BRIDGEPORT -- When it comes to Bridgeport's appeal, Mayor Bill Finch says the last person people should trust is an animated talking baby named Stewie.
Sunday night's episode of Family Guy -- a two-hour Christmas special titled Road to the North Pole -- includes a shot at Bridgeport, which the show depicts as a worldwide leader in "wild dogs and gas stations without pumps" among other claims to infamy.
But Finch said Monday he's laughing off the criticism -- and using the spotlight as an opportunity to promote the city.
"First, we have to remember it's humor," Finch said. "I don't think anything in America is beyond Family Guy trying to make fun of it. It is by the way by Stewie, who we don't particularly like if you're a fan of Family Guy. ... He comes across as a smarty-pants and a know-it-all, so consider the source."
In the episode, Brian (a talking dog) and Stewie are outside the gates of what they believe to be Santa's Workshop.
The large doors swing open and the two are left standing at the foot of towering factories and black smoke billowing out of smokestacks.
As the duo looks on at the gloomy cityscape in front of them, Stewie remarks, "This can't be Santa's Workshop. This looks like Bridgeport, Connecticut!"
Brian retorts, "Oh boy, here come the letters."
The next scene shows a supposed Bridgeport resident (with, for whatever reason, a Boston accent), who speaks out loud as he writes, with a variety of curses and other angry exclamations mixed in, "I'll have you know that Bridgeport is among the world leaders in abandoned buildings, shattered glass, boarded-up windows, wild dogs and gas stations without pumps."
The Family Guy episode now joins the growing genre of the snarky urban putdown: A city or small town is insulted by late-night TV host/cartoon show/newspaper columnist, provoking a mostly feigned spasm of outrage from civic boosters and shrugs from most of the citizenry too busy to give a hoot. Harrisburg, Pa., Bayonne, N.J., Dubuque, Iowa, Youngstown, Ohio. Flint, Mich. The list goes on and on.
Finch was a good sport and figured the episode offered an opportunity to talk about the city's positive side.
"Bridgeport is much different than that," he said. "The image of Bridgeport has changed over the many years that I've lived here. It's a wonderful place to live. We've got great sources of entertainment in the city at the arena, the ballpark and the zoo and the discovery museum."
The image of Bridgeport as a decaying city filled with black smoke and old factories is one the city is trying to shake.
The Family Guy portrayal is a sharp contrast to the recent "Surprise, It's Bridgeport," ad campaign launched by Finch. The ads feature bright colors, the waterfront, the city's restaurants and nightlife and athletic events, culminating with Finch delivering the tagline while fly-fishing in the Pequonnock River.
Finch said the Family Guy letter-writer's Boston accent made the show's portrayal less credible, especially given Fairfield County's allegiance to the Yankees.
"You know, we're solidly Yankee fans down here, I think that's pretty clear," he said. "If it had a Bronx accent I think people would have been happy with it, but the fact that it had a Boston accent was particularly irritating, especially to the Yankee fans down here. It certainly made the segment less credible, and it still got you guys down here reporting about how wonderful Bridgeport is."
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