Family Guy season 7

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Family Guy
Season 7
File:Family Guy Vol7.jpg
File:Family Guy Volume 8 DVD Cover.png
DVD covers for Volumes 7 and 8
Starring
No. of episodes16
Release
Original networkFox
Original releaseSeptember 28, 2008 (2008-09-28) –
May 17, 2009 (2009-05-17)
Season chronology
← Previous
Season 6
Next →
Season 8
List of episodes

The seventh season of Family Guy first aired on the Fox network from September 28, 2008, to May 17, 2009, before being released as two DVD box sets and syndicated. The animated television series follows the dysfunctional Griffin family (father Peter, mother Lois, daughter Meg, son Chris, baby Stewie and their anthropomorphic dog Brian), who reside in the fictional town of Quahog, in the U.S. state of Rhode Island. The show features the voices of series creator Seth MacFarlane, Alex Borstein, Seth Green, and Mila Kunis in the roles of the Griffin family. The season included hold-over episodes from the sixth season, which was cut short due to the 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike. It received a mixed reception from critics, the more-mixed reviews criticizing the overuse of cutaways and the more positive praising its story-based episodes.[1] The seventh season contains some of the series' most acclaimed episodes (including "Road to Germany" and "Family Gay") and controversial episodes like "420", which caused the Venezuelan government to ban the show from its networks.[2] The season was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series,[3] making Family Guy the first animated series to be nominated in this category since The Flintstones in 1961.[3] The Volume Seven DVD box set was released in Region 1 on June 16, 2009,[4] Region 2 on November 2, 2009[5] and Region 4 on September 29, 2009.[6] Nine of the sixteen episodes are included in this volume. The remaining seven episodes of the season were released on the Volume Eight DVD box set in Region 1 on June 15, 2010,[7] Region 2 on November 1, 2010[8] and Region 4 on June 15, 2011.[9]

Production

File:Seth MacFarlane by Gage Skidmore 5.jpg
Seth MacFarlane sided with the Writers Guild on their strike.

The season premiered September 28, 2008 with the episode "Love, Blactually" airing on Fox Broadcasting Company in the United States. During the sixth season of the show, episodes of Family Guy and American Dad! were delayed from regular broadcast due to the 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike. Series creator and executive producer Seth MacFarlane sided with the Writers Guild and participated in the strike until its conclusion.[10][11] Official production of Family Guy was halted for most of December 2007 and intermittent periods afterwards. Fox continued producing episodes without MacFarlane's final approval; although he refused to work on the show during the strike, his contract with Fox required him to contribute to any episodes it subsequently produced.[12] Due to this, most sixth-season episodes had to be pushed back to this one; this left the sixth season with only twelve episodes, and the seventh season began with hold-overs from the previous one.[11]

Crew

File:Richard Appel by Gage Skidmore 2.jpg
Richard Appel, executive producer and writer of "Family Guy"

MacFarlane, Danny Smith, David Goodman and Chris Sheridan were the executive producers for the season.[13] Richard Appel, Steve Callaghan, Mark Hentemann and Brian Scully were co-executive producers.[14] Other producers included Mike Henry, Patrick Meighan, Tom Devanney, Alec Sulkin, Wellesley Wild, John L. Jacobs, Kara Vallow, Kirker Butler, Shannon Smith, Cherry Chevapravatdumrong, Kim Fertman and Brandi Young.[13][14] The writing staff included John Viener, Andrew Goldberg, Matt Fleckenstein, Andrew Gormley, Alex Carter, executive producers Chris Sheridan, Danny Smith, co-executive producers Richard Appel, Mark Hentemann, Brian Scully, supervising producers Mike Henry, Alec Sulkin, Wellesley Wild and co-producers Cherry Chevapravatdumrong and Patrick Meighan. Each wrote one episode, except for Meighan, Sulkin and Chevapravatdumrong (who wrote two each). There were nine directors for the sixteen episodes of the season, with Cyndi Tang, Greg Colton, Julius Wu, Brian Iles, Jerry Langford and Dominic Bianchi directing two episodes each. Peter Shin and James Purdum were supervising directors for the entire season.[13] Walter Murphey composed the season's music tracks, while Stan Jones edited them.[14]

Cast

File:Patrick Stewart Photo Call Logan Berlinale 2017 (cropped).jpg
Patrick Stewart and the cast of Star Trek: The Next Generation guest-starred in "Not All Dogs Go to Heaven".

