Family Guy (1999)
Family Guy is a 1999 animation series created by Seth MacFarlane and Ron Jones. It stars Seth MacFarlane, Alex Borstein and Seth Green.
Quahog, Rhode Island, home to the Griffins: oafish Peter, patient Lois, put-upon teenager Meg, dim-witted Chris, and the pairing that carries the show, a megalomaniac infant named Stewie and a martini-drinking talking dog named Brian. Seth MacFarlane built the series around the cutaway gag, a hard left turn into a flashback or non sequitur that lampoons whatever crosses the writers' minds. The tone runs crude, fast, and deliberately provocative, with musical numbers and celebrity swipes folded in. Under the shock value sits a real affection for old-Hollywood song-and-dance that surfaces whenever the show slows down.
Quick answers
What is Family Guy about?
Quahog, Rhode Island, home to the Griffins: oafish Peter, patient Lois, put-upon teenager Meg, dim-witted Chris, and the pairing that carries the show, a megalomaniac infant named Stewie and a martini-drinking talking dog named Brian. Seth MacFarlane built the series around the cutaway gag, a hard left turn into a flashback or non sequitur that lampoons whatever crosses the writers' minds. The tone runs crude, fast, and deliberately provocative, with musical numbers and celebrity swipes folded in. Under the shock value sits a real affection for old-Hollywood song-and-dance that surfaces whenever the show slows down.
When was Family Guy released?
Family Guy was released on 31 January 1999.
How many episodes does Family Guy have?
Family Guy has 456 episodes across 24 seasons.
Who made Family Guy?
Family Guy was created by Seth MacFarlane, Ron Jones and Steve Callaghan.
Where can I watch Family Guy?
Family Guy is available on Adult Swim, DirecTV On Demand, FOX One Amazon Channel, Hulu, YouTube TV and fuboTV.
Where to watch Family Guy
Stream: Adult Swim, DirecTV On Demand, FOX One Amazon Channel, Hulu, YouTube TV, fuboTV
Watch free: FX, Spectrum On Demand
Rent: Google Play
Buy: Amazon, AppleTV, Fandango at Home, Google Play
Official site
Cast
- Seth MacFarlane as Peter Griffin / Brian Griffin / Stewie Griffin / Glenn Quagmire (voice)
- Alex Borstein as Lois Griffin / Tricia Takanawa / Loretta Brown / Barbara Pewterschmidt (voice)
- Seth Green as Chris Griffin (voice)
- Mila Kunis as Meg Griffin (voice)
- Patrick Warburton as Joe Swanson (voice)
- Mike Henry as Cleveland Brown (voice)
- Rachael MacFarlane as Rioter (voice)
- Kevin Michael Richardson as Jerome (voice)
- John Viener as Announcer (voice)
- Gary Cole as Principal Shepherd (voice)
- Adam West as Adam West (voice)
- Jennifer Tilly as Bonnie Swanson (voice)
Similar series
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A few thoughts on Family Guy
Fans of Peter's crude streak and Seth MacFarlane's showman instincts should try Ted, his live-action comedy about a foul-mouthed teddy bear built on the same mix of vulgarity and sudden sentiment. The Naked Gun films share the density of throwaway sight gags and the willingness to run a dumb joke into the ground.
Adult animated comedy built on rapid pop-culture chaos
Family Guy runs on the cutaway gag, a hard left turn into some non sequitur the writers found funny, and that same anything-goes structure drives American Dad!, Rick and Morty and Solar Opposites. South Park works faster and dirtier toward the same target, while Robot Chicken turns the cutaway itself into an entire show, stop-motion sketches replacing plot with pure pop-culture reflex.
Live-action comedies just as willing to go for the jugular
Family Guy never softens a joke for taste, and It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia built a whole cast around the same instinct, characters too selfish and small to learn anything. Titus mines a genuinely rough childhood for laughs the same blunt way, while Brass Eye and Garth Marenghi's Darkplace push satire and parody to an equally uncomfortable, deadpan extreme.
The wider wave of adult animated sitcoms Family Guy helped spark
Family Guy's success opened the door for a decade of adult cartoons willing to be crude, political or both at once. The Boondocks and F Is for Family sharpen that into pointed social commentary, Aqua Teen Hunger Force pushes the non sequitur further into pure absurdity, and Big Mouth and Inside Job carry the same crude, cutaway-friendly sensibility into puberty comedy and workplace satire.
Books on the craft behind a good animated punchline
Family Guy leans on the timing and physical exaggeration of classic animation even while aiming its jokes at adults, and The Illusion of Life and The Animator's Survival Kit are the field's foundational texts on exactly that craft. The Animation Book, Acting for Animators and Animation Magic dig into the same mechanics, how a drawn character sells a gag through motion and expression alone.