Family Guy

CHICAGO – When so much of your already-limited primetime schedule is devoted to reality singing competitions and animated programming, it gives a network little room to play. FOX only has a few timeslots once one takes “The X Factor”/”American Idol” and “Animation Domination” out of the equation. But play they will.

CHICAGO – The overnight totals have come in and it is no surprise to find that football was the leader of Sunday night. The Steelers and Colts squared off at Lucas Oil Stadium and reached a 7.2 rating with adults 18-49. While this is the top rating of the night, it is down 22% from last year’s week three Sunday night football matchup when the Jets took on the Dolphins in Miami.

CHICAGO – The legacy of “The Simpsons” lives on as the show premieres September 25th for its record-holding 23rd season. Afterward, the season premieres of Seth MacFarlane’s cartoon classics – “Family Guy,” “American Dad” and “The Cleveland Show,” are all part of “Animation Domination” on FOX.

CHICAGO – For weeks now, we’ve been trying to predict what the networks would do with their bubble shows when they announced their fall schedules next week. Well, Kevin Reilly of FOX decided to burst all of the bubbles at his network under cover of night, as news broke very late last night that “The Chicago Code,” “Human Target,” “Lie To Me,” “Traffic Light,” and “Breaking In” will be absent from the upcoming 2011-12 schedule.

CHICAGO – The opening crawl of “Family Guy: It’s a Trap!” jokingly suggests that the viewer should lower his expectations since the writers had totally run out of steam by this point and were pressured by Fox into doing a spoof of “Return of the Jedi” to close out their “Star Wars” trilogy, now released in one Blu-ray set known as “Laugh It Up, Fuzzball: The Family Guy Trilogy.”

CHICAGO – The Wizard World Chicago Comic Con was another huge success this past summer, gathering together comic and pop culture fans. One of the highlights of the event was the reunion of Adam West (Batman), Burt Ward (Robin) and Julie Newmar (Catwoman) from the 1960s Batman TV show.

CHICAGO – Just a few years ago, it felt like TV animation for adults was in a golden age with the return of “Family Guy,” “The Simpsons” and “South Park” still going relatively strong, and Adult Swim truly breaking new ground in what could be done in animated form. It feels now like it’s plateaued a bit with many of the shows that were at the top of their game a few years back sliding down a bit in terms of quality. One such program is Adult Swim’s “The Venture Bros.,” a show that is still incredibly creative but doesn’t click like it used to do every week.

CHICAGO – What happens when Halloween happens to land on a Sunday night and FOX is airing the World Series? The annual tradition of the “Treehouse of Horror” episode of “The Simpsons” has to air in November. Damn you, Bud Selig. At least FOX is trying to make amends by offering not just one holiday-themed episode tonight but extending the affair to all four of their “Animation Domination” programs — “The Simpsons,” “The Cleveland Show,” “Family Guy,” and “American Dad.”

CHICAGO – What’s the best animated program on Sunday nights? Sadly, it hasn’t been “The Simpsons” for years and the most-recent reigning champ, “Family Guy” has been like a tire with a pinhole leak over the last few seasons, slowly becoming less creative with each passing episode. No, the most consistent and creative cartoon on the evening is the spin-off “The Cleveland Show” and the show’s first season is now available on DVD.

CHICAGO – FOX has announced the premiere dates for their hit Fall 2010 lineup including the start of the new drama “Lone Star,” new comedies “Raising Hope” and “Running Wilde,” along with returning hits like “House,” “Glee,” “Fringe,” “Hell’s Kitchen,” “Bones,” “Fringe,” “Human Target,” “The Good Guys,” “The Simpsons,” “The Cleveland Show,” “Family Guy,” and “American Dad!”.