Love it or hate it, Family Guy is here to stay for as long as its founder Seth MacFarlane deems necessary. And from the looks of it, it’ll be for a very long time. The animated sitcom, which debuted on Fox in 1999 and went on to survive two cancellations, has successfully aired 22 seasons and is looking to add more seasons to the list.
The sitcom which stole the hearts of its viewers with its irreverent humor, is a family of father (Peter Griffin), mother (Lois Griffin), Son (Chris Griffin), daughter, (Meg Griffin), talking baby (Stewie Griffin), and a talking dog (Brian). While Macfarlane took up the role of voicing multiple characters e.g., Peter, Stewie, Brian, and their neighbor Glenn Quagmire, Seth Green voices Chris and the school nerd Neil Godman.
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Alex Borstein voices Lois, reporter Tricia Takanawa, Loretta Brown, and Barbara Pewterschmidt, while Mila Kunis voices Meg Griffin. The series, which was canceled after its first two seasons, would go on to release a third season but shortly after it was announced again that the series would be cancelled. Fortunately, after having successful reruns on Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim and massive DVD sales, the series was brought back.
This year marked Family Guy’s 25 years on the air. Earlier this month, the main characters MacFarlane, Borstein, Kunis, Green, Appel, and Sulkin made an appearance at Fox Studio Lot to reminisce on the days when the series was canceled, and the show’s epic run while speaking to The Los Angeles Times’ Dave Itzkoff.
Seth MacFarlane Reminisces on 25 Years of Family Guy
Show creator and star MacFarlane was pointedly asked by The LA Times if there’s any reason that Family Guy could not go another 25 years. McFarlane weighed in, “At this point, I don’t see a good reason to stop. People still love it. It makes people happy and it funds some good causes.” Additionally, Seth MacFarlane was asked if he still feels “connected” to his 25-year-old self now that he’s 50, and the sitcom he created back when he was 25 years old is still ongoing, to which Macfarlane replied:
“For somebody who hasn’t worked directly on the show in 15 years, absolutely. A lot of that credit has to go to Alec and Rich. When you build a show, you build the tone and you establish what it is, and you leave, oftentimes it can go so far south. That has not happened with this show. These folks have maintained its integrity.”
— Seth MacFarlane via “Seth MacFarlane and the ‘Family Guy’ cast reflect on 25 years” The Los Angeles Times
When the other actors were asked if they ever felt that the show would have lasted up to 25 years when they were first approached to be a part of it, Borstein replied:
“It was sketch comedy mixed in with a sitcom and it was so dense. Each episode had so much in it, and I just knew it was special and weird and made me laugh out loud, throughout. But I had no idea it would be 25 years. None whatsoever. [to MacFarlane] Sorry. Not that I didn’t trust you.”
— Alex Borstein, via “Seth MacFarlane and the ‘Family Guy’ cast reflect on 25 years” The Los Angeles Times
MacFarlane also chimed in with this response to Borstein, “I didn’t either. I prayed to God every night that it would be 10 years and out.” Seth Green also added:
“When I read the script, I had the same experience. I laughed out loud. It felt like someone had taken things that I thought were very special and funny and translated them into a show. And I couldn’t believe it, that someone had written this. I couldn’t believe I got to audition for it. I was like, I’m going to try to get this job.”
— Seth Green via “Seth MacFarlane and the ‘Family Guy’ cast reflect on 25 years” The Los Angeles Times
Co-star Mila Kunis said to the LA Times about joining the show, “Somebody else was doing the voice of Meg. So said person left the show. I was on [That ’70s Show.] And [Fox says], ‘There’s an audition for this show that hasn’t aired yet.’ Unlike these professionals, I didn’t read the script.” Kunis would later explain that she was in ninth grade at the time and she had trouble speaking half of the words in English since Russian is her first language.
How Did The Casts Feel After The Show Was Canceled?
The cast members were asked how they were able to handle the cancellations seeing how much they worked on it, Green replied to the LA Times, “I was devastated. I made sure I had every episode on VHS and I forced other people to watch them. We sat and watched all these episodes, and I was like, man, I got to make this. This actually existed.”
Rich Appel who became part of the series’ executive producer in 2012 recalled being a writer on The Simpsons at the time and was overly glad that the show was axed. As for how Macfarlane felt, he continued:
“I had nothing to compare it to because it was the first show I’d ever pitched, and it got picked up. I thought, ‘Oh, I guess this is normal.’ Which it certainly was not. When I got canceled, I was like, ‘OK, I guess this is normal too.’ But it wasn’t like they’re kicking you to the curb. It was, we still want to be in business with you. My deal [with 20th Television Animation] never expired over those two years. It was about to expire and then they picked up the show again. So I was like Mr. Magoo driving that jalopy. Does everybody get that reference?”
— Seth Green via “Seth MacFarlane and the ‘Family Guy’ cast reflect on 25 years” The Los Angeles Times
The Casts Of Family Guy — Where Are They Now?
It’s truly surprising how these main casts of Family Guy have stayed committed to the show even after individually hitting it big in their careers. For example, Macfarlane. Family Guy isn’t his only creation, he also created the sci-fi series The Orville which ran from 2017 through 2022. MacFarlane has also remained a co-creator of the TV series American Dad since 2005. He has written, directed, and starred in multiple films, including A Million Ways to Die in the West (2014), Ted (2012), and Ted 2 (2015).
Before voicing Lois, Borstein starred in the 1997-2009 sketch comedy series Mad TV as various characters. Borstein would go on to win the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Voice-Over Performance for a 2013 episode of Family Guy titled “Lois Comes Out of Her Shell.” She also won two Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Supporting Actress in the 2017-2023 Comedy Series The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. She appeared in films like Catwoman (2004), Little Man (2006), Ted (2012), and A Million Ways to Die in the West (2014)/
Seth Green who started his career in the 1990s by starring in comedy movies such as Idle Hands (1999), Rat Race (2001), Without a Paddle (2004), Be Cool (2005), etc., went on to voice Chris in Family Guy, and later Leonardo in the latter half of the 2012 animated series Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. He is also the creator of the 2005 animated sitcom Robot Chicken which landed him three Primetime Emmy Awards and five Annie Awards.
During the interview, the cast was asked about what keeps them coming back to Family Guy considering how their resumes have expanded since the show first debuted 25 years ago. Borstein informed The LA Times, “I mean, it’s the greatest gift I’ve ever been given in my life.” Both Green and Kunis agreed on that point.
Family Guy recently concluded its 22nd season. All 22 seasons are available to stream now on Hulu.
About Family Guy
Release Date: October 1, 2023 (Season 22)
Creator: Seth MacFarlane
Showrunners: Rich Appel and Alec Sulkin
Executive Producers: Seth MacFarlane, Rich Appel, Alec Sulkin, Steve Callaghan, Danny Smith, Kara Vallow, Mark Hentemann, Tom Devanney, Patrick Meighan, and Alex Carter
Genre: Animated Sitcom
Production: 20th Television Animation
Network: FOX
Cast: Seth MacFarlane, Alex Borstein, Seth Green, Mila Kunis, Patrick Warburton, and Arif Zahir
Synopsis: This season Peter gets a job at the Stop n’ Shop and takes a vacation to Florida with Lois. Additionally, Stewie and Brian help each other get over their mutual fear of showers and compete for sales against Bruce at the flea market
Family Guy has managed to keep its relevance to this day and has successfully clocked 25, do you think it’ll continue to air for another 25 years? Share your thoughts in the comments below or on our social media. Keep following the Illuminerdi for more Fox Studio content like this, we’re always watching.
SOURCE: Los Angeles Times
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