Fox is treating Family Guy fans to a special one-hour episode for tonight's season finale.

Here's what to expect from the two-part episode: "Continuing a popular show tradition, Brian and Stewie respond to viewer mail. We meet a British version of the Griffins, Quahog is taken over by a famous comedian and we get to see the world from Stewie’s POV. Then, Peter encourages Joe to have a one-night stand with his attractive new partner (Anna Kendrick, “Up in the Air”) in order to even the score with Bonnie (Jennifer Tilly) for her own indiscretions. But when Bonnie finds out and threatens divorce, Lois insists that Peter get them back together. Meanwhile, Peter has another run-in with the angry chicken which makes for yet another epic fight in the all-new, special one-hour “Viewer Mail #2 / Internal Affairs” season finale episode."

Watch sneak peeks and a behind the scenes look at Anna Kendrick from tonight's all new season finale of Family Guy, beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT on Fox.  Use the arrows above to browse through photos from the episode.

Family Guy Sneak Peeks: Brian and Stewie Answer Viewer Mail and Joe Has an Affair

Tonight's all new episode of Family Guy parodies the Liam Neeson movie Taken.

Meg asks her parents if she can do to school in Paris for a semester in tonight's episode.  While she's there, she gets kidnapped by some mysterious men.  Of course, Peter is completely useless when it comes to saving his daughter: "I have a very particular lack of skills.  I will never be able to find you.  But what I do have is $2 and a wrist-watch.  You can have one of them."

So it's Brian and Stewie to the rescue! They head to France to begin the search for the missing Meg before something terrible happens to her. Watch a preview and two sneak peeks below for tonight's Family Guy, airing at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT on Fox.

Family Guy Sneak Peeks: Meg Gets Kidnapped Tonight

Cate Blanchett guest voices in tonight's all new episode of Family Guy, as a girl that Stewie falls in love with.

First, Lois is back at the doctor's office with busted ribs because she gets crushed and hurt every time Peter rolls over in bed.  Her solution is to buy separate twin beds for her and Peter, which keeps her safe, but Peter has a serious problem with it.  It turns out that he can't sleep unless someone is sleeping next to him that he can cuddle with.  So he proposes a crazy idea to Quagmire, who agrees with his sleeping habits: the two of them will spoon together in bed at night. Quagmire is totally on board with the plan, but Lois thinks the whole situation is ridiculous.  Of course, the whole thing gets weird very quickly.

Stewie also meets a girl who is the female version of himself and feels immediately smitten with her.

Watch four sneak peeks below for tonight's all new episode of Family Guy, airing at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT on Fox.

Tonight on Family Guy: Cate Blanchett Guest Stars (Sneak Peeks)

Fox has an all new Family Guy tonight, with Katharine McPhee making a guest voice appearance.

Peter is absolutely devastated when his favorite children's TV show gets canceled (McPhee stars as Mother Maggie from the show).  To combat his depression, Peter creates a public access children's show of his very own, recruiting his friends to work behind the camera.  Called "Petey's Fun House", Peter's new show is just as ridiculous as you would think, including a song about how only some children are special.  But he also uses the show as an opportunity to make fun of Lois for insisting that he act more "serious" and help around the house.  Whipping out a hand puppet that looks just like Lois, he lets out all of his frustrations.  Meanwhile, Meg also begins an internship at the hospital with Dr. Hartman.

Watch three sneak peeks below for tonight's all new episode of Family Guy, airing at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT on Fox.  You can also use the arrows above to browse through photos for the episode.

Family Guy Sneak Peeks: Peter Creates a TV Show for Children Tonight

A guy's night out turns strangely disastrous in tonight's all new episode of Family Guy.

Peter, Joe, Brian and Quagmire go out for a night of laser tag, but it's Peter's desire to spend time with his "buddies" instead of his family that angers Lois.  Later, the guys get into an accident.  When they wake up in the hospital, they're all shocked to find the town completely deserted except for the four of them.  Complicating matters even further, none of them can actually remember who they are.

A trip through town leads to all of them leaping to unexpected conclusions, including Brian assuming that Quagmire is his owner and the two of them are the best of friends.  But it's not until they find the Griffin house that things turn very bad.  When Joe, Quagmire and Brian spot a fake poster on the wall proclaiming Peter to be the destroyer of the world, they conclude that he's responsible for the mess they're in.  When Joe and Quagmire turn on Peter and try to kill him, will they all be able to escape this horrible reality?

