With Seth MacFarlane’s new deal with NBCUniversal, Family Guy runs the risk of finally being canceled. Though Family Guy is no stranger to being taken off the air, this deal is new territory for the 21-year-old series.
Created by MacFarlane and David Zuckerman, Family Guy debuted on Fox in 1999, but was canceled in 2002. After the show’s DVD sales turned out to be more successful than anticipated, Fox gave it another shot, bringing the show back in 2005. It turned out to be worthy gamble. MacFarlane built his entire career around Family Guy, later creating several other shows, including American Dad!, The Cleveland Show, and the live-action sci-fi series, The Orville. However, times are changing, and MacFarlane is leaving Fox as part of a new five-year deal with NBCUniversal.
Family Guy Still Has a Future
Does this change mean that Family Guy is no more? Not necessarily. Though MacFarlane will be producing various projects through NBCUniversal, Family Guy, as well as his other Fox shows, won’t be affected. So, even though he’ll reportedly be developing a combination of live-action and animated shows across a number of NBCUniversal platforms, which include Syfy, USA, and Bravo, to name a few, he’ll still have the freedom to stick with his other Fox-owned shows. As of yet, MacFarlane hasn’t confirmed any new shows for any specific NBCUniversal platforms.
Family Guy’s Future Still isn’t Guaranteed
Now, even though Family Guy is officially safe through this deal, that’s not to say that there’s any guarantee MacFarlane is planning on sticking around for the long haul (or much longer than he already has). Having already dipped his toes into writing, directing, and producing feature films, like Ted, Ted 2, and A Million Ways to Die in the West, as well as shifting his focus from animation to live-action, there’s no telling how long MacFarlane ultimately plans on sticking with Family Guy. This is pure presumption at this point in time, but the fact that Family Guy is safe in this new deal doesn’t necessarily guarantee a long shelf life – not under MacFarlane’s watch at least.
Ultimately, Family Guy will live to see another season (it was renewed last year into 2020 for its 18th season). And, if it’s anything like Fox’s other staple animated series, The Simpsons, then fans could likely expect to see Family Guy stick around indefinitely. The series has been criticized for some of its not-so-family-friendly humor over the years, but it’s made efforts to evolve. If it can sustain its relevance, the likelihood of its survival has nothing to do with MacFarlane jumping ship from Fox, but whether or not it continues resonating with audiences.
