PTV (Family Guy)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

“PTV”
Family Guy episode
Episode no.	Season 4 Episode 14
Written by	Alec Sulkin Wellesley Wild
Directed by	Dan Povenmire
Production no.	4ACX17
Original airdate	November 6, 2005
Episode chronology
← Previous	Next →
"Jungle Love"	"Brian Goes Back to College"
List of Family Guy episodes

"PTV" is an Emmy-nominated episode from season 4 of the FOX animated television series Family Guy. The episode dealt with censorship on television.

[edit] Plot

In a cave somewhere in Afghanistan, Osama bin Laden and his associates are getting ready to film their next message to send to Americans. Stewie shows up and starts to fight everyone. After succeeding, Stewie falls from the cave and lands on his bike. This is a parody of the opening of many The Naked Gun movies.

Peter is very excited about watching the Emmy Awards. Lois tells him that he has to attend Meg's play. Peter voices his frustration and is forced to go. At Meg's play, Peter tries many ways to watch the Emmies, even trying to convince Lois to leave early, but he fails.

Back at home, the news anchors are reporting that after a "trouser malfunction," David Hyde Pierce revealed his testicles. Peter is outraged that he "missed a moment in television history". In the Federal Communications Commission building, the Board of Commssioners are discussing what to do about the David Hyde Pierce incident. Their Chairman, Cobra Commander from "G.I. Joe," tells them that they have to censor television.

The FCC gets to work on television shows, cutting out anything that might be deemed inappropriate, including bikinis on Three's Company, Ralph Kramden's threats of spousal abuse and even Dick van Dyke's name. Peter is enraged, and swears to fight the ban. With advice from Tom Tucker, Peter starts his own television network called PTV. He broadcasts classic shows in their original, unedited versions, as well as original programming, such as Cheeky Bastard, Midnight Q, Dogs Humping, and The Peter Griffin Side-Boob Hour.

Lois is upset about Peter's obscenity in his shows. She calls the FCC, prompting Peter, Brian, and Stewie to perform an elaborate musical number about how insane the FCC's regulations are.

The FCC shut down PTV. After Peter tells the FCC that they can't stop people from being who they are, they take on the challenge. The FCC start to censor any foul language and inappropriate behavior in Quahog.

The FCC spoil everything: All expletives are bleeped with an air horn and audible farts are banned in public. After being prevented from having sex due to the indecency laws, Lois eventually concedes that Peter was right, and they both lobby Congress to have the FCC's rulings reversed. At first they resist, but they relent when Peter points out the resemblance of many Washington area buildings to various naughty body parts.

The bans are lifted, and the Family settles down to watch an episode of the Brady Bunch that features a poop joke.

[edit] Trivia

• This is the first episode of Season 5 in Europe, New Zealand and Australia. This episode and all subsequent episodes until "Untitled Griffin Family History" aired as the fifth season and are released as a three disc set on Region 2 in Europe and on Region 4 in New Zealand and Australia in November 2006.
• In the "Ozzy Osbourne Stops Eating Bats" cutaway, the Asian woman in the front row, at the bottom left of the screen, is clearly at least partially naked.
• In the February 2007 Playboy issue, Seth talks about how the FCC wanted a copy of the episode. Seth thought they wanted to censor the episode or that it would cause him trouble, but it turns out they wanted to watch it because they had heard it was really funny. The FCC watched it and said it was extremely funny.

