As much as it pains me to write the following, I must. Family Guy has slipped. Was was once a delightfully caustic mash-up of obscure pop cultural references, non sequitur punchlines and delightfully off-kilter characters has become strident, labored and very thin-skinned. While the Seth MacFarlane creation still has its moments -- there are often sequences that can leave you breathless with laughter -- they are not nearly as plentiful as the series' early days.

Maybe it's the job security (MacFarlane is the highest paid television writer and producer ever, having signed a deal with 20th Century Fox reportedly worth $100 million), MacFarlane's compulsion with overseeing countless other projects or the fact that Family Guy is no longer the scrappy underdog it once was, but as the show eases into its seventh season, you can't help but wonder how much more can be explored in the lives of Peter, Lois, Stewie, Meg and Brian Griffin, particularly with one of the key supporting characters, Cleveland, being spun off into his own show.

Nevertheless, Family Guy continues its bizarre tradition of splitting up parts of seasons for DVD release, this time packaging up parts of seasons six and seven. There are plenty of hot-button topics skewered here -- Nazis, stroke victims, the disabled, politics, religion, stem cell research and illegal immigration, to name a few -- as well as plenty of epic cut-away jokes and a handful of eminently quotable lines.

Here are brief episode synopses, along with details on the commentary tracks found on each episode.

"No Meals on Wheels"
After opening a restaurant, Peter and Lois -- facing scant business -- decide to let Joe bring his friends in an effort to drum up publicity. The plan backfires when Peter realizes Joe didn't mean police officers. (Commentary with creator Seth MacFarlane, actor/writer Mike Henry, director Greg Colton, actor Patrick Warburton and composer Walter Murphy.)

"Boys Do Cry"
Lois lands a job as church organist, but when Stewie takes communion and vomits it back up, the church tries to take the "possessed" baby away. The Griffins must go on the run -- bringing the clan to Texas and crossing paths with the Superdevil. (Commentary with MacFarlane, executive producer Danny Smith, writer Cherry Chevapravatdumrong and director Brian Iles.)

"No Chris Left Behind"
Chris is kicked out of James Woods High for being the stupidest student, which brings him to the elite Morningwood Academy, thanks to Lois's father, Carter Pewterschmidt. Unfortunately, the Griffins are forced to work extra jobs to pay the tuition. (Commentary with MacFarlane, executive producer David A. Goodman, producer Chris Sheridan, director Pete Michels, writer Patrick Meighan and actor Seth Green.)

"It Takes a Village Idiot, and I Married One"
Sickened by corruption, Lois runs for mayor of Quahog and unseats Adam West, only to be undone by the very sinister impulses that turned her stomach. (Commentary with MacFarlane, executive producer Danny Smith, writer/actor Alex Borstein and actor Mila Kunis.)

"Meet the Quagmires"
A riff on '80s movies and Back to the Future in particular, Death gives Peter a chance to be 18 again and find out what would've happened in his life if he hadn't married Lois (although he does take up with Molly Ringwald). A chain reaction forces Peter and Brian to travel back in time and fix the problems of the present. (Commentary with executive producer Danny Smith, actor Adam Carolla, director Dan Povenmire, producer Kara Vallow and writer Mark Hentemann.)

"Movin' Out (Brian's Song)"
Brian, waffling about his relationship with Jillian, is convinced he needs to move in with her, only to discover he can't afford the rent -- which leads to Stewie moving in as well -- while Meg and Chris get jobs at the convenience store. (Commentary with MacFarlane, executive producer David A. Goodman, producer Chris Sheridan, writer John Viener and director Cyndi Tang.)

"Believe It or Not, Joe's Walking on Air"
Frustrated with his handicap, Joe decides to undergo experimental surgery to regain the use of his legs, which ruins just about everything in his life, including his friendships and his marriage. (Commentary with MacFarlane, actor Patrick Warburton, director Julius Wu, writer Andrew Goldberg and composer Walter Murphy.)

"Stewie Kills Lois"
Pretty much summed up in the title -- this opening installment of a two-part 100th episode finds Lois and Peter going on a cruise without Stewie, who, after being ribbed by Brian, elects to go through with his murderous plans. (Commentary with MacFarlane, executive producer David A. Goodman, producer Chris Sheridan, actor Alex Borstein, actor Seth Green, director John Holmquist, composer Ron Jones and co-executive producer Steve Callaghan.)

"Lois Kills Stewie"
Without treading into spoiler territory, the cliff-hanger from the previous episode is resolved and manages to work in satirical homages to not only "Dallas" but also "The Sopranos." (Commentary with MacFarlane, executive producer David A. Goodman, producer Chris Sheridan, composer Ron Jones, actor Alex Borstein, writer/executive producer Steve Callaghan, associate producer Kim Fertman and director Greg Colton.)

