‘Family Guy’ gets new lease on life

Fox Television is in a family way again. The company has ordered a minimum of 22 new episodes of the animated series “Family Guy” more than two years after its initial run ended.

The move is in response to the series’ strengthening afterlife on DVD and in reruns on the Cartoon Network. It’s been drawing high ratings on cable since the Cartoon Network began programming it opposite the broadcast networks’ late-night talk shows, and it ranked as the top-selling television offering on DVD in 2003.

The new shows will premiere next year as part of the Cartoon Network’s late-night “Adult Swim” block of animated programs, among which the two-time Emmy winning “Family Guy” is the channel’s No. 1 program.

Randy Lewis