The Cleveland Show
Encyclopedia
The Cleveland Show is an American
animated television series
that premiered on September 27, 2009, as a part of the "Animation Domination" lineup on Fox
in the United States. The series was created by Seth MacFarlane
, Mike Henry, and Richard Appel
as a spin-off
from Family Guy
, which was also created by MacFarlane.
The family was conceived by MacFarlane after developing two animated series, Family Guy
and American Dad!
. MacFarlane took the Family Guy character Cleveland
and his son Cleveland, Jr.
but redesigned Junior. MacFarlane and Henry pitched a 22-minute pilot to Fox which aired on September 27, 2009 but had been leaked on the internet in June 2009. Even before the pilot episode premiered, the show had already been renewed for a 22-episode second season. After the first season of the show aired, it was given the green light to start production. Shortly after the second season ended in 2011, Fox renewed the series for a third season and a fourth season was announced later that year.
The show's family centers around father Cleveland Brown, who was a featured character on Family Guy
. His son Cleveland, Jr. was also on Family Guy
(although for this show he was given a redesign to become older, softly-spoken and obese). Three new characters were added to fill out the Brown/Tubbs family.
Since its debut, The Cleveland Show has received mixed reviews from media critics. Reviewers have criticized its similarities to MacFarlane's other shows, Family Guy
and American Dad!
, and the crass and crude content of its humor. The Parents Television Council
named six of the program's first season episodes as the worst TV shows of the week. The show's first season received a viewership of approximately six million, and it was nominated for an award at the 36th People's Choice Awards
as well as a nomination at the 63rd Primetime Emmy Awards
.
and his son, Cleveland Brown, Jr.
, move from the fictional town of Quahog, Rhode Island
to the fictional town of Stoolbend, Virginia
.
In the closing scene of the season seven Family Guy episode "Baby Not on Board
", Cleveland mentions to Glenn Quagmire
that he is getting a spin-off. On the DVD version, Quagmire says "fuck
" six times when the two of them are still watching a demonstration of DirecTV
.
The theme song originally contained a line referring to Cleveland's "happy black-guy face", but this was replaced with "happy mustached face" to make the song more racially sensitive.
); Donna's teenage daughter Roberta (originally voiced by Nia Long
, but now voiced by Reagan Gomez-Preston
); and Donna's five year-old son Rallo (also voiced by Mike Henry). Cleveland, Jr. underwent a complete redesign for the show, becoming sensitive, soft-spoken and obese. The children may have been designed to be similar to the Griffin kids from Family Guy (a teenage daughter/Meg
, an obese son/Chris
, and a troublemaking infant or toddler/Stewie
).
and Rallo. The voice of Cleveland was developed originally for Family Guy
by Henry after being influenced by one of his best friends who had a very distinct regional accent. For the voice of Rallo, Henry has stated that he had originally created the voice over twenty years ago, when he had made a series of prank calls. In addition, Henry provides the voice of various recurring and one-time characters.
Sanaa Lathan
voices Donna, the wife of Cleveland. In developing the character, Lathan said that the producers "wanted her to be educated, but to have some edge." Prior to voicing Donna, Lathan had only one other voice credit in a relatively low budget film entitled The Golden Blaze
. In addition to the show, she also primarily worked as an actress in such films as Alien vs. Predator
, Love & Basketball and The Family That Preys
.
Reagan Gomez-Preston
plays Roberta, the stepdaughter of Cleveland. Gomez has stated that she uses her own voice to portray Roberta, and that she herself gets mistaken to be a fifteen year old over the phone "all the time." Before Gomez was cast as Roberta, Nia Long
had provided the character's voice during the first production season, before leaving to fulfill prior acting commitments.
Kevin Michael Richardson
, a recurring guest voice on Family Guy, portrays Cleveland, Jr.
, as well as Cleveland's next door neighbor Lester Krinklesac. In portraying Cleveland, Jr., Richardson drew inspiration from a character named Patrick that he had played on the NBC
drama series ER
who was mentally impaired and wore a football helmet. For Lester, Richardson stated in an interview that being African American, he had "run into a few rednecks in [his] time," and decided to simply perform a stereotypical redneck impression for the voice of Lester.
Jason Sudeikis
plays Holt Richter, one of Cleveland's drinking buddies and Terry Kimple, one of Cleveland's longtime friends who now works with him at Waterman Cable. Sudeikis originally began as a recurring cast member, but starting with the episode "Harder, Better, Faster, Browner", he was promoted to a series regular.
Seth MacFarlane
plays Tim the Bear, which MacFarlane admits is a "Steve Martin
impression [...] a Wild and Crazy Guy impression".
Other voices include that of Arianna Huffington
as Tim's wife Arianna the Bear, Nat Faxon
as Tim and Arianna's son Raymond the Bear, Jamie Kennedy
as Roberta's boyfriend Gabriel Friedman, a.k.a. "Federline Jones", Will Forte
as Principal Wally, Frances Callier
as Evelyn "Cookie" Brown, Craig Robinson as LeVar "Freight Train" Brown and David Lynch
as Gus the bartender.
for a second season, consisting of 13 episodes, bringing the total number to 35 episodes. The announcement was made on May 3, 2009, before the first season even premiered. Due to strong ratings FOX picked up the back 9 episodes of season 2 which would make a 22 episode season and bring the total episode count of the show to 44.