Season seven had a cast of five main actors. MacFarlane voiced Peter Griffin, a blue-collar worker and the patriarch of the Griffin family. The family's evil-genius baby Stewie, their anthropromorphic pet dog Brian, their sexually-active neighbor Glenn Quagmire, Peter's father-in-law Carter Pewterschmidt, local doctor Elmer Hartman and local news anchor Tom Tucker were also voiced by MacFarlane. Other members of the family include Peter's responsible-but-rebellious wife, Lois (voiced by Alex Borstein); their self-loathing teenage daughter, Meg (voiced by Mila Kunis) and their goofball teenage son, Chris (voiced by Seth Green).[15] Mike Henry voiced the Griffins' neighbor (and Peter's friend) Cleveland Brown.[16] The season had a number of secondary characters, including Lori Alan as Diane Simmons (a local news anchor);[17] Mike Henry as Cleveland Brown (a neighbor and friend of the Griffins); Patrick Warburton as Joe Swanson (a disabled neighbor)[18] and Jennifer Tilly as Bonnie Swanson (Joe's pregnant wife).[19] Adam West voices an alternative version of himself, Mayor Adam West.[20] Other recurring characters include Phil LaMarr as Ollie Williams,[21] Johnny Brennan as Mort Goldman, Carrie Fisher as Angela, Mark Hentemann as Opie, Borstein as Trisha Takanawa and Henry as Bruce.[22][23] Staff members Danny Smith, Jon Viener and Alec Sulkin voiced several minor characters.[13] The season introduced New Brian (voiced by Viener),[24] a replacement for the older Brian and Susie, the Swansons' newborn daughter. The season also included guest actors voicing themselves, including Frank Sinatra Jr., Seth Rogen, Lauren Conrad, Johnny Knoxville, Jay Leno, Craig Ferguson, Audrina Patridge, Sinbad, Patrick Stewart, LeVar Burton, Gates McFadden, Brent Spiner, Michael Dorn, Jonathan Frakes, Wil Wheaton, Denise Crosby and Rob Lowe.[20][25][26]

