Family Guy, the American adult animated sitcom, premiered in 1999. It is currently in its 20th season, and its success generated over a billion dollars in revenue across multiple platforms. But why would its creator want to end his highly successful series?
The genius behind Family Guy, Seth MacFarlane, secretly wants to end the series. He feels that seven seasons were enough for a series, wanting to end it while still having a strong appeal. But Family Guy is on its 20th season.
The History and Success of Family Guy
The concept of Family Guy started in 1995 when creator Seth MacFarlane was studying animation at the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD). His first iteration of the famous series were two animated short films titled The Life of Larry and Larry & Steve. Both were about the life of a middle-aged man, Larry, and his intelligent, talking dog, Steve. When the executives over at Fox saw the shorts, they contacted MacFarlane, asking him to create a similar series for their network. (Source: Cheat Sheet)
The talented MacFarlane did most of the work for the series. He writes and directs the series. He also voices several characters like Peter Griffin, Stewie Griffin, and Brian Griffin. The show’s success urged the creator to continue creating new content. The show is currently on its 20th season, with the 21st season underway. (Source: Nicki Swift)
The success of the series also led to the creation of other animated adult cartoons like American Dad! and The Cleveland Show to name a few. The Family Guy franchise was reported to be making serious money. In an interview with Barbara Walters, MacFarlane mentions that the franchise is worth $2 billion, with the creator making around $30 million per year. (Source: TVOvermind)
Is Family Guy Ending?
In a 2011 interview, MacFarlane expressed his thoughts of ending the series, which was then on its tenth season. The creator felt that the right lifespan for any TV series is seven seasons, which his series has already exceeded.
MacFarlane states that he talks to the fans through the series in a way that he secretly wants them to get past enjoying the show and move to different things. He initially thought of creating a fantastic final episode and being done with it. He was only held back with the decision because he knows the viewers love it and demand it. He also considers the number of employees the show has. Ending it would leave them jobless. (Source: Hollywood Reporter)
With the show on its way to its 21st season in 2021, MacFarlane took to Twitter with some hints at moving his hit series to a different network. Though it wasn’t confirmed, many believe that one of the reasons for his tweet was something to do with his prior complaints about Fox News and its anchor, Tucker Carlson.
MacFarlane wrote in his tweet that his wish is for his Family Guy to find a new home and then joked on the idea of cheating Fox with NBC, the network he just recently signed on to. The previous year, MacFarlane signed a five-year, nine-figure production deal with NBCUniversal and started working on several projects for the network like The End is Nye, Skywatch, and reboots of Smokey and the Bandit and Revenge of the Nerds. (Source: Cinema Blend)