Inside “The Cleveland Show” Premiere

Last night, thanks to the lovely folks at the New York Television Festival, I had the privilege of attending the premiere of The Cleveland Show including a hilarious Q & A panel with its creative team. In case you've been in a coma for the past several months, The Cleveland Show is the Family Guy spin-off that follows Peter's friend, Cleveland Brown, after he leaves Quahog for his hometown Stoolbend, Virginia, and starts a new Brady Bunch-esque family with his high school love interest. Hi-jinks ensue.

The show itself featured fairly predictable humor that we've come to expect from Seth MacFarlane's crew, but it was largely a set-up for the season to come, so it will be interesting to see how the tone is set in completely stand-alone episodes without the Family Guy character crossovers. Come Sunday night, I'll let you be the judge of it because my favorite part of the evening was what I discovered during the panel with executive producers Richard Appel, Mike Henry (also the voice of Cleveland) and cast members Kevin Michael Richardson & Reagan Gomez-Preston. And no, I have no idea why MacFarlane was not present for the event.

WHAT I LEARNED…

• THE David Lynch will voice the bartender!
• Upcoming guest appearances include Kanye West, Ed Asner, Earth, Wind & Fire, AND Hall & Oates (!!).
• It takes approximately 9 1/2 months to make just one episode, so they've already finished the entire first season and started production on the second. Talk about keeping your fingers crossed.
• Seth MacFarlane will restrict his penchant for showtunes to Family Guy, but The Cleveland Show will incorporate (questionable) R&B musical numbers.
• Kevin Michael Richardson does a MEAN James Gandolfini impersonation.
• Before working on shows such as The Simpsons & King of the Hill, executive producer Richard Appel was a prosecuting attorney for the state of New York. He is also distractingly handsome & charming.  Sorry kids, no pictures allowed.
• And finally, New York Fashion Week may have ended, but the Cleveland 'stache is THE hot trend to watch, as demonstrated at the post-premiere reception…

ANYWAYS….FOCUS, YOU GUYS….

The Cleveland Show premieres this Sunday, September 27, at 8:30/7:30c on Fox.  Tune in, and let us know your thoughts.