Episodes

No.
overall		No. in
season		TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateProd.
code		U.S. viewers
(millions)
1111"Love, Blactually"Cyndi TangMike HenrySeptember 28, 2008 (2008-09-28)6ACX039.09[27]
Brian begins dating a woman named Carolyn, but decides not to have sex with her because (as Stewie points out) none of his relationships have worked because he has sex immediately after they meet. After three weeks, Brian finds out that Carolyn is dating Cleveland because she thinks Brian only wants friendship. This leads Brian to convince Cleveland's ex-wife Loretta to reconcile with him so Brian can date Carolyn. Loretta invites Cleveland to a hotel to reconcile with him; however, Cleveland explains that he forgives her for cheating on him but he must move on with his life. Cleveland then visits Carolyn, whom he discovers is cheating on him with Quagmire. He goes to see Brian, and they make amends, as Cleveland notes that he is feeling a burning sensation when he urinates.
1122"I Dream of Jesus"Mike KimBrian ScullyOctober 5, 2008 (2008-10-05)6ACX058.38[28]
Peter buys a record of his favorite song ("Surfin' Bird" by the Trashmen) and listens to it incessantly, annoying his family. Eventually, Stewie and Brian steal (and destroy) the record. Distraught, Peter goes to the record store for another copy and discovers that the clerk is Jesus Christ; Jesus explains that he returns every 100 years or so to check on the world. Peter befriends Jesus, and convinces him to reveal himself. Jesus then becomes a celebrity, neglecting his friendship with Peter; he is then found drunk in an apartment and arrested. Peter pays his bail; Jesus realizes he still has some maturing to do and decides to return to his home. Before he leaves, Jesus gives Peter a present: another record of "Surfin' Bird".
1133"Road to Germany"Greg ColtonPatrick MeighanOctober 19, 2008 (2008-10-19)6ACX089.01[29]
During a party at the Griffin house Mort Goldman accidentally steps into Stewie's time machine (mistaking it for a bathroom), forcing Brian and Stewie to take a return pad and go after him. They find Mort in a Warsaw, Poland synagogue, thinking he is in heaven since he sees dead family members there. They soon realize the date is September 1, 1939, the day of the Nazi invasion of Poland and the beginning of World War II. The return pad breaks and they decide to go to England, where it will be safe to repair it. In England, Stewie realizes that the return pad is out of uranium fuel and Brian suggests they find some in a nuclear-testing facility in Berlin. At the facility Stewie disguises himself as Hitler; the other two disguise themselves as Nazi officers, and obtain the needed uranium. They then encounter the real Hitler (who orders their execution), but they escape on the return pad back to their own time and arrives back in Stewie's room 30 seconds before Mort entered the time machine. To keep these events from repeating, Stewie kills the version of Mort who traveled with them.
1144"Baby Not on Board"Julius WuMark HentemannNovember 2, 2008 (2008-11-02)6ACX079.99[30]
The Griffins decide to take a trip to the Grand Canyon. They inadvertently leave Stewie in the house, not realizing it until they are in New York (where they call Cleveland and Quagmire to check on him). When Stewie realizes he is alone, he decides to enjoy his solitude. Cleveland and Quagmire arrive, and Stewie mistakes them for intruders and sprays them with tear gas. Realizing his mistake, he chains them to the Griffins' basement wall and leaves the DirecTV instructional channel on to occupy their attention. Lois becomes worried after not hearing from Cleveland or Quagmire, so the Griffins return home. After Stewie finishes all the food in the house he realizes he needs his family, and embraces them when they return.
1155"The Man with Two Brians"Dominic BianchiJohn VienerNovember 9, 2008 (2008-11-09)6ACX098.47[31]
When Brian is hurt, the Griffins think he may be getting too old. Peter buys a younger dog, whom he calls "New Brian". New Brian's upbeat attitude makes Brian feel unloved (especially when the Griffins begin ignoring him), and he decides to leave home. New Brian's relentless cheerfulness begins annoying Stewie, who asks Brian to return. Brian refuses, saying he will not come back if New Brian is there. Stewie tells New Brian he does not like him, and New Brian retaliates by revealing that he violated Rupert (Stewie's teddy bear). Angered, Stewie kills New Brian and forges a suicide note; the Griffins then take Brian back.
1166"Tales of a Third Grade Nothing"Jerry LangfordAlex CarterNovember 16, 2008 (2008-11-16)6ACX108.57[32]
Peter tries to get a promotion by impressing his boss Angela, which leads to his inadvertently blowing up part of a children's hospital. After he is then told he needs to finish third grade to get the promotion, he returns to school. Peter resents being there, and only passes the grade after winning a spelling bee. When he returns to his job for the promotion, Angela informs him he is under arrest for blowing up the hospital.
1177"Ocean's Three and a Half"John HolmquistCherry ChevapravatdumrongFebruary 15, 2009 (2009-02-15)6ACX117.41[33]
Bonnie gives birth to her baby, a beautiful girl named Susie; however, Joe is unable to pay her medical bills. He turns to a loan shark for the money, and ends up in debt. Peter and his friends ask Carter for money to pay the debt, but Carter refuses. In a final act of desperation, Peter suggests that they rob Carter. However, when they reach Carter's vault Lois arrives and convinces Joe to stop. She talks Carter into providing the money, telling him she is using it for a divorce lawyer; when Peter asks her if she is joking, Lois says nothing (leaving Peter worried).
1188"Family Gay"Brian IlesRichard AppelMarch 8, 2009 (2009-03-08)6ACX127.09[34]

