" To Love and Die in Dixie " is the 12th episode of the third season of the animated comedy series Family Guy , and the 41st episode overall. The episode aired on Fox on November 15, 2001. Country music singer Waylon Jennings , who died three months after the episode aired on television in the United States, guest-stars in his last appearance on the show. Dakota Fanning also guest starred on the episode. The title is a reference to a line in the traditional Southern song " Dixie ".
101-504: The third season of Family Guy first aired on the Fox network in 22 episodes from July 11, 2001, to November 9, 2003, before being released as a DVD box set and in syndication. It premiered with the episode "The Thin White Line" and finished with "Family Guy Viewer Mail #1". An episode that was not part of the season's original broadcast run, " When You Wish Upon a Weinstein ", was included in
202-520: A Laguna Beach clip for the episode " Prick Up Your Ears " (season 5, 2006). She has watched Family Guy for years and considers Stewie her favorite character. Commenting on his appearance in the episode "Big Man on Hippocampus" (season 8, 2010), actor Dwayne Johnson stated that he was a "big fan" of Family Guy . Johnson befriended MacFarlane after he had a minor role in Johnson's 2010 film Tooth Fairy . R&B singer Rihanna has admitted to being
303-485: A dysfunctional family consisting of parents Peter and Lois , their children, Meg , Chris , and Stewie , and their anthropomorphic pet dog , Brian . Set in the fictional city of Quahog , Rhode Island , the show exhibits much of its humor in the form of metafictional cutaway gags that often lampoon American culture . The family was conceived by MacFarlane after he developed two animated films, The Life of Larry and Larry & Steve . MacFarlane redesigned
404-508: A Star" without commenting on that song, and that it was therefore not a First Amendment-protected parody per the ruling in Campbell v. Acuff-Rose Music, Inc. On March 16, 2009, United States District Judge Deborah Batts held that Family Guy did not infringe on Bourne's copyright when it transformed the song for comical use in an episode. In December 2007, Family Guy was again accused of copyright infringement when actor Art Metrano filed
505-424: A background scene where the " redneck " character nonchalantly kicks a corpse into the nearby river . The episode " Brian Wallows and Peter's Swallows " won an Emmy Award for Best Song. Creator MacFarlane, the recipient of the award, noted that the episode's director Dan Povenmire deserved to have received the award for the contribution the visuals made to the episode's win. Povenmire jokingly responded "That's
606-639: A boy who he can make out with. After the FBI agents who were hired to look over the Griffins home in Quahog accidentally reveal the location of the family (telling the criminal where Meg was, but not Chris), the criminal tracks the family down in Bumblescum, and attempts to kill Chris. During the confrontation, however, the criminal is shot and killed by Sam's father, who tells Peter that even despite their differences, as long as
707-469: A campaign to legalize cannabis in Quahog; the Venezuelan government reacted negatively to the episode and banned Family Guy from airing on their local networks, which generally syndicate American programming. Venezuelan justice minister Tareck El Aissami , citing the promotion of the use of cannabis, stated that any cable stations that did not stop airing the series would be fined; the government showed
808-469: A clip which featured Brian and Stewie singing the praises of marijuana as a demonstration of how the United States supports cannabis use. In " Extra Large Medium " ( season eight , 2010) a character named Ellen (who has Down syndrome ) states that her mother is the former Governor of Alaska , which strongly implies that her mother is Sarah Palin , the only woman to have served in the office of governor in
909-460: A collection of three episodes parodying the original Star Wars trilogy . A spin-off series, The Cleveland Show , featuring Cleveland Brown , aired from September 27, 2009, to May 19, 2013. On January 26, 2023, Fox announced that the series had been renewed for seasons 22 and 23, taking the show through the 2024–25 television season. Season 22 premiered on October 1, 2023. Family Guy moved to Wednesday nights beginning March 6, 2024, marking
1010-526: A fan of Family Guy , as has pop singer Britney Spears ; she tries to imitate Stewie's English accent. Spears, who was mocked for her personal problems in the South Park episode " Britney's New Look " in 2008, offered to appear in a cameo to hit back at the similar animated show, but MacFarlane declined, stating that he did not want to start a feud with the series. Family Guy and its cast have been nominated for 27 Emmy Awards , with 8 wins. MacFarlane won
