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PTV (Family Guy)
Encyclopedia
"PTV" is the fourteenth episode of season four of the FOX
animated series Family Guy
. The episode sees the FCC
censor the shows on television after a controversial wardrobe malfunction
at the Emmy Award
s. Peter
starts to create his own TV network
which he calls PTV, broadcasting classic shows unedited and uncut, as well as original programming. PTV is a big success and Stewie
and Brian
join him creating shows for the network. Lois
calls the FCC to close PTV as she is concerned over the issue of how children will be influenced by Peter's programming. Not only do the FCC close down the network, but they also start censoring the citizens of Quahog, so the Griffin family
travel to Washington, D.C.
and convince the Congress
to have the FCC's rules reversed.
The episode was written by Alec Sulkin
and Wellesley Wild
and was directed by Dan Povenmire
. The episode is a response to the FCC's measures to the Super Bowl XXXVIII halftime show controversy
. Show creator Seth MacFarlane
commented that the episode's plot was inspired by the rage of the Family Guy crew towards the strict rules that the FCC made after the controversy. The episode contains a sequence of various scenes from different previous episodes. Many of the scenes were cut from the episodes they were originally made for owing to Fox's international censors. With a Nielsen rating
of 4.4, "PTV" was the nineteenth most-watched episode of the week in which it was broadcast. The episode gained mostly positive responses from critics, and received a Primetime Emmy Award
nomination for Outstanding Animated Program (for Programming Less Than One Hour)
as well as an Annie Award
nomination for directing.
from sending a hostile message to the United States
, Stewie
, parodying the opening scene for The Naked Gun, rides off on his tricycle, cycling through scenes from various movies and video games. He eventually arrives at his house and bikes into the garage where he runs over Homer Simpson
, then Peter
comes through the door, greets Stewie, looks down on the floor, and wonders, "Who the hell is that?"
Peter wakes up Lois
by noisily installing a red carpet in his bedroom, anticipating watching the Emmy Awards, but Lois forces him to go to Meg's
school play
. The next day, Peter learns about David Hyde Pierce
's wardrobe malfunction
at the Emmys and gets angry at Lois for missing the Emmy Awards and not being able to see it. Having received many letters (or, what they believe to be many) from many concerning citizens of the incident, The FCC
decides to censor
television
under the orders of their straightforward chairman, Cobra Commander
. Enraged by the FCC's actions, Peter decides to start his own TV network
, which he calls PTV, on which he broadcasts classic shows unedited and uncut, as well as original programming, such as Midnight Q
, Dogs Humping
and The Peter Griffin Side-Boob Hour.
PTV becomes a huge success, and Brian
and Stewie, impressed by the hits, join in to help Peter expand his television programming, as well as performing their own show "Cheeky Bastard" sitcom on PTV. Lois is furious about everyone's lust for perverted TV, as she is concerned over the issue of how children will be influenced by his programming. Brian compromises this by stating that parents themselves are the ones who should take full responsibility over what children are watching on TV and that there are many other bad influences besides TV. Regardless of that, Lois calls the FCC to have PTV shut down. This prompts Peter, Brian, and Stewie to perform an elaborate musical number about how insane the FCC's regulations are. Despite being impressed with the song, the FCC shuts down PTV. When Peter tells the FCC's representatives that they cannot control people from being who they are or how they live, they decide to take on the challenge.
The FCC start to censor any foul language and inappropriate behavior in Quahog, ruining their times of privacy; for instance, a black "censor's bar" is pulled over Peter's genitals by FCC employees after he leaves the shower, all expletives are overdubbed with an air horn, and audible farts are banned in public. Everyone in Quahog is angered by this, except for Lois, who approves of the FCC's actions, believing that everyone in Quahog needs a lesson in decency. However, she realizes that the FCC's presence puts their sex life to a stop after they prevent her and Peter from having any real sex even if no one is watching, Peter angrily blames her, thus causing her to become regretful for letting this happen. They lobby Congress
to have the FCC's rulings reversed. At first they disagree due to their strong support of the FCC, but they relent when Peter angrily retorts by making them realize the resemblance of many Washington
buildings to various private parts and any other body parts associating with it, such as the Capitol Building
to a breast
. The oppression of the FCC is finally gone, Lois congratulates Peter for beating the FCC on its tracks, and the family settles down to watch an uncensored episode of The Brady Bunch
that features bathroom jokes.
of Family Guy. The episode was written by Alec Sulkin
and Wellesley Wild
. Patrick Meighan
, John Viener, Cherry Chevapravatdumrong
, Tom Devanney
and Kirker Butler
acted as staff writers in the episode. The episode was shown in the William S. Paley
TV Fest. The plot of "PTV" is a parody of the FCC's measures after Janet Jackson's incident in the Super Bowl XXXVIII halftime show controversy
. In an interview MacFarlane was asked where the inspiration to the episode’s plot came from, in his response he commented that "In the case of 'PTV' it came out of rage. Rage over all the crap we have to deal with since Janet Jackson showed her 67 year old boob."