On June 10, 2010, Fox ordered a third season of The Cleveland Show, even before airing season 2, as a plan of early renewals to deserving new shows. The Cleveland Show was the highest rated new half hour show in the 18–34 demographics.
On May 9, 2011, It was announced that FOX had picked up the show for a third and fourth season.
and American Dad!
). Review aggregator Metacritic
gave the show a score of 57 out of 100, with a user score of 3.4/10, suggesting "mixed or average reviews". Tom Shales
of The Washington Post
spoke very negatively about both the show and MacFarlane himself, describing him as "no better than the dirty old man hanging around playgrounds with naughty pictures or risque jokes as lures". Roberto Bianco of USA Today
wrote a similarly negative review, suggesting that the easiest fix for its problem was "cancellation". John McWhorter
of The New Republic
called it "a patronizing mess" and "basically Family Guy in blackface". He added: "What isn't black in it is so shamelessly ripped off from Family Guy that it's hard to believe it's the product of creators who are usually so studiously 'post-' obvious stunts of the sort." However, Rob Owen
of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
was more positive about
the program, writing that although The Cleveland Show was "just as rude-crude" as Family Guy, it also had "more warmth" due to Cleveland being a more likeable character than Peter Griffin. Owen also praised the character of Tim the Bear, stating that "Tim is by far the most amusing creation".
The conservative Parents Television Council
has given The Cleveland Show a "red light" designation in the organization's Family Guide to Prime Time Television, for sexual and violent content, and for foul language. "True to form, this Family Guy spin-off is every bit as soul-sucking, nihilistic, infantile, and crass as its predecessor—the only difference being, this serving of filth airs a half-hour earlier, so even more kiddies can tune in!" the PTC stated in deeming the pilot episode
its "Worst TV Show of the Week". Five other Season 1 episodes—including several repeat broadcasts—were named "Worst TV Show of the Week".
The show has a 5.5 out of 10 ("mediocre") on TV.com
.
picked up ABC
's The Goode Family
and Fox's Sit Down, Shut Up, and also showed interest in picking up repeats of The Cleveland Show at the time.
Recently, The Turner Broadcasting System
has made a deal to syndicate The Cleveland Show's reruns on TBS
and Adult Swim
. The show is expected to air on Adult Swim at least during 2013.
The Cleveland Show also broadcasts in the United Kingdom on E4, in Ireland on 3e
, in Brazil on FX
at 10:30 pm Sunday. It premiered on FOX Portugal June 5, 2010, airing two episodes at night. Also in Russia The Cleveland Show has been broadcasting on 2x2
since September 2, 2010, two episodes previously premiered on regular "2x2 Night of Animation" in "Oktyabr cinema on May 14, 2010.
but lost out to Glee. In 2011, the show was nominated for "Outstanding Animated Program" at the 63rd Primetime Emmy Awards
.
Television in the United States
Television is one of the major mass media of the United States. Ninety-nine percent of American households have at least one television and the majority of households have more than one...
animated television series
Cartoon series
A cartoon series is a set of regularly presented animated television programs with a common series title, usually related to one another. These episodes typically share the same characters and a basic theme...
that premiered on September 27, 2009, as a part of the "Animation Domination" lineup on Fox
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
in the United States. The series was created by Seth MacFarlane
Seth MacFarlane
Seth Woodbury MacFarlane is an American animator, writer, comedian, producer, actor, singer, voice actor, and director best known for creating the animated sitcoms Family Guy, American Dad! and The Cleveland Show, for which he also voices many of the shows' various characters.A native of Kent,...
, Mike Henry, and Richard Appel
Richard Appel
Richard "Rich" Appel is an American writer, producer and former attorney. Growing up in Wilmette, Illinois, Appel developed a love of comedy and dreamt of a career as a comedy writer; he attended Harvard University and wrote for the Harvard Lampoon. Following in his mother's footsteps Appel...
as a spin-off
Spin-off (media)
In media, a spin-off is a radio program, television program, video game, or any narrative work, derived from one or more already existing works, that focuses, in particular, in more detail on one aspect of that original work...
from Family Guy
Family Guy
Family Guy is an American animated television series created by Seth MacFarlane for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series centers on the Griffins, a dysfunctional family consisting of parents Peter and Lois; their children Meg, Chris, and Stewie; and their anthropomorphic pet dog Brian...
, which was also created by MacFarlane.
The family was conceived by MacFarlane after developing two animated series, Family Guy
Family Guy
Family Guy is an American animated television series created by Seth MacFarlane for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series centers on the Griffins, a dysfunctional family consisting of parents Peter and Lois; their children Meg, Chris, and Stewie; and their anthropomorphic pet dog Brian...
and American Dad!
American Dad!
American Dad! is an American animated television series created by Seth MacFarlane and owned by Underdog Productions and Fuzzy Door Productions. It is produced in association with 20th Century Fox Television...
. MacFarlane took the Family Guy character Cleveland
Cleveland Brown
Cleveland Orenthal Brown is a character from the animated television series Family Guy, and its spin-off series The Cleveland Show. He is voiced by Mike Henry. In the first seven seasons of Family Guy, Brown is a frequently recurring character. As one of Peter Griffin's neighbors and friends,...
and his son Cleveland, Jr.
Cleveland Brown, Jr.