Watch three sneak peeks below for tonight's all new episode of Family Guy, airing at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT on Fox.  You can also watch a preview for the episode here.

Family Guy Sneak Peeks: Quahog Is Deserted in Tonight's Episode; Can The Guys Figure Out Why?

A new episode of Family Guy will be airing this weekend.  The episode, titled "Forget-Me-Not", features Peter, Joe, Quagmire and Brian enjoying a guy's night out at a laser tag arena.  While driving home, the boys encounter something...mysterious.  Is it aliens?  Something else?

Whatever it is, it causes them to get into an accident.  When they wake up, they're all in the hospital.  Unfortunately, none of them seem to remember who they are and they're all shocked to see that the streets of Quahog are completely empty.  Has everyone been taken away or have the boys been transported to another Quahog?

They travel the streets looking for clues and eventually come upon the Griffin house.  But when Joe, Quagmire and Brian notice the novelty poster Peter had gotten made at laser tag - proclaiming himself destroyer of the world - they wonder if he's responsible for their situation and turn on him.  Will Peter be able to stop his friends from killing him and will the guys be able to figure out what happened to everyone?

Tune in to Family Guy on Sunday, March 18 at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT to in find out.  Until then, watch a preview for the episode below.

Family Guy Preview: A Guy's Night Out Turns Disastrous

Fox's Animation Domination line-up is all new tonight, including a new episode of Family Guy.

In tonight's episode, Peter trains Chris to win a hot dog eating competition.  Fortunately, he's successful.  Unfortunately, all of that binge eating wreak havoc on his stomach.  Lois is upset that Peter encouraged the situation and signs Chris up for fat camp.  Chris is really angry about having to go, but Lois insists.

Peter also goes with Chris to the camp, but while there they cross paths with a crazy serial killer who is murdering overweight kids.  Back home in Quohog, Lois' crazy brother returns.  Is he the killer?  Also, poor Stewie is traumatized when he comes across a scary album cover of a Queen album.

Watch four sneak peeks below for tonight's all new episode of Family Guy, airing at 9:00 p.m. ET on Fox.  You can also watch a blockbuster-style preview for the episode here.

Family Guy Sneak Peeks: Peter and Chris Head to Camp and Cross Paths With a Crazy Killer

Fox's Sunday night animation line-up is all new tonight, which means a new episode of Family Guy.  In tonight's episode, Mort is faced with a lot of financial troubles, so he turns to Peter and Quagmire for help.  Naturally, this proves to be somewhat of a dumb move.

The boys come up with the idea to burn down the pharmacy in order to collect the insurance money.  But that's when things take a turn for the worst.  The cops - and Joe - get involved.  So Peter comes up with the genius idea to distract Joe from his investigation by sending a plethora amount of pointless text messages.  Later, when Joe manages to bring Mort and Peter in for questioning, he'll find that the case won't be that easy to solve when his suspects refuse to cooperate.

Watch three sneak peeks below for tonight's all new episode of Family Guy, airing at 9:00 p.m. EST on Fox.

Family Guy Sneak Peeks: Peter and Quagmire Try to Help Mort Save His Pharmacy Tonight

Funnyman Ricky Gervais will be guest starring on an all new episode of Family Guy tonight.

Gervais will be the voice of a friendly dolphin.  When Peter goes out boating with his friends, he ends up making a half-hearted promise to a dolphin.  Unfortunately, that dolphin actually shows up at his house, expecting Peter to follow through, which makes things very awkward.  Particularly when he decides to crash at the Griffin house.

Meanwhile, Stewie's got his own storyline in tonight's Family Guy.  He's attending a new day care center that's run by a young woman who is not particularly qualified to look after children.  After hearing some distressing stories about what goes on there, Brian decides to check out the situation to make sure Stewie is OK.  Unfortunately for Stewie, Brian finds the day care lady to be very attractive and scores a date with her.  But when Stewie comes him from day care with a dislocated arm and wants to blab to Lois, Brian wants to make sure the baby doesn't mess up his date.

Watch five sneak peeks below for tonight's all new Family Guy, airing at 9:00 p.m. EST on FOX.

(Note: international readers may have trouble viewing the first video. If that's the case, try watching here)

Tonight on Family Guy: Ricky Gervais Guest Stars (Sneak Peeks)

The Fox Sunday night animation line-up is new tonight, which includes an all new episode of Family Guy.