1111-472: A lawsuit regarding a scene in Stewie Griffin: The Untold Story , in which Jesus performs Metrano's signature "magic" act involving absurd "faux" magical hand gestures while humming the distinctive tune " Fine and Dandy ". 20th Century Fox, MacFarlane, Callaghan and Borstein were all named in the suit. In July 2009, a federal district court judge rejected Fox's motion to dismiss, saying that
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#17328772153081212-401: A lot more sex jokes and bodily function jokes and signs of a fatigued staff that their brains are just fried". With "North by North Quahog", the writing staff tried to keep the show "[...] exactly as it was" before its cancellation, and "None of us had any desire to make it look any slicker". The episode was watched by 11.85 million viewers, the show's highest ratings since the airing of
1313-429: A newspaper route, to help pay for a birthday gift for a girl he likes. Among those on his paper route is an old man named Herbert who is sexually attracted to Chris. Chris later gives his crush a present, but his clumsiness and over-eagerness scares her off. Nevertheless, he decides to retain the paper route. Shortly thereafter, however, Chris witnesses a robbery at a convenience store, and his bike ends up being stolen by
1414-563: A nice sentiment and all, but did he offer to give me his? No! And it's not like he doesn't already have two of his own just sitting in his house!" The third season has received positive reviews from critics. In his review for the Family Guy Volume 2 DVD, Aaron Beierle of DVD Talk stated "Often brilliant, extremely witty and darkly hilarious, Family Guy was unfortunately cancelled after Fox bumped it around six or seven different time slots. Although this third season wasn't as consistent as
1515-400: A romantic relationship and feels that they are probably better off as just friends. Just before the two go swimming, Chris finds out that Sam is a girl, and due to his bad experiences around girls, Chris now feels awkward around Sam. At a party that is held that night, Sam explains to Chris that he had no problem talking to her, when he thought she was a guy, so she tells Chris to think of her as
1616-567: A script is finished it is given to the rest of the writers to read. These scripts generally include cutaway gags . Various gags are pitched to MacFarlane and the rest of the staff, and those deemed the funniest are included in the episode. MacFarlane has explained that it normally takes 10 months to produce an episode because the show uses hand-drawn animation. The show rarely comments on current events for this reason. The show's initial writers had never written for an animated show, and most came from live-action sitcoms. MacFarlane explained that he
1717-496: A significant increase in viewership following its availability on various streaming platforms, with a particularly notable rise in popularity on Hulu . In 2018, it ranked among the most-watched TV series on the streaming service Sling TV . In 2020, Hulu announced that Family Guy was one of the top five most-watched non-sports and non-news related live shows on the streaming service. Nielsen Media Research , which records streaming viewership on U.S. television screens, estimated that
1818-423: A third season. The show returned on November 8, 2001, once again in a tough time slot: Thursday nights at 8:00 pm. This slot brought it into competition with Survivor and Friends (a situation that was later referenced in Stewie Griffin: The Untold Story ). During its second and third seasons, Fox frequently moved the show around to different days and time slots with little or no notice and, consequently,
1919-696: Is Quahog ( / ˈ k ( w ) oʊ h ɒ ɡ / K(W)OH -hog ), a fictional city in Rhode Island that was founded by Peter's ancestor, Griffin Peterson. MacFarlane resided in Providence during his time as a student at the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), and the show contains distinct Rhode Island landmarks similar to real-world locations. MacFarlane often borrows the names of Rhode Island locations and icons such as Pawtucket and Buddy Cianci for use in
2020-430: Is a fan of 1930s and 1940s radio programs, particularly the radio thriller anthology Suspense , which led him to give early episodes ominous titles like " Death Has a Shadow " and " Mind Over Murder ." MacFarlane said that the team dropped the naming convention after individual episodes became hard to identify, and the novelty wore off. For the first few months of production, the writers shared one office, lent to them by
2121-422: Is becoming one of the best animated shows; she commented on its ribaldry and popularity. The show has become a hit on Hulu ; it is the second-highest viewed show after Saturday Night Live . IGN called Family Guy a great show and commented that it has gotten better since its revival. They stated that they cannot imagine another half-hour sitcom that provides as many laughs as Family Guy . Empire praised