"Padre de Familia"
Peter discovers he's not an American citizen -- he was born in Mexico -- and is forced to live the life of an illegal immigrant, working for Lois's father and fighting for citizenship. (Commentary with MacFarlane, executive producer David A. Goodman, writer Kirker Butler, director Pete Michels and actor Phyllis Diller.)

"Peter's Daughter"
Meg slips into a coma but is revived and falls for the med student who cared for her, much to Peter's distress. (Commentary with MacFarlane, executive producer David A. Goodman, producer Chris Sheridan and actor Mila Kunis.)

"McStroke"
After gorging himself on 30 hamburgers and suffering a stroke, Peter vows to sue the restaurant and goes so far as to spring a talking cow from the slaughterhouse to help with his case. (Commentary with MacFarlane, executive producer David A. Goodman, director Brian Iles, writer Wellesley Wild and actor Lisa Wilhoit.)

The sixth volume of Family Guy spans three discs, which contain the final five episodes of the fifth season and the first seven episodes of the sixth season. (The two episodes that comprise "Blue Harvest," which were released as a stand-alone DVD earlier this year, are not included.) Fox sent DVD Talk screener discs for review, so I cannot comment on the packaging. However, if final product is provided, I'll amend this review accordingly.

The Video:

Presented as originally broadcast on Fox, the 1.33.1 fullscreen transfer cannot be accurately judged owing to 20th Century Fox's supplying screener discs rather than final product. While there's no discernible visual flaws (although there's the odd bit of smearing), there is a Fox watermark obscuring portions of the image. Should final product be provided to DVD Talk, this rating will be revised to reflect the quality of the image.

As with the visuals, the Dolby Digital 5.1 track sounds pretty solid, conveying dialogue and score with no discernible problem, but an accurate assessment cannot be made, owing to the fact that Fox supplied screeners, rather than final product. Optional English, Spanish and French subtitles are included (while the original televised episodes and uncensored episodes differ, the censored audio is not reflected in the subtitles -- they remain uncensored.). Should Fox provide a retail version of Family Guy: Volume Six for consideration, this rating will be revised to reflect the quality of the soundtrack.

All 13 episodes have commentary tracks (participants are listed above) and each episode also features uncensored audio, along with the option to play the "original televised" version. The default version of these episodes are the uncut, uncensored versions that often swap out alternate (read: filthier) jokes for ones that were suitable for broadcast. In addition, the third disc contains the bulk of the special features, which include a whopping 49 deleted scenes (presented in fullscreen and Dolby 2.0 stereo) playable separately or all together for an aggregate of 18 minutes, 40 seconds; three full animatic episodes -- "No Meals on Wheels," "No Chris Left Behind" and "McStroke" -- with optional commentary from the following:
"No Meals on Wheels" -- Young Baek, Greg Colton, Deborah Cone, Monica Lee and Ron Smith

"No Chris Left Behind" -- Brent Crowe, Kip Nochese, Steve Fonti, Pete Michels and Kevin Perrotta

"McStroke" -- Ed Acosta, Mark Covell, Brian Iles, Annie McMillan and Jeff Stewart.

The 21 minute, 41 second "Family Guy 100th Episode Celebration" (presented in fullscreen and Dolby 2.0 stereo) is included as is the one hour, 11 minute featurette "Family Guy Live! Just for Laughs" (presented in fullscreen) which features the cast doing a live reading at the 2007 Just for Laughs Comedy Festival in Montreal. The four minute, nine second featurette "Peter Shin Draws Lois" (presented in fullscreen) is pretty self-explanatory as is the 24 minute, 30 second "The Making of the 100th Episode" (presented in fullscreen and non-anamorphic widescreen), which walks viewers through the creation of "Stewie Kills Lois." The cast and crew select 11 minutes and 34 seconds worth of "Favorite Scenes" (presented in fullscreen) with the two minute, 49 second music video "I'm Huge (And the Babes Go Wild)" completing the set.

As much as it pains me to write the following, I must. Family Guy has slipped. Was was once a delightfully caustic mash-up of obscure pop cultural references, non sequitur punchlines and delightfully off-kilter characters has become strident, labored and very thin-skinned. While the Seth MacFarlane creation still has its moments -- there are often sequences that can leave you breathless with laughter -- they are not nearly as plentiful as the series' early days. That said, there's still enjoyment to be had from these episodes and fans will delight in the copious amount of extras. Recommended.