If there was ever an animated series that should have been saved from cancellation, it had to be “Family Guy.” Being a person who has always felt that any form of support for political correctness was for the ‘intellectually challenged,’ “Family Guy” consistently struck me as one of the funniest of the prime time animated series. It combined the rapid-fire editing of the “Simpsons” with the taboo humor of “South Park” and delivered a constant barrage of laughs. No topic was too controversial, no joke to perverse. Just to give you an example… the first episodes of the third season alone, “The Thin White Line”, poked fun at drug abuse, pregnant teenagers, people in wheelchairs and Charles Manson. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. I mean really, isn’t kind of funny to sneak into a pregnant teen center and put all of girl’s hands into bowls of water while they’re sleeping? Well… uhh… isn’t it?

“Family Guy,” unfortunately succumbed to low ratings after its third season of being pushed around to different time slots and constant preemptions. Basically, it got the same type of treatment from Fox that eventually killed “Futurama.”

On the brighter side, Fox did finally make a good decision in releasing “Family Guy” on to the DVD market. They had previously released “Volume 1”, which included the 1st and 2nd seasons and “Volume 2”, which had the third and final season.

After the release of that 2nd volume, “Family Guy” fans such as myself figured we had seen the last of Peter Griffin, his wife Lois and his three adorable children, Meg, Chris and little Stewie. But then something wonderful happened. The sales of these DVD sets were astronomical and somehow convinced the ‘suits’ at Fox that there was an opportunity to make even more money off of the Griffin family. So, in an unprecedented move, the studio decided to bring back the previously cancelled show, much to the delight of audiences everywhere.

“Family Guy,” re-premiered in May of 2005, and immediately made fun of the studios decision to cancel it in the first place. The very first scene shows Peter standing in front of his family and talking about how long of a summer it had been, but goes on to say how wonderful it was to have sooo many terrific shows to watch. He then proceeds to name off every failed series that Fox had aired in their time slot since the cancellation.

This new season brought with it the opportunity to see just how much more offensive it could get without being edited. I can hardly begin to describe some of the best (worst?) of the jokes, but if you think it is impossible to get any more offensive than playing “Catch the Greased-Up Deaf Guy”, you couldn’t be more wrong.
In the aftermath of the re-premiere of “Family Guy,” we’re also finding that we have an all-new “Volume 4” DVD set to get our grubby little hands on. (Volume 3 came out a few months back.) It contains all 14 of the episodes from the second half of the show’s 4th season’. and just as "The Simpsons" has big stars fighting to do voiceover work, this handful of episodes includes 'appearances' from the likes of Robert Downey Jr., Charles Durning, Frank Sinatra Jr., Wallace Shawn, Carrie Fisher, Will Sasso, Bob Barker, Sherman Helmsley, Marion Ross, Tom Bosley, Paula Abdul, Jay Leno, Carol Channing, Bob Costas, Pat Sajak, Alex Trebek, Carrot Top, Bryan Cranston, Adam Carolla, Betty White, and Michael Clarke Duncan.

But while this new set may have fewer episodes than some of the previous sets, there are still a ton of extra features, every bit as funny as the series itself. Every single episode has commentary with Seth McFarlane, who is joined on and off by just about everyone who ever had anything to do with the series. The commentaries are informative, but even more important… they're entertaining. The jokes fly fast and furious between this group of highly talented people.

There are also multi angle comparisons for scenes from four of the episodes, which give you the opportunity to see how the original storyboards looked. Plus you'll find a 14 minute behind the scenes featurette that allows McFarlane and some of his other directors to show us how an animation director does his job, a short visit with artist Peter Shin who shows us how to draw Stewie, and a look at the "Family Guy" offices as actor Adam West is given a tour. Additionally there are about 43 deleted scenes from the season and some animatics that can be accessed from your DVD-Rom. Not bad for a 'cancelled' series.

“Family Guy” is not for everyone, but it should be. We live in an age of ridiculously defended political correctness where people are afraid to make fun of anything. This show is refreshing in its gleeful attempts to tick off everyone on the planet. I honestly don’t think I’ve ever laughed so hard and so long at the expense of others. And to prove that it is directed at the intellectuals amongst us, what other show can give you MC Escher, Music Man, and Kool-Aid commercial references? Only the best and the brightest will catch them all.

Episodes:
PTV
Brian Goes Back to College
The Courtship of Stewie's Father
The Fat Guy Strangler
The Father, The Son and The Holy Fonz
Brian Sings and Swings
Patriot Games
I Take Thee Quagmire
Sibling Rivalry
Deep Throats
Peterotica
You May Now Kiss the… Uh… Guy Who Receives
Petergeist
The Griffin Family History

Starring (the voices of): Seth MacFarlane, Alex Borstein, Mila Kunis, Seth Green
Extras: Commentaries on Every Episode by Series Creator Seth McFarlane, Producers, Directors, Writers and Cast Members, Multi-Angle Scene Studies, Deleted Scenes, A Director's Life - Debunking the Myth Featurette, Peter Shin Draws Stewie Featurette, Behind the Scenes - A Glimpse Into The Family Guy, Optional Censored Track on 5 Episodes
Specifications: Full Screen, Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound
Studio: 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
Release Date: 11/14/2006
Region 1
MPAA Rating: NR
Website

We'll give Family Guy: Volume 4 an A.