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"Ratings Guy" is the second episode of the eleventh season of the
animated Animation is a method by which still figures are manipulated to appear as moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on transparent celluloid sheets to be photographed and exhibited on film. Today, most anim ...
comedy series Television comedy is a category of broadcasting that has been present since the early days of entertainment media. While there are several genres of comedy, some of the first ones aired were variety shows. One of the first Television in the United ...
''
Family Guy ''Family Guy'' is an American animated sitcom originally conceived and created by Seth MacFarlane for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The show centers around the Griffin family, Griffins, a dysfunctional family consisting of parents Peter Griff ...
''. It originally aired on the
Fox Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush''). Twelve sp ...
network in the United States on October 7, 2012. The episode follows the
Griffin family The Griffin family is a fictional family which appears in the List of animated television series, animated television series ''Family Guy''. The Griffins are a dysfunctional family consisting of the married couple Peter Griffin, Peter and Lois G ...
becoming a Nielsen family and Peter attempting to take over the TV airwaves. This episode was dedicated in memory of both
Phyllis Diller Phyllis Ada Diller (née Driver; July 17, 1917 – August 20, 2012) was an American stand-up comedian, actress, author, musician, and visual artist, best known for her eccentric stage persona, self-deprecating humor, wild hair and clothes, and e ...
(who voiced Thelma Griffin in several episodes of the show) and
Michael Clarke Duncan Michael Clarke Duncan (December 10, 1957September 3, 2012) was an American actor. He was best known for his breakout role as John Coffey in '' The Green Mile'' (1999), for which he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor a ...
(who had a brief voice role in this episode). This episode was also one of Duncan's final roles before his untimely death from complications following a heart attack a month earlier.