Reception

The seventh-season premiere was viewed by 9.2 million viewers,[35] a significantly-higher number than those watching the sixth-season finale.[36] In the weeks following "Love Blactually", viewership hovered around 8 million. "Baby Not On Board" was the most-viewed episode of the season, with 9.97 million views and a 5.0 Nielsen rating.[37] Ahsan Haque of IGN graded the seventh season of Family Guy 8.2 out of a possible 10, saying that it was a "very competent season" for the show.[38] He praised the use of the show's hallmark pop-culture references and the writers' more story-driven episodes.[38] Haque considered "Road to Germany" as the highlight of the season and regarded "The Juice is Loose" and "Baby Not On Board" as the poorest, citing them as examples of what the show could be when the writers "choose not to put in any effort".[38] In 2009, IGN included the Star Trek: The Next Generation cast reunion in "Not All Dogs Go to Heaven" in its countdown of "Family Guy's Top 10 Star Trek Moments".[39] Later that year, it included the "Raining Bitches" and the "Boom Goes The Dynamite" moments (both from "Love Blactually") in its "Family Guy's Top 10 Cleveland Moments".[40][41] In 2010, IGN put "Road to Germany" on its list of "Stewie and Brian's Greatest Adventures".[42] Casey Burchby from DVD Talk gave a mixed review to Volume Seven of Family Guy; he noted that while a lot of the jokes are obvious and not funny in the show's context, there are standout episodes such as "I Dream of Jesus" and "Baby Not On Board". He also praised "Road to Germany", which "combines solid writing with some noteworthy design work".[1] Another writer from DVD Talk, Francis Rizzo III, reviewed Volume Eight and praised "Three Kings" for blending humor with the original films and its story-based narrative. He also pointed out that episodes like "420", "Not All Dogs Go to Heaven" and "FOX-y Lady" contained scenes which were like nothing seen on television before.[43]

File:David A. Goodman by Gage Skidmore 3.jpg
Executive producer David A. Goodman responded to criticism from the Parents Television Council.

The Venezuelan government reacted negatively to "420", and banned Family Guy from their local networks (which generally air syndicated American programming).[2] Local station Televen was threatened with fines for broadcasting the show (which were avoided by airing an episode of Baywatch instead), and it aired public-service films as an apology.[2] Venezuelan Justice Minister Tareck El Aissami stated that any cable stations which refuse to stop airing the series would be fined, and he claimed that the program promoted the use of cannabis.[2]

Awards and nominations

The season was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series.[3] The last animated program to be nominated was The Flintstones in 1961.[44] Seth MacFarlane was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Voice-Over Performance for his role as Peter Griffin in "I Dream of Jesus".[45] MacFarlane was also nominated for an Annie Award for the same episode, but lost to Ahmed Best from Robot Chicken.[46] "Road to Germany" was nominated for a Golden Reel Award for Best Sound Editing, but lost to the Star Wars: The Clone Wars episode "Lair of Grievous".[47]

Home media

The first nine episodes of the seventh season were released on DVD by 20th Century Fox in the United States and Canada on June 16, 2009, one month after the last episode was broadcast.[4] The "Volume 7" DVD release features bonus material, including deleted scenes, animatics and commentary for each episode.[6] The remaining seven episodes were released on "Volume 8" in the United States.

