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 become a famous actor and he decides to take on a job as Tom Tucker's agent in order to initially achieve stardom.  In order to do that, he needs to head to Hollywood.  "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)

clarissa @ tvovermind.com
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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
twitter.com/clarissa373
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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

This year, everything comes up the hard way for Desperate Housewives. The dramedy series held its season low with adults 18-49 thanks to strong performances of Football on NBC, The Amazing Race and Undercover Boss on CBS and Family Guy and American Dad on FOX.

NBC coasted to another Sunday victory in total viewers and adults 18-49 with its combination of Football Night in America (11.93 million viewers; A18-49: 4.0/11) and the football game between Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles on NBC Sunday Night Football (23.00 million viewers; A18-49: 8.5/21). Keep in mind: Preliminary ratings for Sports broadcasts are always approximate.

CBS came in second with its mixed-up Sunday line-up as follows: NFL Overrun/60 Minutes (21.01 million viewers; A18-49: 5.7/16), 60 Minutes/the season finale of The Amazing Race (13.99 million viewers; A18-49: 3.7/9), The Amazing Race/Undercover Boss (11.00 million viewers; A18-49: 3.2/7) and Undercover Boss/CSI: Miami (10.71 million viewers; A18-49: 2.7/7).

FOX placed third, opening the evening with repeats of Running Wilde (3.54 million viewers; A18-49: 1.2/3) and The Simpsons (3.87 million viewers; A18-49: 1.7/5) followed by The Simpsons (7.31 million viewers; A18-49: 3.3/8) and an one-hour edition of Family Guy (8.02 million viewers; A18-49: 4.0/9). American Dad capped off the evening at a respectable 6.26 million viewers and a 3.1/7 in the demo, increasing 950,000 viewers and 24 percent in adults 18-49, compared to last week.

ABC got fourth and last place due to a repeat of AFV - America’s Funniest Home Videos (8.80 million viewers; A18-49: 2.2/6) and original installments of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (8.58 million viewers; A18-49: 2.4/6), Desperate Housewives (11.45 million viewers; A18-49: 3.5/8) and Brothers & Sisters (8.77 million viewers; A18-49: 2.5/6). While Brothers & Sisters was up by 1.18 million viewers and 19 percent in adults 18-49, in comparison with last week, Desperate Housewives confirmed its season low in the demo from December 5, 2010.

TV Ratings Sunday: Desperate Housewives Posts Season Low

A special one hour Christmas episode of Family Guy will be airing on Fox tonight, beginning at a special time of 8:30 p.m.  Stewie and Brian travel to the north pole so Stewie can teach Santa a lesson.  Below are a promo and four sneak peeks for the episode, along with promo photos.

STEWIE AND BRIAN WREAK HAVOC ON THE NORTH POLE ON AN ALL-NEW “FAMILY GUY” ON SUNDAY, DECEMBER 12, ON FOX

David Boreanaz (BONES), Drew Barrymore (“Going The Distance”) and Carrie Fisher (“Sorority Row”) Make Guest Voice Appearances

Stewie’s favorite thing after his teddy bear, Rupert, is Christmas. So when he hears that Santa is making an appearance at the mall, he begs Brian to take him so that he can tell Santa in person what he wants for Christmas. Brian begrudgingly takes Stewie to the mall, only to get the brush-off from Santa. As a result, Stewie and Brian travel to the North Pole to find Santa and teach him a lesson in holiday cheer in the all-new “Road to the North Pole” one-hour episode of FAMILY GUY airing Sunday, Dec. 12 (8:30-9:30 PM ET/PT) on FOX. (FG-808/809) (TV-14 D, L, S, V)

Voice Cast: Seth MacFarlane as Peter Griffin and Carter, Stewie Griffin, Brian Griffin and Quagmire; Alex Borstein as Lois Griffin and Babs; Seth Green as Chris Griffin; Mila Kunis as Meg

Guest Voice Cast: Karley Scott Collins as Abby and Little Girl; Carrie Fisher as Angela; Alec Sulkin as Belgard; Jennifer Tilly as Bonnie; Mike Henry as Bruce and Consuela; Jon Benjamin as Carl; David Boreanaz as Himself; Drew Barrymore as Jillian; Patrick Warburton as Joe

clarissa @ tvovermind.com
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FAMILY GUY: The Griffins celebrate the holidays in the special one-hour "Road To The North Pole" episode of FAMILY GUY airing Sunday, Dec. 12 (8:30-9:30 PM ET/PT) on FOX.