In tonight's episode of Family Guy, Peter is determined to revive Tom Tucker's acting career and he decides to take on a job as Tom agent in order to help him. The pair heads to Hollywood to find Tom some roles.  "Everybody needs just one person to believe in their dreams" Peter explains to Lois, "So they can spread their wings and fly".  Naturally, the next moment Peter is shooting down Meg's request for money so she can take dance classes.

Chris and his new girlfriend are also the focus of the episode, but the family is very shocked to find out she resembles a certain member of the family: Lois.  Brian and Stewie thinks it's creepy, although Lois seems oblivious. In fact, Brian thinks that the fact that the girl looks like Lois is preventing Lois from realizing how horrible she is.

Watch three sneak peeks below for tonight's episode of Family Guy, airing at 9:00 p.m. EST on Fox.

Family Guy Sneak Peeks: Peter Becomes Tom Tucker's Agent Tonight

Fox's Sunday night animation line-up is all new, which also means a new Family Guy.  Tonight's episode takes on the issue of religious parents who refuse medical treatment for their children.

Tonight's Family Guy episode, titled “Livin’ On A Prayer”, has one of Stewie's toddler friends playing over at the Griffin house.  When the boy passes out, Lois is understandably worried and races the boy to the hospital.  When the boys' parents arrive at the hospital, Lois and the doctor give them the bad news: their son has a very serious, but treatable, disease.  Lois is shocked when the parents confirm that they already knew their son was sick, but are refusing medical treatment because of their religious beliefs.

So Lois decides to take some drastic action and she and Peter kidnap the boy in order to get him treated.  Naturally, Peter's idea of a "stealth" kidnapping leads to outrageous situations and hilarity (including wearing a Harry Potter outfit as a "disguise").

Judy Greer (from Arrested Development fame) is making a guest voice appearance as the sick toddler's mother.

Watch two sneak peeks below for tonight's all new Family Guy, airing at 9:00 p.m. EST on Fox.

Family Guy Sneak Peeks: It's Lois vs. the Religious Parents Tonight

A new episode of Family Guy will be airing tonight. Brian starts dating a new girl (Kate) who also happens to be blind. Naturally, Brian uses her disability to manufacture a few things, including "beating up" a group of muggers after dinner one night.  But things become very awkward during the course of their relationship she reveals that she actually hates dogs.  While he's able to lie for a while, Brian finds himself in a pickle when Kate wants him to meet her parents.

Lois is also dismayed when she realizes that the staircase in their house is falling apart.  Well, technically, the whole house is falling apart (with Meg pinned under a beam for the last two days), but Lois seems more preoccupied with the stars. But Peter keeps falling down the new, slippery stairs and decides to permanently live upstairs.

Marlee Matlin also lends her voice to the episode as Peter's new co-worker, Stella.

Watch five sneak peeks below for tonight's new episode of Family Guy, airing at 9:00 p.m. ET on Fox.  Use the arrows above to browse through a few photos.

Tonight on Family Guy: Brian's Girlfriend Hates Dogs (Sneak Peeks)

Fox's Sunday night animation line-up is all new tonight, including Family Guy.

Naturally, Family Guy is pushing the envelope.  Meg Griffin finally turns 18 in tonight's new episode with a surprise party that no one shows up to (poor Meg!).  Quagmire finds out about the monumental event, decides it's finally time to make his move, and stops by with a ridiculous gift.

Strangely, their relationship seems to be going rather well, with real dates and everything.  But there's one person who definitely doesn't approve: Peter.  Lois, strangely, seems on board with the relationship and thinks Meg is only dating Quagmire to rebel.  However, Peter's absolutely determined to do anything it takes to come between his older friend and his daughter.

Below are five sneak peeks for tonight's all new Family Guy, airing at 9:00 p.m. ET on Fox.

Tonight on Family Guy: Quagmire & Meg? (Sneak Peeks)

It's been a good year for television and the GQ Men of the Year issue is celebrating some of these TV stars. These are the men (and women) of comedy, drama and late night that have given some knockout performances and raised their profiles in the past year. So who is lucky enough to make the list?

