PTV (Family Guy)

"PTV" is the fourteenth episode of season four of the FOX animated series Family Guy. The episode deals with censorship on television, and specifically the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). The episode was nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program.

Plot

Opening sequence

In a cave somewhere in Afghanistan, Osama bin Laden and his associates are getting ready to film their next message to send to the Americans, but keeps breaking character following a blooper on his first take. Stewie shows up and begins fighting everyone, parodying the opening sequence of the first Naked Gun movie. During the fighting the music (Drebin - Hero!) from Police Squad! TV series can be heard. After defeating the terrorists, Stewie engages in a swordfight (using a rubber chicken) with bin Ladin. The fight's choreography mimics the Yoda vs. Dooku fight in Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones.

After defeating all the terrorists and bin Ladin, Stewie falls from the cave and lands on his tricycle, riding off. In the sequence, the camera POV is similar to that of the opening from The Naked Gun movies. Along the way, Stewie drives along the yellow brick road from The Wizard Of Oz, runs over the ghostly twins from The Shining, an Imp from Doom and Maria from The Sound of Music. Towards the end the sequence parodies The Simpsons, where Stewie, instead of Bart Simpson, follows Homer Simpson into the garage and runs him over and when he's on the floor, Peter comes through the door, looks down and says: "Hey, Stewie. Who the hell is that?"

Episode summary

Peter is very excited about watching the Emmy Awards, but Lois tells him that he has to attend Meg's school play. Peter voices his frustration but is coerced to go when Lois beats him up, presses his face to the floor and traps him in a hammerlock. At Meg's play, Peter tries many ways to watch the Emmys, even trying to convince Lois to leave early, but he fails.

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

The FCC gets to work on TV shows, cutting out anything that might be deemed inappropriate, including Chrissy's bikini on Three's Company, Ralph Kramden's threats of spousal abuse and even two thirds of Dick Van Dyke's name. Peter is enraged, and swears to fight the ban. With advice from Tom Tucker, Peter starts his own TV 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, The Peter Griffin Side-Boob Hour, and (in a DVD exclusive scene), a parody of MTV's Jackass called Douchebags, which ends up traumatizing Stewie when Peter defecates off a bridge and it inadvertently lands on Lois and Stewie whilst driving.

PTV becomes a huge success, though Lois is furious 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 song ends with Peter, Stewie and Brian in bras, fishnet stockings, heels, garter belts, and what appears to be thongs or g-strings. Despite being impressed with a song about them, the FCC still shuts down PTV. After Peter tells them that they can't stop 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--a black "censor's bar" is pulled over Peter's genitals by FCC suits after he leaves the shower, all expletives are overdubbed with an air horn, and audible farts are banned in public (replaced by a machine that converts the sounds into Steven Wright jokes), they even consider censoring Peter's chin, due to its similarity to a pair of testicles; Lois approves of their actions, believing Peter needs a lesson in decency. Finally, seeing how upset Peter is, Lois attempts to cheer him up with angry sex. In an ironic twist, while they still can have intercourse, they must do the following: "no moaning, no tongue-kissing, no thrusting--no movement whatsoever." As she is taken aback by this, this doesn't stop Peter and he finishes without her. Tired, he then falls asleep on top of her almost immediately.

Lois is celibate for two weeks, thus making her very tense. Finally frustrated with the FCC's presence, she regrets getting them involved and concedes that Peter was right about them and about freedom of speech. 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 buildings to various body parts. The oppression of the FCC is gone, and the family settles down to watch an episode of The Brady Bunch that features bathroom jokes.

Footnotes