Family Guy (franchise)

Family Guy is an American animated comedy franchise created by Seth MacFarlane and originally developed for the Fox Broadcasting Company.

This article is about the media franchise. For the television show, see Family Guy.
Family Guy
Created bySeth MacFarlane
Original workThe Life of Larry and Larry & Steve from Seth MacFarlane
Owned byThe Walt Disney Company
Years1999–present
Films and television
Film(s)Untitled Family Guy film (TBA)[1]
Animated series
Games
Video game(s)

TV show
Main article: Family Guy

Family Guy is an American animated sitcom created by Seth MacFarlane for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series centers on the Griffins, a family consisting of parents Peter and Lois; their children, Meg, Chris, and Stewie; and their anthropomorphic pet dog, Brian. The show is set in the fictional city of Quahog, Rhode Island, and exhibits much of its humor in the form of metafictional cutaway gags that often lampoon American culture.

The family was conceived by MacFarlane after developing two animated films, The Life of Larry and Larry & Steve. MacFarlane redesigned the films' protagonist, Larry, and his dog, Steve, and renamed them Peter and Brian, respectively. MacFarlane pitched a seven-minute pilot to Fox in 1998, and the show was greenlit and began production. Shortly after the third season of Family Guy had aired in 2002, Fox canceled the series with one episode left unaired. Adult Swim aired that episode in 2003, finishing the series' original run. However, favorable DVD sales and high ratings for syndicated reruns on Adult Swim convinced the network to renew the show in 2004 for a fourth season, which began airing on May 1, 2005.

Spin-off
Main article: The Cleveland Show

MacFarlane co-created—alongside Mike Henry and Richard Appel—the Family Guy spin-off The Cleveland Show, which premiered September 27, 2009. They began discussing the project in 2007.[2][3] Appel and Henry served as the show's executive producers and showrunners, handling the day-to-day operations, with limited involvement from MacFarlane.[4] Henry and Appel conceived the show as "more of a family show, a sweeter show" than Family Guy.[5] The first season consisted of 22 episodes,[6] and the show was picked up by Fox for a second season, which consisted of 13 episodes. The announcement was made on May 3, 2009, before the first season began.[7] It was extended to a full second season.[8] Appel signed a new three-year, seven-figure deal with Fox to continue serving as showrunner on The Cleveland Show in 2010. Fox chairman Gary Newman commented: "What is special about him is his incredible leadership ability."[9] The show follows the Family Guy character Cleveland Brown, who is voiced by Henry, as he leaves the town of Quahog and moves with his son to start his own adventure.[2]

Fox canceled The Cleveland Show on May 13, 2013, roughly a week before the May 19 conclusion of its fourth season.[10] On July 16, 2013, MacFarlane confirmed an upcoming twelfth season episode of Family Guy centering on Cleveland's return to Quahog.[11]

Crossovers with other series

An event known as "Night of the Hurricane" depicts a hurricane hitting the hometowns of MacFarlane's sitcoms Family Guy, American Dad! and The Cleveland Show, culminating in a stand-off among the three fathers of each family.

It was announced that a special episode of Family Guy featuring an official crossover with The Simpsons would premiere in 2014. At San Diego Comic Con a 5-minute preview was shown. The episode, titled "The Simpsons Guy", was aired September 28, 2014.[12]

The series may crossover with MacFarlane's other series, The Orville.[13]

Merchandise
Main article: List of Family Guy home video releases

As of 2009, six books have been released about the Family Guy universe, all published by HarperCollins since 2005.[14] The first, Family Guy: Stewie's Guide to World Domination (ISBN 978-0-06-077321-2) by Steve Callahan, was released on April 26, 2005. Written in the style of a graphic novel, the plot follows Stewie's plans to rule the world.[15] Other books include Family Guy: It Takes a Village Idiot, and I Married One (ISBN 978-0-7528-7593-4), which covers the events of the episode "It Takes a Village Idiot, and I Married One";[16] and Family Guy and Philosophy: A Cure for the Petarded (ISBN 978-1-4051-6316-3), a collection of 17 essays exploring the connections between the series and historical philosophers.[17] A book written from Brian's point of view (written by Andrew Goldberg) was published in 2006, called Brian Griffin's Guide to Booze, Broads and the Lost Art of Being a Man.[18]