First up is late night host Jimmy Fallon who graces one of the four covers with History of Rap co-star Justin Timberlake. Fallon and Timberlake have recently made a third instalment of the incredibly popular viral video sensation for Late Night with Jimmy Fallon (which you can see below). The show also got nominated for an Emmy and it is thanks to diverse and fun sketches such as History of Rap that has made the talk show a big hit. The pair discuss in the interview how the idea for doing a singing bit came about backstage at SNL with Fallon originally wanted to do Toto's 'Africa.' This would have probably been funny but it's probably a good thing that it evolved into The History of Rap.

Comedy is well represented in the issue with Mila Kunis being another one of the four cover stars and whilst her success story of 2011 is on the big screen with Black Swan and Friends with Benefits, the actress also still voices Meg on Family Guy. Kristen Wiig is another comedic actress that has made her name in film this year with the epic success of Bridesmaids which she starred in and co-wrote. Wiig was nominated for an Emmy this year for her work on SNL and Mad Men star (and Bridesmaids co-star) Jon Hamm first noticed Wiig in the SNL sketch "Lady Business". Hamm writes in the magazine that:

"Kristen’s line was "I'm a bitch in the boardroom, a bore in the bedroom, and I'm a bear on the toilet," which she delivered with over-the-top seriousness. I thought, "My God, this girl is funny.""

Tina Fey writes about pizza and Steve Carell and it is way better than I can make out as she talks about her Date Night co-star who ended his time on The Office this year. GQ gives the title of 'Comic Genius' to Louis CK, a title that I'm sure no one will argue with him getting and Joan Rivers talks about her guest spot on his FX show. Rivers gives the comic a glowing review saying "He's fearless and hates a lot of things that deserve to be hated."

The men of cable shows also fair well with the male cast of Breaking Bad getting the honor of 'Badassess' for what was yet another strong year of the show. There are a lot of performers from the cast of Boardwalk Empire that could make the issue (in fact the whole cast did last year) but Michael Shannon who plays agent Nelson Van Aldern is bestowed with the term 'Fanatic' after his intense work on the small and big screen this year.

Peter Dinklage won best supporting actor at this year's Emmy and also receives GQ's 'Stud' of the year for his role on Game of Thrones and says of his character that "Tyrion was made an outcast by his family, so he- how should I put it?- he doesn't give a shit." Another of this year's Emmy winners to make the list is Kyle Chandler for his last season of Friday Night Lights. Buzz Bissinger, who wrote the book that the show is based upon, describes Chandler's performance beautifully saying "Kyle's combination of authentic toughness and authentic compassion hauled you in."

South Park was renewed through till 2016 last week which ends a very good year for creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker who have had big success on Broadway with The Book of Mormon. Fellow Comedy Central star Jon Stewart is given the task of writing about the pair and does so in splendid and eloquent fashion.

What do you think of the TV stars that have made the list? Who would you include? Who are you happy to see featured?

To see all of the Men of the Year head to GQ and you can pick up a copy on newsstands now.

TV Stars Feature Big in the GQ Men of the Year Issue

Family Guy has been on hiatus for a few weeks, but new episodes return tonight and continue throughout November.  In tonight's all new episode, entitled "Screams of Silence: The Story of Brenda Q", Quagmire is involved in an accident and lands himself in the hospital.

Quagmire's sister, and her abusive boyfriend, Jeff, head to Quahog to help nurse Quagmire back to health.  But during his recovery, Glenn quickly realizes that Brenda is the one who actually needs his help, not the other way around.

Below are two sneak peeks for tonight's Family Guy.  To view some photos for the episode, click on the arrows above.

Family Guy Sneak Peeks: Quagmire's Sister Returns to Town Tonight

Family Guy returns for its ninth season tonight on Fox.  Financial difficulties for the Griffin family prompts Peter to blow their savings on lottery tickets.  Naturally, the rest of the family is angry, but they're pleasantly surprised when they win the Powerball lottery and end up millionaires.

Their new-found fortune means changes: Peter quits his job and Chris finds an interesting use for a butler.  Then Joe and Quagmire ask Peter for some money for gifts and investments and the loans go straight to Peter's head and affects their friendships.

But being that this is the Griffin family, they can't handle their new wealth, struggle to stay grounded and end up learning an important lesson.

Below is a trailer for tonight's all new season premiere of Family Guy.  To view photos from the premiere, click on the arrows above.