Family Guy Sneak Peeks: 1 Hour Christmas Episode

Back at Comic Con in July, the Family Guy panel audience members were treated to a fairly lengthy preview from the upcoming Star Wars: Return of the Jedi parody that Family Guy has put together (called "It's a Trap!").  I don't know about the rest of you, but I found the first two Family Guy Star Wars parodies to be very funny.  From what I saw of the third one, it will also have you laughing.

Fox will be releasing "It's a Trap!" on DVD on December 21.  Chances are it will air in place of a regular episode of Family Guy at some point next year, as all of the previous Star Wars parodies have.  Below is a short trailer (from Hollywood Reporter), which doesn't actually highlight most of the humor, but it's still enough to get you excited for this.

If you're a Family Guy fan, you'll want to check out this DVD on December 21.  But don't hold your breath for parodies of the Star Wars prequels.   At Comic Con Seth MacFarlane said chances are they won't be parodying the more recent Star Wars movies.  But that doesn't mean he didn't rule out other future parodies (like Indiana Jones, perhaps?).

Updated: check out the second trailer below, which is longer and includes more gags.

Family Guy - Trailer for "Return of the Jedi" Parody

Following our announcement last week that NBC will be airing Halloween episodes of several shows (including The Office and Chuck), Fox has now announced that they will also be airing special Halloween episodes of several shows, including Glee, Raising Hope, The Simpsons, The Cleveland Show, Family Guy and American Dad.

Earlier today we posted more details (including photos and trailers) of the special Glee Halloween episode based on the Rocky Horror Picture Show.  Below are several synopses of the other Fox Halloween episodes.

Tuesday, Oct. 26

GLEE (8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT) – “The Rocky Horror Glee Show”

Will (Matthew Morrison) decides to have the glee club perform “The Rocky Horror Show” for the annual school musical after learning of Emma’s (Jayma Mays) newfound love for the cult classic. Despite Sue’s (Jane Lynch) usual scheming, the members of New Directions inject their distinctive style to such timeless tracks as “The Time Warp” and “Damn It, Janet.”

RAISING HOPE (9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT) – “Happy Halloween/Family Secrets” (One-Hour Episode)

When Sabrina’s (Shannon Woodward) boyfriend can’t make it to the deli guy’s Halloween party, Jimmy (Lucas Neff) offers to put on his costume and go in his place. Virginia (Martha Plimpton) takes Maw Maw (Cloris Leachman), who is dressed as a cat, trick-or-treating while Burt (Garret Dillahunt) plots ways to play tricks on Jimmy. Meanwhile, when a box containing videos of Hope’s mother arrives from prison, Jimmy must decide whether or not to let Hope see them. Virginia explains that children need to be protected from the truth, leading Jimmy to question what exactly his parents have been keeping from him.

Sunday, Nov. 7

THE SIMPSONS (8:00-8:30 PM ET/PT) – “Treehouse of Horror XXI”

Beware of ouija boards, vampires, and unexpected guests in the 21^st annual installment of the “Treehouse of Horror.” In “War and Pieces,” the first of three spine-tingling tales, Marge (Julie Kavner), worried about the effects of excessively violent video games, encourages Bart (Nancy Cartwright) and Milhouse (Pamela Hayden) to give wholesome, classic board games a shot. The best friends discover that board games aren’t boring after all when they find themselves playing a real-life game in which they must beat all the challenges before they are allowed to return to home. The supernatural spells continue in “Tweenlight,” when Lisa (Yeardley Smith) becomes smitten with a mysterious new student, Edmund (guest voice Daniel Radcliffe), who also happens to be a vampire. When a romance blossoms, the young lovers run away to Dracula-la Land, leaving Homer (Dan Castellaneta) to come to Lisa’s rescue. In the final frightening fable, “Master and Cadaver,” Homer and Marge set sail on a romantic second honeymoon, but are interrupted when they rescue Roger (guest voice Hugh Laurie), a castaway who escaped an attempted poisoning on his ship. Convinced that Roger is sabotaging their getaway and plotting a murder of his own, Homer and Marge take matters into their own hands.

