The season started off with mediocre to above average reviews. On the series premiere
IGN wrote "While it seems to be missing some of the over-the-top offensive bite we're used to on
Family Guy, and Cleveland's new drinking buddies aren't quite as amusing as the
Quagmire,
Joe and
Peter combination - there's a lot to like here. It might take a while for the show to grow out of its
Family Guy shadow, but with a greater focus on wacky family focused stories, we might get to see much personality burst out of the normally sedate Cleveland." For the following episodes reviews were generally positive as well. Episode 2 received a 7/10, although IGN mentioned "[the show] hasn't really shown any signs of innovation or desire to stray too far from the well-established Family Guy comedic formula", while the third episode, "
The One About Friends", shared similar criticisms such as "This show still seems to be trying to find its way, and without a memorable supporting cast like we have on
Family Guy, it will be hard to see how this show can make it with only Cleveland's sedated humor." On Rotten Tomatoes, the series received a 44%, the consensus reading, The Cleveland Show is simply not interesting enough to capture the same comedic lightning of Seth MacFarlane's Family Guy. ==Home media==