Family Guy Season Premiere Preview

Fox is bringing a whole slew of its primetime shows to Comic-Con later this month.  Here are all the details:

Wednesday, July 20

Alcatraz Pilot Screening, 6:00-9:00 PM (Ballroom 20)

Thursday, July 21

Napoleon Dynamite Panel, 2:00-3:00 PM (Room 7AB)
Original cast members Jon Heder, Tina Majorino, Efren Ramirez, Jon Gries, Sandy Martin and Diedrich Bader and executive producer Mike Scully (The Simpsons) of the hit indie film present a new series following your favorite awkward teenager like you’ve never seen him before – animated!  Join us for a sneak peek at never-before-seen footage of the newest member of FOX’s Animation Domination lineup and a “sweet” Q&A session.

Friday, July 22

Bones/The Finder Panels 1:45-2:45 PM (Ballroom 20)
Creator/executive producer Hart Hanson, executive producer Stephen Nathan and cast members David Boreanaz and Emily Deschanel will be on hand to discuss the shocking finale of Bones Season Six as well as what’s in store for Booth and Brennan in an exciting Season Seven! Hanson will also introduce the audience to The Finder, his new series starring Geoff Stults and Michael Clarke Duncan, followed by fan Q&A.

Bob's Burgers 3:00-4:00 PM (23ABC)
Creator/executive producer Loren Bouchard and executive producer Jim Dauterive and voice cast members H. Jon Benjamin, John Roberts, Dan Mintz, Eugene Mirman and Kristen Schaal will be on hand to entertain animation fans with hilarious never-before-seen clips from Season Two followed by a fan Q&A.

Saturday, July 23

Terra Nova 11:00-NOON (Ballroom 20)
Cast member Stephen Lang (Avatar), executive producer Rene Echevarria (Castle, Medium, The 4400, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine), executive producer Brannon Braga (24, Star Trek: Enterprise) and co-executive producer Jose Molina will unveil this epic adventure series 85 million years in the making, set to premiere this September on FOX. This new event drama from the brilliant minds of Steven Spielberg (Jurassic Park, The Pacific) and Peter Chernin follows an ordinary family on an extraordinary journey back in time to prehistoric Earth as a part of a massive expedition to save the human race.

The Simpsons 1:00-1:45 PM (Ballroom 20)
Entering its record-breaking 23^rd season on FOX this fall and airing its landmark 500^th episode in 2012, The Simpsons has won 27 Emmy Awards, was the subject of an international film smash in 2007 and inspired a ride at Universal Studios Hollywood. Not to mention, Homer Simpson was named the greatest television character of the last 20 years by Entertainment Weekly. Get insight into the daily doings of this series from creator Matt Groening, showrunner Al Jean, co-executive producer Rob Lazebnik, co-executive producer Matt Warburton, supervising producer Mike Anderson and producer/panel moderator Tom Gammill.

Family Guy 2:00-2:35 PM (Ballroom 20)
Join voice cast members Alex Borstein, Seth Green and Adam West and executive producers Mark Hentemann, Steve Callaghan and Kara Vallow for a sneak peek at the all-new upcoming episode “Stewie Goes for a Drive” featuring guest voice Ryan Reynolds (Green Lantern) followed by a Q&A session with the audience.

American Dad 2:35-3:15 PM (Ballroom 20)
Catch a preview of the Season Seven premiere of American Dad, featuring guest voice Cee Lo Green, followed by a Q&A with voice cast members Wendy Schaal, Scott Grimes, Rachael MacFarlane and Dee Bradley Baker alongside executive producers Mike Barker, Matt Weitzman and Kara Vallow.

Fringe 4:15-5:00 PM (Ballroom 20)
Cast members Anna Torv, Lance Reddick, Blair Brown, Jasika Nicole and John Noble join executive producers Jeff Pinkner and J.H. Wyman for a fan Q&A session.

Alcatraz 5:00-6:00 PM (Ballroom 20)
Cast members Sarah Jones and Jorge Garcia join executive producer Elizabeth Sarnoff for a fan screening of the chilling new midseason drama for FOX followed by a Q&A.

Sunday, July 24

Glee 10:00-11:00 AM (Hall H)
Join creator/executive producer Ryan Murphy and creator/executive producer Brad Falchuk and cast members of the musical sensation for a sneak peek at never-before-seen footage and behind-the-scenes secrets, followed by a Q&A session in which fans can ask everything they ever wanted to know about the Golden Globe-winning series.