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Burchby, Casey. "Family Guy, Vol. 7". DVD Talk. Archived from the original on October 24, 2012. Retrieved September 30, 2012.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 "Venezuela bans Family Guy cartoon". BBC News. September 27, 2009. Archived from the original on March 26, 2012. Retrieved August 27, 2010.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 "'30 Rock' leads Emmy nominations with 22 bids". USA Today (Press release). July 20, 2009. Archived from the original on January 5, 2013. Retrieved August 10, 2009.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Family Guy, Vol. 7". Amazon. Archived from the original on March 7, 2021. Retrieved September 30, 2012.
  5. ↑ "Family Guy Season 8: Amazon.co.uk". Amazon UK. November 2, 2009. Archived from the original on October 26, 2012. Retrieved September 30, 2012.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 "Family Guy – Season 8". EzyDVD. Archived from the original on June 5, 2009. Retrieved September 30, 2012.
  7. ↑ "Family Guy – This Just In: Volume 8 DVD Announced to Retailers, with Complete Details". TVShowsonDVD.com. Archived from the original on March 29, 2010. Retrieved September 30, 2012.
  8. ↑ "DVD – Family Guy: Season 9". Play.com. Archived from the original on November 13, 2010. Retrieved September 30, 2012.
  9. ↑ "Family Guy – Season 9". EzyDVD. Archived from the original on August 18, 2011. Retrieved September 30, 2012.
  10. ↑ "Pencils Down". Writers Guild of America, West. Archived from the original on December 19, 2007. Retrieved September 30, 2012.
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Haque, Ahsan (May 13, 2008). "Family Guy: Season 6 Review". IGN. Archived from the original on November 5, 2011. Retrieved September 30, 2012.
  12. ↑ Adalian, Josef (September 30, 2012). "Fox to air new 'Guy' Sunday; MacFarlane hopes network changes plans". Variety. Retrieved November 13, 2007.
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 13.3 "Family Guy - Love Blactually - Yahoo! TV". Yahoo!. Archived from the original on February 10, 2013. Retrieved September 30, 2012.
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 "Family Guy - Tales of a Third Grade Nothing - Yahoo! TV". Yahoo!. Archived from the original on November 3, 2012. Retrieved September 29, 2012.
  15. ↑ "Family Guy: Season 1". IGN. Archived from the original on December 21, 2012. Retrieved September 30, 2012.
  16. ↑ "Family Guy – 420 – Yahoo! TV". Yahoo!. Archived from the original on November 3, 2012. Retrieved May 30, 2011.
  17. ↑ "Lori Alan: Credits". TV Guide. Archived from the original on October 14, 2012. Retrieved August 27, 2009.
  18. ↑ "Patrick Warburton: Credits". TV Guide. Archived from the original on April 17, 2009. Retrieved August 27, 2009.
  19. ↑ "Jennifer Tilly: Credits". TV Guide. Archived from the original on August 7, 2012. Retrieved August 27, 2009.
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 "Family Guy – Not All Dogs Go to Heaven – Yahoo! TV". Yahoo!. Retrieved May 30, 2011.
  21. ↑ "Phil LaMarr: Credits". TV Guide. Archived from the original on October 14, 2012. Retrieved August 27, 2009.
  22. ↑ Miller, Kirk (November 19, 2008). "Q&A: Alex Borstein". Metromix. Archived from the original on February 18, 2012. Retrieved August 28, 2009.
  23. ↑ "Family Guy - Tales of a Third Grade Nothing - Yahoo! TV". Yahoo!. Archived from the original on November 3, 2012. Retrieved September 29, 2012.
  24. ↑ Goodman, David A.; Smith, Danny (executive producers); Sulkin, Alec (co-executive producer); John Viener (writer/voice actor); Bianchi, Dominic (director). Family Guy: Volume Seven: Commentary for "The Man with Two Brians" (DVD). Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation.
