions of Chris and Stewie, respectively. The wife is mostly just stronger than Cleveland and the daughter is just a hot fifteen year old. Those two are just forgettable to me. And, the novelty quickly wore off regarding David Lynch and political pundit Arianna Huffington voicing reaccuring characters. I haven’t got much to say about the rest of the cast of characters. Ho-hum.

Seth McFarlane’s formula for his animated family comedies works smashingly well with both Family Guy and American Dad. But, with this program I get the sense that it’s just going through the motions.This is despite the fact the makers seem to be working hard to produce a good show. I feel it may need its own identity. It needs to break free and become its own thing, separate from what has come before it. But, who am I to say? The show seems to be a hit.

I do feel that there is hope, though. Out of all the episodes in this set, the one that I truly liked was Murray Christmas, where Rollo befriends an old Jewish man (Carl Reiner) residing in a rest home. Along with genuine humor–there’s a great E.T. parody on display–the episode has heart to spare. If they could make some more episodes at least half as good as this one this show may have a chance with me. But, at this point I don’t believe I’ll be revisited this program anytime soon.

The DVD:

Audio/Video:

For those of you who are fans of the show, you couldn’t ask for a better package than this one. The picture quality couldn’t have been better during the show’s original broadcast. The 5.1 Dolby Digital sound is tested on the Cleveland Live episode–where the show mimics a live broadcast–and comes out with an A+.

Special Features

Cleveland Jr.’s Worry Journal: Cleveland Jr. lists off his worries from pages in his journal. And, I have to agree with Rollo; this isn’t funny enough for a DVD extra.

Cleveland at Comic-Con 2010: This is a great extra. The voice cast does a table reading of one of the soon to be second season episodes live in front of a Comic-Con audience.

Guest Star Showcase: The producers speak about all the guests that did voice work for this season.

Fox Movie Channels Presents: Life After Film School: Co-creator and voice of Cleveland Mike Henry is interviewed by three film students.

Hot Cocoa Bang Bang trailer: This is for an episode that features movie director Robert Rodriguez as himself. See table reading above.

Audio Commentaries: Tracks are for select episodes, including some guest stars sitting in (Carl Reiner, Jason Sudelkis and Robert Rodriguez).

The Show: Rating: 2 out of 5 stars

The DVD: Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

When you see the vid you will see why it’s always great to have a man like Seth McFarlane have the guts to do a joke as having Lauren Conrad sit on Quagmires face as a chair.

MCFARLANE: I can say with definitive assuredness that it will be out.  Within the next few years.  We already know what it’s gonna be.  We’ve been trying to lock into something that makes it so that it has to be a movie, as opposed to an extended Family Guy episode.  And I like the Simpson’s Movie, but that’s something they could do with animation on TV because they’re not constrained by sets. [...] You have to find some way to make it so that it has to be a movie.

CAROLLA: Are you hinting at some live action?

MCFARLANE: Possibly, possibly. Here and there.  It will not be a 90-minute Family Guy episode.

Source: Film Drunk

The direct to DVD/Blu Ray release of The Cell 2 on June 16th.

Pulp Fiction and Jackie Brown (my personal fav Tarantino ) come to Blu Ray this August 4th.

June 9th the Clive Owen thriller The International hits store shelves.

June 9th the cheer-leading comedy Fired UP! comes to DVD/ Blu Ray.

Confessions of a Shopaholic comes to Blu Ray this June 23rd, followed closely by a Blu Ray treatment of the ‘classic’ Adam Sandler comedy The Waterboy on June 28th.

The classic Mel Brooks comedy Spaceballs comes to Blu Ray on June 16th.

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs comes to Blu Ray  a full 7 weeks before its DVD release on October 6th.  The DVD version of the film will be released on November 24th.

The Spike Lee joint Do The Right Thing finally arrives on Blu Ray on June 30th.

The Seth McFarlane comedy release Cavalcade of Comedy arrives fresh off his You Tube channel and onto Blu Ray this May 12th.

M*A*S*H arrives on Blu Ray July 14th.

June 2nd The Graduate and To Live and Die in L.A arrive in Blu Ray.

My Bloody Valentine 3D and Paul Blart: Mall Cop arrive on Blu Ray May 19th.

Friday the 13th Parts 2 and 3 get their Blu Ray treatment this June 16th.

Ghostbusters comes to Blu Ray this June 16th.

Keep in mind release dates are subject to change.