Plot

The Griffins receive a letter from the
Nielsen Company Nielsen Holdings plc is an American information, data and market measurement firm. Nielsen operates in over 100 countries and employs approximately 44,000 people worldwide. The company was listed on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) and use ...
telling them they have been selected to have their viewing habits monitored. Tom Tucker comes to the door, having heard of the Griffins becoming a Nielsen family, and asks
Peter Peter may refer to: People * List of people named Peter, a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * Peter (given name) ** Saint Peter (died 60s), apostle of Jesus, leader of the early Christian Church * Peter (surname), a sur ...
for some suggestions to change the show. Tom performs Peter's crazy suggestions on the air, which displeases Peter's friends Joe and Quagmire. When the Nielsen representative returns to reset the card on his Nielsen box, Peter takes the opportunity to steal a bunch of Nielsen boxes so he can have a much bigger impact on the ratings. Peter soon forces many shows to make outlandish changes to "improve" them, which angers
Lois Lois is a common English name from the New Testament. Paul the Apostle mentions Lois, the pious grandmother of Saint Timothy in the Second Epistle to Timothy (commending her for her faith in 2 Timothy 1:5). The name was first used by English C ...
and Joe, and an angry mob issue their complaints towards Peter for what he did to some of their favorite TV shows. Knowing that he will not be able to show his face in Quahog again, Peter decides to try and fix television, but
Mayor Adam West Mayor Adam West is a fictional character voiced by actor Adam West on the American animated television series '' Family Guy''. He was depicted as the mayor of the town of Quahog, Rhode Island, where the show is set. He appeared on a recurring ...
shows up and shoots the boxes to pieces to prevent Peter from making more alterations to his favorite TV shows and in retaliation for Peter adding an extra tree on ''One Tree Hill''. Brian believes that they are now sunk, but suddenly Peter comes up with another plan. Peter goes to the Television Producers Guild for help, stating that he is the man who ruined television and is going to fix it. He gathers many TV producers (including
J.J. Abrams Jeffrey Jacob Abrams (born June 27, 1966) is an American filmmaker and composer. He is best known for his works in the genres of action, drama, and science fiction. Abrams wrote and produced such films as ''Regarding Henry'' (1991), '' For ...
,
Mark Burnett Mark Burnett (born 17 July 1960) is a television producer who is the former Chairman of MGM Television, MGM Worldwide Television Group. He is best known for creating and producing the reality shows The Apprentice (American TV series), ''The Ap ...
,
Dick Wolf Richard Anthony Wolf (born December 20, 1946) is an American film and television producer, best known for his Law & Order (franchise), ''Law & Order'' franchise. Since 1990, the franchise has included six police/courtroom dramas and four internat ...
,
Jon Hamm Jonathan Daniel Hamm (born March 10, 1971) is an American actor. He is best known for his role as Don Draper in the period drama television series ''Mad Men'' (2007–2015), for which he won a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Televisi ...
and
Kelsey Grammer Allen Kelsey Grammer (born February 21, 1955) is an American actor and producer. He gained notoriety and acclaim for his role as psychiatrist Dr. Frasier Crane on the NBC sitcom '' Cheers'' (1984-1993) and its spin-off ''Frasier'' (1993-2004), ...
) to discuss ideas to make their shows better again. Abrams comes up with an idea about a show that details an
alien Alien primarily refers to: * Alien (law), a person in a country who is not a national of that country ** Enemy alien, the above in times of war * Extraterrestrial life, life which does not originate from Earth ** Specifically, intelligent extrater ...
that goes back in time and encounters a
koala The koala or, inaccurately, koala bear (''Phascolarctos cinereus''), is an arboreal herbivorous marsupial native to Australia. It is the only extant representative of the family Phascolarctidae and its closest living relatives are the womb ...
in an Eastern European town and Peter tells him to go with that idea. Peter then has four TV producers to make 15 workplace comedies where people talk to the camera for some reason, thus breaking the
fourth wall The fourth wall is a performance convention in which an invisible, imaginary wall separates actors from the audience. While the audience can see through this ''wall'', the convention assumes the actors act as if they cannot. From the 16th cen ...
. Burnett is asked by Peter to give him a reality show where people do horrible, unforgivable things to each other for embarrassingly small sums of money. Peter then has two TV producers leave to make a show about horrible New Jersey freaks and tells Wolf to give him the same ''
Law & Order ''Law & Order'' is an American police procedural and legal drama television series created by Dick Wolf and produced by Wolf Entertainment, launching the '' Law & Order'' franchise. ''Law & Order'' aired its entire run on NBC, premiering on ...
'' six times. Peter tells the TV producers from
Bravo Bravo(s) or The Bravo(s) may refer to: Arts and entertainment Music Groups and labels *Bravo (band), a Russian rock band * Bravo (Spanish group), represented Spain at Eurovision 1984 *Bravo Music, an American concert band music publishing company ...
do a show about women fighting. Every television show goes back to normal as Peter is friends with Joe and Quagmire again. Peter quotes "Well, let's drink to having TV back in the hands of people who know what they're doing." The final scene shows that
Herbert Herbert may refer to: People Individuals * Herbert (musician), a pseudonym of Matthew Herbert Name * Herbert (given name) * Herbert (surname) Places Antarctica * Herbert Mountains, Coats Land * Herbert Sound, Graham Land Australia * Herbert ...
has repaired the Nielsen boxes which Mayor West destroyed and is using them to make his own changes to TV. He calls up
Disney Channel Disney Channel, sometimes known as simply Disney, is an American pay television channel that serves as the flagship property of Disney Branded Television, a unit of the Disney General Entertainment Content division of The Walt Disney Compan ...
to have Zack and Cody in their underpants, claiming that their show would be funnier that way.