The episode was directed by Dan Povenmire
, while Peter Shin
contributed as supervising director. Various scenes in "PTV" were taken out of the episode due to Fox's international censors. As the writers worked on the episode the producers ended up, as the Chicago Tribune
describes it, "horse trading
" with FOX, removing a body-part reference in exchange for a dirty word. While the writing staff of the show was disappointed with the number of scenes that were removed from the episode, they were happy with the final result. The opening sequence, of which Family Guys creator Seth MacFarlane
was particularly proud, was added into the episode after the producers discovered the episode ran three minutes short. The episode contained a montage which showcased the most bawdy moments of the previous seasons; Povenmire recalled the sequence; about it he stated that "I just found those off the DVD and digitized them and edited them in. Basically because I didn't want to draw all those things! I found the most disgusting images from the first three seasons. And we actually got network notes on two of them saying, 'You're gonna have to cut that!' And I went, 'This has been on the air! And I'm only showing 8 frames of it!' And it turns out we cut them now when they're on the air. So apropos for the FCC episode."
"PTV" along with the thirteenth other episodes from Family Guys fourth season, was released on a three-disc DVD set in the United States in Europe and Australia on November 16, 2006, April 24, 2006 and May 29, 2006 respectively. The DVDs included brief audio commentaries by Seth MacFarlane, various crew and cast members from several episodes a collection of deleted scenes, a special mini-feature that shows director Peter Shin drawing Stewie. The episode was shown in the William S. Paley TV Fest, which various writers, directors and voice actors of the show assisted to.
All the main Family Guy cast members lent their voices to the episode, along with semi-regulars Lori Alan
, Patrick Warburton
, Adam West
, John G. Brennan
, Ralph Garman
, Gary Cole
and Phil LaMarr
. Staff writers Chris Sheridan and John Viener also had a minor speaking roles. Guest appearances included voice actors Keith Ferguson
and Fred Tatasciore
, actors Hunter Gomez
, Wally Wingert
and actress Stacey Scowley
. Like most episodes, the music in the episode was composed by Walter Murphy
, including the song titled "The Freaking FCC". The music was edited by Ron Jones
.
on the "government's ever-increasing reach into our living rooms" by Television Watch
executive director Jim Dyke. The opening sequence in which Stewie beats up Middle-Eastern leaders and then bikes his tricycle through various movie and game scenes is a reference to the opening sequence of The Naked Gun
series of films. The movies from which animated scenes are shown are The Wizard of Oz
, Ben-Hur
, The Shining
, Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back
, and The Sound of Music
. Actual footage of the game Doom was also used.
The FCC censors various television shows, such as Ralph Kramden's threats of physical violence in The Honeymooners
, two-thirds of Dick Van Dyke
's name in The Dick Van Dyke Show
, Archie Bunker
and wife Edith dressed as Ku Klux Klan
members from All in the Family
, The Waltons
and Chrissy Snow
's bikini in a Three's Company
commercial. Former Frasier
cast member David Hyde Pierce, was briefly mentioned in the episode. The extreme reaction of the FCC to Pierce's incident is a parody of the FCC's reaction to Janet Jackson
's "wardrobe malfunction" during Super Bowl XXXVIII
. Bob Hope
, Wile E. Coyote, Ozzy Osbourne
, Cobra Commander
, Apache Chief
, George W. Bush
and Homer Simpson
made appearances in cutaway gags. Terrorist Osama bin Laden
was depicted prominently in the opening sequence.
of 4.4, making it the nineteenth most watched program in the week of October 31 to November 6.
The episode was positively received by critics. Maureen Ryan of the Chicago Tribune called "PTV" "Family Guys most rebellious outing yet". TV Squad critic Ryan Budke considered "PTV" his favorite episode ever. Jacqueline Cutler of The Star-Ledger
called "PTV" " the funniest, most sardonic half-hour on TV in a while." While exclusively airing the sixth season of Family Guy for British audiences, BBC Three
aired this episode as part of the Family Guy 100th Anniversary special, declaring it to be "The Best Episode...So Far". The Hartford Courant, however, gave it a largely negative review, stating it was "not even funny for a second". MacFarlane revealed in an interview that the crew received a letter of inquiry from the U.S. regulatory board regarding the episode, much to his surprise "they actually thought it was funny". The 59th Primetime Emmy Awards
opened with Stewie and Brian singing about the upcoming TV season using the tune from "The FCC Song", originating from this episode. The altered version of the song contained references to shows such as Scrubs
, Two and a Half Men
and Cavemen
.
"PTV" received a Primetime Emmy Award
nomination in the Outstanding Animated Program (for Programming Less Than One Hour)
category. Povenmire was nominated for an Annie Award
for Directing in an Animated Television Production, but lost the award to Peter Shin
, who directed the Family Guy episode "North by North Quahog
". On June 1, 2007, the FCC song was voted second on The Paley Center for Media special "TV's Funniest Moments", behind The Chris Rock Show
segment "Black Progress". The song was also voted sixth on IGN
's list of Family Guys "Top 10 Musical Moments", IGN stated "if there's a song that perfectly resonates what Family Guy is all about, then this is it".
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...
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...