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#17328772153082222-485: Is constantly ridiculed or ignored by the family; Chris , their awkward teenage son, who is overweight, unintelligent, unathletic, and in many respects a younger version of his father; and Stewie , their diabolical infant son of ambiguous sexual orientation who is an adult-mannered evil genius and uses stereotypical archvillain phrases. Living with the family is their witty, smoking, martini-swilling , sarcastic, English-speaking anthropomorphic pet dog Brian , although he
2323-604: Is introduced to Meg, he exclaims " D'oh! ", to which Lois replies, "No, Peter, that's not your catchphrase." In 2016, a New York Times study of the 50 TV shows with the most Facebook Likes found that, like other satirical comedies, Family Guy "is most popular in cities. The show's popularity was more correlated with support for Hillary Clinton than any other show". As of 2008, the franchise has generated $ 1 billion in total revenue, including $ 400 million from TV syndication , $ 400 million from DVD sales, and $ 200 million from merchandise sales. Family Guy experienced
2424-891: Is still considered a pet in many ways. Recurring characters appear alongside the Griffin family. These include the family's neighbors: sex-crazed airline pilot bachelor Glenn Quagmire ; deli owner/mail carrier Cleveland Brown and his wife Loretta (later Donna ); paraplegic police officer Joe Swanson , his wife Bonnie , their son Kevin and their baby daughter Susie ; neurotic Jewish pharmacist Mort Goldman , his wife Muriel , and their geeky and annoying son Neil , and elderly child molester Herbert . TV news anchors Tom Tucker and Diane Simmons , Asian reporter Tricia Takanawa , and Blaccu-Weather meteorologist Ollie Williams also make frequent appearances. Actor James Woods guest stars as himself in multiple episodes, as did Adam West , prior to his death. The primary setting of Family Guy
2525-687: The King of the Hill production crew. Credited with 19 episodes, Steve Callaghan is the most prolific writer on the Family Guy staff. Many of the writers that have left the show have gone on to create or produce other successful series. Neil Goldman and Garrett Donovan co-wrote 13 episodes for the NBC sitcom Scrubs during their eight-year run on the show, while also serving as co-producers and working their way up to executive producers. Mike Barker and Matt Weitzman left
2626-665: The Outstanding Voice-Over Performance award for his performance as Stewie; Murphy and MacFarlane won the Outstanding Music and Lyrics award for the song "You Got a Lot to See" from the episode " Brian Wallows and Peter's Swallows "; Steven Fonti won the Outstanding Individual Achievement in Animation award for his storyboard work in the episode " No Chris Left Behind "; and Greg Colton won
2727-420: The first season episode " Brian: Portrait of a Dog ". In March 2007, comedian Carol Burnett filed a $ 6 million lawsuit against 20th Century Fox, claiming that her charwoman cartoon character had been portrayed on the show without her permission. She stated it was a trademark infringement and that Fox violated her publicity rights. On June 4, 2007, United States District Judge Dean D. Pregerson rejected
2828-504: The second season . The episodes are known for featuring elaborate musical numbers , similar to the Road films. The episodes contain several trademarks, including a special version of the opening sequence, custom musical cues and musical numbers, and parodies of science fiction and fantasy films. The original idea for the "Road to" episodes came from MacFarlane, as he is a fan of the films of Crosby, Hope and Dorothy Lamour . The first episode
2929-673: The tenth season episode " Back to the Pilot " in which Brian and Stewie go back in time to the events of "Death Has a Shadow." Mike Henry voices Herbert , Bruce the Performance Artist , Consuela , the Greased-up Deaf Guy , and until 2021, Cleveland Brown . Henry met MacFarlane at the Rhode Island School of Design and kept in touch with him after they graduated. A few years later, MacFarlane contacted him about being part of
3030-496: The "Show of the Week" on April 21, 2009, hailing it a "pop culture-heavy masterpiece". Frazier Moore from The Seattle Times called it an "endless craving for humor about bodily emissions". He thought it was "breathtakingly smart" and said a "blend of the ingenious with the raw helps account for its much broader appeal". He summarized it as "rude, crude and deliciously wrong". The New Yorker ' s Nancy Franklin said that Family Guy
3131-471: The 100 Greatest Cartoons. Brian was awarded the 2009 Stoner of the Year award by High Times for the episode " 420 ", marking the first time an animated character received the honor. In 2004 and 2007, TV Guide ranked Family Guy number 12 and number 15 in their list of top cult shows ever. Family Guy has garnered six Golden Reel Awards nominations, winning three times. In 2013, TV Guide ranked Family Guy
