The Cleveland Show - Pilot Episode

kstublen · 07-04-09, 01:06 AM

I found a couple of websites that had the Pilot Episode of The Cleveland Show. Not sure if I am allowed to post a link, but if you search around Google you can find it very easily. If someone lets me know that I'm allowed to post a link I will, but otherwise I'll leave you all to your own devices.

My thoughts:

Obviously the family is modeled after the Griffins, but I can live with that as most television families follow a certain format in terms of composition and roles.

The supporting cast (Talking Bears, Redneck, and Short Guy that Lives with His Mom) seemed alright in the small part they played in the pilot, but time will tell whether they get old (which I suspect they will).

All in all, it wasn't as bad as I was expecting. It was a more plot-driven episode with a few non-sequiturs and flashbacks. If they stick to developing the characters and basing the stories on them, rather than relying almost exclusively on nonsensical references, this might turn out to be okay. Still, I'd rather have had more King Of The Hill than this and it does disappoint me that Seth MacFarlane has taken over the Sunday night line-up.

mcfly · 07-04-09, 03:29 AM

Where's Cleveland Jr?

slop101 · 07-04-09, 03:37 AM

Wait, this is for real? I kept hearing about it and just assumed it was a joke.

Lateralus · 07-04-09, 03:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by slop101

Wait, this is for real? I kept hearing about it and just assumed it was a joke.

I've seen quite a few commericals on Fox about this, starts in the fall apparently.

Lateralus · 07-04-09, 03:55 AM

Not very good!

Deftones · 07-04-09, 10:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lateralus

Not very good!

Apparently it is, though, because it got a second season pick up without the 1st episode even airing.

Lateralus · 07-04-09, 10:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Deftones

Apparently it is, though, because it got a second season pick up without the 1st episode even airing.

I saw that, hopefully it will pick up while it goes through the season. This had more of a story line than any episode of FG or AD so maybe it will hit a good groove.

DJariya · 07-04-09, 12:03 PM

In got a 22 episode 1st season order and already has a 13 episode 2nd season order as well.

cam16 · 07-04-09, 08:42 PM

That was terrible.

mcfly · 07-05-09, 01:49 AM

I haven't caught it yet, but is that talking bear in this? I think there was supposed to a talking bear as the human-like animal in this.

James Lafleur · 07-05-09, 04:35 AM

Oh yes, the talking bear is definitely in there.

T-900 · 07-05-09, 04:52 AM

As "The Cleveland Show" goes on, Family Guy will further degrade in terms of quality and I think we can all agree that ever since American Dad! started, the Family Guy writing stuff have either left the show for AD, or just got lazy, and I fear now with Seth juggling 3 shows at once the quality of FG will drop-off even more..

mcfly · 07-05-09, 05:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by T-900

As "The Cleveland Show" goes on, Family Guy will further degrade in terms of quality and I think we can all agree that ever since American Dad! started, the Family Guy writing stuff have either left the show for AD, or just got lazy, and I fear now with Seth juggling 3 shows at once the quality of FG will drop-off even more..

I think it's obvious the effort in Family Guy since it's return from the dead is that they just try to hard too be edgy. I love pop culture references and jokes, which is why the golden-era of Simpsons and pre-cancellation Family Guy is some of the best animation in the history of television. I don't really think the writers in American Dad! really do any better since I find that program pretty unwatchable.. I just think FG's thing is to piss off as many people as they can with pushing the limits to the max. That's fine and dandy, but it's not what the show was about beforehand.

I don't have high aspirations for The Cleveland Show since I'm sure the current batch of writers will be working on that, as well. Meh.

Bluelitespecial · 07-06-09, 02:12 PM

I saw commercial clips of this in HD, does that mean American Dad and Family Guy might be coming in HD soon?

RichC2 · 07-06-09, 02:58 PM

Potentially. I hated American Dad at first but love it now, we'll see how The Cleveland Show turns out in the long run.

Brent L · 07-06-09, 05:45 PM

After watching this pilot, I feel the exact same way I did after I watched the American Dad pilot - underwhelmed. I'm more than willing to give it a shot, give it time, however because I ended up loving AD far more than I do Family Guy.

It's way better than the abomination that is The Goode Family, although that wouldn't be too hard to accomplish IMO.

Deftones · 07-06-09, 06:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RichC2

Potentially. I hated American Dad at first but love it now, we'll see how The Cleveland Show turns out in the long run.

I didn't hate AD when it first came out, but now the quality of that show surpasses FG on a consistent basis. There's just much more to the show than there ever was with FG.

Brent L · 07-06-09, 08:59 PM

The fact that AD actually has a major plot every episode instead of a loose plot based around non sequiturs really helps AD a great deal. I was pretty let down that TCS has those non sequiturs as well. I'm perfectly fine with them in FG, I enjoy them usually, but we certainly don't need two shows in the same block with that gimmick.