. The episode sees the FCC
Federal Communications Commission
The Federal Communications Commission is an independent agency of the United States government, created, Congressional statute , and with the majority of its commissioners appointed by the current President. The FCC works towards six goals in the areas of broadband, competition, the spectrum, the...
censor the shows on television after a controversial wardrobe malfunction
Wardrobe malfunction
A wardrobe malfunction is a euphemism for accidental exposure of intimate parts. It is different from flashing, as the latter implies a deliberate exposure...
at the Emmy Award
Emmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
s. Peter
Peter Griffin
Peter Griffin is a fictional character and the protagonist of the animated comedy series Family Guy and the patriarch of the Griffin family. He is voiced by cartoonist Seth MacFarlane and first appeared on television, along with the rest of the family in the 15-minute short on December 20, 1998....
starts to create his own TV network
Television network
A television network is a telecommunications network for distribution of television program content, whereby a central operation provides programming to many television stations or pay TV providers. Until the mid-1980s, television programming in most countries of the world was dominated by a small...
which he calls PTV, broadcasting classic shows unedited and uncut, as well as original programming. PTV is a big success and 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....
and Brian
Brian Griffin
Brian Griffin is a character from the animated television series Family Guy. He is voiced by Seth MacFarlane and first appeared on television, along with the rest of the family, in a 15-minute short on December 20, 1998. Brian was created and designed by MacFarlane himself...
join him creating shows for the network. Lois
Lois Griffin
Lois Griffin is a character from the animated television series Family Guy. She is voiced by writer Alex Borstein and first appeared on television, along with the rest of the family in the 15-minute short on December 20, 1998. Lois was created and designed by series creator Seth MacFarlane...
calls the FCC to close PTV as she is concerned over the issue of how children will be influenced by Peter's programming. Not only do the FCC close down the network, but they also start censoring the citizens of Quahog, so the Griffin family
Griffin family
The Griffin family is a family from the animated television series Family Guy. The Griffins are a nuclear family consisting of the married couple Peter and Lois, their three children Meg, Chris, and Stewie, and their dog Brian. They live at 31 Spooner Street in the fictional town of Quahog, Rhode...
travel to Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
and convince the Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
to have the FCC's rules reversed.
The episode was written by Alec Sulkin
Alec Sulkin
Alec Sulkin is an American television writer. Most notable for writing and producing several episodes of the animated series Family Guy, he has also contributed to The Cleveland Show, another series by Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane....
and Wellesley Wild
Wellesley Wild
Wellesley Wild is an American animation writer. He is best known for writing and producing several episodes of the animated series Family Guy. He is currently co-executive producer and an occasional voice actor for the show....
and was directed by Dan Povenmire
Dan Povenmire
Daniel Kingsley "Dan" Povenmire is an American television director, writer, producer, storyboard artist, and actor associated with several animated television series, best known as the co-creator of the Disney animated series Phineas and Ferb in which he also voices the show's villain, Heinz...
. The episode is a response to the FCC's measures to the Super Bowl XXXVIII halftime show controversy
Super Bowl XXXVIII halftime show controversy
Super Bowl XXXVIII, which was broadcast live on February 1, 2004 from Houston, Texas on the CBS television network in the United States, was noted for a controversial halftime show in which Janet Jackson's breast, adorned with a nipple shield, was exposed by Justin Timberlake for about half a...
. Show creator 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,...
commented that the episode's plot was inspired by the rage of the Family Guy crew towards the strict rules that the FCC made after the controversy. The episode contains a sequence of various scenes from different previous episodes. Many of the scenes were cut from the episodes they were originally made for owing to Fox's international censors. With a Nielsen rating
Nielsen Ratings
Nielsen ratings are the audience measurement systems developed by Nielsen Media Research, in an effort to determine the audience size and composition of television programming in the United States...
of 4.4, "PTV" was the nineteenth most-watched episode of the week in which it was broadcast. The episode gained mostly positive responses from critics, and received a Primetime Emmy Award
Primetime Emmy Award
The Primetime Emmy Awards are awards presented by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences in recognition of excellence in American primetime television programming...
nomination for Outstanding Animated Program (for Programming Less Than One Hour)
Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program (For Programming less than One Hour)
The Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program is a Creative Arts Emmy Award which is given annually to an animated series which is judged to have been the best...
as well as an Annie Award
Annie Award
The Annie Awards have been presented by the Los Angeles, California branch of the International Animated Film Association, ASIFA-Hollywood since 1972...
nomination for directing.
Plot
In a lengthy sequence completely unconnected to the main plot of the episode, after preventing Osama bin LadenOsama bin Laden
Osama bin Mohammed bin Awad bin Laden was the founder of the militant Islamist organization Al-Qaeda, the jihadist organization responsible for the September 11 attacks on the United States and numerous other mass-casualty attacks against civilian and military targets...
from sending a hostile message to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, 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....
, parodying the opening scene for The Naked Gun, rides off on his tricycle, cycling through scenes from various movies and video games. He eventually arrives at his house and bikes into the garage where he runs over Homer Simpson
Homer Simpson
Homer Jay Simpson is a fictional character in the animated television series The Simpsons and the patriarch of the eponymous family. He is voiced by Dan Castellaneta and first appeared on television, along with the rest of his family, in The Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" on April 19, 1987...
, then Peter
Peter Griffin
Peter Griffin is a fictional character and the protagonist of the animated comedy series Family Guy and the patriarch of the Griffin family. He is voiced by cartoonist Seth MacFarlane and first appeared on television, along with the rest of the family in the 15-minute short on December 20, 1998....
comes through the door, greets Stewie, looks down on the floor, and wonders, "Who the hell is that?"