Family Guy season 3 - Misplaced Pages Continue
3232-487: The 95th-greatest villain of all time. British newspaper The Times rated Family Guy the 45th-best American show in 2009. IGN ranked Family Guy number seven in the "Top 100 Animated Series" and number six in the "Top 25 Primetime Animated Series of All Time". Empire named it the twelfth-greatest TV show of all time in 2008. In 2005, viewers of the UK television channel Channel 4 voted Family Guy number 5 on their list of
3333-455: The Amazing Cube . The Griffin family first appeared on the demo that MacFarlane pitched to Fox on May 15, 1998. Family Guy was originally planned to start out as short movies for the sketch show Mad TV , but the plan changed, because MADtv ' s budget was not large enough to support animation production. MacFarlane noted that he then wanted to pitch it to Fox, as he thought that it
3434-633: The DVD release and later shown on both Adult Swim and Fox. The third season of Family Guy continues the adventures of the dysfunctional Griffin family —father Peter , mother Lois , daughter Meg , son Chris , baby Stewie and Brian , the family dog, who reside in their hometown of Quahog . The executive producers for the third production season were Dan Palladino and series creator Seth MacFarlane . The aired season also contained nine episodes which were holdovers from season two, which were produced by MacFarlane and David Zuckerman . Although Family Guy
3535-809: The Entertainer Presents , The Tick , Luis , and Greg the Bunny . Lois asks whether there is any hope, to which Peter replies that if all these shows are canceled they might have a chance; the shows were indeed canceled during Family Guy ' s hiatus. The show uses catchphrases , and most of the primary and secondary characters have them. Notable expressions include Quagmire's "Giggity giggity goo", Peter's "Freakin' sweet", Cleveland's "Oh, that's nasty", and Joe's "Bring it on!" The use of many of these catchphrases declined in later seasons. The episode " Big Man on Hippocampus " mocks catchphrase-based humor: when Peter, who has forgotten everything about his life,
3636-463: The Giant Chicken . Alexandra Breckenridge also appears as many various characters. Adam West appeared as the eponymous Mayor Adam West , until his death in 2017. Episodes often feature guest voices from a wide range of professions, including actors, athletes, authors, bands, musicians, and scientists. Many guest voices star as themselves. Leslie Uggams was the first to appear as herself, in
3737-458: The Griffin family waving goodbye towards the end. On August 14, 2024, it was announced that Family Guy would begin airing on Comedy Central as part of a licensing deal between Paramount (parent company of Comedy Central) and Disney (which retains some ownership of Fox and also holds streaming rights to the show). This deal would be effective on September 2, 2024. New episodes continue to air on Fox, and reruns continue to air on FX Networks as
3838-405: The Griffins live in town, they're Southerners as well, and Southerners always look after their own. With the criminal gone, the Griffins return to Quahog with Chris having to leave Sam behind. Once they are home, they realize that someone had left 113 messages on their answering machine, all of which turn out to be from Herbert, who is looking for Chris. Dan Povenmire , who directed the episode,
3939-412: The Griffins' neighbor Glenn Quagmire , news anchor Tom Tucker , and Lois' father, Carter Pewterschmidt . Alex Borstein voices Peter's wife Lois Griffin , Asian correspondent Tricia Takanawa , Loretta Brown , and Lois' mother, Babs Pewterschmidt . Borstein was asked to provide a voice for the pilot while she was working on MADtv . She had not met MacFarlane or seen any of his artwork and said it
4040-474: The Outstanding Individual Achievement in Animation award for his storyboard work in the episode " Road to the Multiverse ". The show was nominated for eleven Annie Awards , and won three times, twice in 2006 and once in 2008. In 2009, it was nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Comedy Series , becoming the first animated program to be nominated in this category since The Flintstones in 1961. The Simpsons
4141-485: The PTC have both accused the show of portraying religion negatively, and of being racist. Because of the PTC, some advertisers have canceled their contracts after reviewing the content of the episodes, claiming it to be unsuitable. Critics have compared the show's humor and characters with those of The Simpsons . Various episodes of the show have generated controversy. In " 420 " ( season seven , 2009), Brian decides to start
Family Guy season 3 - Misplaced Pages Continue