Allen Gregory 11:00-NOON (25ABC)
Join creator/executive producer/voice cast member Jonah Hill (Superbad, Get Him to the Greek), showrunner David Goodman (Family Guy) and creators/executive producers Andrew Mogel and Jarrad Paul, along with an all-star voice cast, for a sneak peek at FOX’s new animated series that tells the story of the most pretentious 7-year-old of our time. Catch exclusive series animation followed by a fan Q&A session.

The Cleveland Show 1:45-2:45 PM (Hall H)
Join voice cast members and executive producers for a look at the series’ not-to-be-missed parody of “Die Hard” followed by a discussion with panelists Mike Henry, Sanaa Lathan, Kevin Michael Richardson, Reagan Gomez, Rich Appel and Kara Vallow.

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Fox at Comic-Con: Details for Glee, Fringe, Bones Alcatraz, Family Guy & Other Shows

Back in December, Fox released a DVD of the third Family Guy Star Wars parody, called "It's a Trap!".  Like the first pardy "Blue Harvest" and the second one, "Something, Something, Something Dark Side", "It's a Trap!" closely follows the plot of the third Star Wars movie "Return of the Jedi".

For those who aren't familiar with the plot, Peter/Han Solo was frozen in carbonite at the end of "Something, Something, Something Dark Side" and brought to Jabba the Hut.  When we open with "It's a Trap!", Lois/Princess Leia, heads to save him, along with the robots and Chris/Luke.

Several guest stars lend their voices to this special one hour episode, which begins at 9:00 p.m. tonight, including Anne Hathaway, Rush Limbaugh, Carrie Fisher, among others.

Below are five sneak peeks from tonight's season finale of Family Guy.  The show will be returning for another season on Fox in the fall.  If you would like to read more about "It's a Trap!", you can read our review of the DVD from December.

clarissa @ tvovermind.com
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Tonight on Family Guy: Sneak Peeks of the Season Finale "It's a Trap!"

According to Hitfix, Family Guy will be making the leap from the screen to the shelves, as the first family of Quahog has been tapped to star in their own comic book series. The series, scheduled to debut July 27th, will feature the supporting characters as well as the family, which includes special appearances from spin off star Cleveland Brown. However, there's no word as to the content, how many issues will be in the series, or how deep the show will delve into their recurring character archive (I'm personally hoping for lots of Mayor Adam West and Death).

Family Guy joins the like of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Firefly, and Dollhouse as television shows turned comic books, but the latter three only made the transition once their television run were over. Family Guy, on the other hand, has been a great performer for Fox this season and is heading into its 10th season as the anchor for the Animation Domination block on Sunday nights. It's been quite a journey for the show, coming from a successful launch to dealing with errant scheduling and eventually being resurrected based on strong DVD sales and syndication numbers. I'm not quite sure what direction the comics should go, but fans of Peter, Lois, Meg, Chris, Brian, and Stewie will likely find the same mixture of crude humor, pop culture references, and family satire that has made the show the phenomenon that it has been.

Will you be picking up the Family Guy comics? What show out there do you think could work best as a comic series? Am I the only one hoping for a Peterotica edition?

Family Guy Comic Series to Debut in July

A new episode of Family Guy will be airing tonight at 9:00 p.m. EST on FOX.  Below are three sneak peeks for the episode, along with a short synopsis for the episode.

On the search to find a new hobby, Chris meets a puppeteer named Franz, an old friend of Herbert’s. Despite Herbert’s warnings, Chris and Franz remain friends until Franz’s checkered past is suddenly revealed in the all-new “German Guy” episode of FAMILY GUY airing Sunday, Feb. 20 (9:00-9:30 PM ET/PT) on FOX. (FG-814) (TV-14 D, L, S, V)

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Family Guy Sneak Peeks: Are Peter & Chris in Danger?

The winter hiatus is over for ABC’s dramedy series Desperate Housewives and its companions AFV - America’s Funniest Home Videos, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition and Brothers & Sisters. Some of them returned above average and some below.

AFV - America’s Funniest Home Videos opened the evening at a 8.21 million viewers and a 2.1 rating/6 share among adults 18-49 followed by Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (9.34 million viewers; A18-49: 2.7/7) which posted gains of 14 percent in total viewers and 29 percent in the demo over its lead-in.

Desperate Housewives drew 12.10 million viewers and a 3.8/10 in adults 18-49 at 9pm. This was an increase of 4 percent in total viewers and 6 percent in the demo compared to its performance on December 12, 2010. Brothers & Sisters capped off the evening at a modest 7.97 million viewers and a 2.4/6 in adults 18-49 slipping 9 percent in total viewers and 4 percent in the demo in comparison with its previous first run on December 12, 2010. Finally, ABC came in third in both age categories.