Peter wakes up Lois
Lois Griffin
Lois Griffin is a character from the animated television series Family Guy. She is voiced by writer Alex Borstein and first appeared on television, along with the rest of the family in the 15-minute short on December 20, 1998. Lois was created and designed by series creator Seth MacFarlane...
by noisily installing a red carpet in his bedroom, anticipating watching the Emmy Awards, but Lois forces him to go to Meg's
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....
school play
Play (theatre)
A play is a form of literature written by a playwright, usually consisting of scripted dialogue between characters, intended for theatrical performance rather than just reading. There are rare dramatists, notably George Bernard Shaw, who have had little preference whether their plays were performed...
. The next day, Peter learns about David Hyde Pierce
David Hyde Pierce
David Hyde Pierce is an American actor and comedian best known for playing psychiatrist Dr. Niles Crane on the NBC sitcom Frasier, for which he received many accolades including four Emmy Awards for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series.-Early life:Pierce, the youngest of four siblings,...
's wardrobe malfunction
Wardrobe malfunction
A wardrobe malfunction is a euphemism for accidental exposure of intimate parts. It is different from flashing, as the latter implies a deliberate exposure...
at the Emmys and gets angry at Lois for missing the Emmy Awards and not being able to see it. Having received many letters (or, what they believe to be many) from many concerning citizens of the incident, The FCC
Federal Communications Commission
The Federal Communications Commission is an independent agency of the United States government, created, Congressional statute , and with the majority of its commissioners appointed by the current President. The FCC works towards six goals in the areas of broadband, competition, the spectrum, the...
decides to censor
Censorship
thumb|[[Book burning]] following the [[1973 Chilean coup d'état|1973 coup]] that installed the [[Military government of Chile |Pinochet regime]] in Chile...
television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
under the orders of their straightforward chairman, Cobra Commander
Cobra Commander
Cobra Commander is a fictional character from the G.I. Joe franchise. He appears in the toyline, animated series , comic books, video games, and movie as the usual principal antagonist. He is the supreme leader of the terrorist organization Cobra, and archnemesis of the Joes...
. Enraged by the FCC's actions, Peter decides to start his own TV network
Television network
A television network is a telecommunications network for distribution of television program content, whereby a central operation provides programming to many television stations or pay TV providers. Until the mid-1980s, television programming in most countries of the world was dominated by a small...
, which he calls PTV, on which he broadcasts classic shows unedited and uncut, as well as original programming, such as Midnight Q
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...
, Dogs Humping
Sexual intercourse
Sexual intercourse, also known as copulation or coitus, commonly refers to the act in which a male's penis enters a female's vagina for the purposes of sexual pleasure or reproduction. The entities may be of opposite sexes, or they may be hermaphroditic, as is the case with snails...
and The Peter Griffin Side-Boob Hour.
PTV becomes a huge success, and Brian
Brian Griffin
Brian Griffin is a character from the animated television series Family Guy. He is voiced by Seth MacFarlane and first appeared on television, along with the rest of the family, in a 15-minute short on December 20, 1998. Brian was created and designed by MacFarlane himself...
and Stewie, impressed by the hits, join in to help Peter expand his television programming, as well as performing their own show "Cheeky Bastard" sitcom on PTV. Lois is furious about everyone's lust for perverted TV, as she is concerned over the issue of how children will be influenced by his programming. Brian compromises this by stating that parents themselves are the ones who should take full responsibility over what children are watching on TV and that there are many other bad influences besides TV. Regardless of that, Lois calls the FCC to have PTV shut down. This prompts Peter, Brian, and Stewie to perform an elaborate musical number about how insane the FCC's regulations are. Despite being impressed with the song, the FCC shuts down PTV. When Peter tells the FCC's representatives that they cannot control people from being who they are or how they live, they decide to take on the challenge.
The FCC start to censor any foul language and inappropriate behavior in Quahog, ruining their times of privacy; for instance, a black "censor's bar" is pulled over Peter's genitals by FCC employees after he leaves the shower, all expletives are overdubbed with an air horn, and audible farts are banned in public. Everyone in Quahog is angered by this, except for Lois, who approves of the FCC's actions, believing that everyone in Quahog needs a lesson in decency. However, she realizes that the FCC's presence puts their sex life to a stop after they prevent her and Peter from having any real sex even if no one is watching, Peter angrily blames her, thus causing her to become regretful for letting this happen. They lobby Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
to have the FCC's rulings reversed. At first they disagree due to their strong support of the FCC, but they relent when Peter angrily retorts by making them realize the resemblance of many Washington
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
buildings to various private parts and any other body parts associating with it, such as the Capitol Building
United States Capitol
The United States Capitol is the meeting place of the United States Congress, the legislature of the federal government of the United States. Located in Washington, D.C., it sits atop Capitol Hill at the eastern end of the National Mall...
to a breast
Breast
The breast is the upper ventral region of the torso of a primate, in left and right sides, which in a female contains the mammary gland that secretes milk used to feed infants.Both men and women develop breasts from the same embryological tissues...
. The oppression of the FCC is finally gone, Lois congratulates Peter for beating the FCC on its tracks, and the family settles down to watch an uncensored episode of The Brady Bunch
The Brady Bunch
The Brady Bunch is an American sitcom created by Sherwood Schwartz and starring Robert Reed, Florence Henderson, and Ann B. Davis. The series revolved around a large blended family...
that features bathroom jokes.
