The Cleveland Show: Canceled or not?

FOX has once again brushed off rumors that The Cleveland Show has been canceled. But at the same time, they also haven't announced that the show has been picked up for a fifth season. It seems like this show's fate is up in the air at the moment, which is too bad, because it's a pretty solid show.

A lot of people were already sick of Seth MacFarlane by the time The Cleveland Show came along, and I respect that. But what people fail to realize is that the less MacFarlane is involved in a show, the better it tends to be. MacFarlane's main focus is and has always been Family Guy. American Dad runs a distant second, and The Cleveland Show is only nominally a MacFarlane project. MacFarlane originally only provided the voice of Tim the Bear, but he has even given that up as of about halfway through the third season. Basically, MacFarlane's involvement in The Cleveland Show at this point is to cash the checks. And the show is so much better because of it.

Unlike Family Guy, the show from which it spun off, The Cleveland Show only rarely participates in flashbacks, cut-aways, or fantasy sequences. The plots are solid and coherent, although they often shoot off in unexpected directions. But each development builds on what came before it in a somewhat rational fashion (unlike, say, The Simpsons' notoriously bizarre connection between the first act and the rest of the episode).

The Cleveland Show also often grapples with the real-world problems of blended families. Both Cleveland and Donna are on their second marriages, with children from their first marriage, trying to make it work under the same roof. The interplay between the characters, particularly between the kids, as they form and destroy alliances and try to navigate their interrelationships, is as interesting as it is relatable.

All the while providing more laughs than Family Guy (but about even with American Dad). As much as I would love to see less Seth MacFarlane on Sunday nights, The Cleveland Show isn't the one that deserves the axe.

Image copyright The Cleveland Show/20th Century FOX Television