NBC gained Sunday victory overall with Football Night in America (11.76 million viewers; A18-49: 4.1/10) and the football game between St. Louis Rams and Seattle Seahawks on NBC Sunday Night Football (15.79 million viewers; A18-49: 5.7/15). Keep in mind: Sports broadcasts are always approximate.

CBS placed second in total viewers and last among adults 18-49. Here’s the half-hour breakdown: 7pm NFL Overrun/60 Minutes (14.49 million viewers; A18-49: 3.4/9), 7:30pm 60 Minutes (12.65 million viewers; A18-49: 2.0/5), 8pm 60 Minutes/CSI: Miami (11.72 million viewers; A18-49: 2.0/5), 8:30pm CSI: Miami (10.55 million viewers; A18-49: 2.2/5), 9pm CSI: Miami/Undercover Boss (11.95 million viewers; A18-49: 2.8/7), 9:30pm Undercover Boss (11.63 million viewers; A18-49: 3.0/7), 10pm Undercover Boss/CSI: Miami (R) (9.74 million viewers; A18-49: 2.4/6) and 10:30pm CSI: Miami (R) (7.47 million viewers; A18-49: 1.8/5).

FOX closed the evening with an NFL Overrun (18.77 million viewers; A18-49: 6.7/18), The OT (10.02 million viewers; A18-49: 3.6/10) and repeats of The Simpsons (6.25 million viewers; A18-49: 2.7/7), The Cleveland Show (4.98 million viewers; A18-49: 2.2/6) and Family Guy (5.73 million viewers; A18-49: 2.7/7). At the end, FOX got last place in total viewers but second place in the demo.

TV Ratings: Strong Return for 'Desperate Housewives'

Don't know what's going on? Click here.

It's time for FOX! Will fan favorites like Dollhouse and Fringe overtake long-lived juggernauts like House and 24? Well, that's all up to you, isn't it?

Vote below, and ensure your show has a spot in the next round of the awards by spreading the word! The winner of this poll will compete on Day 3 for the "Best Show on Network TV" award. Stay posted today, though, for more chances to pick your network television favorites!

This poll will close at 2:35 EST on December 31, 2010.

[poll id="18"]

TVO Awards - Day 2 - Best Show of 2010, Round 1.2 - Best Show on FOX

Due to a blizzard, the Minnesota Vikings/Philadelphia Eagles match-up has been pushed to Tuesday. Instead NBC aired Football Night in America (4.85 million viewers; A18-49: 1.5/4) and repeats of Minute to Win It (4.34 million viewers; A18-49: 1.4/4) and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (3.76 million viewers; A18-49: 1.2/4).

CBS opened the evening with 60 Minutes (11.78 million viewers; A18-49: 1.9/6) followed by an original-installment of Undercover Boss (8.41 million viewers; A18-49: 1.8/5), which slipped to a series low in total viewers and adults 18-49, and repeats of CSI: Miami (6.86 million viewers; A18-49: 1.4/4) and The Mentalist (7.33 million viewers; A18-49: 1.5/4).

Theatrical motion picture The Sound of Music (6.24 million viewers; A18-49: 1.4/4) led ABC to third-place in total viewers but a shared fifth and last place in the demo with NBC.

FOX left Sunday night as second highest rated network in total viewers and leader in the demo airing an NFL Overrun (19.11 million viewers; A18-49: 6.4/19) and The OT (10.72 million viewers; A18-49: 3.8/11) followed by repeats of The Simpsons (6.38 million viewers; A18-49: 2.7/8), The Cleveland Show (4.86 million viewers; A18-49: 2.2/6) and Family Guy (5.29 million viewers; A18-49: 2.5/7) plus a burn-off episode of Running Wilde (3.00 million viewers; A18-49: 1.3/4).

Total viewers:

CBS (8.59 million viewers), FOX (8.23), ABC (6.24) and NBC (4.45)

Adults 18-49:

FOX (3.1 rating/9 share), CBS (1.6/5), ABC and NBC (1.4/4)

TV Ratings: 'Undercover Boss' Falls to Series Low

It’s tough to make a parody out of what was probably the least loved Star Wars movie (before the prequels came along, of course).  While I enjoyed Return of the Jedi, I didn’t find it as enjoyable as A New Hope or Empire Strikes Back.  But Family Guy had already remade the two previous Star Wars movies in their own image and so it’s not surprising that they tackled the last one.

