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Yesterday, we ran a piece on the history of animated TV comedy in the wake of The Simpsons, leaving off in 1999 with several new (and newish) shows finding success. The big networks spent most of the '90s trying to replicate the popularity of The Simpsons, with ABC, CBS, and NBC's attempts falling short and Fox finding hits at the end of the decade with a trio of new shows – King of the Hill, Futurama, and Family Guy. All of these shows echoed The Simpsons in some way. King of the Hill and [...]
Family Guy guy Seth MacFarlane has just been hired to host the 2013 Oscars. The awards will air on ABC in February. Good thing the Academy has so much time between now and the ceremony because they'll need it to teach Seth MacFarlane how to smile good, stop dressing like a slob, and most challenging of all, transform him into an old-timey song and dance man.
He’s been called “the smartest man in TV” by Entertainment Weekly after he cornered the market on Fox animated sitcoms. Seth MacFarlane, creator of Family Guy, Patriotic Family Guy, and Black Family Guy, is one of the most successful writers in TV history – pulling off the rare feat of balancing three shows at once. The guy’s stock continues to rise too, as he branches out into feature films this year with his big-screen directorial debut, Ted. The guy's been so busy the past decade, it's a wonder he hasn't spontaneously combusted.
Whether you’re a Seth MacFarlane fan or a comedy snob who’s part of the Trey Parker/Matt [...]
Seth MacFarlane's pockets are getting even more full: Fox just renewed both Family Guy and American Dad for their eleventh and eighth seasons, respectively. It's not all good news for MacFarlane, however, as Fox has decided to hold off on renewing The Cleveland Show until its fourth season starts to air this fall. Oh man, so he'll potentially only have two animated series on Fox on Sundays? Someone send the guy a sympathy edible arrangement.
In non-MacFarlane-related Fox animation news, Bob's Burgers writer Scott Jacobson confirmed that it has also been picked up for another season, its third. Burgers all around!
Last night's Family Guy episode, "Back to the Pilot," took us (duh) back to the show's pilot episode, allowing for what was basically audio commentary on the pilot by the characters themselves. Go back in time right now and watch it. You can finish reading this when you're done.
The first half of the episode mostly consists of Stewie and Brian using a time machine to visit different scenes from the pilot and poking fun at them. They're in the same position as us, having grown accustomed to the modern look and feel of a ten-year-old Family Guy, so re-watching the pilot is a little jarring. But the [...]
