Family Guy may well be one of the most dismal programmes ever aired on a television anywhere on Earth, but that didn’t stop Seth MacFarlane scraping the barrel even further with the miserable American Dad and further still with the joy-vacuum of The Cleveland Show.

Quite an impressive feat you might think. How on Earth is it possible to make something more grating and unfunny as Family Guy?

Well, unbelievably, he’s going to top all of that when he takes over, revamps and utterly sullies one of the greatest animated series in television – The Flintstones. And you thought that the live action flick with John Goodman was bad!

Yes indeed, MacFarlane will apparently be giving a 21st century spin to the already perfect ’60s comedy series, invariably turning Fred Flintstone, Wilma, Barney and Betty Rubble, into quirky, off-beat characters, into boorish, cut-away obsessed, hateful creations.

That said, MacFarlane is a fan:

“The very first cartoon character I drew at age two was Fred Flintstone”

“So it’s appropriate that events have come full circle, allowing me to produce the newest incarnation of this great franchise. Plus, I think America is finally ready for an animated sitcom about a fat, stupid guy with a wife who’s too good for him”

Production (or, as it is being referred to in some circles, The Death Of Humour) will be starting in the fall of 2011 and will most likely end up polluting our screens in 2013.

That gives us two years to decide whether to end the lives of those involved or simply partake in a mass-suicide.*

*Please note, this is quite clearly a melodramatic response to a situation, used for comedic effect. So, if you’re a lawyer or a basketcase who briefly took it seriously, please go and stand in a darkened room, count to ten, think about your life and then, should you see fit, kill yourself.**

**Please note, this is further use of melodrama, used for comedic effect. Seriously, stop trying to kill yourself or other people to then pin the blame on us. Idiot.

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When news broke that Cleveland from Family Guy was getting a spin off show, it caused a flurry of reactions.

Some thought that the idea would suck donkey balls whilst others embraced the decision to make Seth McFarlane a little bit richer.

After months of speculation about this project ever seeing the light of day, a trailer has popped up for us to laugh at or complain about. Do we have the promo embedded in this story? Of course we do, and after the jump you’ll be able to watch it! That’s unless you’ve probably already seen it somewhere else.

Of course, the trailer wouldn’t be complete with something semi-offensive for people to complain about. Hooray for comedy racism but it’ll no doubt shake the leaves of people who have been removed of a sense of humour.

Using our rubbish powers of observation, not having much information to go on other then this trailer and without cheating via looking things up on Wikipedia we have concluded that:

* Cleveland leaves Farmington, will realise it’s shit and then probably come back. Though this might not happen until people complain the spin-off is rubbish and affects the main show.

* A talking bear won’t bother anyone into thinking things are slightly surreal.

* The fat child will already have pages of abusive jokes written about him.

* It’s quite likely they’ll be no explanation as to who Cleveland’s new family is.

* The Cleveland Brown show won’t be as popular as Family Guy.

* Quagmire will try and shag the teenage daughter that Cleveland is living with at some point.

* There’ll be a giant chicken fight at some point.

However, we do notice something strange at the very end of the trailer. We’re told that the series isn’t going to premire until ‘this fall’. Are our American chums being cruel and waiting for some high powered Fox executive to fall over before showing it? Who do they want to fall over? Why are we so confused? The creators of the show are quite literally holding us to ransom until we wait for someone to trip up or fall over.

Shocking.

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