Family Guy has been commercially successful in the home market.[19] The show was the first to be resurrected because of high DVD sales.[20][21] The first volume, covering the show's first two seasons, sold 1.67 million units, topping TV DVD sales in 2003, while the second volume sold another million units.[20][22] Volumes six and seven debuted at fifth place in United States DVD sales;[23][24] volume seven was the highest-selling television DVD, selling 171,000 units by June 21, 2009.[24] Family Guy Presents Blue Harvest, the DVD featuring the Star Wars special "Blue Harvest", was released on January 15, 2008, and premiered at the top of United States DVD sales.[25] The DVD was the first Family Guy DVD to include a digital copy for download to the iPod.[25] In 2004, the first series of Family Guy toy figurines was released by Mezco Toyz; each member of the Griffin family had their own toy, with the exception of Stewie, of whom two different figures were made.[26] Over the course of two years, four more series of toy figures were released, with various forms of Peter.[27] In 2008, the character Peter appeared in advertisements for Subway Restaurants, promoting the restaurant's massive feast sandwich.[28][29]

Other media

Books

Family Guy: It Takes a Village Idiot, and I Married One was written by executive story editor Cherry Chevapravatdumrong and actress Alex Borstein. The book was first published on May 8, 2007.[30] The book is a biographical monologue by Lois Griffin discussing her memories of growing up and to her attempted run for mayor in the town of Quahog. Though the book primarily consists of a loose narrative monologue by Lois, it is also interspersed with sections from other characters such as Peter Griffin. The book covers events featured in the Family Guy episode "It Takes a Village Idiot, and I Married One", with which it shares a title. It was published in the United Kingdom in 2007 by Orion Books.[31]

A comic book based on the Family Guy universe was produced. Published by Titan Comics, edited by Steve White and illustrated by Anthony Williams and S. L. Gallant. The writing and the illustrations will be supervised by the show's producers.[32] The first comic book was released on July 27, 2011.[32]

Inside Family Guy will be released in May 2019, as part of the series' 20th anniversary.[33]

Live performances

As promotion for the show, and, as Newman described, "[to] expand interest in the show beyond its diehard fans",[34] Fox organized four Family Guy Live! performances, which featured cast members reading old episodes aloud. The cast also performed musical numbers from the Family Guy: Live in Vegas comedy album.[34] The stage shows were an extension of a performance by the cast during the 2004 Montreal Comedy Festival.[34] The Family Guy Live! performances, which took place in Los Angeles and New York, sold out and were attended by around 1,200 people each.[35]

In 2007, at the 59th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards, MacFarlane performed (as the digitally inserted Stewie and Brian) the ceremony's opening number. He performed a song insulting modern television to the tune of the song "The Fellas At The Freakin' F.C.C." performed in the episode PTV. The song insulted TV shows such as Two and a Half Men, Desperate Housewives, and Scrubs, as well as the final scene of The Sopranos.

In 2009, a special televised performance show aired entitled Family Guy Presents Seth & Alex's Almost Live Comedy Show, in which voice actors Alex Borstein and MacFarlane performed songs from the show, as well as a parody of Lady Gaga's song "Poker Face" in the voice of Marlee Matlin, who appeared on stage as a guest during the performance. Some new animated gags also appeared in the show.[36]

Film

On July 22, 2007, in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, MacFarlane announced that he may start working on a feature film, although "nothing's official."[37] In TV Week on July 18, 2008, MacFarlane confirmed plans to produce a theatrically released Family Guy feature film sometime "within the next year."[38] He came up with an idea for the story, "something that you could not do on the show, which [to him] is the only reason to do a movie." He later went to say he imagines the film to be "an old-style musical with dialogue" similar to The Sound of Music, saying that he would "really be trying to capture, musically, that feel."[39] On October 13, 2011, Seth MacFarlane confirmed that a deal for a Family Guy film had been made, and that it would be written by himself and series co-producer Ricky Blitt.[40]

On November 30, 2012, MacFarlane confirmed plans to produce a Family Guy film.[41] The project was put on hold while MacFarlane worked on Ted 2.[42]