Cleveland Raj Rerun Dwayne Brown is a character from the animated television series Family Guy, and its spin-off series The Cleveland Show. He is the son of Cleveland Brown and his late ex-wife Loretta...
but redesigned Junior. MacFarlane and Henry pitched a 22-minute pilot to Fox which aired on September 27, 2009 but had been leaked on the internet in June 2009. Even before the pilot episode premiered, the show had already been renewed for a 22-episode second season. After the first season of the show aired, it was given the green light to start production. Shortly after the second season ended in 2011, Fox renewed the series for a third season and a fourth season was announced later that year.
The show's family centers around father Cleveland Brown, who was a featured character on Family Guy
Family Guy
Family Guy is an American animated television series created by Seth MacFarlane for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series centers on the Griffins, a dysfunctional family consisting of parents Peter and Lois; their children Meg, Chris, and Stewie; and their anthropomorphic pet dog Brian...
. His son Cleveland, Jr. was also on Family Guy
Family Guy
Family Guy is an American animated television series created by Seth MacFarlane for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series centers on the Griffins, a dysfunctional family consisting of parents Peter and Lois; their children Meg, Chris, and Stewie; and their anthropomorphic pet dog Brian...
(although for this show he was given a redesign to become older, softly-spoken and obese). Three new characters were added to fill out the Brown/Tubbs family.
Since its debut, The Cleveland Show has received mixed reviews from media critics. Reviewers have criticized its similarities to MacFarlane's other shows, Family Guy
Family Guy
Family Guy is an American animated television series created by Seth MacFarlane for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series centers on the Griffins, a dysfunctional family consisting of parents Peter and Lois; their children Meg, Chris, and Stewie; and their anthropomorphic pet dog Brian...
and American Dad!
American Dad!
American Dad! is an American animated television series created by Seth MacFarlane and owned by Underdog Productions and Fuzzy Door Productions. It is produced in association with 20th Century Fox Television...
, and the crass and crude content of its humor. The Parents Television Council
Parents Television Council
The Parents Television Council is a U.S. based advocacy group founded by conservative activist L. Brent Bozell III in 1995 using the National Legion of Decency as a model...
named six of the program's first season episodes as the worst TV shows of the week. The show's first season received a viewership of approximately six million, and it was nominated for an award at the 36th People's Choice Awards
36th People's Choice Awards
The 36th People's Choice Awards, honoring the best in popular culture for 2009, was held on January 6, 2010 at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles, California, and was broadcasted on CBS. Not all of the awards were presented on air during the show, as many including Favorite Movie were left out...
as well as a nomination at the 63rd Primetime Emmy Awards
63rd Primetime Emmy Awards
The 63rd Annual Primetime Emmy Awards, honoring the best in primetime television programming from June 1, 2010 until May 31, 2011, was held on September 18, 2011, at the Nokia Theatre in Downtown Los Angeles, California. Fox televised the ceremony within the United States. Actress Jane Lynch hosted...
.
Production
In the beginning of the series, Cleveland BrownCleveland Brown
Cleveland Orenthal Brown is a character from the animated television series Family Guy, and its spin-off series The Cleveland Show. He is voiced by Mike Henry. In the first seven seasons of Family Guy, Brown is a frequently recurring character. As one of Peter Griffin's neighbors and friends,...
and his son, Cleveland Brown, Jr.
Cleveland Brown, Jr.
Cleveland Raj Rerun Dwayne Brown is a character from the animated television series Family Guy, and its spin-off series The Cleveland Show. He is the son of Cleveland Brown and his late ex-wife Loretta...
, move from the fictional town of Quahog, Rhode Island
Rhode Island
The state of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, more commonly referred to as Rhode Island , is a state in the New England region of the United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area...
to the fictional town of Stoolbend, Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
.
In the closing scene of the season seven Family Guy episode "Baby Not on Board
Baby Not on Board
"Baby Not on Board" is the fourth episode of the seventh season of the animated television series Family Guy. It premiered on Fox in the United States on November 2, 2008. The episode features Stewie after he is accidentally left at home when the Griffins head for the Grand Canyon. The family soon...
", Cleveland mentions to Glenn Quagmire
Glenn Quagmire
Glenn Quagmire, often referred to as just Quagmire, is a character from the animated television series Family Guy. Quagmire is a neighbor and friend of the Griffin family. He is best known for his hypersexuality...
that he is getting a spin-off. On the DVD version, Quagmire says "fuck
Fuck
"Fuck" is an English word that is generally considered obscene which, in its most literal meaning, refers to the act of sexual intercourse. By extension it may be used to negatively characterize anything that can be dismissed, disdained, defiled, or destroyed."Fuck" can be used as a verb, adverb,...
" six times when the two of them are still watching a demonstration of DirecTV
DirecTV
DirecTV is an American direct broadcast satellite service provider and broadcaster based in El Segundo, California. Its satellite service, launched on June 17, 1994, transmits digital satellite television and audio to households in the United States, Latin America, and the Anglophone Caribbean. ...
.
The theme song originally contained a line referring to Cleveland's "happy black-guy face", but this was replaced with "happy mustached face" to make the song more racially sensitive.
