One of the longest-running shows, Family Guy is known for multiple things, along with fearlessly addressing different topics including politics, social issues, and everything in between, regardless of their potentially controversial nature.
However, there remained one topic of discussion that even caused Fox to hesitate from airing after the showrunner pitched it as the season 8 finale.
Fox Was Hesitant to Air Family Guy Season 8 Finale
Family Guy Season 8 finale Partial Terms of Endearment revolves around Louis Griffin dealing with an unwanted pregnancy, prompting a challenging decision about whether to proceed with the pregnancy or opt for an abortion. Ultimately, she chooses to have an abortion.
Seth MacFarlane, the showrunner of the animated series, discussed how the episode came around while revealing that Fox refused to air the episode due to its controversial subject matter in an interview with The New York Times.
The pitch was something that came up in the writers’ room… But Danny wrote the episode and really did a very deft job. He referred to probably the best essay on abortion that I’ve ever read, from Carl Sagan’s book Billions and Billions, and he referenced that periodically throughout the course of the episode.
While Fox did not stop them from pursuing the idea and moving ahead with the production
of the episode, they outright refused to air it. MacFarlane shared, “In open-minded, characteristic Fox fashion, they said, ‘O.K., you can make this episode, we reserve the right not to air it.”
He shared that the network also had issues with using some specific words, one of which also included abortion, which they preferred not to mention on the screen. Despite the initial reservations, the episode received mostly positive reviews, but it experienced a slight decline in viewership compared to previous episodes.
Seth MacFarlane Discusses Family Guy Movie Plans
The creator and executive producer Seth MacFarlane recently discussed his long-standing plans for a potential Family Guy movie at the 2024 PaleyFest. He stated that although the idea has been in discussion for years, he just hasn’t had the time to work on it.
“I have known what that movie will be for the past 15 years and I just haven’t had the time to get to it,” he said, as per The Wrap. He also revealed that they are working on two original episodes, possibly Christmas and Halloween specials. “It’ll be our Halloween and our Christmas episodes, I expect,” he said.
The conversation surrounding a film based on the show has been going on for a while, however, no significant progress has been made so far. The series recently concluded the 22nd season and season 23 is expected to be released in 2025.
Family Guy is available to stream on Prime Video and Hulu.