Achtung · 07-06-09, 10:04 PM

Just watched the pilot. Not bad... pilots in my experience usually aren't great because they have to introduce characters while holding together some semblance of a plot. But I enjoyed this overall, even if it does feel like almost the same setup as other MacFarlane shows. As mentioned above, if they keep the non sequiturs to a minimum like on AD, it'll work.

Also, what kind of accent is that supposed to be on the bear? Is it a parody of someone else like Roger being Paul Lynde on American Dad? I know Arianna Huffington (who does the voice of the wife bear) is Greek, but that's just an unusual one I'm hearing.

bluetoast · 07-07-09, 11:25 PM

The Bear's accent reminded me of Barney from The Simpsons.

RoyalTea · 07-14-09, 12:01 AM

http://www.hulu.com/the-cleveland-show

the clips are horrendous.

anomynous · 07-14-09, 03:17 AM

One big black joke as expected

mikehunt · 07-14-09, 10:59 AM

I see they drew in stereotypical fat butts on the women

JuryDuty · 07-14-09, 11:24 AM

I've only watched the extended trailer on Hulu, but I thought it was right on par with Family Guy or The Simpsons. I doubt I'll watch it, but if those commodities are good for FOX, they're doing more of the same and will probably be successful.

mcfly · 08-01-09, 12:44 AM

I just got through the pilot. Meh. It wasn't anything special. They're doing the cutaway gags like in Family Guy - that was the only bit I laughed at. The rest of it is so cheesy.

It's also bizarre seeing Cleveland Jr. as a big fat kid now. I guess I'll watch a few eps before I pass judgment but I don't have high expectations for this.

07-04-09, 01:06 AM	#1
kstublen DVD Talk Gold Edition Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Florida Posts: 2,131	The Cleveland Show - Pilot Episode I found a couple of websites that had the Pilot Episode of The Cleveland Show. Not sure if I am allowed to post a link, but if you search around Google you can find it very easily. If someone lets me know that I'm allowed to post a link I will, but otherwise I'll leave you all to your own devices. My thoughts: Obviously the family is modeled after the Griffins, but I can live with that as most television families follow a certain format in terms of composition and roles. The supporting cast (Talking Bears, Redneck, and Short Guy that Lives with His Mom) seemed alright in the small part they played in the pilot, but time will tell whether they get old (which I suspect they will). All in all, it wasn't as bad as I was expecting. It was a more plot-driven episode with a few non-sequiturs and flashbacks. If they stick to developing the characters and basing the stories on them, rather than relying almost exclusively on nonsensical references, this might turn out to be okay. Still, I'd rather have had more King Of The Hill than this and it does disappoint me that Seth MacFarlane has taken over the Sunday night line-up. __________________ My Media Collection On Google Docs My DVD & Blu-ray Collection At DVD Aficionado Last edited by kstublen; 07-04-09 at 01:11 AM.

07-04-09, 03:29 AM	#2
mcfly DVD Talk Limited Edition Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: California Posts: 5,301	Re: The Cleveland Show - Pilot Episode Where's Cleveland Jr? __________________ My Homer is not a communist. He may be a liar, a pig, an idiot and a communist, but he is not a porn star!

07-04-09, 03:37 AM	#3
slop101 DVD Talk Legend Join Date: Mar 2001 Location: in your mind Posts: 11,926	Re: The Cleveland Show - Pilot Episode Wait, this is for real? I kept hearing about it and just assumed it was a joke.

07-04-09, 03:55 AM	#5
Lateralus DVD Talk Hall of Fame Join Date: Jun 2001 Location: Valley of Megiddo Posts: 8,337	Re: The Cleveland Show - Pilot Episode Not very good! __________________ (Lat's 2009 book list) (Lat's 2008 book list)

07-04-09, 12:03 PM	#8
DJariya DVD Talk Hall of Fame Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: La Palma, CA Posts: 8,655	Re: The Cleveland Show - Pilot Episode In got a 22 episode 1st season order and already has a 13 episode 2nd season order as well.

07-04-09, 08:42 PM	#9
cam16 Cool New Member Join Date: May 2007 Posts: 37	Re: The Cleveland Show - Pilot Episode That was terrible.

07-05-09, 01:49 AM	#10
mcfly DVD Talk Limited Edition Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: California Posts: 5,301	Re: The Cleveland Show - Pilot Episode I haven't caught it yet, but is that talking bear in this? I think there was supposed to a talking bear as the human-like animal in this. __________________ My Homer is not a communist. He may be a liar, a pig, an idiot and a communist, but he is not a porn star!

07-05-09, 04:35 AM	#11
James Lafleur Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Henderson, NV Posts: 102	Re: The Cleveland Show - Pilot Episode Oh yes, the talking bear is definitely in there.

07-05-09, 04:52 AM	#12
T-900 Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Posts: 84	Re: The Cleveland Show - Pilot Episode As "The Cleveland Show" goes on, Family Guy will further degrade in terms of quality and I think we can all agree that ever since American Dad! started, the Family Guy writing stuff have either left the show for AD, or just got lazy, and I fear now with Seth juggling 3 shows at once the quality of FG will drop-off even more..