Production
"PTV" is the fourteenth episode of season fourFamily Guy (season 4)
The fourth season of Family Guy aired from May 1, 2005 to May 21, 2006. The season consisted of thirty episodes. The first half of the season is included within the Volume Three DVD box set, which was released on November 29, 2005 and the second half is included within the Volume Four DVD box set,...
of Family Guy. The episode was written by Alec Sulkin
Alec Sulkin
Alec Sulkin is an American television writer. Most notable for writing and producing several episodes of the animated series Family Guy, he has also contributed to The Cleveland Show, another series by Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane....
and Wellesley Wild
Wellesley Wild
Wellesley Wild is an American animation writer. He is best known for writing and producing several episodes of the animated series Family Guy. He is currently co-executive producer and an occasional voice actor for the show....
. Patrick Meighan
Patrick Meighan (writer)
Patrick Meighan is an American animation writer. Meighan is most notably known for writing several episodes of the animated series Family Guy and Titus.Meighan has also served as a production assistant on Dharma & Greg.-Family Guy:...
, John Viener, Cherry Chevapravatdumrong
Cherry Chevapravatdumrong
Cherry Chevapravatdumrong is a Thai American author, and an executive story editor/co-producer on Family Guy....
, Tom Devanney
Tom Devanney
Tom Devanney is an American animation television writer. Devanney is most notably known for writing several episodes of the animated series Family Guy....
and Kirker Butler
Kirker Butler
Kirker Butler is an American animation writer. Butler is most notably known for writing and producing several episodes of the animated series Family Guy, as well as serving as co-executive producer of The Cleveland Show, another series by Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane.-Career:Butler joined...
acted as staff writers in the episode. The episode was shown in the William S. Paley
William S. Paley
William S. Paley was the chief executive who built Columbia Broadcasting System from a small radio network into one of the foremost radio and television network operations in the United States.-Early life:...
TV Fest. The plot of "PTV" is a parody of the FCC's measures after Janet Jackson's incident in the Super Bowl XXXVIII halftime show controversy
Super Bowl XXXVIII halftime show controversy
Super Bowl XXXVIII, which was broadcast live on February 1, 2004 from Houston, Texas on the CBS television network in the United States, was noted for a controversial halftime show in which Janet Jackson's breast, adorned with a nipple shield, was exposed by Justin Timberlake for about half a...
. In an interview MacFarlane was asked where the inspiration to the episode’s plot came from, in his response he commented that "In the case of 'PTV' it came out of rage. Rage over all the crap we have to deal with since Janet Jackson showed her 67 year old boob."
The episode was directed by Dan Povenmire
Dan Povenmire
Daniel Kingsley "Dan" Povenmire is an American television director, writer, producer, storyboard artist, and actor associated with several animated television series, best known as the co-creator of the Disney animated series Phineas and Ferb in which he also voices the show's villain, Heinz...
, while Peter Shin
Peter Shin
Peter Shin is the:*supervising director of Stewie Griffin: The Untold Story*director of Big Bug Man.*director of Family Guy episodes:**"Death Has a Shadow"**"Emission Impossible"**"North by North Quahog"**"It's a Trap!"...
contributed as supervising director. Various scenes in "PTV" were taken out of the episode due to Fox's international censors. As the writers worked on the episode the producers ended up, as the Chicago Tribune
Chicago Tribune
The Chicago Tribune is a major daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, and the flagship publication of the Tribune Company. Formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" , it remains the most read daily newspaper of the Chicago metropolitan area and the Great Lakes region and is...
describes it, "horse trading
Horse trading
In the original sense, Horse trading is the buying and selling of horses, also called "Horse Dealing". Due to the difficulties in evaluating the merits of a horse offered for sale, the selling of horses offered great opportunities for dishonesty...
" with FOX, removing a body-part reference in exchange for a dirty word. While the writing staff of the show was disappointed with the number of scenes that were removed from the episode, they were happy with the final result. The opening sequence, of which Family Guys creator 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,...
was particularly proud, was added into the episode after the producers discovered the episode ran three minutes short. The episode contained a montage which showcased the most bawdy moments of the previous seasons; Povenmire recalled the sequence; about it he stated that "I just found those off the DVD and digitized them and edited them in. Basically because I didn't want to draw all those things! I found the most disgusting images from the first three seasons. And we actually got network notes on two of them saying, 'You're gonna have to cut that!' And I went, 'This has been on the air! And I'm only showing 8 frames of it!' And it turns out we cut them now when they're on the air. So apropos for the FCC episode."
"PTV" along with the thirteenth other episodes from Family Guys fourth season, was released on a three-disc DVD set in the United States in Europe and Australia on November 16, 2006, April 24, 2006 and May 29, 2006 respectively. The DVDs included brief audio commentaries by Seth MacFarlane, various crew and cast members from several episodes a collection of deleted scenes, a special mini-feature that shows director Peter Shin drawing Stewie. The episode was shown in the William S. Paley TV Fest, which various writers, directors and voice actors of the show assisted to.