Characters
Cleveland's newly introduced family includes his new wife in her early forties, Donna Tubbs Brown (voiced by Sanaa LathanSanaa Lathan
Sanaa McCoy Lathan is an American actress and voice actress. She has starred in numerous movies, including the box-office hits Love & Basketball, Alien vs. Predator, Something New, and The Family That Preys. Lathan was nominated for a Tony Award for her performance on Broadway in A Raisin in the Sun...
); Donna's teenage daughter Roberta (originally voiced by Nia Long
Nia Long
Nia Talita Long is an American actress and occasional music video director. She is best known for her roles in the television series The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and Third Watch, and the films Boiler Room, Soul Food, Love Jones, The Best Man, Big Momma's House, Big Momma's House 2, Are We There...
, but now voiced by Reagan Gomez-Preston
Reagan Gomez-Preston
Reagan Gomez-Preston is an American actress.-Early life:Gomez-Preston was born in Detroit to a Puerto Rican mother, Cheryl Gomez, and an African-American father, Bennett Preston. She has a younger brother named Kyle....
); and Donna's five year-old son Rallo (also voiced by Mike Henry). Cleveland, Jr. underwent a complete redesign for the show, becoming sensitive, soft-spoken and obese. The children may have been designed to be similar to the Griffin kids from Family Guy (a teenage daughter/Meg
Meg Griffin
Meg Griffin is a character from the animated television series Family Guy. She is the eldest child of Lois and Peter and elder sister of Chris and Stewie. Meg is considered as the black sheep of the series due to the lack of attention she receives....
, an obese son/Chris
Chris Griffin
Chris Griffin is a character from the animated television series Family Guy. He is the son and middle child of Peter and Lois Griffin, brother of Stewie and Meg Griffin. Chris is voiced by Seth Green.-Personality:...
, and a troublemaking infant or toddler/Stewie
Stewie Griffin
Stewie Griffin is a fictional character from the animated television series Family Guy. Once obsessed with world domination and matricide, Stewie is the youngest child of Peter and Lois Griffin, and the brother of Chris and Meg....
).
Cast
The Cleveland Show has four main voice actors and two additional voice actors, some of which play several roles. Mike Henry voices two of the show's main characters, ClevelandCleveland Brown
Cleveland Orenthal Brown is a character from the animated television series Family Guy, and its spin-off series The Cleveland Show. He is voiced by Mike Henry. In the first seven seasons of Family Guy, Brown is a frequently recurring character. As one of Peter Griffin's neighbors and friends,...
and Rallo. The voice of Cleveland was developed originally for Family Guy
Family Guy
Family Guy is an American animated television series created by Seth MacFarlane for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series centers on the Griffins, a dysfunctional family consisting of parents Peter and Lois; their children Meg, Chris, and Stewie; and their anthropomorphic pet dog Brian...
by Henry after being influenced by one of his best friends who had a very distinct regional accent. For the voice of Rallo, Henry has stated that he had originally created the voice over twenty years ago, when he had made a series of prank calls. In addition, Henry provides the voice of various recurring and one-time characters.
Sanaa Lathan
Sanaa Lathan
Sanaa McCoy Lathan is an American actress and voice actress. She has starred in numerous movies, including the box-office hits Love & Basketball, Alien vs. Predator, Something New, and The Family That Preys. Lathan was nominated for a Tony Award for her performance on Broadway in A Raisin in the Sun...
voices Donna, the wife of Cleveland. In developing the character, Lathan said that the producers "wanted her to be educated, but to have some edge." Prior to voicing Donna, Lathan had only one other voice credit in a relatively low budget film entitled The Golden Blaze
The Golden Blaze
The Golden Blaze is an animated film released in 2005 written by Archie Gips and directed by Bryon E. Carson. The feature, starring the voices of Blair Underwood and Michael Clarke Duncan, had a limited theatrical run making it the first flash animation ever to be theatrically released, and is...
. In addition to the show, she also primarily worked as an actress in such films as Alien vs. Predator
Alien vs. Predator
Aliens vs. Predator, also known as Alien vs. Predator and Aliens versus Predator , is a science fiction-horror fiction series spanning several media. The series is a crossover between two film franchises about extraterrestrial beings: the Aliens and the Predators...
, Love & Basketball and The Family That Preys
The Family That Preys
The Family That Preys is a 2008 American drama written, produced and directed by Tyler Perry. The screenplay, focuses on two families, one wealthy and the other working class, whose lives are intertwined in both love and business....
.
Reagan Gomez-Preston
Reagan Gomez-Preston
Reagan Gomez-Preston is an American actress.-Early life:Gomez-Preston was born in Detroit to a Puerto Rican mother, Cheryl Gomez, and an African-American father, Bennett Preston. She has a younger brother named Kyle....
plays Roberta, the stepdaughter of Cleveland. Gomez has stated that she uses her own voice to portray Roberta, and that she herself gets mistaken to be a fifteen year old over the phone "all the time." Before Gomez was cast as Roberta, Nia Long
Nia Long
Nia Talita Long is an American actress and occasional music video director. She is best known for her roles in the television series The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and Third Watch, and the films Boiler Room, Soul Food, Love Jones, The Best Man, Big Momma's House, Big Momma's House 2, Are We There...
had provided the character's voice during the first production season, before leaving to fulfill prior acting commitments.
Kevin Michael Richardson
Kevin Michael Richardson
Kevin Michael Richardson is an American actor and voice actor who currently stars as Cleveland Brown, Jr. in The Cleveland Show...
