As the irreverent, boundary-pushing animated series “Family Guy” celebrates its 25th anniversary, creator Seth MacFarlane has made it clear that he has no plans to bring down the curtain on this beloved comedy juggernaut anytime soon.
Speaking to The Los Angeles Times, MacFarlane acknowledged that there was a time when he thought it might be “time to wrap it up.” However, he now firmly believes that “Family Guy” has reached “escape velocity,” meaning the show’s continued popularity and cultural relevance have made it a fixture that is unlikely to disappear.
“At this point, I don’t see a good reason to stop,” MacFarlane stated. “People still love it. It makes people happy and it funds some good causes. It’s a lot of extraneous cash that you can donate to Rainforest Trust and you can still go out to dinner that night.”
The creator’s commitment to charitable causes, including a $1 million donation to the Rainforest Trust in 2019, underscores his belief that “Family Guy” can continue to thrive while also making a positive impact on the world. It’s a delicate balance that has defined the show’s legacy over the past quarter-century.
While MacFarlane has not worked directly on “Family Guy” in 15 years, he credits the show’s current showrunners, Rich Appel and Alec Sulkin, for maintaining the integrity and tone that he established in the early days. “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,” he said.
The enduring passion of the show’s voice cast, including Alex Borstein, Mila Kunis, and Seth Green, has also been a crucial factor in “Family Guy’s” longevity. Borstein described the role of Lois Griffin as “the greatest gift I’ve ever been given in my life,” while Kunis called it “the greatest job of all time.”
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As the series enters its 22nd season, with season 23 already in the works, MacFarlane believes that “Family Guy” has developed a “shield” that protects it from criticism, thanks to the show’s ability to defend its provocative humor in an “intellectual way.”
“There’s an earnestness to that approach that I think has created sort of a shield around the show that continues to this day,” he explained.
With no end in sight for the Griffin family’s misadventures, “Family Guy” continues to defy expectations and maintain its status as one of the most iconic and enduring animated series of all time. As MacFarlane eloquently stated, as long as the audience’s love for the show remains, there is simply no good reason to bring the curtain down on this 25-year legacy.
