Fox has released four videos showcasing some behind the scenes looks at the voice recording sessions with some of the actors from The Cleveland Show. The characters showcased are Cleveland, Rallo, Cleveland Junior, Lester, Arianna and Wally. Check out the clips after the jump.

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1. The Cleveland Show Character Fan Art
2. Episode 6 “Ladies’ Night” Clips
3. Episode 7 “A Brown Thanksgiving” Review

For each episode, we’ll list all the references and cutaway jokes contained in the show. Sometimes the references will have short explanations and sometimes they won’t, but if we get anything wrong or leave anything out, just send us a friendly reminder and we’ll change or add it.

“Birth of a Salesman” Cutaway Jokes / Gags

• Cleveland as an old grizzled cop two days from retirement
• “Flea Market Rap” starring Cleveland
• Bear AIDS research
• Robert Redford getting skin replaced with fried chicken

“Birth of a Salesman” Pop Culture References

• Herbie Hancock
• “Rockit” – 1983 hit song by Herbie Hancock
• ESPY Awards
• Folger’s Crystals
• Ike Turner’s Classic Movies – reference to Turner Classic Movies
• Buffy the Vampire Slayer
• E.T.’s finger & catch phrase “phone home”
• “Ride or Die Bitch” – term coined by Ruff Ryders (hip-hop crew)
• Don Rickels
• Roast of Cleveland Jr. – roasts are popular events where a celebrity is mocked or lampooned
• Rickey Henderson – Hall of Fame Major League Baseball player
• Shelley Winters – American actress
• KFC

Related posts:

1. Cleveland’s Cutaways & Rallo’s References: Episode 3
2. Cleveland’s Cutaways & Rallo’s References: Episode 1
3. Cleveland’s Cutaways & Rallo’s References: Episode 6

While we await the release of official Cleveland Show merchandise, there is something out there that can hold us over. The Cleveland Brown Action Figure from Mezco’s Family Guy toy line stands 7.5 inches tall and comes with three accessories from different episodes.

Cleveland is wearing his traditional outfit, a yellow shirt and blue pants with brown shoes. Accessory wise, he comes with a mug of beer, the Golden Clam trophy and a plate of Rice Krispies treats.

Many more characters, both main and supporting, are available as well, so check them out!

Get your Cleveland Brown action figure here!

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1. Is Cleveland Leaving Family Guy?
2. Cleveland’s Cutaways & Rallo’s References: Episode 3
3. The Voices of Stoolbend

Want to customize your desktop or laptop computer to proudly show off the zany characters of Stoolbend? Now you can by downloading wallpapers, icons and even a screensaver.

You can get the wallpaper above and five others that feature each character of Cleveland’s new blended family — Cleveland, Donna, Cleveland Jr, Roberta and Rallo.

Download them here!

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Cleveland Brown has left Quahog, Rhode Island with his son Cleveland Junior to his hometown of Stoolbend to get a fresh start in life. This begs the big question, “where in the world is Stoolbend?”

We know that Stoolbend is located in the great state of Virginia, located on the East Coast of the United States of America. However, nothing more can be found. A google maps search for “Stoolbend” yields no results. We are left wondering whether Stoolbend is just too small in population to be officially recognized by any official map company.

Is it perhaps a suburb of Richmond or just some small podunk town in the middle of nowhere? Perhaps watching “The Cleveland Show” will yield some clues as to where this mysterious village lies. Until then, we can only hypothesize.

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1. Stoolbend Character Sketch: Cleveland Brown
2. The Cleveland Show Picked Up For Full Second Season
3. The Voices of Stoolbend

As you’ve probably noticed, Cleveland Junior has put on some weight. So much in fact, that he is unrecognizable when compared to his earlier appearances. We at The Cleveland Show Blog have been kicking around some theories as to how he became so portly, here’s our top 3 list.

3. Genetics

Cleveland Sr. and Loretta are both slightly overweight, though by no means obese. It is possible that Cleveland Jr inherited genes that make him predisposed to being plump. We have not yet met any of his grandparents, uncles or aunts so we have no definitive proof that this is the case.

2. Divorce

It is entirely within the realm of possibility that Cleveland Jr gained weight as a result of his parents’ nasty divorce. He had a somewhat stable environment that was rocked the day that Loretta decided cheat with Quagmire. Children frequently have trouble dealing with a divorce and tend to find ways to cope.

1. Junk Food

Childhood obesity is one of the biggest problems facing American youth, and we think that Cleveland Jr may have formed a love affair with fatty foods and sweets. We have already seen a clip of him snacking on a chocolate bar so this is probably the best theory as to why he has become obese.

What Gives?

So why did Mike Henry choose to morph Cleveland Jr from an energetic young boy to a fat, lethargic one? Our best guess is for laughs. For some, fat equals funny and the writers will probably use that angle to exploit Cleveland Jr’s character.

Maybe they thought that as he was, Cleveland’s son was forgettable, plain and boring. In any case, we will meet the new Cleveland Jr soon when “The Cleveland Show” premieres September 27th on FOX.

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The Cleveland Show won’t be the first animated series to feature a black family (think Boondocks, The PJs, The Proud Family, etc), however this may be the first to feature a black main character voiced by a white man!

If you didn’t already know, Cleveland Brown, although African American, is voiced by a white man, Mike Henry. Henry will also be voicing the young baby Rallo, who many are referring to as “The Black Stewie Griffin”.  Some are outraged that a black character is going to be voiced by a white man.

Before you think that this show is racist, think about this. There are other characters that are ‘differently voiced’. Did you know that Bart Simpson and Bobby Hill are both voiced by female actors? Also, Cleveland’s white redneck neighbor will be voice by Kevin Michael Richardson.