THE CLEVELAND SHOW (8:30-9:00 PM ET/PT) – “It’s The Great Pancake, Cleveland Brown”

Cleveland (Mike Henry) crushes Cleveland Jr.’s (Kevin Michael Richardson) spirit when he forbids him from trick-or-treating because he thinks he is too old. Junior reinvents himself as a “cool kid” and is invited to attend a Halloween party with Roberta (Reagan Gomez). When he gets picked on and is unhappy with his new persona, Cleveland and the gang come to Junior’s rescue and encourage his enthusiasm for the holiday.

FAMILY GUY (9:00-9:30 PM ET/PT) – “Halloween on Spooner Street”

Peter (Seth MacFarlane) and Joe (Patrick Warburton) team up to execute a series of painful and humiliating Halloween pranks on unsuspecting family, friends and neighbors. While Brian (MacFarlane) shows Stewie (MacFarlane) the ropes of trick-or-treating, Meg (Mila Kunis) sets out to attend her first high school Halloween party with high hopes for the evening.

AMERICAN DAD (9:30-10:00 PM ET/PT) – “Best Little Horror House in Langley Falls”

Stan (Seth MacFarlane) and Francine (Wendy Schaal) have had the scariest haunted house on the block for eight years running, but when one of their neighbors provides some stiff competition, Stan ups the ante with a “killer” set-up. Meanwhile, Steve (Scott Grimes) falls head over heels for his overprotective friend’s younger sister and competes to win her heart in a Halloween showdown.

clarissa @ tvovermind.com
twitter.com/clarissa373

Fox Airing Halloween Episodes of Animated Shows, Glee & Raising Hope

Apparently, there was some meat-and-potatoes content at Family Guy's Comic-Con panel, courtesy of show creator Seth MacFarlane.  MacFarlane, who voices Peter, Brian, Stewie, Quagmire, and others on the show, has become famous due to his show's off-kilter humor and occasional foray into taboo subject matter. MacFarlane even recently had a stint (as a human) in the ABC series FlashForward, and even appeared in a commercial for Hulu.

But MacFarlane was all about Family Guy at the panel, and addressed one thing pretty quickly: despite the massive successes of Star Wars parodies Blue Harvest and Something, Something, Something, Dark Side, his series of parodies will end with this December's It's a Trap!, a parody of Return of the Jedi. MacFarlane confirmed that the prequel trilogy of Star Wars, which lasted from 1999 - 2005, will not be parodied by the Griffins.

"I don't think we'll be going that route," he said. "They're just too expensive. LucasFilm has been really great to us [this far]."

According to Digital Spy, though, just because he's done with Star Wars doesn't mean he's done with the parodies in general, which have turned out to be some of the most popular aspects of Family Guy: "We may tackle Indiana Jones, but we're going to take a break [from the parodies] first."

While Indiana Jones wouldn't be my first choice for a parody (So we've got Peter as Indy. What other roles are there, really? Unless -- wait! Herbert as Short Round!), I could see it being ripe with possibility. Since Lucasfilm does the Indiana Jones flicks too, I could imagine licensing would be much easier to come by. Personally, though, I'd love to see Peter & Co. tackle Lord of the Rings.

Family Guy Won't Tackle Star Wars Prequels, Maybe Indiana Jones

Fox announced the premiere dates for its fall schedule today.  Of most note, is the inclusion of Fox's summer series The Good Guys (starring Bradley Whitford and Colin Hanks) on the fall schedule, and pairing it with Human Target on Friday nights.  Is Fox attempting to make a go of Friday nights, or just banishing shows it doesn't have any faith in?  Also, remember that many of these shows will be bumped during October because of Fox's coverage of the Major League Baseball Playoffs and World Series.  The premiere dates are as follows:

Saturday, Sept. 11

8:00-8:30 pm  Cops (Season Premiere, 800th Episode)

9:00-10:00 pm  America’s Most Wanted (Season Premiere)

Monday, Sept. 20

8:00-9:00 pm  House (Season Premiere)

9:00-10:00 pm  Lone Star (Series Premiere)

Tuesday, Sept. 21

8:00-9:00 pm  Glee (Season Premiere)

9:00-9:30 pm  Raising Hope (Series Premiere)

