During an upbeat table read for Fox’s hit animated comedy “Family Guy” Monday afternoon, TV critics gained access to the wild and wonderful mind of show creator and executive producer Seth MacFarlane.
Doing the voices for Peter, Stewie and Brian, MacFarlane, with the help of his cast, impressed members of the Television Critics Association, who were in Los Angeles for TV’s fall press tour, with sharp dialogue, amazing timing and stellar voice work.
And to think, Fox once canceled “Family Guy” before profitable DVD sells and buzz-friendly syndication brought it back from the dead.
Perhaps Fox executives should return to its cancellation graveyard for a few live-action comedy series, as well.
As it stands, Fox, the No. 2 broadcast network behind CBS, doesn’t have a live-action comedy to defeat the Eye network’s top-rated Monday night comedy block, which includes the unexpectedly popular and Emmy nominated “Two and a Half Men.”
By comparison, the only competitive comedy night that Fox has is its Sunday night block, anchored by “The Simpsons,” which enters its 19th season in September.
“Married with Children,” which debuted around the same time as “The Simpsons,” is the last hit sitcom Fox had – and it ended a decade ago.
To rectify the situation and gain on CBS, Peter Liguori, Fox’s entertainment chairman, hired Kevin Reilly, the recently fired NBC president of entertainment, to head Fox’s entertainment. Reilly helped construct NBC’s current Thursday night comedy block.
“We recognize what we at the network have to do better,” Liguori told critics at the network’s opening presentation Sunday. “That’s why we brought Kevin (Reilly) on board and have every confidence he’s going to help us on that front.”
To that end, Fox also added the new comedy “Back to You” to its fall lineup.
The sitcom stars two of TV’s top comedic actors, Kelsey Grammer of “Frasier” fame and Patricia Heaton, formerly of “Everybody Loves Raymond.” It has a “Frasier” vibe, thanks to executive producers Christopher Lloyd and Steven Levitan, both of whom worked on the NBC sitcom.
Grammer and Heaton also have an appealing chemistry that holds the otherwise formulaic “Back to You” together.
” ‘Back to You’ is on the air because we think it’s a funny show, that plain, that simple,” Liguori said. “Steve and Chris are seasoned vets. Kelsey and Patty (are) fantastic actors within that forum.
“We have a night of comedy (and) we want to continue to build it.”
