parky-3

Family Guy has just come over to England, aired in Rupert (Fox) Murdoch's Sky satellite service (like The Simpsons, The PJs, King of the Hill and Futurama before it). It's being aired straight after the much-hyped (and not bad at all) Futurama, but it doesn't suffer in comparison to Groening's new opus; in fact, given the weight of expectation on the "Simpsons in Space" it's started off better. Creator Seth MacFarlane (only 25, doesn't it make you sick?) has diligently combined several successful formats - dopey but loveable Homer-type dad, over-the-top Dr Evil-type villain (except in nappies), wiser-than-his owner dog (as in Wallace and Gromit, a massive UK claymation success less well received in the States). But characters are nothing without writing, and where Family Guy scores high is the rapidfire joke quotient - and in particular the TV references; nearly a dozen in the second show alone, from witty skits of NYPD Blue, Roadrunner and Scooby Doo to quick references to such TV tittletattle as Rosie O'Donnell's adoption of a child. Maybe MacFarlane has set off at too high a pace and the series will lag, but in the meantime, buckle up your seatbelt and enjoy intelligent TV for the short attention-span generation.

It's tough being a kid sometimes. Especially when you watch a hit-man murder both your parents in front of you in cold blood. So you're put on the Witness Protection Program. You find a friend, and it seems like maybe this world ain't so bad after all. Then it turns out that your new buddy works for your parents' killer. It all adds up to a tragic life for one kid, meaning we get to sit and watch a passable thriller for two hours.

Matthew Settle portrays an Irish American involved in dodgy stuff in New York. Eventually, the unloving attentions of a violent gang (is there any other kind?) persuades him to leave the girlfriend behind and legs it out West. Funnily enough, he faces similar problems there too. So is he a bad apple from the Big Apple? Course not, he's misunderstood. Is this a stereotyping drama? To an extent. Should you watch it? Depends whether you have anything more pressing to do, like ironing the carpet. There again, you could watch it to see what Linda Kozlowski gets up to when hubby Paul Hogan's not around.