Family Guy Gets Sweet Revenge!

[Brian Damage]

October 10, 2007 -- LITTLE Stewie Griffin hasn't quite realized his dream of world domination yet - but his show, "Family Guy," is certainly conquering television.

Not only is "Family Guy" now more popular than its Fox stablemate, "The Simpsons" - considered the gold standard of TV 'toons - but it's reaping terrific ratings in first-run syndication.

And that's added even more fans to a show left for dead - twice - by Fox.

To quote "Family Guy" patriarch Peter Griffin, "Freakin' sweet!"

"It helps that we're on in syndication every day now, because I think people who watch the show [in syndication] want to see new episodes [on Fox]," says "Family Guy" showrunner David Goodman.

"And our big 'Star Wars' season premiere this season [on Fox] brought a lot of people to the show who weren't watching before," he says.

"And hopefully they'll stay."

That shouldn't be a problem, since "Family Guy" fans are notoriously loyal to the show's loony Griffin family: Couch-potato dad Peter, sassy wife Lois, moody teen daughter Meg, dim-bulb son Chris and evil-genius baby Stewie.

And, of course, there's Brian - the family dog who speaks perfect English, sips martinis and cracks wise about his human owners.

It was the show's fans, after all, who were ultimately responsible for the show's re-birth.

The story is familiar by now: canceled by Fox twice - in 2000 and 2002 - "Family Guy's" record-setting DVD sales and stellar ratings on Cartoon Network earned it an unprecedented new life.

Fox re-launched the show in 2005 as part of its Sunday-night animation block (along with "The Simpsons" and "King of the Hill") and it's been gaining steam ever since.

It's now stronger than ever; this season, its ratings are up 19 percent and, more impressively, it's now outdrawing "The Simpsons" by over 1 million viewers each week.

"When the show was canceled and then found an audience on DVD and in reruns . . . that was the moment when we experienced that satisfaction," says Goodman.

"The show was off the air and off of Fox, yet the audience was still finding it."

And even more of that audience is discovering the show now that it's widely accessible.

Launched Sept. 10 in syndication (it airs here on Ch. 11 at 7:30 and 11:30 p.m. weeknights), "Family Guy" is currently ranked second behind "Everybody Loves Raymond" out of a whopping 22 syndicated sitcoms.

"The advantage of 'Family Guy' [in syndication] is that it's got dual appeal - it can play to adults in late night and to kids in access/early fringe," says industry analyst Marc Berman of Mediaweek.

"I don't think people expected it to be this highly rated," he says. "It's going to be like 'The Simpsons' - it will last forever."

The days of what he calls the show's pursuit of "sweet revenge" have passed, Goodman says.

"Now, it's just the thrill of people watching that's satisfying," he says.

"We're past the 'sweet revenge' stage . . . but we're certainly enjoying the moment."

http://www.nypost.com/seven/10102007...ts_revenge.htm

[comedyfreak]

I for one will admit that the show has grown on me, LOL.