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List Price: $39.98 | | Label: 20th Century Fox
Salesrank: 2381
Released: November 29, 2005 |
| Our Price: $16.88 |
| Used Price: $6.90 |
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MPAA Rating: Unrated
Media: DVD |
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Editorial Review:
Fans will have to wait no longer for the next Volume of Family Guy on DVD! The hilarious first part of Emmy nominated Season 4 will have you laughing like you've never laughed before. Edgier and more irreverant than ever, you'll forget you've ever heard the term "Politically Correct!" The must-have DVD of the season -- any self-respecting guy will own Family Guy Volume 3 on November 29th.
Description of Family Guy, Vol. 3 (Season 4, Part 1):
Family Guy lives! That's great news for the devoted fans who watched in record numbers the reruns on Cartoon Network and made the Family Guy DVDs bestsellers. It's bad news for Mel Gibson, Christina Aguilera, Justin Timberlake, Jimmy Fallon, Rob Schneider, Skeet Ulrich, Corey Haim, My Two Dads, and other pop-culture detritus this show's writers take infinite delight in kicking when they're down (or up, for that matter). The long, long, awaited fourth season begins with a bravado broadside at Fox, which canceled Family Guy in 2002. Peter Griffin (voiced by series creator Seth MacFarlane) recites a litany of 29 doomed replacement shows beginning with Dark Angel and ending with Greg the Bunny. From there, it's like the Griffins never left. The 13 episodes are just as dense with bodily function jokes, surreal nonsense, gratuitous pop-culture references (the more obscure, the better), and edgier gags that recklessly cross the line on any number of levels ("Maybe I was wrong about you," Jodie Foster says to John Hinckley in the episode, "Model Misbehavior." "Maybe I was wrong about all men.").
The new season rewards longtime viewers with appearances by such series icons as the Greased-Up Deaf Guy and the Evil Monkey in Chris's closet, and makes no concessions to newcomers to the show (who will no doubt be scratching their heads over the more than two-and-a-half-minute digression in "Blind Ambition," in which Peter's nemesis, the Giant Chicken, returns to continue the smackdown that started in the season 2 episode "Da Boom." In "World Domination: The Family Guy Phenomenon," one of the bonus features included on this three-disc set, MacFarlane proclaims these new shows to be "the best we've done." A bold claim, but often enough, one is laughing too hard to prove otherwise. One minute, Family Guy dazzles with inspired animation (In "Breaking Out Is Hard to Do," Chris reaches for a carton of milk at the supermarket and finds himself pulled in to A-ha's classic music video, "Take on Me"). The next, it's wallowing in vomit ("8 Simple Rules for Buying My Teenage Daughter"). In addition to the freewheeling episode commentaries, this set also includes a great bonus, excerpts of cast "table reads" of two episodes. Back to the "World Domination" featurette. MacFarlane states, "It's the first time since we've been doing (the show) that I think it's safe to say that we're here to stay for awhile." Are you listening, Fox? --Donald Liebenson
Family Guy, Vol. 3 (Season 4, Part 1) Reviews:
Back and as funny as ever...almost. 
2009-11-09 - Family Guy has a strange history. Although it was always well-received, the executives at Fox seemed to have a vendetta against the show, heavily censoring it and then finally canceling it before its time. However, strong DVD sales and high ratings on Cartoon Network pulled the series back from the brink. The result is this DVD volume which features the beginning of Family Guy's return. The show starts off strong again, although it doesn't quite have the same crackle that it once had.
Family Guy, like the Simpsons, has a number of divisive opinions. Some claim the shows have gone steadily downhill for years, while others claim that it's funnier than ever. My opinion on the series is the former, but most of that downhill slide came after this DVD volume. The episodes on this DVD include a terrific return to the airwaves coupled with a skewering of Fox's decision to cancel them in the first place. It fleshes out some of the minor characters of Quahog, such as Peter's neighbor Cleveland, and it gives the spotlight to Meg and Chris a bit more. Most importantly, it features an episode guest-starring James Woods that is one of the best Family Guy episodes there has ever been.
The reason I give this four stars instead of five is because while the episodes are very good, there are definite signs that the show has lost some of its focus over the years. Stewie has gone from being an evil baby to a continuous gay joke, although the creators do sometimes tap back into his sinister side. The cutaways become increasingly nonsensical as the writers start to rely more on one-note jokes than the plot of the show. And some running gags, particularly Peter's recurring fights with a giant chicken, will leave newcomers to the show cold. While these are all symptoms to the show's eventual slide, the episodes here remain in good form. While not quite as strong as seasons 2 and 3 were, this new Family Guy is still worth watching and will definitely earn its laughs.
Good product 
2009-08-16 - The dvd came in good shape. Both the disks and case are in good condition and the dvd's play great. The order was delivered in good timing as well.
Funniest show on TV
2009-06-10 - This is by far my favorite show on TV. As a long-time Simpsons fan, I was skeptical when The Family Guy came out and never watched it until after it was on DVD. I'm glad I did. I bought all the DVDs to catch up and now never miss an episode. It's the funniest show around.
Moving
2009-02-04 - Other than Fox ripping us off, this is some great stuff. You can learn so much by watching these shows.
FAMILY GUY-Love it!!
2008-08-22 - This was the only set I didn't have yet... I found it available at walmart for $36, but bought it here for $20 and happen to get free shipping. With almost $20 saved, I bought the video game too!! Thank you Amazon!!! :)