07-06-09, 02:12 PM	#14
Bluelitespecial DVD Talk Gold Edition Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Kansas Posts: 2,527	Re: The Cleveland Show - Pilot Episode I saw commercial clips of this in HD, does that mean American Dad and Family Guy might be coming in HD soon?

07-06-09, 02:58 PM	#15
RichC2 DVD Talk Legend Join Date: May 2001 Posts: 11,164	Re: The Cleveland Show - Pilot Episode Potentially. I hated American Dad at first but love it now, we'll see how The Cleveland Show turns out in the long run. __________________ Toshiba HD-A2 / Sony Playstation 3 60gb Xbox Live Tag: Gumai / PSN Tag: Seihaku

07-06-09, 05:45 PM	#16
Brent L DVD Talk Legend Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Upstate, SC Posts: 11,104	Re: The Cleveland Show - Pilot Episode After watching this pilot, I feel the exact same way I did after I watched the American Dad pilot - underwhelmed. I'm more than willing to give it a shot, give it time, however because I ended up loving AD far more than I do Family Guy. It's way better than the abomination that is The Goode Family, although that wouldn't be too hard to accomplish IMO. __________________ "Would I rather be feared or loved? Ummm, easy, both. I want people to be afraid of how much they love me."

07-06-09, 08:59 PM	#18
Brent L DVD Talk Legend Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Upstate, SC Posts: 11,104	Re: The Cleveland Show - Pilot Episode The fact that AD actually has a major plot every episode instead of a loose plot based around non sequiturs really helps AD a great deal. I was pretty let down that TCS has those non sequiturs as well. I'm perfectly fine with them in FG, I enjoy them usually, but we certainly don't need two shows in the same block with that gimmick. __________________ "Would I rather be feared or loved? Ummm, easy, both. I want people to be afraid of how much they love me."

07-06-09, 10:04 PM	#19
Achtung DVD Talk Special Edition Join Date: Jul 2000 Posts: 1,558	Re: The Cleveland Show - Pilot Episode Just watched the pilot. Not bad... pilots in my experience usually aren't great because they have to introduce characters while holding together some semblance of a plot. But I enjoyed this overall, even if it does feel like almost the same setup as other MacFarlane shows. As mentioned above, if they keep the non sequiturs to a minimum like on AD, it'll work. Also, what kind of accent is that supposed to be on the bear? Is it a parody of someone else like Roger being Paul Lynde on American Dad? I know Arianna Huffington (who does the voice of the wife bear) is Greek, but that's just an unusual one I'm hearing. __________________ "We'll trick those race-car-lovin' wide loads into watching your lefty, homoerotic propaganda hour yet!" --Jack Donaghy

07-07-09, 11:25 PM	#20
bluetoast DVD Talk Special Edition Join Date: Mar 2006 Posts: 1,777	Re: The Cleveland Show - Pilot Episode The Bear's accent reminded me of Barney from The Simpsons. __________________ Callaction

07-14-09, 12:01 AM	#21
RoyalTea DVD Talk Limited Edition Join Date: Nov 2000 Location: frass canyon Posts: 7,200	Re: The Cleveland Show - Pilot Episode http://www.hulu.com/the-cleveland-show the clips are horrendous.

07-14-09, 03:17 AM	#22
anomynous Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: STL Posts: 199	Re: The Cleveland Show - Pilot Episode One big black joke as expected

07-14-09, 10:59 AM	#23
mikehunt DVD Talk Hero Join Date: Aug 2000 Location: Bartertown due to it having a better economy than where I really live, Buffalo NY Posts: 27,802	Re: The Cleveland Show - Pilot Episode I see they drew in stereotypical fat butts on the women __________________ http://www.ytedk.com/ Vote for freedom not political parties. .... MOΛΩN ΛABE كافر Well, maybe back to back. But I gotta tell you, I'm not 100% on this.

07-14-09, 11:24 AM	#24
JuryDuty DVD Talk Platinum Edition Join Date: Oct 1999 Location: Lost in Texas Posts: 3,894	Re: The Cleveland Show - Pilot Episode I've only watched the extended trailer on Hulu, but I thought it was right on par with Family Guy or The Simpsons. I doubt I'll watch it, but if those commodities are good for FOX, they're doing more of the same and will probably be successful. __________________ --JuryDuty Tumbling with JuryDuty.

08-01-09, 12:44 AM	#25
mcfly DVD Talk Limited Edition Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: California Posts: 5,301	Re: The Cleveland Show - Pilot Episode I just got through the pilot. Meh. It wasn't anything special. They're doing the cutaway gags like in Family Guy - that was the only bit I laughed at. The rest of it is so cheesy. It's also bizarre seeing Cleveland Jr. as a big fat kid now. I guess I'll watch a few eps before I pass judgment but I don't have high expectations for this. __________________ My Homer is not a communist. He may be a liar, a pig, an idiot and a communist, but he is not a porn star!