9:30-10:00 pm  Running Wilde (Series Premiere)

Wednesday, Sept. 22

8:00-10:00 pm  Hell’s Kitchen (Season Premiere)

Thursday, Sept. 23

8:00-9:00 pm  Bones (Season Premiere)

9:00-10:00 pm  Fringe (Season Premiere)

Friday, Sept. 24

8:00-9:00 pm  Human Target (Season Premiere)

9:00-10:00 pm  The Good Guys (Fall Premiere)

Saturday, Sept. 25

11:00 pm-12:00 mid  Lone Star (Encore Episode, Time Period Premiere)

12:00 mid-12:30 am  Running Wilde (Encore Episode, Time Period Premiere)

Sunday, Sept. 26

8:00-8:30 pm  The Simpsons (Season Premiere)

8:30-9:00 pm  The Cleveland Show (Season Premiere)

9:00-10:00 pm  Family Guy (1-Hour Season Premiere)

Sunday, Oct. 3

9:30-10:00 pm  American Dad (Season Premiere, 100th Episode)

Wednesday, Nov. 10

8:00-9:00 pm  Lie To Me (Season Premiere)

9:00-10:00 pm  Hell’s Kitchen (Time Period Premiere)

(Hat Tip: EW)

Fox's 2010 Fall Premiere Dates Announced

We've already posted a few updates about which shows will be appearing at Comic Con (check here for the latest one) and today FOX has released their official schedule, including the dates and times of panels, confirmed which shows will be appearing, and even giving us a taste of which stars will be on hand to participate.

Check out the full schedule for FOX's shows below and keep checking back for more information about the other networks.

Friday, July 23

11:00-12:00  Bob’s Burgers. Creator/Executive Producer Loren Bouchard (Home Movies) and Jim Dauterive (King of the Hill) will be on hand to introduce animation fans to their hilarious new series premiering on Fox in January 2011. There will be a screening of never-before-seen footage followed by a Q&A in Room 25ABC.

 12:00 – 1:00    Neighbors From Hell.  Executive Producers Pam Brady (South Park) and Mireille Soria (Madagascar) screen a never-before-seen episode of their newly launched TBS animated series, and take questions from the audience along with  their all-star voice cast including Molly Shannon (SNL), Patton Oswalt (My Weakness is Strong, Ratatouille), Will Sasso (MADtv), Kurtwood Smith (That ‘70s Show), David Soren (DreamWorks animation veteran), Kyle McCulloch (Mr. Wong) and Tracey Fairaway in Room 25ABC

2:00–2:45  Bones. Creator and Executive Producer Hart Hanson and Star David Boreanaz— Hart Hanson and David Boreanaz will be on hand to discuss what went down in season 5 of Bones and the cliffhanger finale as well as what’s in store for Booth and Brennan in an exciting season 6! The Q&A will take place in Ballroom 20.

3:30 – 4:30  Terra Nova.  Executive Producers Brannon Braga (24, Star Trek: Enterprise), David Fury (24, Lost) and Director Alex Graves will reveal a glimpse into the most highly anticipated epic family adventure 85 million years in the making. This new event drama slated for midseason on FOX comes from the brilliant minds of Steven Spielberg (Jurassic Park, The Pacific) and former News Corporation President and C.O.O. Peter Chernin and 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. This exclusive look behind the scenes takes place in Room 6A.

Saturday, July 24

11:00 – 11:45  Family Guy.  A freakin’ sweet discussion on all things Family Guy with Seth MacFarlane, Alex Borstein, Seth Green and more!  And don’t miss never-before-seen clips of the third Star Wars parody in Ballroom 20.

11:45 – 12:30  The Cleveland Show.  Join the cast and producers of The Cleveland Show for a sneak peek at Season Two, a live table read of one act of Cleveland’s upcoming trip to Comic-Con and an audience Q&A session featuring Seth MacFarlane, Mike Henry, Rich Appel, Sanaa Lathan, and Kevin Michael Richardson in Ballroom 20.

12:45 – 1:30  Futurama.  Join the cast and crew in celebrating Futurama's triumphant re-return to the airwaves!  World-premiere footage will offer an exciting and informative glimpse of Comic-Con in the year 3010.  Panelists include Executive Producers Matt Groening and David X. Cohen, cast members Billy West, John DiMaggio, Katey Sagal, and Maurice LaMarche, director Crystal Chesney-Thompson, writers Ken Keeler and Patric M. Verrone, and Animation Producer Claudia Katz.

