The Cleveland Show: Exposed
Everything we know about the new Family Guy spinoff.
by Travis Fickett
June 10, 2008 - Family Guy, beyond being an enormously popular animated series on FOX, has become something of a legend in the TV business. It's one of the few shows to come back from the dead to not just become successful, but a massive financial success for the network and studio that initially pulled the plug. Now the show is riding high in the ratings, selling tons of DVDs, and – with The Cleveland Show, we have its first spin-off.
The Cleveland Show will feature the voice of Mike Henry as "Cleveland." Henry has been with Family Guy from the beginning, serving as a writer as well as the voice of "Cleveland." On Family Guy, Cleveland was Peter Griffin's neighbor and friend who was often the (eerily) calm voice of reason. The Cleveland Show finds the character newly unattached after finding out his wife was sleeping with Quagmire, and he honors a promise he made to an old flame. That involves moving to Stoolbend, Virginia to move in with his old-now-new girlfriend, as well as her teenaged daughter and baby boy. Of course, Cleveland Jr. is along for the ride.
- FOX
The Cleveland Show
In our analysis of this image, a couple of things immediately pop out. Namely, the fact that two of Cleveland's neighbors are bears. Not the football team - the animal. So...there's that. We can also see, along with his "new family," another family living next door. This family happens to be white, and given Family Guy's willingness to buck politically correct trends - expect the same here. It also seems that the world Cleveland inhabits has clouds. Most curious.
Here is the official FOX setup for The Cleveland Show: Many years ago, Cleveland Brown (voiced by Mike Henry) was a high school student madly in love with a beautiful girl named Donna. Much to his dismay, his love went unrequited, and Donna wound up marrying another man. Cleveland once told Donna he would always love her, and if this man ever done her wrong, he'd be there when she called. Well, this man done her wrong. Donna's husband skipped town with another woman, leaving Donna with a daughter and a baby. Now she's come to Cleveland and offered him another chance at love. Unattached after the Loretta-Quagmire debacle and true to his word, Cleveland joyously accepts and he and Cleveland JR. move to Stoolbend, VA, to join their new family.
As for the man who has been and will continue to be "Cleveland," we talked to Mike Henry a while back about all things Family Guy, including what it's like to be the voice of "Cleveland." You can read all of that in our interview.
While production is still underway on the new series, FOX has released a preview video that features clips of some Cleveland antics from Family Guy set to Mike Henry singing the show's new theme song:
The Cleveland Show is set to air on FOX sometime mid-season. While no official date has been set, it's likely to first air in January or February of 2009.
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