4242-510: The Paramount-Disney deal is non-exclusive. To Love and Die in Dixie The episode was written by future showrunner Steve Callaghan , and directed by Dan Povenmire . It features the first appearance of the recurring character John Herbert , an elderly pedophile with a perpetual lust for Peter and Lois ' teenage son Chris Griffin . Needing extra money, Chris decides to get
4343-471: The United Kingdom, regularly obtaining between 700,000 and 1 million viewers for re-runs on BBC Three . The series has attracted many celebrities. Robert Downey Jr. telephoned the show production staff and asked if he could produce or assist in an episode's creation, as his son is a fan of the show; the producers subsequently created a character for Downey. Lauren Conrad met MacFarlane while recording
4444-485: The Week". In May 2000, the PTC launched a letter-writing campaign to the Fox network in an effort to persuade the network to cancel the show. The PTC has placed the show on their annual lists of "Worst Prime-Time Shows for Family Viewing" in 2000, 2005, and 2006. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has received multiple petitions requesting that the show be blocked from broadcasting on indecency grounds. Tucker and
4545-455: The best-selling television DVD of 2003 and the second highest-selling television DVD ever, behind the first season of Comedy Central 's Chappelle's Show . The third season DVD release also sold more than a million copies. The show's popularity in both DVD sales and reruns rekindled Fox's interest in it. They ordered 35 new episodes in 2004, marking the first revival of a television show based on DVD sales. Fox president Gail Berman said that it
4646-430: The burglar as a getaway vehicle (even though he takes the bike but runs on foot). Later, at the police station, Chris identifies the thief from a police lineup. However, Peter shows up and tells the thief (unknowingly) that he is here to pick up Chris who was going to "finger the guy who held up the convenience store" and then proceeds to give the thief a picture of Chris, along with various other personal information. When
4747-452: The characters. Fox proposed that MacFarlane complete a 15-minute short and gave him a budget of $ 50,000. Several aspects of Family Guy were inspired by the Larry shorts. While MacFarlane worked on the series, the characters of Larry and his dog Steve slowly evolved into Peter and Brian. MacFarlane stated that the difference between The Life of Larry and Family Guy was that " Life of Larry
4848-413: The civil war survivors. Not knowing of this, Sam unexpectedly kisses Chris, and Chris assumes Sam is gay . As Chris writes in a journal about what happened with Sam, Brian hears the story (as Chris was speaking out what he wrote), and he explains that kissing Sam seemingly felt right. When the two meet again, Chris explains to Sam that even though he is flattered that Sam likes him, he is not interested in
4949-464: The deep south for a sequence for a background scene where a " redneck " character nonchalantly kicks a corpse into the nearby river. There is also a running gag in the episode of raccoons jumping out of random objects and scratching Peter in the face. In addition to the regular cast, actors Brian Dunkleman and Kathleen Wilhoite , voice actors Dakota Fanning , Harland Williams , and Rachael MacFarlane , and singer Waylon Jennings , guest starred in
5050-528: The end of its first season, the show ranked No. 33 in the Nielsen ratings , with 12.8 million households tuning in. The show launched its second season in a new time slot, Thursday at 9 pm, on September 23, 1999. Family Guy was pitted against NBC's Frasier , and the series' ratings declined sharply. Subsequently, Fox removed Family Guy from its schedule and began airing episodes irregularly. The show returned on March 7, 2000, at 8:30 pm on Tuesdays, where it
5151-401: The end of the strike, with regularly airing episodes recommencing on February 17, 2008. According to MacFarlane, in 2009, it cost about $ 2 million to make an episode of Family Guy . During his September 2017 AMA on Reddit , MacFarlane revealed that he had not written for the show since 2010, choosing instead to focus on production and voice acting. On May 12, 2023, it was announced that
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#17328772153085252-556: The episode with the most guest stars of the seventh season. Family Guy officially premiered after Fox's broadcast of Super Bowl XXXIII on January 31, 1999, with " Death Has a Shadow ". The show debuted to 22 million viewers and immediately generated controversy regarding its adult content. The show returned on April 11, 1999, with " I Never Met the Dead Man ". Family Guy garnered decent ratings in Fox's 8:30 pm slot on Sunday, scheduled between The Simpsons and The X-Files . At
