“Family Guy” Season 3 (2001-02, Fox), episodes 1-21 — Like “Futurama,” Seth MacFarlane’s “Family Guy” (7 p.m. Thursday, Fox) has been playing in the shadow of “The Simpsons” since its 1999 premiere. Many viewers may have dismissed it early on as a crass “Simpsons” rip-off, but they might want to give it another chance, especially since its an excuse to avoid the increasingly awful “Friends.” While “Family Guy” is indeed crass, it’s also quite funny in a bizarre and unfocused way, featuring a parody parade of quasi-famous icons such as the Kool-Aid Man and former Batman Adam West, who for some reason is the town’s mayor.
Normally, if the dog and the baby are a show’s best characters, there’s something wrong, but “Family Guy” is the exception. Talking dog Brian is smarter than the human contingent of the Griffin family, often providing bemused reactions to the idiocy of the dad, Peter. As they watch Sesame Street, Peter inquires if the Count has ever killed anyone. “You’re asking me if they’ve ever shown the Count attacking someone and then draining their blood for sustenance? No. They’ve never done that,” responds a deadpan Brian.
Infant Stewie behaves like a stodgy, conniving old man. Unhappy with the tuna sandwich his mother prepared, Stewie throws a couple quarters at her and tells her to splurge on a can of white albacore.
“Family Guy” has no pretense of character development, taking the stance that people actually become less intelligent as they age. Of course, that’s assuming the show actually has a stance, an idea that might be more ridiculous than the show itself. B
— John Hansen, “Go back to the drawing board to find TV’s best comedies,” NDSU Spectrum, March 8, 2002