1:30 – 2:15  The Simpsons.  Now entering its record-annihilating 22nd season on Fox, The Simpsons has won 25 Emmy awards, been the subject of a smash feature film in 2007, inspired an awesome ride at Universal Studios and Homer Simpson was just named the greatest television character of the last 20 years by Entertainment Weekly.  Get an insight into the daily doings of this series from Creator Matt Groening, Showrunner Al Jean, Executive Producer Matt Selman and Supervising Director Mike Anderson.

Sunday, July 25

12:30 – 1:15 American Dad.  See a never-before-seen episode of American Dad in various stages of animation followed by a Q&A session with producers Seth MacFarlane, Mike Barker & Matt Weitzman and cast members Dee Bradley Baker, Scott Grimes & Rachael MacFarlane in Ballroom 20.

1:30 – 2:30  Glee.  One year after the cast and creators of Glee came to Comic-con for the first time, the show has exploded with blockbuster ratings, number one albums and a sold-out concert tour. Get an exclusive first look at what’s in store for season 2 from executive producers Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk along with stars Chris Colfer, Amber Riley, Jenna Ushkowitz, Kevin McHale, Mark Salling, Heather Morris and Naya Rivera, as they share some never-before-seen footage, spill behind-the-scenes secrets and take questions from the crowd, in Ballroom 20.

 2:45 – 3:45  Sons of Anarchy.  FX Presents Sons of Anarchy: Comic-Con welcomes for the first time Sons of Anarchy, with series stars Charlie Hunnam, Katey Sagal and Ron Perlman, and series creator Kurt Sutter in Ballroom 20.

Fox's Official Comic Con Schedule

We don't typically have Family Guy sneak peeks to post, but FOX has released five sneak peeks for the upcoming new episode on May 9.  Check them out below.

QUAGMIRE’S IN FOR A SURPRISE ON AN ALL-NEW “FAMILY GUY”ON SUNDAY, MAY 9, ON FOX

Quagmire gets the surprise of his life on Mother’s Day, when his father starts to go through the change of his life in the all-new “Quagmire’s Dad” episode of FAMILY GUY airing Sunday, May 9 (9:00-9:30 PM ET/PT) on FOX. (FG-719) (TV-14 D, L, S, V)

Voice Cast: Seth MacFarlane as Peter Griffin, Stewie Griffin, Brian Griffin and Quagmire; Alex Borstein as Lois Griffin; Seth Green as Chris Griffin; Mila Kunis as Meg

Sneak Peeks - Familiy Guy 8.18 "Quagmire's Dad"

If you actually watch FlashForward and went "huh?" when reading the title of this post, you're not alone.  Back when FlashForward debuted with it's pilot episode there was an FBI agent who some of you might have noticed sounded an awful lot like Brian, the dog from the Family Guy.  Even fewer of you might have recognized MacFarlane in his cameo role during the pilot episode.  Well, according to MacFarlane himself, he'll be returning to FlashForward before the end of the season.

So has the Family Guy creator, and creator of other hits such as The Cleveland Show and American Dad given up on his creator status and decided to follow an acting bug?  "I didn't set out to do that," MacFarlane said. "It's something that popped up. My friend Brannon Braga is one of the co-creators, and he called me and asked if I wanted to do it, and I said, 'Sure, sounds fun. I loved the pilot script, and it's going to be a great show, so I'm happy to be involved.'"

MacFarlane also commented on his upcoming part, saying that he expected it to be about the same as in the pilot, with only a few lines of exposition.  But he did offer up one other juicy nugget of info, "I think I get shot in a few weeks," he said.

If you've been watching ABC at all in the past week then you know that FlashForward is returning on March 18 and they plan to answer quite a few pressing questions before the end of the season.  Also no surprise will be the fact that another blackout event is approaching and everyone will soon have another FlashForward, a tidbit that the ABC promos have spoiled all by themselves (hey! Isn't that our job??).  Regardless of the spoilage, there's no doubt we'll have plenty more surprises around the corner and many many more questions to get answered.

Source: SciFi Wire

Seth MacFarlane Returns to FlashForward