All the main Family Guy cast members lent their voices to the episode, along with semi-regulars Lori Alan
Lori Alan
Lori Alan , sometimes credited as Lori Allen, is an American voice actress who provides the voice of news anchor Diane Simmons on Family Guy, various voices on Hey Arnold!, and SpongeBob SquarePants as Pearl....
, Patrick Warburton
Patrick Warburton
Patrick John Warburton is an American actor of television, film, and voice. He is best known for his several TV roles, including the title role of The Tick, David Puddy on Seinfeld, the evil Johnny Johnson on NewsRadio, and anchorman Jeb Denton on Less Than Perfect...
, Adam West
Adam West
William West Anderson , better known by the stage name Adam West, is an American actor best known for his lead role in the Batman TV series and the film of the same name...
, John G. Brennan
John G. Brennan
John G. Brennan , a.k.a. Johnny B., is an American actor, film writer, and voice actor. He is a member of the Jerky Boys prank call duo, with Kamal Ahmed, who formed in 1989 and split up in 2001, but reformed in 2006...
, Ralph Garman
Ralph Garman
Ralph Garman is an American actor, comedian, and radio host best known as the host of The Joe Schmo Show, for his voice work in Family Guy, and as the entertainment reporter and impressionist for the Kevin and Bean morning show on Los Angeles radio station, KROQ-FM...
, Gary Cole
Gary Cole
Gary Michael Cole is an American actor. Cole is known for his supporting roles in numerous film and television productions since the 1990s.-Early life:...
and Phil LaMarr
Phil LaMarr
Phillip "Phil" LaMarr is an American actor, comedian and voice actor. One of the original cast members on the sketch comedy series MADtv, he is also known for his small, but memorable role as Marvin in Pulp Fiction...
. Staff writers Chris Sheridan and John Viener also had a minor speaking roles. Guest appearances included voice actors Keith Ferguson
Keith Ferguson
Keith James Ferguson is an American voice actor, well known as the voice of Blooregard Q. Kazoo on the Cartoon Network animated series Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends...
and Fred Tatasciore
Fred Tatasciore
Frederick "Fred" Tatasciore is an American voice actor who portrays secondary characters as well as monstrous-looking types...
, actors Hunter Gomez
Hunter Gomez
Hunter Gomez is an American actor. He is probably most widely recognized for his work in films and guest appearances in American television.-Career:...
, Wally Wingert
Wally Wingert
Wallace E. "Wally" Wingert is an American actor and voice artist. He is originally from Des Moines, Iowa but he currently works and lives in Los Angeles, California. He is the current announcer for the second incarnation of The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, and the current voice of Jon Arbuckle in...
and actress Stacey Scowley
Stacey Scowley
Stacey Scowley is an American actress. She gained memorable attention from her appearance in a 2002 commercial for Kia Motors called "Boyfriend" which was heavily aired. She has also appeared in numerous television commercials for several companies which include Progressive Auto Insurance,...
. Like most episodes, the music in the episode was composed by Walter Murphy
Walter Murphy
Walter Anthony Murphy, Jr. is an American instrumentalist, songwriter, and arranger. He rose to fame with the hit instrumental "A Fifth of Beethoven", a disco adaptation of passages from the first movement of Ludwig van Beethoven's Fifth Symphony, in 1976, when disco was at the height of its...
, including the song titled "The Freaking FCC". The music was edited by Ron Jones
Ron Jones (composer)
Ron Jones is an American composer who has written music for TV shows, including Star Trek: The Next Generation, Duck Tales, American Dad!, and Family Guy...
.
Cultural references
"PTV" contained various cultural references. "PTV" has been described as a satireSatire
Satire is primarily a literary genre or form, although in practice it can also be found in the graphic and performing arts. In satire, vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, ideally with the intent of shaming individuals, and society itself, into improvement...
on the "government's ever-increasing reach into our living rooms" by Television Watch
Television Watch
Television Watch is an American non-profit, non-partisan organization based in Charleston, South Carolina. The organization was established in May 2005 in response to the perceived increase in government regulation of television content...
executive director Jim Dyke. The opening sequence in which Stewie beats up Middle-Eastern leaders and then bikes his tricycle through various movie and game scenes is a reference to the opening sequence of The Naked Gun
The Naked Gun
The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! is a 1988 American comedy film that is the first in a The Naked Gun series of films starring Leslie Nielsen, Priscilla Presley, George Kennedy, and O. J. Simpson...
series of films. The movies from which animated scenes are shown are The Wizard of Oz
The Wizard of Oz (1939 film)
The Wizard of Oz is a 1939 American musical fantasy film produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. It was directed primarily by Victor Fleming. Noel Langley, Florence Ryerson and Edgar Allan Woolf received credit for the screenplay, but there were uncredited contributions by others. The lyrics for the songs...
, Ben-Hur
Ben-Hur (1959 film)
Ben-Hur is a 1959 American epic film directed by William Wyler and starring Charlton Heston in the title role, the third film adaptation of Lew Wallace's 1880 novel Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ. The screenplay was written by Karl Tunberg, Gore Vidal, and Christopher Fry. The score was composed by...
, The Shining
The Shining (film)
The Shining is a 1980 psychological horror film produced and directed by Stanley Kubrick, co-written with novelist Diane Johnson, and starring Jack Nicholson, Shelley Duvall, and Danny Lloyd. The film is based on the novel of the same name by Stephen King. A writer, Jack Torrance, takes a job as an...
, Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back
Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back
Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back is a 1980 American epic space opera film directed by Irvin Kershner. The screenplay, based on a story by George Lucas, was written by Leigh Brackett and Lawrence Kasdan...
, and The Sound of Music
The Sound of Music
The Sound of Music is a musical by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II and a book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse. It is based on the memoir of Maria von Trapp, The Story of the Trapp Family Singers...
. Actual footage of the game Doom was also used.
The FCC censors various television shows, such as Ralph Kramden's threats of physical violence in The Honeymooners
The Honeymooners
The Honeymooners is an American situation comedy television show, based on a recurring 1951–'55 sketch of the same name. It originally aired on the DuMont network's Cavalcade of Stars and subsequently on the CBS network's The Jackie Gleason Show hosted by Jackie Gleason, and filmed before a live...
, two-thirds of Dick Van Dyke
Dick Van Dyke
Richard Wayne "Dick" Van Dyke is an American actor, comedian, writer, and producer with a career spanning six decades. He is the older brother of Jerry Van Dyke, and father of Barry Van Dyke...
's name in The Dick Van Dyke Show
The Dick Van Dyke Show
The Dick Van Dyke Show is an American television sitcom that initially aired on the Columbia Broadcasting System from October 3, 1961, until June 1, 1966. The show was created by Carl Reiner and starred Dick Van Dyke and Mary Tyler Moore. It was produced by Reiner with Bill Persky and Sam Denoff....
, Archie Bunker
Archie Bunker
Archibald "Archie" Bunker is a fictional New Yorker in the 1970s top-rated American television sitcom All in the Family and its spin-off Archie Bunker's Place, played to acclaim by Carroll O'Connor. Bunker is a veteran of World War II, reactionary, bigoted, conservative, blue-collar worker, and...
and wife Edith dressed as Ku Klux Klan
Ku Klux Klan
Ku Klux Klan, often abbreviated KKK and informally known as the Klan, is the name of three distinct past and present far-right organizations in the United States, which have advocated extremist reactionary currents such as white supremacy, white nationalism, and anti-immigration, historically...
members from All in the Family
All in the Family
All in the Family is an American sitcom that was originally broadcast on the CBS television network from January 12, 1971, to April 8, 1979. In September 1979, a new show, Archie Bunker's Place, picked up where All in the Family had ended...
, The Waltons
The Waltons
The Waltons is an American television series created by Earl Hamner, Jr., based on his book Spencer's Mountain, and a 1963 film of the same name. The show centered on a family growing up in a rural Virginia community during the Great Depression and World War II. The series pilot was a television...
and Chrissy Snow
Chrissy Snow
Christmas "Chrissy" Noelle Snow was a fictional character on the sitcom Three's Company. Chrissy was played by Suzanne Somers.In the original unaired pilot to Three's Company, the character that became Chrissy was portrayed by Susanne Zenor. Zenor was not picked for the second filming, so actress...
's bikini in a Three's Company
Three's Company
Three's Company is an American sitcom that aired from March 15, 1977, to September 18, 1984, on ABC. It is based on the British sitcom, Man About the House....
commercial. Former Frasier
Frasier
Frasier is an American sitcom that was broadcast on NBC for eleven seasons, from September 16, 1993, to May 13, 2004. The program was created and produced by David Angell, Peter Casey, and David Lee in association with Grammnet and Paramount Network Television.A spin-off of Cheers, Frasier stars...
cast member David Hyde Pierce, was briefly mentioned in the episode. The extreme reaction of the FCC to Pierce's incident is a parody of the FCC's reaction to Janet Jackson
Janet Jackson
Janet Damita Jo Jackson is an American recording artist and actress. Known for a series of sonically innovative, socially conscious and sexually provocative records, as well as elaborate stage shows, television and film roles, she has been a prominent figure in popular culture for over 25 years...
's "wardrobe malfunction" during Super Bowl XXXVIII
Super Bowl XXXVIII halftime show controversy
Super Bowl XXXVIII, which was broadcast live on February 1, 2004 from Houston, Texas on the CBS television network in the United States, was noted for a controversial halftime show in which Janet Jackson's breast, adorned with a nipple shield, was exposed by Justin Timberlake for about half a...
. Bob Hope
Bob Hope
Bob Hope, KBE, KCSG, KSS was a British-born American comedian and actor who appeared in vaudeville, on Broadway, and in radio, television and movies. He was also noted for his work with the US Armed Forces and his numerous USO shows entertaining American military personnel...
, Wile E. Coyote, Ozzy Osbourne
Ozzy Osbourne
John Michael "Ozzy" Osbourne is an English vocalist, whose musical career has spanned over 40 years. Osbourne rose to prominence as lead singer of the pioneering English heavy metal band Black Sabbath, whose radically different, intentionally dark, harder sound helped spawn the heavy metal...
, Cobra Commander
Cobra Commander
Cobra Commander is a fictional character from the G.I. Joe franchise. He appears in the toyline, animated series , comic books, video games, and movie as the usual principal antagonist. He is the supreme leader of the terrorist organization Cobra, and archnemesis of the Joes...
, Apache Chief
Apache Chief
Apache Chief is a fictional Native American superhero from the various Super Friends cartoons created by Hanna-Barbera. He was one of the new heroes added to increase the number of non-white characters in the Super Friends ranks...
