The Times on The Return of The Family Guy

(read it here)- look for the fine animated laughs to return in the spring of 2005. And as a special bonus treat,

It will be preceded on the air by "American Dad," another animated show created by Mr. MacFarlane, who now employs a staff of about 100, most in their 20's. This new series involves a conservative agent with the Central Intelligence Agency; his ultra-liberal daughter; a sarcastic, campy space alien with a voice like that of the comic actor Paul Lynde; and a lascivious, German-speaking goldfish, the result of a C.I.A. experiment gone wrong.

Mr. MacFarlane said that the idea for "American Dad," which is to make its debut after the Super Bowl next February, emerged from political discussions with his associates.

"My friends and I spent half our time complaining about President Bush, and we figured, why don't we channel our anger into something creative," he said. "The idea was to do a current-day `All in the Family' that would be more political than `Family Guy,' with some attempt to balance the two sides as much as possible, which is difficult for us."

Ms. Berman said she did not see the show's liberal slant as an issue for Fox, whose cable arm, Fox News, is known for its conservative talk shows. "It never occurred to me," she said. "Fox News and us are run completely independently."