, a recurring guest voice on Family Guy, portrays Cleveland, Jr.
Cleveland Brown, Jr.
Cleveland Raj Rerun Dwayne Brown is a character from the animated television series Family Guy, and its spin-off series The Cleveland Show. He is the son of Cleveland Brown and his late ex-wife Loretta...
, as well as Cleveland's next door neighbor Lester Krinklesac. In portraying Cleveland, Jr., Richardson drew inspiration from a character named Patrick that he had played on the NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
drama series ER
ER (TV series)
ER is an American medical drama television series created by novelist Michael Crichton that aired on NBC from September 19, 1994 to April 2, 2009. It was produced by Constant c Productions and Amblin Entertainment, in association with Warner Bros. Television...
who was mentally impaired and wore a football helmet. For Lester, Richardson stated in an interview that being African American, he had "run into a few rednecks in [his] time," and decided to simply perform a stereotypical redneck impression for the voice of Lester.
Jason Sudeikis
Jason Sudeikis
Daniel Jason Sudeikis is an American actor and comedian currently starring as a cast member on Saturday Night Live.-Early life:Sudeikis was born Daniel Jason Sudeikis in Fairfax, Virginia, the son of Kathryn , a travel agent who was president of the American Society of Travel Agents, and Dan...
plays Holt Richter, one of Cleveland's drinking buddies and Terry Kimple, one of Cleveland's longtime friends who now works with him at Waterman Cable. Sudeikis originally began as a recurring cast member, but starting with the episode "Harder, Better, Faster, Browner", he was promoted to a series regular.
Seth MacFarlane
Seth MacFarlane
Seth Woodbury MacFarlane is an American animator, writer, comedian, producer, actor, singer, voice actor, and director best known for creating the animated sitcoms Family Guy, American Dad! and The Cleveland Show, for which he also voices many of the shows' various characters.A native of Kent,...
plays Tim the Bear, which MacFarlane admits is a "Steve Martin
Steve Martin
Stephen Glenn "Steve" Martin is an American actor, comedian, writer, playwright, producer, musician and composer....
impression [...] a Wild and Crazy Guy impression".
Other voices include that of Arianna Huffington
Arianna Huffington
Arianna Huffington is a Greek American author and syndicated columnist. She is best known as co-founder of the news website The Huffington Post. A popular conservative commentator in the mid-1990s, she adopted more liberal political beliefs in the late 1990s...
as Tim's wife Arianna the Bear, Nat Faxon
Nat Faxon
-Life and career:Faxon is a graduate of Holderness School and Hamilton College, he is best known for his appearances in comedic films such as Orange County , Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story , and several Broken Lizard films including Beerfest...
as Tim and Arianna's son Raymond the Bear, Jamie Kennedy
Jamie Kennedy
James Harvey "Jamie" Kennedy is an American comedian, rapper, and actor.-Early life:Kennedy, the youngest of six children, was born in Upper Darby Township, a suburb of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His family is of Irish descent and he was raised Roman Catholic. He attended and graduated from...
as Roberta's boyfriend Gabriel Friedman, a.k.a. "Federline Jones", Will Forte
Will Forte
Orville Willis Forte IV, better known as Will Forte , is an American actor, voice actor, comedian and writer best known as a cast member on Saturday Night Live from 2002–2010 and for starring in the SNL spin-off film MacGruber.-Early life:Forte was born in Alameda County, California, the son of...
as Principal Wally, Frances Callier
Frances Callier
Eleanor Frances Callier , better known as Frances Callier, is an American actress and comedian. Her television credits include According to Jim, My Name Is Earl, Frasier, and Curb Your Enthusiasm...
as Evelyn "Cookie" Brown, Craig Robinson as LeVar "Freight Train" Brown and David Lynch
David Lynch
David Keith Lynch is an American filmmaker, television director, visual artist, musician and occasional actor. Known for his surrealist films, he has developed his own unique cinematic style, which has been dubbed "Lynchian", and which is characterized by its dream imagery and meticulous sound...
as Gus the bartender.