Here’s the thing about It’s a Trap!: it’s amusing.  It’s amusing because most of Family Guy is amusing.  Yes, there are fart jokes and they usually draw some jokes out (like yet another random appearance by Conway Twitty that doesn’t make sense), but I never hate Family Guy because I can always find things to laugh at in any episode.  So yes, there are amusing things about It’s a Trap!, including a running gag about Seth Green, acknowledgement about the hairdressing skills of the ewoks and Yoda’s death scene.  Also, anything involving Stewie as Darth Vadar is actually pretty funny, as is Lois’ father imitating the Emperor and his ridiculous line “oh, I’m afraid the shield generator will be quite operational when your friends arrive”, because, seriously, that was kind of a ridiculous delivery the first time around.

The only problem with this episode is that it feels kind of short and incomplete.  I believe it’s as long as the two previous versions, but Jedi itself isn’t a solid story to begin with, and that seems to translate into the parody.

The DVD comes with a digital copy you can load onto your computer, which is a nice feature accompanying a lot of DVDs these days.  There are a few special features, including a commentary track and a featurette that looks into the animation process.  It’s nothing to phone home about, but at least they included a few features.

It’s a Trap! isn’t as enjoyable as Blue Harvest or Something, Something, Something Dark Side.  It’s the poor man’s Star Wars parody, just like Jedi is sometimes seem as the poor man’s Star Wars.  But it’s the end chapter to a story and has enough funny moments to please any Family Guy fan.

You can view a few sneak peeks from It's a Trap! here.

Family Guy: It's a Trap! Review

On Tuesday, the final Family Guy Star Wars parody will be released on DVD and Blu-ray.  Chances are it will air on FOX at a later date (perhaps as the season finale?), although no official date has been announced yet.  The success of the two previous Star Wars parodies - the second of which aired this past Sunday on FOX - guaranteed that Seth MacFarlane and company were going to parody Return of the Jedi.

Scenes from "It's a Trap!" were first shown at Comic Con in July.  I was in the audience and thought the special episode looked hilarious, as most of the other Family Guy Star Wars spoofs have been.  In mid-November we posted a lengthy promo featuring a variety of scenes from the parody.

Now MTV has two videos featuring sneak peeks of multiple scenes from the episode.  You can view them below.  Make sure to pick up your copy of "It's a Trap!" on Tuesday, December 21!

clarissa @ tvovermind.com
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Sneak Peeks: Family Guy "It's a Trap!"

Don’t blame the competition for Survivor’s lowest rated season finale ever in adults 18-49 because there was almost none. As always, Football led NBC straight to Sunday victory in both age categories...

It’s all right for you to laugh, NBC! Once again, Football made your day. First, Football Night in America averaged 11.95 million viewers and a 4.1/12 in the demo. Next was the New England Patriots/Green Bay Packers match-up on NBC Sunday Night Football which attracted 20.84 million viewers and 7.3/19, down 4.89 million viewers and 23 percent in adults 18-49 versus last week.

In the second place was CBS with its combination of 60 Minutes (21.72 million viewers; A18-49: 5.5/16), Survivor: Nicaragua (14.42 million viewers; A18-49: 4.2/11) and Survivor: Nicaragua - Reunion Show (12.17 million viewers; A18-49: 3.8/10).

While a Football overrun lifted the ratings of 60 Minutes considerably, the finale of Survivor: Nicaragua dipped by 5 percent in the demo in comparison with last year's Survivor: Samoa finale. By the way, it was the lowest rated season finale among adults 18-49 in the history of Survivor. However, the Survivor: Nicaragua - Reunion Show held relatively steady compared to last year.

FOX came in third in adults 18-49 with a triple repeat of The Simpsons (4.51 million viewers; A18-49: 1.9/5) followed by repeats of The Cleveland Show (4.37 million viewers; A18-49: 1.9/5) and a one-hour episode of Family Guy (4.91 million viewers; A18-49: 2.3/6). Last-placed ABC aired repeats of the theatrical motion pictures The Santa Clause 2 (5.96 million viewers; A18-49: 1.7/5) and The Santa Clause 3 (6.39 million viewers; A18-49: 1.9/5).

TV Ratings: Survivor Finale Falls to All Time Low