5353-569: The films' protagonist, Larry, and his dog, Steve, and renamed them Peter and Brian, respectively. MacFarlane pitched a seven-minute pilot to Fox in December 1998, and the show was greenlit and began production. Family Guy 's cancellation was announced shortly after the third season had aired in 2002, with one unaired episode eventually premiering on Adult Swim in 2003, finishing the series' original run. Favorable DVD sales and high ratings from syndicated reruns since then convinced Fox to revive
5454-679: The first episode that aired after the show's revival, included Peter telling the family that they had been canceled because Fox had to make room in their schedule for shows like Dark Angel , Titus , Undeclared , Action , That '80s Show , Wonderfalls , Fastlane , Andy Richter Controls the Universe , Skin , Girls Club , Cracking Up , The Pitts , Firefly , Get Real , FreakyLinks , Wanda at Large , Costello , The Lone Gunmen , A Minute with Stan Hooper , Normal, Ohio , Pasadena , Harsh Realm , Keen Eddie , The $ treet , The American Embassy , Cedric
5555-416: The first revival of a television show based on DVD sales. " North by North Quahog ", which premiered May 1, 2005, was the first episode to be broadcast after the show's hiatus. It was written by MacFarlane and directed by Peter Shin . MacFarlane believed the show's three-year hiatus was beneficial, because animated shows do not normally have hiatuses, and towards the end of their seasons, "... you see
5656-455: The first three fair use factors involved – "purpose and character of the use", "nature of the infringed work" and "amount and substantiality of the taking" – counted in Metrano's favor, while the fourth – "economic impact" – had to await more fact-finding. In denying the dismissal, the court held that the reference in the scene made light of Jesus and his followers – not Metrano or his act. The case
5757-530: The first two, it's still hilarious and fans of the show should definitely pick up this terrific set." Family Guy Family Guy is an American animated sitcom created by Seth MacFarlane for the Fox Broadcasting Company . The series premiered on January 31, 1999, following Super Bowl XXXIII , with the rest of the first season airing from April 11, 1999. The show centers around the Griffins ,
5858-399: The fourth episode of the first season, " Mind Over Murder ". The episode " Not All Dogs Go to Heaven " guest starred the entire cast of Star Trek: The Next Generation , including Patrick Stewart , Jonathan Frakes , Brent Spiner , LeVar Burton , Gates McFadden , Michael Dorn , Wil Wheaton , Marina Sirtis , and even Denise Crosby (season 1 as Tasha Yar ), playing themselves; this is
5959-621: The greatest in the series, thanks to the developing relationship between Stewie and Brian and the strong plotlines of the episodes themselves. Family Guy uses the film-making technique of cutaways , which occur in the majority of Family Guy episodes. Emphasis is often placed on gags which make reference to social phenomena and/or modern cultural icons. Early episodes based much of their comedy on Stewie's "super villain" antics, such as his constant plans for total world domination, his evil experiments, plans and inventions to get rid of things he dislikes, and his constant attempts at matricide . As
6060-468: The lawsuit, stating that the parody was protected under the First Amendment , citing Hustler Magazine v. Falwell as a precedent. On October 3, 2007, Bourne Co. Music Publishers filed a lawsuit accusing the show of infringing its copyright on the song " When You Wish Upon a Star ", through a parody song titled "I Need a Jew" appearing in the episode " When You Wish Upon a Weinstein ". Bourne Co.,
6161-457: The ninth Greatest TV Cartoon of All Time. One of the initial critics to give the show negative reviews was Ken Tucker from Entertainment Weekly ; he called it " The Simpsons as conceived by a singularly sophomoric mind that lacks any reference point beyond other TV shows". The Parents Television Council (PTC), a conservative non-profit watchdog , has attacked the series since its premiere and has branded various episodes as "Worst TV Show of
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#17328772153086262-402: The president of 20th Century Fox Television . Family Guy premiered in reruns on Adult Swim on April 20, 2003, and immediately became the block's top-rated program, dominating late-night viewing in its time period versus cable and broadcast competition and boosting viewership by 239%. The complete first and second seasons were released on DVD the same week the show premiered on Adult Swim, and
6363-450: The president of 20th Century Fox Television Production. When the reruns were shown on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim in 2003, Family Guy became Adult Swim's most-watched show with an average 1.9 million viewers an episode. Following Family Guy ' s high ratings on Adult Swim, the first two seasons were released on DVD in April 2003. Sales of the DVD set reached 2.2 million copies, becoming