  25. ↑ "Family Guy – The Man With Two Brians – Yahoo! TV". Yahoo!. Retrieved May 30, 2012.
  26. ↑ "Family Guy – We Love You Conrad – Yahoo! TV". Yahoo!. Retrieved May 30, 2012.
  27. ↑ "Weekly Program Rankings (Sept. 22-28)". ABC Medianet. ABC Medianet. September 30, 2008. Archived from the original on May 29, 2009. Retrieved June 14, 2023.
  28. ↑ "Weekly Program Rankings (Sept. 29-Oct. 5)". ABC Medianet. ABC Medianet. October 7, 2008. Archived from the original on January 18, 2009. Retrieved June 14, 2023.
  29. ↑ "Weekly Program Rankings (Oct. 13-19)". ABC Medianet. ABC Medianet. October 21, 2008. Archived from the original on May 30, 2009. Retrieved June 14, 2023.
  30. ↑ "Weekly Program Rankings (Oct. 27-Nov. 2)". ABC Medianet. ABC Medianet. November 4, 2008. Archived from the original on May 27, 2009. Retrieved June 14, 2023.
  31. ↑ "Weekly Program Rankings (Nov. 3-9)". ABC Medianet. ABC Medianet. November 11, 2008. Archived from the original on May 30, 2009. Retrieved June 14, 2023.
  32. ↑ "Weekly Program Rankings (Nov. 10-16)". ABC Medianet. ABC Medianet. November 18, 2008. Archived from the original on May 29, 2009. Retrieved June 14, 2023.
  33. ↑ "Weekly Program Rankings (Feb. 9-15)". ABC Medianet. ABC Medianet. February 18, 2009. Archived from the original on May 14, 2014. Retrieved June 14, 2023.
  34. ↑ "Weekly Program Rankings (Mar. 2-8)". ABC Medianet. ABC Medianet. March 10, 2009. Archived from the original on March 29, 2012. Retrieved June 14, 2023.
  35. ↑ Bierly, Mandy (September 29, 2008). "Ratings: 'Desperate Housewives' returns to win Sunday night". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on October 3, 2008. Retrieved September 30, 2012.
  36. ↑ Calabria, Rosario T. (May 5, 2008). "Broadcast TV Ratings for Sunday, May 4, 2008". Your Entertainment Now. Archived from the original on October 8, 2011. Retrieved September 30, 2012.
  37. ↑ Seidman, Robert (November 3, 2008). "Sunday Ratings: November 2, 2008". TVbytheNumbers/Zap2it. Archived from the original on February 7, 2010. Retrieved September 29, 2012.
  38. ↑ 38.0 38.1 38.2 Haque, Ahsan (May 28, 2009). "Family Guy: Season 7 Review". IGN. Archived from the original on December 27, 2011. Retrieved September 30, 2012.
  39. ↑ Haque, Ahsan (April 20, 2010). "Family Guy's Top 10 Star Trek Moments". IGN. Archived from the original on February 20, 2014. Retrieved September 30, 2012.
  40. ↑ Haque, Ahsan (June 5, 2009). "Family Guy's Top 10 Cleveland Moments-Page 2". IGN. Archived from the original on February 20, 2014. Retrieved September 30, 2012.
  41. ↑ Haque, Ahsan (June 5, 2009). "Family Guy's Top 10 Cleveland Moments -Page 4". IGN. Archived from the original on February 20, 2014. Retrieved September 30, 2012.
  42. ↑ Haque, Ahsan (January 11, 2011). "Family Guy: Stewie and Brian's Greatest Adventures". IGN. Archived from the original on November 5, 2012. Retrieved September 30, 2012.
  43. ↑ Rizzo III, Francis. "Family Guy, Vol. 8". DVD Talk. Archived from the original on October 12, 2012. Retrieved September 30, 2012.
  44. ↑ Collins, Scott (July 17, 2009). "Family Guy breaks the funny bone barrier with Emmy nod". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on July 22, 2009. Retrieved May 30, 2012.
  45. ↑ "The 61st Primetime Emmy Awards and 2009 Creative Arts Emmy Awards Nominees are..." Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. July 16, 2009. Archived from the original on July 18, 2009. Retrieved May 30, 2012.
  46. ↑ "Annie Awards: For Your Consideration". Archived from the original on July 30, 2012. Retrieved May 30, 2012.
  47. ↑ "MPSE Golden Reel Awards Nominees: Television". Motion Picture Sound Editors. Archived from the original on July 15, 2010. Retrieved May 30, 2012.

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