| Main cast members | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mike Henry | Sanaa Lathan Sanaa Lathan Sanaa McCoy Lathan is an American actress and voice actress. She has starred in numerous movies, including the box-office hits Love & Basketball, Alien vs. Predator, Something New, and The Family That Preys. Lathan was nominated for a Tony Award for her performance on Broadway in A Raisin in the Sun... |
Reagan Gomez-Preston Reagan Gomez-Preston Reagan Gomez-Preston is an American actress.-Early life:Gomez-Preston was born in Detroit to a Puerto Rican mother, Cheryl Gomez, and an African-American father, Bennett Preston. She has a younger brother named Kyle.... |
Kevin Michael Richardson Kevin Michael Richardson Kevin Michael Richardson is an American actor and voice actor who currently stars as Cleveland Brown, Jr. in The Cleveland Show... |
Jason Sudeikis Jason Sudeikis Daniel Jason Sudeikis is an American actor and comedian currently starring as a cast member on Saturday Night Live.-Early life:Sudeikis was born Daniel Jason Sudeikis in Fairfax, Virginia, the son of Kathryn , a travel agent who was president of the American Society of Travel Agents, and Dan... |
Seth MacFarlane Seth MacFarlane Seth Woodbury MacFarlane is an American animator, writer, comedian, producer, actor, singer, voice actor, and director best known for creating the animated sitcoms Family Guy, American Dad! and The Cleveland Show, for which he also voices many of the shows' various characters.A native of Kent,... |
| Cleveland Brown Cleveland Brown Cleveland Orenthal Brown is a character from the animated television series Family Guy, and its spin-off series The Cleveland Show. He is voiced by Mike Henry. In the first seven seasons of Family Guy, Brown is a frequently recurring character. As one of Peter Griffin's neighbors and friends,... and Rallo Tubbs |
Donna Tubbs | Roberta Tubbs | Cleveland Brown, Jr. Cleveland Brown, Jr. Cleveland Raj Rerun Dwayne Brown is a character from the animated television series Family Guy, and its spin-off series The Cleveland Show. He is the son of Cleveland Brown and his late ex-wife Loretta... and Lester Krinklesac |
Holt Richter and Terry Kimple |
Tim the Bear |
Episodes
The show, which was picked up to air a first season consisting of 22 episodes, was picked up by FoxFox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
for a second season, consisting of 13 episodes, bringing the total number to 35 episodes. The announcement was made on May 3, 2009, before the first season even premiered. Due to strong ratings FOX picked up the back 9 episodes of season 2 which would make a 22 episode season and bring the total episode count of the show to 44.
On June 10, 2010, Fox ordered a third season of The Cleveland Show, even before airing season 2, as a plan of early renewals to deserving new shows. The Cleveland Show was the highest rated new half hour show in the 18–34 demographics.
On May 9, 2011, It was announced that FOX had picked up the show for a third and fourth season.
Critical reception
The Cleveland Show has received mainly mixed reviews, the weakest among MacFarlane shows (the others being Family GuyFamily Guy
Family Guy is an American animated television series created by Seth MacFarlane for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series centers on the Griffins, a dysfunctional family consisting of parents Peter and Lois; their children Meg, Chris, and Stewie; and their anthropomorphic pet dog Brian...
and American Dad!
American Dad!
American Dad! is an American animated television series created by Seth MacFarlane and owned by Underdog Productions and Fuzzy Door Productions. It is produced in association with 20th Century Fox Television...
). Review aggregator Metacritic
Metacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
gave the show a score of 57 out of 100, with a user score of 3.4/10, suggesting "mixed or average reviews". Tom Shales
Tom Shales
Thomas William "Tom" Shales is an American critic of television programming and operations. He is best known as TV critic for The Washington Post; in 1988, Shales received the Pulitzer Prize...
of The Washington Post
The Washington Post
The Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
spoke very negatively about both the show and MacFarlane himself, describing him as "no better than the dirty old man hanging around playgrounds with naughty pictures or risque jokes as lures". Roberto Bianco of USA Today
USA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
wrote a similarly negative review, suggesting that the easiest fix for its problem was "cancellation". John McWhorter
John McWhorter
John Hamilton McWhorter V is an American linguist and political commentator. He is the author of a number of books on language and on race relations. His linguistic specialty is creole and the process through which it forms.-Early life:...
of The New Republic
The New Republic
The magazine has also published two articles concerning income inequality, largely criticizing conservative economists for their attempts to deny the existence or negative effect increasing income inequality is having on the United States...
called it "a patronizing mess" and "basically Family Guy in blackface". He added: "What isn't black in it is so shamelessly ripped off from Family Guy that it's hard to believe it's the product of creators who are usually so studiously 'post-' obvious stunts of the sort." However, Rob Owen
Rob Owen (journalist)
Rob Owen is an American journalist and newspaper editor.- Columnist and editor :Owen's career included stints as a radio and television columnist at the Albany Times Union in Albany, New York. He was also a features writer at the Richmond Times-Dispatch in Richmond, Virginia...
of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, also known simply as the "PG," is the largest daily newspaper serving metropolitan Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.-Early history:...
was more positive about
the program, writing that although The Cleveland Show was "just as rude-crude" as Family Guy, it also had "more warmth" due to Cleveland being a more likeable character than Peter Griffin. Owen also praised the character of Tim the Bear, stating that "Tim is by far the most amusing creation".
The conservative Parents Television Council
Parents Television Council
The Parents Television Council is a U.S. based advocacy group founded by conservative activist L. Brent Bozell III in 1995 using the National Legion of Decency as a model...
has given The Cleveland Show a "red light" designation in the organization's Family Guide to Prime Time Television, for sexual and violent content, and for foul language. "True to form, this Family Guy spin-off is every bit as soul-sucking, nihilistic, infantile, and crass as its predecessor—the only difference being, this serving of filth airs a half-hour earlier, so even more kiddies can tune in!" the PTC stated in deeming the pilot episode
Pilot (The Cleveland Show)
"Pilot" is the first episode of the first season of the animated comedy series The Cleveland Show. Directed by Anthony Lioi and written by series creators Seth MacFarlane, Mike Henry and Richard Appel, the episode originally aired on Fox in the United States on September 27, 2009...
its "Worst TV Show of the Week". Five other Season 1 episodes—including several repeat broadcasts—were named "Worst TV Show of the Week".
The show has a 5.5 out of 10 ("mediocre") on TV.com
TV.com
TV.com is a website owned by CBS Interactive. The site covers television and focuses on English-language shows made or broadcast in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland and Japan...