Production

"Ratings Guy" was written by Dave Ihlenfeld and David Wright. "Ratings Guy" is the second episode they wrote together, with "
Grumpy Old Man "Grumpy Old Man" is the ninth episode of the tenth season of the American animated sitcom '' Family Guy''. The episode originally aired on Fox in the United States on December 11, 2011. The episode follows Griffin family patriarch Lois Griffin' ...
" being the first. "Ratings Guy" is the sixth episode to parody the show's title, after "
Family Gay "Family Gay" is the eighth episode in the seventh season of the American animated television series '' Family Guy''. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on March 8, 2009. In the episode, Peter becomes temporarily gay afte ...
", "
Family Goy "Family Goy" is the second episode of the eighth season of the animated comedy series '' Family Guy''. It originally aired on Fox in the United States on October 4, 2009. In the episode, Lois discovers that her mother is Jewish and begins her str ...
", " Business Guy", " German Guy", and " Amish Guy". Ihlenfeld and Wright were freelance writers for the show, and had not previously written for any previous ''Family Guy'' episodes. The production staff had wanted "Ratings Guy" to be about politics, but director
Pete Michels Pete Michels is an American animation director who is the supervising director of ''Future-Worm!'' on Disney XD. Prior, he was a supervising director on seasons 1 and 2 of ''Rick and Morty'', an animation and supervising director on ''Family Guy'' ...
decided otherwise. A week earlier, he had pitched an idea suggesting that Peter would try to mess up television "in the weirdest way he can". This idea was often debated and discussed in the writers' room extensively by the staff, who wanted the episode to be about the Griffin family climbing Mount Everest; this idea was later used for the previous episode, "
Into Fat Air "Into Fat Air" is the first episode of the eleventh season of the animated comedy series ''Family Guy''. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on September 30, 2012. The episode follows the Griffin family having dinner with ...
". The idea for the episode was pitched by
Alec Sulkin Alexander Matthew Sulkin (born February 14, 1973) is an American screenwriter, producer, and voice actor known for his work on ''Family Guy'' and ''The Cleveland Show''. Career Sulkin began as a writer for ''The Late Late Show (CBS TV series)#C ...
, who joined ''Family Guy'' in its fourth season, co-writing the episode "
Petarded "Petarded" is the sixth episode of the fourth season of the American animated television series '' Family Guy''. It originally aired on Fox in the United States on June 19, 2005. It was written by Alec Sulkin and Wellesley Wild and directed by Se ...
" with
Wellesley Wild Henry Wellesley Wild (born April 27, 1972) is an American screenwriter, producer, and voice actor. He is best known for writing and producing several episodes of the animated series ''Family Guy''. He was a former executive producer and an occasi ...
. Unlike Ihlenfeld and Wright, Sulkin has written for various episodes and has served as a producer since he joined the show. "Ratings Guy" was directed by James Purdum, who storyboarded half of the episode himself and partially worked on the animation with
Brian Iles Brian Iles is an American animation director. Iles is known for directing several episodes of the animated TV series ''Family Guy''. Iles has also served as a storyboard revisionist and as a character layout artist on ''Drawn Together'' and ''Th ...
. "Ratings Guy" is Purdum's first episode for the show's eleventh season. Purdum had joined ''Family Guy'' as an animation director when he directed the fourth season episode "
The Cleveland–Loretta Quagmire "The Cleveland–Loretta Quagmire" is the fifth episode of the fourth season of the American animated television series ''Family Guy''. This episode marks the final appearance of Loretta, until the season 7 episode, "Love, Blactually". In the ep ...
" and has since served as a supervising producer. The scene where Peter adds an extra tree on ''One Tree Hill'' was constantly debated by the writers and staff, who are fans of the show and all wanted the scene to be deleted. At one point, ''Family Guy'' creator
Seth MacFarlane Seth Woodbury MacFarlane (; born October 26, 1973) is an American actor, animator, filmmaker, comedian, and singer. He is the creator and star of the television series ''Family Guy'' (since 1999) and ''The Orville'' (since 2017), and co-creator ...
even wanted the scene to be deleted; however, the animators objected to deleting it, as they thought the scene was funny and insisted the writers keep it. Filmmaker
J.J. Abrams Jeffrey Jacob Abrams (born June 27, 1966) is an American filmmaker and composer. He is best known for his works in the genres of action, drama, and science fiction. Abrams wrote and produced such films as ''Regarding Henry'' (1991), '' For ...
guest-starred in the episode as a fictionalized version of himself. Abrams was a confessed fan of the show and had telephoned the show's production staff to ask if he could produce or assist in an episode's creation. Commenting on his appearance in the episode with ''
Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cul ...
'', Abrams said: "I know ''Family Guy'' is edgier than ''The Simpsons'' or ''Bob's Burgers'', but I love the show personally. That's why I called the show's staff." Actress and stand-up comedian
Sandra Bernhard Sandra Bernhard (born June 6, 1955) is an American actress, singer, comedian and author. She first gained attention in the late 1970s with her stand-up comedy, where she often critiqued celebrity culture and political figures. She is perhaps b ...
guest-starred in the episode as a fictionalized version of herself, in a
cutaway gag In film and video, a cutaway is the interruption of a continuously filmed action by inserting a view of something else. It is usually followed by a cut back to the first shot. A cutaway scene is the interruption of a scene with the insertion of ano ...
critiquing
celebrity culture Celebrity culture is a high-volume exposure to celebrities' personal lives on a global scale. It is inherently tied to consumer interests where celebrities transform their fame to become product brands. Whereas a culture can usually be physically ...
