More than a decade of Family Guy content may never have seen the light of day if it was up to Seth MacFarlane.
It’s hard to imagine a world without all the incredible moments Family Guy has provided us with in the years since season 7 ended way back in 2009. But the shows creator Seth MacFarlane, who was particularly in demand during the early 2010s, once revealed that had he been given the casting vote – he would have called an end to life in Quahog years ago.
Seth MacFarlane was ready to say goodbye to Family Guy years ago
Though it may be hard to accept for ardent fans of the irreverent TV hit, it’s true – MacFarlane really didn’t seem too fussy about carrying on Family Guy a few years after its initial success.
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter that took place during season 10 of Family Guy back in 2011, MacFarlane revealed that he was less enthusiastic than others about carrying on with the show: “Part of me thinks that Family Guy should have already ended. I think seven seasons is about the right lifespan for a TV series.”
“I talk to the fans and in a way I’m kind of secretly hoping for them to say we’re done with it”, the show’s creator revealed, somewhat shockingly. MacFarlane admitted that ending Family Guy and focusing on a movie would have been his preferred direction: “Creatively, that would be the way to do it for me. Do a really fantastic final episode while the show is still strong.”
With the show now signed on for seasons 22 and 23 in a run that will see new episodes be churned out until at least 2025, one can’t help but wonder if MacFarlane wishes his dreams had come true back in 2011.
MacFarlane had (and still does have) many irons on the fire
Part of the reason why MacFarlane appeared to be so keen to call it quits on Family Guy was down to the fact that the animator-turned-musician was working on so many different projects around that time.
To name just a few of the items on MacFarlane’s plate, he had recently begun to dip his toes into the water musically with his debut album, as well as holding down a presenting gig with Comedy Central, whilst preparing to promote a soon-to-be-hit movie in Ted.
On top of that, MacFralane was tasked with lending a hand to the production of two new Fox shows – Cosmos and The Flintstones, and he had agreed to co-write a Family Guy movie, though sadly that didn’t happen in the end.
After reading all of that – it’s no wonder MacFarlane was looking to clear his schedule!
MacFarlane has currently ‘quit’ Family Guy
While he may have been one of the busiest people in Hollywood a decade or so ago, MacFarlane is experiencing some unusually quiet downtime just now.
As of May 17, MacFarlane has effectively ‘quit’ his role on Family Guy and American Dad, at least on a temporary basis anyway, as he has reportedly told his bosses that he will not be writing for either show until the Writers Guild Of America strikes come to an end.
The 49-year-old is but one of the thousands of screenwriters in America who are currently undergoing strike action in relation to a pay and conditions dispute with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers. At the time of writing on July 13, the strikes remain ongoing.
Fox has not commented on MacFarlane’s decision to take industrial action, and it is unclear if it will affect the upcoming season of Family Guy, which is set to release in October this year.
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