The episode was positively received by critics. Maureen Ryan of the "Chicago Tribune" called "PTV" ""Family Guys" most rebellious outing yet". TV Squad critic Ryan Budke considered "PTV" his favorite episode ever. Jacqueline Cutler of "The Star-Ledger" called "PTV" " the funniest, most sardonic half-hour on TV in a while." While exclusively airing the sixth season of "Family Guy" for British audiences, BBC Three aired this episode as part of the "Family Guy" 100th Anniversary special, declaring it to be "The Best Episode...So Far". The "Hartford Courant", however, gave it a largely negative review, stating it was "not even funny for a second." MacFarlane revealed in an interview that the crew received a letter of inquiry from the U.S. regulatory board regarding the episode, but much to his surprise, "they actually thought it was funny." The 59th Primetime Emmy Awards opened with Stewie and Brian singing about the upcoming TV season using the tune from "The FCC Song", originating from this episode. The altered version of the song contained references to shows such as "Scrubs", "Two and a Half Men", "The Sopranos" and "Cavemen". Tom Eames of entertainment website "Digital Spy" placed the episode at number eight on his listing of the best "Family Guy" episodes in order of "yukyukyuks" and noted the episode was show writer's "way of aiming all their anger at the agencies who get in the way." He added that episode was "one of those episodes where all the jokes worked" and featured "the show's first over-the-top song numbers". IGN ranked PTV sixth in its "Top 15 "Family Guy" Episodes," compiled in 2014 for the 15th anniversary of the series.