and political figures. Bernhard agreed to guest star on the condition that her fictionalized self reflect her career and lifestyle. When animating Bernhard, the writers used a stock photo of her that she had sent the animators when she agreed to appear as a model. Bernhard's face was given a gap between her teeth and more wrinkles under her eyes, as well as a bigger chin. British television and film producer
Mark Burnett Mark Burnett (born 17 July 1960) is a television producer who is the former Chairman of MGM Television, MGM Worldwide Television Group. He is best known for creating and producing the reality shows The Apprentice (American TV series), ''The Ap ...
guest-starred in "Ratings Guy" as a fictionalized version of himself, appearing when Peter gathers many TV producers to discuss ideas to make their shows better again. Burnett stated that he was a "big fan" of ''Family Guy'' and had "always wanted" to appear on the show. When Burnett agreed to guest star on the show, he insisted that his dialogue be written entirely by himself; Ihlenfeld allowed this, as he said this would "allow me to take a break".
Dan Castellaneta Daniel Louis Castellaneta (; born October 29, 1957) is an American actor, comedian, and writer. He is best known for voicing Homer Simpson on the animated series ''The Simpsons'' (as well as other characters on the show such as Abraham "Grampa" ...
reprised his role as
Homer Simpson Homer Jay Simpson is a fictional character and the main protagonist of the American animated sitcom ''The Simpsons''. He is voiced by Dan Castellaneta and first appeared, along with the rest of his family, in ''The Tracey Ullman Show'' short "G ...
from fellow animated sitcom ''
The Simpsons ''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical depiction of American life, epitomized by the Simpson family, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, ...
'' in a brief cameo after Peter rushes to the Neilsen TV ratings studio''. Family Guy'' had previously made fun of Homer in the episodes "
Movin' Out (Brian's Song) "Movin' Out (Brian's Song)" is the second episode of the sixth season of the American animated television series '' Family Guy''. The 100th overall, it originally aired on Fox in the United States on September 30, 2007. It was written by John Vi ...
" and "
The Juice Is Loose "The Juice Is Loose" is the ninth episode of the seventh season of the American animated television series '' Family Guy''. It originally aired on Fox in the United States on March 15, 2009. In the episode, Peter cashes in an old raffle ticket fr ...
", both of which he was voiced by
Jeff Bergman Jeffrey Bergman (born July 10, 1960) is an American voice actor and impressionist who has provided the modern-day voices of various classic cartoon characters, most notably with ''Looney Tunes'' and Hanna-Barbera. Bergman was the first to repla ...
. Castellaneta agreed to reprise his role on the condition that the episode portray Homer accurately. The writers used an online image of Homer to use as a model to accurately portray him as Castellaneta asked for. Actor
Michael Clarke Duncan Michael Clarke Duncan (December 10, 1957September 3, 2012) was an American actor. He was best known for his breakout role as John Coffey in '' The Green Mile'' (1999), for which he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor a ...
guest-starred in the episode, appearing briefly in a cutaway gag as a guy wearing cowboy boots. Duncan had previously guest-starred in the third and final part of '' Stewie Griffin: The Untold Story—''"
Stu and Stewie's Excellent Adventure ''Stewie Griffin: The Untold Story'' is a 2005 American adult animated direct-to-video adventure comedy film set in the '' Family Guy'' fictional universe. Released on September 27, 2005, the film's main plot point concerns Stewie Griffin, follo ...
" as a
stork Storks are large, long-legged, long-necked wading birds with long, stout bills. They belong to the family called Ciconiidae, and make up the order Ciconiiformes . Ciconiiformes previously included a number of other families, such as herons an ...
. "Ratings Guy" is one of Duncan's final roles before his untimely death from complications following a heart attack a month earlier. He had recorded his lines in May, four months before his death on September 3, 2012. Actor and stand-up comedian
Billy Gardell William Gardell Jr. (born August 20, 1969) is an American actor and stand-up comedian. Gardell played Chicago police officer Mike Biggs on ''Mike & Molly.'' He also had a recurring role as Billy Colivida on ''Yes, Dear'' and appeared in a dozen e ...
reprised his role as Mike Biggs from the sitcom ''
Mike & Molly ''Mike & Molly'' is an American television sitcom created by Mark Roberts on CBS. It premiered on September 20, 2010, and aired 127 episodes over six seasons. The series stars Billy Gardell and Melissa McCarthy as the eponymous Mike and Molly, ...
'' in a cutaway gag. A fan of ''Mike & Molly'', MacFarlane decided to contact Gardell to recruit him to reprise his role as Biggs. Gardell agreed to reprise his role on the condition that he would get paid a salary of $600,000; the producers agreed to this condition. Actor and producer
Jon Hamm Jonathan Daniel Hamm (born March 10, 1971) is an American actor. He is best known for his role as Don Draper in the period drama television series ''Mad Men'' (2007–2015), for which he won a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Televisi ...
guest-starred in "Ratings Guy" as a fictionalized version of himself, appearing when Peter gathers many TV producers to discuss ideas to make their shows better again. Hamm agreed to appear on the condition that Fox's proposed salary of $400,000 increase to $560,000; Fox agreed on the condition that Hamm portray himself. Television producer
Dick Wolf Richard Anthony Wolf (born December 20, 1946) is an American film and television producer, best known for his Law & Order (franchise), ''Law & Order'' franchise. Since 1990, the franchise has included six police/courtroom dramas and four internat ...
guest-starred as a fictionalized version of himself, appearing when Peter gathers many TV producers to discuss ideas to make his shows better again. A confessed fan of ''Family Guy'', Wolf had previously called the show's staff to appear in an episode, but he was rejected many times. He agreed to appear in "Ratings Guy" on the condition that he be animated accurately, write his own dialogue, and be paid a salary of $550,000; MacFarlane and Fox agreed to his proposals.