[edit] Censorship

• According to the DVD commentary, the part where Quagmire passes out after overhearing Peter saying, "I like eating red carpet!" originally had Quagmire holding a running hose instead of a newspaper, but the FOX Standards found it too obscene because running hose would have looked too much like a penis ejaculating when Quagmire passed out.
• Also, the cutaway where Peter gets raped on his 16th birthday (in a parody of the end of the movie "Sixteen Candles") originally had Jake Ryan undoing the belt to his pants, but FOX objected.
• The version of this episode that is on the DVD is slightly different than the version aired on TV after the part where Peter decides to put original programming on PTV after obtaining success from airing uncut old shows:
  • TV Version: "Cheeky Bastard" (the Odd Couple-esque sitcom with Stewie and Brian) and "Midnight Q" (the late-night talk show with Quagmire naked and wearing a gold necklace with a "Q" on it) was shown after Peter decides to put original programming on PTV. When Lois complains about the new shows and Peter says, "There's nothing offensive about my programming," it then goes to "The Side-Boob Hour" (Peter's show where he presents the partial female nudity from "Baywatch" and "Dynasty", followed by his own side boob), the scene then cuts to the outside of the Griffin house and Lois can be heard saying, "The Side Boob Hour?!" followed by a cut to Lois telling Peter that she called the FCC about his offensive programming.
  • DVD Version: "The Side Boob Hour" is shown first, followed by "Cheeky Bastard" and "Midnight Q". A fourth show, called Douchebags (a parody of the MTV show Jackass) is shown, where Cleveland and Peter are at a bridge over a highway doing an episode called "I Dare You To Crap Off Of That". Peter craps off the bridge (because Cleveland dared him) and his feces lands on the windshield of Lois's car, causing it to crash. The scene then cuts to Peter telling Lois that she shouldn't be mad since she was the one who drove into oncoming crap. Lois doesn't buy the excuse and points out that Stewie (who was in the car with her at the time of the accident) is so traumatized from the experience that he'll never ride in the car again (with a shot of Stewie cowering in the corner, mumbling, "Turn off the windshield wipers. They don't work; they're just making it worse") before it cuts to Lois telling Peter that she called the FCC about Peter's offensive programming.

According to DVD commentary, the "Douchebags" segment was supposed to air on TV, but only if edits were made to the sequence (i.e., Peter isn't supposed to be shown pulling down his pants, the wet, plopping sound of Peter's feces hitting the windshield can't be heard). Instead of adhering to the censor's notes, the scene was taken out altogether and further edits were made to cover it up.

[edit] "Explicit" Scenes from the FCC song

Near the end of the FCC musical number, a montage of explicit scenes is shown. Many of them are scenes from previous episodes of Family Guy.

• Explicit scenes from the FCC song:
  • Stewie, dressed in leather bondage gear, spanks Brian, who is tied up and ballgagged
  • Peter, in a skimpy pink bikini, flashing his boobs on Howard Stern's radio show.
  • Peter, with his pants down, farts while Stewie lights it with a blowtorch.
  • Peter, naked, on a date with a blow-up doll (that looks similar to the one Quagmire danced with on Peterotica during his "Make 'Em Laugh" musical number).
  • Justin Timberlake removes Peter's nipple covering in a parody of the Janet Jackson incident.
  • Peter sucks on a popsicle, simulating oral sex (a reference to an incident on The Gong Show where two girls seductively suck on orange popsicles as part of their act).
  • Peter, Brian and Stewie, in nightgowns, having a pillowfight.
  • Brian, wearing a miner's cap, puts on rubber gloves, presumably about to give Peter a cavity search.
  • Peter chokes Lois with a watermelon slice. (Emission Impossible)
  • Amanda Rebecca, the woman from the marriage counseling videos, rips off her blouse. (Road to Rhode Island)
  • Stewie admires himself wearing lipstick. (Emission Impossible)
  • Dave Campbell, naked, bends over to feel the lawn. (From Method to Madness)
  • Stewie humps a Miss Piggy doll. (Brian Does Hollywood)
  • Peter, naked, makes pelvic thrusts at Meg. (From Method to Madness)
  • Stewie gives a public speech and realizes he is naked. (He's Too Sexy For His Fat)
  • Peter licking his boob. (He's Too Sexy For His Fat)
  • Quagmire gets his penis slammed in a window (Lethal Weapons)
  • Lois in a leather S&M outfit. (Let's Go to the Hop)
  • Stewie sucks on Peter's nipple. (I Am Peter, Hear Me Roar)
  • Peter, without pants, passes out on the laps of Meg and her friends. (Jungle Love)
  • Jeff Campbell, naked, squirts a super-soaker covering his penis. (From Method to Madness)
  • Peter makes orange juice using his nipple. (The Story on Page One)

