Down With Cleveland Brown

Back in 1971 CBS began airing a controversial sitcom about an overtly prejudiced white man, his subservient wife, feminist daughter and her hippie boyfriend. By 1975 All in the Family was at the height of it's popularity and spawned it's second spinoff, The Jeffersons, which focused on bigoted Bunker's black neighbors.

Flash forward to 1999. Fox began airing a controversial sitcom that begins the same way as the opening credits to All in the Family, with a married couple sitting at a piano. By 2009 Family Guy is at the height of it's popularity and is spawning it's second spinoff (if you count American Dad, which I do), The Cleveland Show, which focuses on idiot Peter Griffin's black neighbors. The similarities between the two sets of series doesn't end there. Both The Cleveland Show and The Jeffersons has a U.S. President's name in the title. Okay, the similarities end there.

Cleveland Brown is done with Quahog, Rhode Island, no offense Spooner Street residents. His cheating wife left him and got the house in the divorce, so Cleveland decides he needs a change of scenery. He and Cleveland Jr. (his son, not his penis) set off to California. A detour through Cleveland's hometown of Stoolbend, Virginia sidetracks those ambitions as Cleveland runs into his high school dream girl, Donna Tubbs, now a divorcee with two kids. Her teenager Roberta (Nia Long, Big Momma's House, Are We There Yet?) is the typical rebellious daughter with absent-father issues. Donna's little boy Rallo is a jive-talking clone of Stewie Griffin without the gay overtones or ambitions for world domination. In short, he's a precocious smart ass who often helps the adults see what's not obvious to them. As for Cleveland's son, the once-energetic Jr. is now lethargic and shy, an obese, friendless nerd. After Cleveland proves his love to Donna and his dedication to her kids, in Brady Bunch fashion the two families blend as Cleveland and Donna wed.

The Cleveland Show, having a different dynamic than Family Guy, is able to deal with issues differently. First there are the Brady Bunch blended family issues. Cleveland must become a father to two strong individuals who are dealing with their real father's absence. Though they resent Cleveland they appreciate his desire to make them a happy family. As a black family racial issues are likely to come up, especially since the show is set in a southern rural town. The supporting cast includes a Nordic Christian couple, who happen to be bears, voiced by Seth McFarlane and political pundit Arianna Huffington. There's also a racist redneck named Lester and a hipster wannabe named Holt, basically taking the roles of Joe, Peter and Quagmire as Cleveland's drinking buddies. Where as Quahog has the Drunken Clam, Stoolbend has The Broken Stool. Many scenes occur in this bar where the male characters (including the Christian Nordic bear) go to work out their problems. Unfortunately it seems Cleveland in taking on his own series has transformed somewhat, becoming more like Peter Griffin. The Cleveland of this show is dumber and more incessantly gleeful, perhaps allowing him to get into zanier situations than the Family Guy version of himself, who always seemed to be the backup punchline if the episode ran heavy on Meg jokes. The Cleveland Show is part of FOX's 'Animation Domination' Sunday. It airs at 8:30, after The Simpsons, before Family Guy. You can also watch episodes on hulu.com.