Cultural references

* The trash can breaking through the Griffins' window is a reference to the climax of the film ''
Do the Right Thing ''Do the Right Thing'' is a 1989 American comedy-drama film produced, written, and directed by Spike Lee. It stars Lee, Danny Aiello, Ossie Davis, Ruby Dee, Richard Edson, Giancarlo Esposito, Bill Nunn, John Turturro, and Samuel L. Jackson, a ...
.'' * Peter has two TV producers leave to make a show about horrible New Jersey freaks. This is a reference to the
reality television Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring unfamiliar people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early 19 ...
series ''Jersey Shore''. * He then tells Dick Wolf to give him the same ''
Law & Order ''Law & Order'' is an American police procedural and legal drama television series created by Dick Wolf and produced by Wolf Entertainment, launching the '' Law & Order'' franchise. ''Law & Order'' aired its entire run on NBC, premiering on ...
'' six times, a reference to the fact that there were six television series in the ''Law & Order'' franchise at the time. * The transition music from ''
The Simpsons ''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical depiction of American life, epitomized by the Simpson family, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, ...
'' can be heard when Brian finds out that the Griffins will become a Nielsen family. * Peter writes to actor
Cary Elwes Ivan Simon Cary Elwes (; born 26 October 1962) is an English actor and writer. He is known for his leading film roles as Westley in ''The Princess Bride'' (1987), Robin Hood in '' Robin Hood: Men in Tights'' (1993), and Dr. Lawrence Gordon in ...
, wondering how famous he is. He also notes that his most notable role was in a mask, which would be Westley in ''
The Princess Bride The Princess Bride may refer to: * ''The Princess Bride'' (novel), 1973 fantasy romance novel by American writer William Goldman William Goldman (August 12, 1931 – November 16, 2018) was an American novelist, playwright, and screenwriter. He ...
.'' * Peter plays ''Hungry Hungry Alec Baldwin'' in a cutaway gag, a play on ''
Hungry Hungry Hippos Hungry Hungry Hippos (or Hungry Hippos in some UK editions) is a tabletop game made for 2–4 players, produced by Hasbro, under the brand of its subsidiary, Milton Bradley. The idea for the game was published in 1967 by toy inventor Fred Krol ...
'' except with
Alec Baldwin Alexander Rae Baldwin III (born April 3, 1958) is an American actor, comedian, and producer. In his early career, Baldwin played both leading and supporting roles in a variety of films such as Tim Burton's ''Beetlejuice'' (1988), Mike Nichol ...
. The Alecs eat the balls even when not being touched, mocking Baldwin's weight. * The "talking to the camera" bit references ''
The Office ''The Office'' is a mockumentary sitcom created by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, first made in the United Kingdom, then Germany, and subsequently the United States. It has since been remade in ten other countries. The original series of ...
.'' * Quagmire references the " Wasteland Speech" by U.S. attorney
Newton N. Minow Newton Norman Minow (born January 17, 1926) is an American attorney and former Chair of the Federal Communications Commission. He is famous for his speech referring to television as a " vast wasteland". While still maintaining a law practice, Mi ...
. *
David Letterman David Michael Letterman (born April 12, 1947) is an American television host, comedian, writer and producer. He hosted late night television talk shows for 33 years, beginning with the February 1, 1982 debut of ''Late Night with David Letterman' ...
is shown reading ''Good Night, Truck'', a parody of ''
Goodnight Moon ''Goodnight Moon'' is an American children's book written by Margaret Wise Brown and illustrated by Clement Hurd. It was published on September 3, 1947, and is a highly acclaimed bedtime story. This book is the second in Brown and Hurd's "cla ...
'' and its series of children's books.