[edit] Cultural references

• The entire opening sequence, from the unmasking of Stewie through the opening credit sequence (which is not the usual Family Guy credits) to the start of the episode is a direct parody of the opening sequence of The Naked Gun, when Leslie Nielsen's character Frank Drebin battles the worlds's terrorist leaders hand-to-hand, including the Ira Newborn music used in the movie series. During Stewie's sword/rubber chicken fight with bin Laden, the choreography mirrors the Yoda vs Count Dooku lightsaber fight from Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones. (The orchestral fanfare during the fight scene is "Drebin - Hero!" from the second film in the Naked Gun series.) When Stewie falls onto his bike, it resembles how Captain Jack Sparrow (from Pirates of the Caribbean) falls down a cliff after saying his name. Also, the opening credits similarly duplicate those of Police Squad! (the TV show which launched Frank Drebin) and the Naked Gun movies, and uses the Police Squad!/Naked Gun theme music. Stewie rides his tricycle over a cat and though a gay pride parade, then through scenes from The Wizard of Oz, The Shining, Ben-Hur, Doom, Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back, and The Sound of Music; the sequence ends with Homer Simpson being chased into his garage a la the opening sequence to The Simpsons, with Homer being flattened by the bike. Peter then opens the door to the garage and remarks, "Hey, Stewie! ... Who the hell is that?" (originally, Peter was supposed to imitate Homer Simpson running a la the opening sequence to "The Simpsons", but the crew thought it was funnier if they used Homer instead as Seth MacFarlane is a Simpsons fan, despite the supposed rivalry between Seth MacFarlane and Matt Groening).
• Shows shown on "PTV":
  • All in the Family: Archie and Edith get the Jeffersons to move by burning a cross on their lawn while dressed like members of the KKK.
  • The Waltons: The signature scene of the Waltons where they say their "good nights", edited where John Boy doesn't respond, and replies; "Damnit, can't a guy masturbate in this house?"
  • Midnight Q: Quagmire's midnight talk/sex show, which he hosts nude. The show's title may be a reference to a former local New York cable access sex show called "Midnight Blue."
  • The Side-Boob Hour: Hosted by Peter, a retrospective of TV's greatest showings of "side-boobs" (the partial reveal of a woman's breast, from the side), ending with his own.
  • Cheeky Bastard: A Sitcom staring Stewie and Brian as bickering roommates, in a style akin to The Odd Couple. Stewie also provides the show's laugh track.
  • Dogs Humping: A Discovery Channel-type show that shows animals having sex. According to Peter it is the highest-rating show on PTV's Wednesday night line-up.
  • Douchebags: A Jackass copycat. The only aired episode shows the segment "Crap off Stuff", which stars Peter defecating off a bridge after being dared to by Cleveland. His feces hits Lois's car, causing her to have a bad accident and traumatizing Stewie. This scene was cut from the TV showings and only shown on the DVD release.
• Shows censored by the FCC:
  • The Dick Van Dyke Show: The FCC bleeps the name The Dick Van Dyke Show, making it "The (censored) Van (censored) Show, starring (censored) Van (censored)", a reference to "dick" being used as a vulgar slang term for a penis and "dyke" being used as a derogatory term for a lesbian, both of which can't be said on television (though "dick" is allowed if it's used as an insult to someone and not as a vulgar slang term for a penis).
  • Three's Company: Chrissy appears with her bikini top censored, despite the fact that she was not exposing anything.
  • The Honeymooners: The quote "One of these days, Alice, pow! Right in the kisser!" is dubbed over, making it "One of these days, (new voice) I'm going to stimulate the economy by buying an American car."
• The head of the FCC is Cobra Commander from G.I. Joe.
• Apache Chief from the Super Friends helps Peter with his satellite dish.
• The incident with Hyde-Pierce accidentally revealing a testicle is a reference to the Super Bowl XXXVIII halftime show incident, in which Janet Jackson accidentally revealed a nipple. Jackson claimed the incident was a 'wardrobe malfunction' whereas Tom Tucker refers to Pierce's incident as a 'trouser malfunction'. The actual incident (with Peter as Janet Jackson) is featured in a rapid-cut montage at the end of the FCC song.