6464-455: The series after the first season because of time conflicts with schoolwork (at the time) and her role on Party of Five . When Kunis auditioned for the role, she was called back by MacFarlane, who instructed her to speak slower. He then told her to come back another time and enunciate more. Once she claimed that she had it under control, MacFarlane hired her. Archival recordings of Lacey Chabert's voice that she provided as Meg Griffin are used in
6565-414: The series progressed, the writers and MacFarlane agreed that his personality and the jokes were starting to feel dated, so they began writing him with a different personality. Family Guy often includes self-referential humor. The most common form is jokes about the Fox network, and occasions where the characters break the fourth wall by addressing the audience. For example, in " North by North Quahog ",
6666-520: The series was watched for 910 million minutes from July 29 to August 4, 2024. The following week, it garnered 881 million minutes of viewing time from August 5 to August 11, 2024, making it the sixth most-streamed television show overall. From August 12 to August 18, 2024, Family Guy generated 834 million minutes of viewership, ranking it as the eighth most-streamed television show overall. From August 26 to September 1, 2024, it amassed more than 1 billion minutes of viewing time, securing its position as
6767-555: The series. The series returned for a total of 30 new episodes in 2005. The episode " Brian Wallows and Peter's Swallows " won an Emmy Award for Best Song. Creator MacFarlane, the recipient of the award, noted that the episode's director Dan Povenmire deserved to have received the award for the contribution the visuals made to the episode's win. Povenmire responded humorously, "That's a nice sentiment and all, but did he offer to give me his? No! And it's not like he doesn't already have two of his own just sitting in his house!" Family Guy
6868-465: The show and its writers for creating really hilarious moments with unlikely material. They commented that one of the reasons they love the show is because nothing is sacred—it makes jokes and gags of almost everything. Robin Pierson of The TV Critic praised the series as "a different kind of animated comedy which clearly sets out to do jokes which other cartoons can't do." Family Guy has proven popular in
6969-416: The show and went on to create the long-running and still ongoing adult animated series American Dad! MacFarlane is also a co-creator of American Dad! On November 4, 2013, it was announced that Barker had departed American Dad! during its run as well, after 10 seasons of serving as producer and co-showrunner over the series. During the 2007–08 Writers Guild of America strike , official production of
7070-408: The show as a co-executive producer in season three and eventually became an executive producer. The first team of writers assembled for the show consisted of Chris Sheridan , Danny Smith, Gary Janetti , Ricky Blitt , Neil Goldman , Garrett Donovan , Matt Weitzman , and Mike Barker . The writing process of Family Guy typically starts with 14 writers that take turns writing the scripts; when
7171-513: The show became a cult phenomenon, selling 400,000 copies within one month. Sales of the DVD set reached 2.2 million copies, becoming the best-selling television DVD of 2003 and the second-highest-selling television DVD ever, behind the first season of Comedy Central 's Chappelle's Show . The third-season DVD release also sold more than a million copies. The show's popularity in DVD sales and reruns rekindled Fox's interest, and, on May 20, 2004, Fox ordered 35 new episodes of Family Guy , marking
7272-400: The show halted for most of December 2007 and for various periods afterward. Fox continued producing episodes without MacFarlane's final approval, which he termed "a colossal dick move" in an interview with Variety . Though MacFarlane refused to work on the show, his contract under Fox required him to contribute to any episodes it would subsequently produce. Production officially resumed after
7373-524: The show have been released, including Stewie Griffin: The Untold Story , a straight-to-DVD special released in 2005; Family Guy: Live in Vegas , a soundtrack-DVD combo released in 2005, featuring music from the show as well as music created by MacFarlane and Walter Murphy ; a video game and pinball machine , released in 2006 and 2007, respectively; since 2005, six books published by Harper Adult ; and Laugh It Up, Fuzzball: The Family Guy Trilogy (2010),
7474-641: The show in 2004; a fourth season began airing the following year, on May 1, 2005. Since its premiere, Family Guy has received generally positive reviews. In 2009, it was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series , the first time an animated series had been nominated for the award since The Flintstones in 1961. In 2013, TV Guide ranked Family Guy as the ninth-greatest TV cartoon. The series has also garnered considerable amounts of criticism and controversy , ranging from storylines and character stereotypes, to allegations of racism, homophobia, and misogyny. Many tie-in media based on
