Who would have thought an animated show like Seth MacFarlane’s Family Guy would last for 25 years? Yes, it has been airing for a quarter of a century now, and who knows how long it will stay on people’s televisions after it has been renewed for Season 23.
First aired in 1999, Family Guy centers around the Griffins, a dysfunctional family who resides in the fictional city of Quahog, Rhode Island. The show pretty much displays humor in the form of metafictional cutaway gags that ridicule American culture.
Alex Borstein Never Believed Family Guy Would Last For 25 Years
In an oral history of Seth MacFarlane’s Family Guy via Los Angeles Times, the cast went on to reflect on the show and revealed if they ever imagined it would run for 25 years. Alex Borstein, who voiced Lois Griffin in the series, did not believe it would achieve such a feat.
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.
If she told MacFarlane that more than two decades ago, the series creator would have given up and quit the show, not to mention he also did not believe it would last this long. “I didn’t either. I prayed to God every night that it would be 10 years and out,” he admitted.
The series survived two cancellations during the early seasons due to low viewership. Family Guy received a revival all thanks to its success in Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim reruns and the high DVD sales. Now, Fox studio has finally become the home of animation and comedy.
Seth MacFarlane Reveals Reasons Why Family Guy Should Not Be Cancelled
In the same conversation with the Los Angeles Times, MacFarlane explained why Family Guy must continue airing on television. He claimed that “people still love it” and “it makes people happy.” More significantly, “it funds some good causes.”
The series creator shared that there was a time he thought of wrapping it up. “I don’t know that there’s any reason to stop at this point unless people get sick of it,” he stated. The show has been renewed for Season 23, which means it will run until 2025. However, MacFarlane hints at the show’s indefinite course as long as the viewership remains high.
Fox Television Network president Michael Thorn said via Yahoo that Family Guy is “still a crucial part of our [schedule],” and they will “give it a great relaunch for that part of our lineup.”
It may have taken a long time and two attempts at getting axed before Family Guy found its audience as well as footing in the television industry, but MacFarlane can definitely say it was worth the risk of not giving up when he felt like doing so.
Family Guy is available to stream on Fox.