• Osama bin Laden appears in the show for the first time since the now-excised "show tunes" scene in "Road to Rhode Island".
• When Peter sings the FCC Song, the line "You're gonna have to do her with your ding-a-ling" is a reference to Chuck Berry's song "My Ding-a-Ling", a song that was a double entendre.
• When Peter fails to be able to successfully watch the Emmys at Meg's play, he mentions that it's worse than his 16th birthday and followed by a sequence where Peter is raped by Jake Ryan, the main love interest in the film Sixteen Candles.
• When Peter is told to start his own TV station by Tom Tucker, he mentions that he hasn't had a business since a mail-order operation. Wile E. Coyote is seen waiting to return a large Acme slingshot.
• When Peter says "Lois, these eggs are scrambled," captions say "Lois, these eggs are fried."
• Meg's play God And His Magical Rainbow Suspenders is a parody of Godspell. The title of the play may also be a play on the musical Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat.
• The famous Reese's Peanut Butter Cup commercial (where a chocolate lover and a peanut-butter lover bump into each other, creating the combination of Chocolate and Peanut Butter that Reese's made famous.) that aired in the '70s. In the spoof, two drunk drivers (a chocolate fan and a peanut butter lover) get in a car accident. Officer Reeses comes along, tastes the combination of peanut butter and chocolate that has resulted from the horrific crash, then looks furtively around and shoots both drivers to steal their product.
• An Ozzy Osbourne reference is made. The FCC says Ozzy cleaned up his act and stopped biting the heads off bats. The scene cuts to Ozzy on stage at a concert eating a sandwich instead of a bat. The members of the audience are shown making devil horns, however they are all making it wrong. The reference was made to the early '80s, when Ozzy used to throw pig intestines and calves livers into the audience and they would throw things back. Someone threw a bat onstage and Ozzy, thinking that it was a fake rubber bat, bit its head off. The bat was real and alive, only stunned by the throw. Ozzy was taken to the hospital and tested for rabies after the show.
• The song lyric: "Any baby with a brain can tell them everybody poops" is a reference to a popular children's book entitled: Everyone Poops, presenting the myriad forms and shapes of animal and human feces.
• In a flashback, Chris imitates Jackie Mason, a former rabbi who is now a stand-up comedian.
• In a deleted scene only seen on the DVD, Peter hosts a show on PTV called Douchebags, a parody of the show Jackass.
• The tune for the FCC song is taken from Volunteer Fire Picnic, a song from the obscure 1959 Broadway Musical Take Me Along which featured Jackie Gleason.
• The Brady Bunch bathroom scene pokes fun at the fact that the network censors didn't want a toilet to be seen in the bathroom of the Brady house in any episode.

[edit] The FCC Song

Peter: They will clean up all your talking
In a manner such as this
Brian: They will make you take a tinkle
When you want to take a piss
Stewie: And they'll make you call fellatio
A trouser friendly kiss
All: Here's the plain situation
There's no negotiation
Peter: With the fellows at the freakin' FCC
Brian: They're as stuffy as the stuffiest
Of special interest groups
Peter: Make a joke about your bowels
And they order in the troops
Stewie: Any baby with a brain
Can tell them everybody poops
All: Take a tip, take a lesson
You'll never win by messin'
Peter: With the fellows at the freakin' FCC
And if you find yourself
With some young sexy thing
You're gonna have to do her
With your ding-a-ling
'Cause you can't say penis
So they sent this little warning
They're prepared to do their worst
Brian: And they stuck it in your mailbox
Hoping you can be coerced
Stewie: I can think of quite another place
They should have stuck it first
All: They may just be neurotic
Or possibly psychotic
They're the fellows at the freakin' FCC

Preceded by "Jungle Love"

Family Guy Episodes

Followed by "Brian Goes Back to College"