Reception

"Ratings Guy" originally aired on the
Fox network The Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly known simply as Fox and stylized in all caps as FOX, is an American commercial broadcast television network owned by Fox Corporation and headquartered in New York City, with master control operations an ...
in the United States on October 7, 2012. The episode received a 3.4 rating and was watched by a total of 6.70 million people, this made it the most watched show on
Animation Domination Animation Domination (also called AniDom, Fox AD, and AD) is an American animated programming block which has aired in two iterations on the Fox broadcast network, featuring a lineup solely made up of prime-time animation and adult animation carr ...
that night, beating ''
The Cleveland Show ''The Cleveland Show'' is an American animated sitcom created by Seth MacFarlane, Richard Appel, and Mike Henry for the Fox Broadcasting Company. A spin-off of ''Family Guy'', the series centers on Cleveland Brown, his new wife Donna Tubbs, a ...
'', ''
Bob's Burgers ''Bob's Burgers'' is an American adult animated sitcom created by Loren Bouchard that premiered on Fox on January 9, 2011. The show centers on the Belcher family—parents Bob and Linda and their three children, Tina, Gene, and Louise—who r ...
'', ''
American Dad! ''American Dad!'' is an American animated sitcom created by Seth MacFarlane, Mike Barker and Matt Weitzman for the Fox Broadcasting Company. Since 2014, the series has been airing new episodes on TBS. ''American Dad!'' is the first television ...
'' and ''
The Simpsons ''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical depiction of American life, epitomized by the Simpson family, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, ...
'' with 6.57 million. The episode was met with mixed reviews from critics. Kevin McFarland of ''
The A.V. Club ''The A.V. Club'' is an American online newspaper and entertainment website featuring reviews, interviews, and other articles that examine films, music, television, books, games, and other elements of pop-culture media. ''The A.V. Club'' was cre ...
'' gave the episode a B−, saying "Ratings Guy" didn't insult Nielsen viewers for championing shows that are at odds with critical consensus or ignoring the “best shows” like AMC's cable darlings or HBO/Showtime material, which I'll take as a small saving grace. It focused more on the production end, how the industry grovels and panders to the masses in hopes that they can mechanically churn out desirable programming at the lowest possible cost, instead of striving to produce something of quality and finding a way to make it work. There's a deeper point somewhere in this episode. But after a first act that easily punctuated beats with a lot of laughs, whatever it is Seth MacFarlane and the writers wanted to say about television in general, and how Nielsen ratings disproportionately affect what the industry produces, got muffled by a mood-killing second act and a sloppy conclusion. Carter Dotson of ''TV Fanatic'' gave the episode three and a half stars out of five, saying "Yet the show painted such broad strokes, as it does tend to do, that it didn’t really have a whole lot to say, other than that they think idiots determine what’s ‘popular’ and what isn't. Yeah, that's an original viewpoint. It's ironic that this show, hardly the most intelligent one on TV, is determined to be more popular than a show like ''Bob’s Burgers'', thanks to the Nielsen ratings. Stones, glass houses, and whatnot, though it was low ratings that caused the show to die twice. But it's also the same ratings that's caused the show to keep going, through its cable revival and high ratings since then. And as with every criticism of Nielsen, there's no real solution for what to do that's better, really. So it winds up all feeling like empty words. It may have been topical, but it felt punchless. I was moderately amused, but felt like there was so much more that could have been said. It's a waste of the platform for only a few reference-based yuks."


References


External links

* {{Family Guy (season 11) 2012 American television episodes Family Guy (season 11) episodes