Kevin Michael Richardson

Add the fact that Cleveland isn’t a stereotypical black character, and I don’t think you could actually call the Cleveland Show racist. According to Henry, the voice is based off a friend he used to play basketball with.

While I’m sure that the writers will touch on some sensitive racial issues for the sake of humor, I don’t think that anything will be done maliciously. The rest of Cleveland’s new family is voiced by black actors, including the lovely Sanaa Lathan.

So, what do you think? Will “The Cleveland Show” be a cartoon that brings people together for the sake of humor or will it exploit the race card to death?

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Many rabid Family Guy fans have begun asking the question, “Is Cleveland leaving?” and justifiably so. His new spinoff show, “The Cleveland Show”, which debuts next month on Fox, will feature him as the main character.

In my opinion, there are three possibilities for the future of Cleveland, read on to find out.

3. Cleveland Disappears from “Family Guy”

I think that of all the possibilities, this is the least likely. We know that Mr. Brown will be getting his own outlet to highlight his story and adventures, but you must remember that he is Peter’s best friend. I just don’t see the creators completely eliminating him from the cast.

As things are now, Cleveland isn’t an every-episode character, but when he does show up I think that he makes a great addition to the episode. While he will probably show up even less often than before, I don’t see him completely disappearing from Family Guy.

2. No Change

There is a slight possibility that Cleveland’s appearances will remain steady on the main show. I think this is possible because of the lack of continuity possible in cartoons. The Griffins often experience what would normally be life-changing events almost every episode, yet the next week it’s as if nothing happened.

Family Guy has indeed evolved into a more continuous story, so perhaps they will continue this by moving Cleveland out of Quahog for good, only to visit occasionally.

1. Cameos

I think that of all the directions possible, this is the most likely. Cleveland will probably show up a few times per season, perhaps on a vacation or perhaps in an episode that takes place outside of Quahog.

Peter, Joe and Quagmire are likely to be very sad at this, and may have to search for a replacement friend. Hopefully, we will still see him as an occasional guest star.

So, what do you think is most likely? Please share your thoughts in the comments section below.

Related posts:

1. Other Potential Spinoffs of Family Guy
2. Where is Stoolbend, Virginia?

In our last post, we discussed some reasons why Cleveland was getting his very own show, separate from Family Guy. No longer content to make him the focus of certain episodes, McFarlane and Henry saw it best to give Peter’s best friend his own venue. You can read about some potential reasons here.

You may be asking if Cleveland is the only character with spinoff potential? I’d say there are plenty of directions in which they could go. Here are some of the possibilities.

3. Joe Swanson

He was once just the annoying neighbor, but now Joe is a key character in the Family Guy series. While we’ve witnessed some of his adventures and learned about some of his backstory, I feel that there is a lot of untapped material to be had. He and Bonnie just had their second child, Susie. Avid fans know that Kevin is no longer part of the cast, having been “killed off” while in Iraq.

I would be interested in seeing some episodes centered around Joe’s past, including more of his cop adventures and the early days with Bonnie. Joe’s extreme attitude and solid police work could be parlayed into an 80′s style cop show parody.

2. Mort Goldman

Owner of Quahog’s finest pharmacy, we don’t get too many doses of Mort anymore. Muriel appears even less often, leaving us hungry for more Goldman action and comedy. While he will never get his own show, I think there is a good chance that he will be thrust into the vacancy left by Cleveland in Peter’s circle of friends.

I think that Mort is funny and quirky enough to watch more of, let’s see if the creators of the show agree.

1. Brian & Stewie Griffin

While they regularly receive the spotlight in the “Road to” series of episodes, Brian & Stewie would make a perfect spinoff if and when Family Guy ceases to exist as a show. The relationship that exists between them is hilarious, although it is skewing more and more towards awkward due to Stewie’s attraction to Brian.

In the earlier episodes Stewie, at least in appearance, hated Brian and wanted the family to get rid of him. Since then, we have watched them become good friends and get into their fair share of shenanigans.

They likely would not get their own spinoff in the meantime because of their huge presence on Family Guy. They would have to be ripped from the main cast, which would leave Peter as the only strong character left. Just think of a show with only Peter, Lois, Meg & Chris in the house. Not very funny, indeed.

So, what do you think? Agree with my choices or do you have your own that you would like to add? Feel free to leave a comment by using the form below.

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1. Is Cleveland Leaving Family Guy?

Many hardcore fans of Family Guy have asked, “Why is Cleveland getting his own show?” They argue that there are other characters who are more deserving of a spin-off, and the creators of the show even poke fun at the notion when Stewie is flabbergasted at Cleveland getting his own show.

According to Seth McFarlane, they felt that Cleveland was the most three-dimensional of all the characters and they wanted to focus more on him. He added that a Quagmire show would be a weekly show about “a rapist” and nobody would want to see that.

I have long thought that Cleveland was an interesting character that just didn’t get enough screen time. We know him as a Deli owner, a good friend and perhaps the most calm and serene person on the entire show.

If you remember the episode in which Loretta cheated on him with Quagmire, he displayed some emotional range, but usually Cleveland is left in the background. The Cleveland Show will showcase him and Cleveland Jr with their new family in Stoolbend, Virginia.

As the show unfolds, we will probably learn more about his backstory and personality. Will he develop a cynicism when placed out of his comfort zone of Quahog? Will he miss his long time good friend Peter and best friend Quagmire?

We will find out the answer to these questions and more this fall on Fox, but what do you think?

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