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| THE CLEVELAND SHOW: THE COMPLETE SEASON TWO |
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| Actors: Mike Henry, Sanaa Lathan, Kevin Michael Richardson, Seth MacFarlane, Jason Sudeikis |
| Creators: Richard Appel, Seth MacFarlane, Mike Henry |
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Distributor: 20th Century Fox |
| DVD release: 27 September 2011 |
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Feature runtime: 462 minutes
(4 discs) |
| Format: AC-3, Animated, Box set, Color, Dolby, DVD, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC |
| DVD Features: Aspect ratio 1.33:1, Audio tracks (Dolby Digital 5.1 - English), Subtitles (English SDH, French, Spanish), Audio commentary (5 episodes), Deleted scenes, Celebrity guest stars, Trailer ("Hot Cocoa Bang Bang" episode)
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It started with The Simpsons , and Fox's animated shows grew to the point where they had a whole night's lineup called "Animation Domination." Part of the "Domination" line-up was Seth McFarlane's Family Guy . Though it had a rough go at first (it was on Fox, then got cancelled, then came back), it finally caught on with viewers. Family Guy is hilariously funny; the way it does satire is so spot-on as to be genius, considering the substance of the show is toilet humor and pop culture. It's a guilty pleasure.
Wish the same could be said for The Cleveland Show. It's a spin-off of one the weakest characters on Family Guy, put through the same formula to at-best mediocre results. Season two is notable for its lack of sharp wit or laugh-out-loud moments (the chuckles to be had are sporadic). A few memorable moments include Cleveland playing basketball with President "Barry" Obama, and Justin Timberlake as a singing booger.
It was somewhat witty to have The Cleveland Show go on as a live telecast. But the last episode of the season is the only episode halfway decent in its entirety. "Hot Cocoa Bang Bang" spoofs Comic-Con, and the writing is for the most part strong.
As for the rest of the season, it left me plain bored. There isn't one likeable character to root for or enjoy; almost all of them fall flat, especially the talking bear. Guest appearances by Kanye West, the cast of Glee and the aforementioned Justin Timberlake don't add much to the season, either.
The second season four-disc set contains all twenty-two episodes that aired on television. Each disc includes some special features like deleted scenes and an audio commentary on a specific episode. I wanted to like this. I actually gave it a legitimate chance to win me over. But the whole thing seems lackluster and uninspired, from the writing to the character development to the dynamics. The Cleveland Show is no Family Guy.
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