.
Syndication
Comedy CentralComedy Central
Comedy Central is an American cable television and satellite television channel that carries comedy programming, both original and syndicated....
picked up ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
's The Goode Family
The Goode Family
The Goode Family is an American animated sitcom, which originally aired on ABC from May 27, 2009 to August 7, 2009. The series was created by Mike Judge and follows the life of an environmentally responsible, albeit obsessive, family...
and Fox's Sit Down, Shut Up, and also showed interest in picking up repeats of The Cleveland Show at the time.
Recently, The Turner Broadcasting System
Turner Broadcasting System
Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. is the Time Warner subsidiary managing the collection of cable networks and properties started and acquired by Robert Edward "Ted" Turner starting in the mid-1970s. The company has its headquarters in the CNN Center in Atlanta, Georgia. TBS, Inc...
has made a deal to syndicate The Cleveland Show's reruns on TBS
TBS (TV channel)
TBS , stylized in the logo as tbs, is an American cable television channel owned by Time Warner that shows a variety of programming, with a focus on comedy. TBS was originally known as WTCG, a UHF terrestrial television station that broadcast from Atlanta, Georgia, during the late 1970s...
and Adult Swim
Adult Swim
Adult Swim is an adult-oriented Cable network that shares channel space with Cartoon Network from 9:00 pm until 6:00 am ET/PT in the United States, and broadcasts in countries such as Australia and New Zealand...
. The show is expected to air on Adult Swim at least during 2013.
The Cleveland Show also broadcasts in the United Kingdom on E4, in Ireland on 3e
3E
3E or 3-E may refer to:*3e, general entertainment channel operated in Ireland*3rd meridian east*Third edition in the Editions of Dungeons & Dragons*NY 3E, alternate name for New York State Route 104*OK-3E, abbreviation for Oklahoma State Highway 3...
, in Brazil on FX
FX Latin America
FX Latin America is a cable television channel and is the Latin American version of the popular American television network FX. The channel does not share the same logo as its American counterpart. FX Latin America is intended as a counterpart to Fox Life, the first being produced for the male...
at 10:30 pm Sunday. It premiered on FOX Portugal June 5, 2010, airing two episodes at night. Also in Russia The Cleveland Show has been broadcasting on 2x2
2x2 (TV channel)
2×2 is Russia's oldest private entertainment TV channel. Since 2007 it specializes in animated series.-History:Founded in 1989 and first aired on September 27, 1990, 2×2 became the first commercial television in the Soviet Union....
since September 2, 2010, two episodes previously premiered on regular "2x2 Night of Animation" in "Oktyabr cinema on May 14, 2010.
Awards and honors
The show was nominated for Best New TV Comedy at the 36th People's Choice Awards36th People's Choice Awards
The 36th People's Choice Awards, honoring the best in popular culture for 2009, was held on January 6, 2010 at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles, California, and was broadcasted on CBS. Not all of the awards were presented on air during the show, as many including Favorite Movie were left out...
but lost out to Glee. In 2011, the show was nominated for "Outstanding Animated Program" at the 63rd Primetime Emmy Awards
63rd Primetime Emmy Awards
The 63rd Annual Primetime Emmy Awards, honoring the best in primetime television programming from June 1, 2010 until May 31, 2011, was held on September 18, 2011, at the Nokia Theatre in Downtown Los Angeles, California. Fox televised the ceremony within the United States. Actress Jane Lynch hosted...
.
Television ratings
| Season | Season premiere | Season finale | TV season | Ranking | Viewers (in millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | September 27, 2009 | May 23, 2010 | 2009–2010 | #72 | 6.38 |
| 2nd | September 26, 2010 | May 15, 2011 | 2010–2011 | #85 | 6.09 |
| 3rd | September 25, 2011 | Spring 2012 | 2011–2012 | TBA | TBA |
Worldwide release
| Country | Network | Premiere Date |
|---|---|---|
| Fox Fox Broadcasting Company Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the... |
September 27, 2009 | |
| Global Global Television Network Global Television Network is an English language privately owned television network in Canada, owned by Calgary-based Shaw Communications, as part of its Shaw Media division... |
September 27, 2009 | |
| Network Ten Network Ten Network Ten , is one of Australia's three major commercial television networks. Owned-and-operated stations can be found in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth, while affiliates extend the network to cover most of the country... Eleven Eleven (TV channel) Eleven is an Australian free-to-air standard definition digital television channel, which was launched by ElevenCo, on 11 January 2011.-Joint venture:... FOX8 FOX8 Fox8 is an Australian cable and satellite channel available on Foxtel, Austar and Optus Television's subscription platforms... |
December 2, 2009–January 12, 2011 January 12, 2011–present March 13, 2011–present |
|
| |
E4 FX FX (UK) FX is a television channel in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland, owned by Fox, launched in 12 January 2004. It was originally branded as FX289 in reference to its Sky EPG number. It was rebranded to FX in May 2005 as the channel moved in the Sky EPG.FX targets a demographic between 25... |
February 1, 2010 – present January 6, 2011 – present |