Video games

The Family Guy Video Game! is a 2006 action game released by 2K Games and developed by High Voltage Software. The game received mixed reviews, averaging 50% favorable reviews for the PlayStation 2 version,[43] 51% for the PlayStation Portable version,[44] and 53% for the Xbox version,[45] according to review aggregator Metacritic. The game received praise for its humor,[46] but was criticized for its short playtime[47] and "uninteresting gameplay".[48] On November 2, 2009, IGN journalist Ryan Langley reported the production of a Family Guy-based party game for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and Wii. He cited the LinkedIn profiles of former HB Studios developer Chris Kolmatycki and Invisible Entertainment co-owner Ron Doucet, which stated that the individuals had worked on the game.[49] MacFarlane recorded exclusive material of Peter's voice and other Family Guy characters for a 2007 pinball machine of the show by Stern Pinball.[50]

A game called Family Guy Online was launched into public beta in April 2012, but permanently shut down on January 18, 2013.[51]

Family Guy: Back to the Multiverse, which is centered around the episode "Road to the Multiverse", was released on November 20, 2012.

Family Guy: The Quest for Stuff launched on iOS and Android on April 10, 2014.

Family Guy: Another Freakin Mobile Game was released on iOS on April 25, 2017.[52]

References
  1. "Family Guy Movie in Development, Mixes Animation with Live-Action". Screenrant.com. 10 August 2018. Retrieved 13 August 2018.
  2. "FOX Announces Fall Premiere Dates For The 2009–2010 Season". The Futon Critic. June 15, 2009. Retrieved April 3, 2010.
  3. "Fox Primetime — The Cleveland Show — Fact Sheet". Fox Flash. Archived from the original on January 17, 2010. Retrieved April 3, 2010.
  4. Itzkoff, Dave (November 30, 2008). "Fox seeks a new hit, this time in Cleveland — Seth MacFarlane gives sneak preview of 2009's Family Guy spinoff". The Toronto Star. p. E12.
  5. Idato, Michael (December 17, 2009). "A sweeter family guy — comedy". The Age. Australia. p. 15.
  6. Rice, Lynette (November 10, 2008). "Fox orders full season of 'Family Guy' spin-off". Entertainment Weekly. Time Warner. Archived from the original on February 22, 2009. Retrieved February 14, 2010.
  7. Hughes, Jason (March 4, 2009). "The Cleveland Show renewed before it begins". TV Squad. Retrieved February 14, 2010.
  8. Fernandez, Maria Elena (October 14, 2009). "Fox orders a full second season of 'The Cleveland Show'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 3, 2010.
  9. Andreeva, Nellie (February 8, 2010). "Rich Appel signs new 20th TV deal". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved July 27, 2011.
  10. Hinckley, David (May 13, 2013). "Fox announces 2013–14 fall schedule, which includes return of Kiefer Sutherland's '24'". NY Daily News. Retrieved June 1, 2013.
  11. "Twitter / SethMacFarlane: RT @spartygirl8356:". Twitter.com. Retrieved July 22, 2013.
  12. Snierson, Dan (July 18, 2013). "'The Simpsons,' 'Family Guy' doing crossover episode". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved July 21, 2013.
  13. "'The Orville' May Crossover With 'Family Guy'". Comicbook.com. Retrieved 13 August 2018.
  14. "Search results: Family Guy". HarperCollins. Archived from the original on January 2, 2011. Retrieved August 23, 2009.
  15. "Family Guy: Stewie's Guide to World Domination by Steve Callahan". HarperCollins. Retrieved August 23, 2009.
  16. "Family Guy: It Takes a Village Idiot, and I Married One". HarperCollins. Retrieved December 26, 2008.
  17. "Family Guy and Philosophy : A Cure for the Petarded (Paperback)". FoxShop.com. Archived from the original on July 22, 2012. Retrieved July 27, 2011.
  18. "Family Guy: Brian Griffin's Guide: to Booze, Broads, and the Lost Art of Being a Man". Amazon. Retrieved December 27, 2012.