, George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
and Homer Simpson
Homer Simpson
Homer Jay Simpson is a fictional character in the animated television series The Simpsons and the patriarch of the eponymous family. He is voiced by Dan Castellaneta and first appeared on television, along with the rest of his family, in The Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" on April 19, 1987...
made appearances in cutaway gags. Terrorist Osama bin Laden
Osama bin Laden
Osama bin Mohammed bin Awad bin Laden was the founder of the militant Islamist organization Al-Qaeda, the jihadist organization responsible for the September 11 attacks on the United States and numerous other mass-casualty attacks against civilian and military targets...
was depicted prominently in the opening sequence.
Reception
The episode was broadcast on November 6, 2005 on FOX, it gained a Nielsen ratingNielsen Ratings
Nielsen ratings are the audience measurement systems developed by Nielsen Media Research, in an effort to determine the audience size and composition of television programming in the United States...
of 4.4, making it the nineteenth most watched program in the week of October 31 to November 6.
The episode was positively received by critics. Maureen Ryan of the Chicago Tribune called "PTV" "Family Guys most rebellious outing yet". TV Squad critic Ryan Budke considered "PTV" his favorite episode ever. Jacqueline Cutler of The Star-Ledger
The Star-Ledger
The Star-Ledger is the largest circulated newspaper in the U.S. state of New Jersey and is based in Newark. It is a sister paper to The Jersey Journal of Jersey City, The Times of Trenton and the Staten Island Advance, all of which are owned by Advance Publications.The Newark Star-Ledgers daily...
called "PTV" " the funniest, most sardonic half-hour on TV in a while." While exclusively airing the sixth season of Family Guy for British audiences, BBC Three
BBC Three
BBC Three is a television network from the BBC broadcasting via digital cable, terrestrial, IPTV and satellite platforms. The channel's target audience includes those in the 16-34 year old age group, and has the purpose of providing "innovative" content to younger audiences, focusing on new talent...
aired this episode as part of the Family Guy 100th Anniversary special, declaring it to be "The Best Episode...So Far". The Hartford Courant, however, gave it a largely negative review, stating it was "not even funny for a second". MacFarlane revealed in an interview that the crew received a letter of inquiry from the U.S. regulatory board regarding the episode, much to his surprise "they actually thought it was funny". The 59th Primetime Emmy Awards
59th Primetime Emmy Awards
The 59th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards were held at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, California on September 16, 2007 and were televised live on Fox at 8:00 p.m. EDT for the first time in high definition...
opened with Stewie and Brian singing about the upcoming TV season using the tune from "The FCC Song", originating from this episode. The altered version of the song contained references to shows such as Scrubs
Scrubs (TV series)
Scrubs is an American medical comedy-drama television series created in 2001 by Bill Lawrence and produced by ABC Studios. The show follows the lives of several employees of the fictional Sacred Heart, a teaching hospital. It features fast-paced screenplay, slapstick, and surreal vignettes...
, Two and a Half Men
Two and a Half Men
Two and a Half Men is an American television sitcom that premiered on CBS on September 22, 2003. Starring Charlie Sheen, Jon Cryer, and Angus T. Jones, the show was originally about a hedonistic jingle writer, Charlie Harper; his uptight brother, Alan; and Alan's growing son, Jake...
and Cavemen
Cavemen (TV series)
Cavemen is an American comedy-drama show which ran on ABC from October 2, 2007 to November 13, 2007. The show was created by Joe Lawson and set in San Diego, California...
.
"PTV" received a Primetime Emmy Award
Primetime Emmy Award
The Primetime Emmy Awards are awards presented by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences in recognition of excellence in American primetime television programming...
nomination in the Outstanding Animated Program (for Programming Less Than One Hour)
Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program (For Programming less than One Hour)
The Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program is a Creative Arts Emmy Award which is given annually to an animated series which is judged to have been the best...
category. Povenmire was nominated for an Annie Award
Annie Award
The Annie Awards have been presented by the Los Angeles, California branch of the International Animated Film Association, ASIFA-Hollywood since 1972...
for Directing in an Animated Television Production, but lost the award to Peter Shin
Peter Shin
Peter Shin is the:*supervising director of Stewie Griffin: The Untold Story*director of Big Bug Man.*director of Family Guy episodes:**"Death Has a Shadow"**"Emission Impossible"**"North by North Quahog"**"It's a Trap!"...
, who directed the Family Guy episode "North by North Quahog
North by North Quahog
"North by North Quahog" is the first episode of season four of Family Guy, following the revival of the series three years after its cancellation in 2002...
". On June 1, 2007, the FCC song was voted second on The Paley Center for Media special "TV's Funniest Moments", behind The Chris Rock Show
The Chris Rock Show
The Chris Rock Show is a late night comedy talk show featured on HBO. It was created by Chris Rock and featured various guests. The show won an Emmy for Outstanding Writing for a Variety or Music Program in 1999. It ran for three seasons from 1997 to 2000. Seasons 1 and 2 were released as a DVD set...
segment "Black Progress". The song was also voted sixth on IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
's list of Family Guys "Top 10 Musical Moments", IGN stated "if there's a song that perfectly resonates what Family Guy is all about, then this is it".