| FX Latin America FX Latin America FX Latin America is a cable television channel and is the Latin American version of the popular American television network FX. The channel does not share the same logo as its American counterpart. FX Latin America is intended as a counterpart to Fox Life, the first being produced for the male... |
April 25, 2010 | |
| FX Latin America FX Latin America FX Latin America is a cable television channel and is the Latin American version of the popular American television network FX. The channel does not share the same logo as its American counterpart. FX Latin America is intended as a counterpart to Fox Life, the first being produced for the male... |
April 25, 2010 | |
| 3e 3E 3E or 3-E may refer to:*3e, general entertainment channel operated in Ireland*3rd meridian east*Third edition in the Editions of Dungeons & Dragons*NY 3E, alternate name for New York State Route 104*OK-3E, abbreviation for Oklahoma State Highway 3... |
February 21, 2010 | |
| |
FOX Portugal | June 5, 2010 |
| TV 2 Zulu TV 2 Zulu TV 2 Zulu is a Danish television station which started broadcasting on 15 October 2000. It is primarily aimed at viewers between 15 and 30 years of age.... |
June 23, 2010 | |
| Yes Comedy | July 2, 2010 | |
| FX GR FX (Greece) FX Greece is a television network, launched by the Fox International Channels, which launched on 31 December 2009 and is currently available to the subscribers of Conn-x TV and NOVA Greece.... |
March 2010 | |
| Comedy Central Comedy Central Comedy Central is an American cable television and satellite television channel that carries comedy programming, both original and syndicated.... |
July 7, 2010 | |
| 2x2 2x2 (TV channel) 2×2 is Russia's oldest private entertainment TV channel. Since 2007 it specializes in animated series.-History:Founded in 1989 and first aired on September 27, 1990, 2×2 became the first commercial television in the Soviet Union.... |
September 2, 2010 | |
| FOX Fox (Italy) Fox is an Italian Entertainment TV channel, owned and produced by Fox International Channels Italy and broadcast in Italy by Sky Italia on Channel 111. Timeshifts of the channel are available at channel 112 and 113... ITALIA 2 Italia 2 Italia 2 is a Italian television channel, owned and operated by Mediaset. It was founded and started to broadcast on 2011. Italia 2 currently broadcasts in Italian.-External links:*... |
September 7, 2010 | |
| FOX Fox Espana Fox España is a Spanish television channel owned by Fox International. The channel broadcasts American imports with both Spanish and English audio soundtracks... Neox Antena.neox Neox is a Spanish television channel run by Antena 3 de Televisión.Generally, the channel shows children's programming during the morning and late afternoon, extreme sports and motoring during the day, and films and series during the night... |
July 19, 2010 | |
| TV2 | August 13, 2010 | |
| Comedy Central Comedy Central Comedy Central is an American cable television and satellite television channel that carries comedy programming, both original and syndicated.... |
September 12, 2010 | |
| C4 Four Four (New Zealand TV channel) Four is a television station operating in New Zealand and owned by MediaWorks New Zealand. The channel launched 6 February 2011 at 6pm. The channel broadcasts on channel frequencies previously used by C4 with some shows previously screened on TV3 and C4 now screening on... |
February 4, 2010 February 10, 2011 |
|
| Jack TV Jack TV Jack TV is a Philippine cable TV network owned by Solar Entertainment Corporation, test launched on May 2005, officially debuting on July 12, 2005. It offers Western comedy, animation, sports entertainment, drama series and reality shows, such as Cartoon Network, USA Network, The CW, MyNetworkTV,... |
October 2010 | |
| Vuzu Vuzu Vuzu is a South African youth-oriented television channel produced by M-Net for sister pay television platform DStv.-History:The channel launched in mid 2009, replacing the popular M-Net channel, Go. This occurred during the second phase of the network's reshuffle of its youth channel offering... |
November 29, 2010 | |
| Monte Carlo TV | December 18, 2010 | |
| Kanal 5 (Sweden) Kanal 5 (Sweden) Kanal 5 is a Swedish commercial television channel established in 1989. It is owned by the media corporation ProSiebenSat.1 Media.After a troublesome 1990s, Kanal 5 launched new strategies in the early 2000s that established it as a popular entertainment channel targeting young people... |
January 3, 2011 | |
| Prima Cool Prima Cool Prima Cool is a Czech private television station.Prima Cool is second channel of TV Prima. Cool is a man- and young-oriented station.Prima Cool launched on 1 April 2009 as new digital channel of TV Prima. It can be tuned in Czech DVB-T multiplex 2, where is free to air... |
February 5, 2011 | |
| FOX Poland Fox (Poland) Fox is a Polish TV channel which broadcasts mainly American series produced by 20th Century Fox Television. Fox HD was launched on November 6, 2010 at 20:00. Since that day it has been available in two DTH platforms: n and Cyfrowy Polsat... |
February 16, 2011 | |
| France Ô France Ô France Ô is a French public television network featuring programming from the French overseas departments and collectivities in Metropolitan France. It is part of the France Télévisions group... |
April 8, 2011 | |
| TV6 (Estonia) TV6 (Estonia) TV6 Estonia is an entertainment television channel broadcasting to Estonia featuring series, music, fashion and sports. It was launched on 24 March 2008, as all of the current channels are obliged to have digital sister channels at the end of March 2008. On 9 January 2010 TV6 Estonia left... |
June 1, 2011 | |
| TV6 Latvia | December 1, 2010 | |
| FX | July, 2011 |
DVD releases
| DVD name | The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
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