Cleveland Rocks: Family Guy spin-off in early stages

A spin-off of Fox’s hit animated comedy series Family Guy is in the works, according to the Hollywood Reporter. The show, tentatively titled Cleveland, will center on the Griffin family’s mellow neighbor of same name, a series regular meant to skewer black stereotypes. MacFarlane has already started writing with Family Guy writer/producer Mike Henry and Rich Appel, executive producer of MacFarlane’s other animated series American Dad.

Family Guy has defied all odds to become Fox's top-rated comedy. The show premiered in 1999, but was abruptly canceled in 2000, and again in 2002. Cartoon Network started showing reruns of the show as part of its late-night Adult Swim programming after its cancellation, and the show’s audience grew steadily. Family Guy's first three seasons were also released on DVD, and when sales topped two million copies in a one year, Fox reinstated production of the show in 2004.

The show, now in its sixth season on Fox, also inspired the straight-to-DVD movie Stewie Griffin: The Untold Story in 2005. The series’ seventh season is scheduled begin airing next August.

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