Lucky there’s a Family Guy!
Rejoice! The crazy antics of the Griffin family from 31 Spooner Street, Quahog return in less than a fortnight!
If you haven’t heard already, one of the greatest shows ever made, Family Guy, has been officially “uncancelled” and brand new episodes begin airing in the US on May 1. I was feeling pretty nostalgic, so I’ve written a brief history of the show, and what Seth MacFarlane, the show’s creator, has to say about the new season from various interviews and special DVD features I’ve watched.
And for those who don’t know what Family Guy is, I pity you. Seriously.
Family Guy premiered in the US right after the Super Bowl in 1999, which, by American standards, is probably the best chance a show has got at surviving. It opened with an audience of over 22 million, and received rave reviews from critics. But the audience numbers soon slipped back down to a level typical of other Fox shows at the time, partly due to Fox failing to keep the show in a regular timeslot. It got through Season 1 and 2 with moderate success, with 6 and 21 episodes respectively.The third season got off to a rocky start. Fox did not renew Family Guy in time to begin on schedule that September, and rumours were rampant that the show had been cancelled. After much fan support, it was announced that the third season would begin airing in 11 months time. Midway through the season, however, it was clear that the show was going to be cancelled. Family Guy was cancelled in February 2002, after 50 episodes.
Numerous internet petitions were setup shortly after (the biggest one collecting over 100 000 signatures), however, this did not sway Fox’s decision. Family Guy repeats were eventually picked up by Cartoon Network for their “Adult Swim” session, where it quickly gained popularity.
Then Season 1 and 2 were released on DVD in April 2003, followed five months later by the third season. Over 3.5 million Family Guy DVD boxed sets have now been sold, making it one of the bestselling TV shows on DVD ever.
Fox finally came to their senses and, for the first time in television history, a show was picked back up after being cancelled by the same network.
“60 years of TV for this to be the first, it’s pretty cool,” says show creator Seth McFarlane.
While fans may be a little worried that the three years since having been cancelled may have seen a decline in both humour and continuity, MacFarlane assures that the transition from season 3 to 4 will be pretty seamless.
“I’ve got to say Fox has been really good at walking that line: allowing the show to stay edgy, and to keep the off-colour stuff that makes it what it is. It’s a tough job for them, ’cause they’re under a lot of pressure, and thanks to them people can expect the same show.”
As for the show’s staff, MacFarlane has also managed to reassemble much of the shows original writing and voiceover talent, including:
- Alex Borstein: writer and voice of Lois.
- Mike Henry: writer and voice of Cleveland (the abnormally apathetic token black guy) and Herbert (the creepy old guy).
- Seth Green: voice of Chris.
- Mila Kunis (who plays Jackie on That ’70s Show): voice of Meg.
- Adam West: voice of the Mayor.
- Patrick Warburton: voice of Joe (the easily excitable paraplegic cop).
MacFarlane himself will of course also be returning as a writer and providing the voices of Peter, Brian, Stewie and randy neighbour Glen Quagmire.
MacFarlane can barely contain his excitement at being given a second chance with Family Guy: “This is kind of where the real fun writing begins, where we can start to explore the world that we’ve set up, and do those character altering stories that we couldn’t do early on. It’s really shaping up to be, to me, the smoothest season yet. I’m just thrilled with the way these shows are turning out.”
As for what he hopes to achieve with season 4?
“If anything, our goal is to make it even funnier this time around.”
Can’t freakin’ wait. :D
