PTV (Family Guy)

"PTV"
"Hi there, i'm Peter Griffin, and you're watching PTV, where you get to watch your favorite shows as nature intended them."
Series: Family Guy Part of Season: 4 Episode Number: 14 Air Date: November 6, 2005 Writer: Alec Sulkin Wellesley Wild Director: Dan Povenmire Previous episode: Jungle Love Next episode: Brian Goes Back to College

PTV is the fourteenth episode of the fourth season of Family Guy.

Plot

A "trouser malfunction" on live-broadcast TV at the Emmys prompts the FCC to censor even mildly objectionable content on TV. Outraged, Peter and Brian create their own TV station "PTV", filled with all-around obscene programming. When the FCC picks up on this due to Lois' call, they shut down the channel.

Why It Rocks

1. This episode is good satire on the FCC and their censorship on shows.
2. The plot is very unique with Peter and his friends starting to make their own television channel after the FCC censored the shows.
3. The second half with the FCC censoring all the indecent things that all the other characters do is also pretty creative.
4. The FCC song sung brilliantly by Peter, Brian, and Stewie.
5. The characters are still likable and act like their usual selves.
6. Has a lot of clever references such as the opening where Stewie rides his tricycle through various movies and even has him chasing Homer Simpson near the end.
7. Several funny scenes such as Peter Griffin trying to get away from the FCC with a jet pack but failing.
8. Rather than using the regular Family Guy intro, the intro spoofs the opening to The Naked Gun, with Stewie fighting Arabs and riding home on his tricycle a la the police car POV opening credits, including a cameo from Homer Simpson.

Bad Qualities

1. A few weak or offensive jokes such as the All in the Family cutaway and Peter babysitting cutaway gag.
2. The beginning of the episode, with the filming of a terrorist video, is an early example of Family Guy's tendency to drag out jokes way too long.
3. The first act plot line of Lois forcing Peter to attend Meg's high school play instead of watching the Emmys is not only weak, but also doesn't work in real life as:
   1. Barring delays, most Emmy ceremonies take place in September just before the start of the new TV season, while most high school theatrical productions would not be ready for performances at that point (the school year is just starting, and it would take some time for students to remember their lines and sets and costumes to be made);
   2. Most schools wouldn't have a performance of a play/musical performed by its students on an evening before class (if a play is performed on Sunday, it is usually a Sunday matinee).
4. The second act (in particular, the FCC song) can come to some people as Seth MacFarlane having an ego trip over Family Guy being rescued after a second cancellation thanks to Adult Swim and DVD sales, with him doing offensive stuff without having to worry about the show being pulled off the air again.

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