  19. Collins, Cott (November 13, 2005). "Some Television Reruns Hit Their Prime on DVD". Los Angeles Times. p. A1.
  20. Levin, Gary (March 24, 2004). "Family Guy un-canceled, thanks to DVD sales success". USA Today. Retrieved August 24, 2009.
  21. Levin, Gary (March 25, 2004). "Family Guy un-canceled, thanks to DVD sales success; Cartoon returning after 2-year hiatus". USA Today. p. D3.
  22. Poniewozik, James (April 11, 2004). "It's Not TV. It's TV on DVD". Time. Retrieved August 29, 2009.
  23. "Top DVD Sales for the 11/15/2008 issue". Reuters. November 7, 2008. Retrieved August 31, 2009.
  24. "US DVD Sales Chart for Week Ending Jun 21, 2009". The Numbers. June 21, 2009. Retrieved August 4, 2009.
  25. Arnold, Thomas K. (January 23, 2009). "Force is with "Family Guy" DVD". Reuters. Retrieved August 31, 2009.
  26. Clodfelter, Tim (November 11, 2004). "Here's the Offbeat Stuff that true geeks are made of". Winston-Salem Journal. p. 33.
  27. Szadkowski, Joseph (June 3, 2006). "Undead monster doomed to wander the high seas". The Washington Times.
  28. Steinberg, Brian (December 30, 2007). "The year in advertising". The Boston Globe. Retrieved October 19, 2009.
  29. "Subway – it's for the fat-loving guy, too". The News Tribune. November 30, 2007.
  30. "Family Guy: It Takes a Village Idiot, and I Married One". HarperCollins. Retrieved December 26, 2008.
  31. It Takes A Village Idiot, And I Married One. Orion Books; retrieved on December 26, 2008
  32. "The Family Guy Comic Book is Coming For You Nerds". UGO. June 8, 2011. Archived from the original on June 20, 2011. Retrieved June 22, 2011.
  33. ""Inside Family Guy" Book Announced For 2019". Bubbleblabber.com. Retrieved 13 August 2018.
  34. Adalian, Josef (March 10, 2005). "Family Guy Center Stage". Variety. p. 1.
  35. Associated Press (April 30, 2005). "'Family Guy' Returns to FOX". Fox News. Retrieved July 3, 2009.
  36. Tucker, Ken (January 24, 2011). "Family Guy Presents Seth & Alex's Almost Live Comedy Show': Almost pretty funny". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved January 29, 2011.
  37. Szalai, Georg (July 23, 2007). ""Family Guy" movie possible, MacFarlane says". Reuters. Retrieved August 31, 2009.
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  40. "Family Guy writer Seth MacFarlane wants show to end". BBC News. October 13, 2011. Retrieved October 26, 2011.
  41. Baldwin, Kristen (November 30, 2012). "Seth MacFarlane reveals Oscar contest, 'Family Guy' movie plans". Insidemovies.ew.com. Retrieved February 6, 2014.
  42. Anthony D'Alessandro. "Comic-Con: 'Family Guy' Feature Film On Hold; Season 13 Guest Stars & Stories Revealed – Deadline". Deadline.
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  44. "Family Guy (psp) reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved August 29, 2009.
  45. "Family Guy (xbx) reviews". Metacritic. Archived from the original on December 20, 2008. Retrieved August 23, 2009.
  46. Kennedy, Sam (October 23, 2006). "Family Guy Review". 1UP.com. Archived from the original on June 29, 2012. Retrieved August 29, 2009.
  47. Dutka, Ben (December 21, 2006). "Family Guy Review". PSX Extreme. Missing or empty |url= (help)
  48. Navarro, Alex (October 24, 2006). "Family Guy Review for Xbox". GameSpot. Archived from the original on September 7, 2011. Retrieved August 23, 2009.
  49. Langley, Ryan (November 2, 2009). "Family Guy Party Game in Development". IGN. Retrieved April 20, 2010.
  50. Finley, Adam (February 3, 2007). "Family Guy pinball is freakin' sweet". TV Squad. Retrieved October 19, 2009.
  51. Kolan, Nick (June 15, 2011). "Family Guy Online Closed Beta Registrations Begin". IGN. Retrieved June 15, 2011.
  52. "'Jam City launches another freakin' Family Guy match-3 mobile game". Venture Beat. Retrieved April 25, 2017.
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