7575-426: The show's first weeknight airings since 2002. The show centers around the adventures and activities of the dysfunctional Griffin family , consisting of father Peter Griffin , a bumbling and clumsy yet well-intentioned blue-collar worker ; his wife Lois , a stay-at-home mother and piano teacher (in early episodes) who is a member of the affluent Pewterschmidt family ; Meg , their often bullied teenage daughter who
7676-402: The show's ratings suffered. Upon Fox's annual unveiling of its 2002 fall line-up on May 15, 2002, Family Guy was absent. Fox announced that the show had been officially canceled shortly thereafter. Fox attempted to sell the rights for reruns of the show, but finding networks that were interested was difficult; Cartoon Network eventually bought the rights "basically for free", according to
7777-405: The show. MacFarlane, in an interview with Providence's Fox affiliate WNAC-TV , stated that the town is modeled after Cranston, Rhode Island . MacFarlane conceived Family Guy in 1995 while studying animation at the Rhode Island School of Design . During college, he created his thesis film titled The Life of Larry , which was submitted by his professor at RISD to Hanna-Barbera . MacFarlane
7878-469: The show; he agreed and came on as a writer and voice actor. During the show's first four seasons, he was credited as a guest star, but beginning with season five 's " Prick Up Your Ears ", he has been credited as a main cast member. On June 26, 2020, after twenty years of voicing the character, Mike Henry announced on Twitter that he was stepping down from voicing Cleveland, stating "persons of color should play characters of color." On September 25, 2020, it
7979-552: The showrunners of Family Guy , including Seth MacFarlane, would temporarily leave the show as a result of the 2023 Writers Guild of America Strike . They returned to the show on September 27, 2023, once the strike was declared to be over. Seth MacFarlane voices three of the show's main characters: Peter Griffin , Brian Griffin , and Stewie Griffin . Since MacFarlane had a strong vision for these characters, he chose to voice them himself, believing it would be easier than for someone else to attempt it. MacFarlane drew inspiration for
8080-436: The sole United States copyright owner of the song, alleged the parody pairs a "thinly veiled" copy of its music with antisemitic lyrics. Named in the suit were 20th Century Fox Film Corp. , Fox Broadcasting Co. , Cartoon Network , MacFarlane , and Murphy ; the suit sought to stop the program's distribution and asked for unspecified damages. Bourne argued that "I Need a Jew" uses the copyrighted melody of "When You Wish Upon
8181-417: The state. Sarah Palin, the mother of a child with Down syndrome , criticized the episode in an appearance on The O'Reilly Factor , calling those who made the show "cruel, cold-hearted people". In the United States, the show currently airs on Comedy Central , Freeform , FX , and FXX . The show was syndicated to Adult Swim and TBS from 2003 to 2021, sharing the rights to the first fifteen seasons. It
8282-409: The syndication rights held by local broadcast stations. The show's departure from Adult Swim on September 18, 2021, was commemorated with a remembrance bumper created by the network, which played after the final airing (the episode " Stewie is Enceinte "). The bumper showed animations of several Adult Swim characters bidding farewell to Family Guy , including shots of Peter crying at the beginning and
8383-650: The thief escapes and swears vengeance on Chris, the family is placed in the Witness Protection Program where they are relocated to Bumblescum, a tiny town in the deep South , about which Meg complains, although Lois remains somewhat optimistic. Deciding to embrace the South, Peter decorates his car like the General Lee , though he fails to roll the passenger window down for Brian when beckoning him to enter. He then becomes sheriff with Brian as his deputy, although
8484-501: The third most-streamed series overall. Family Guy has received generally positive reviews, particularly for its pop culture references, blue humor, satire, and non-sequitur storytelling. Catherine Seipp of National Review Online described it as a "nasty but extremely funny" cartoon. Caryn James of The New York Times called it a show with an "outrageously satirical family" that "includes plenty of comic possibilities and parodies". The Sydney Morning Herald named Family Guy
8585-566: The two neglect their responsibilities in order to drink. Stewie joins a hillbilly jug band , Meg becomes the most successful and popular student among her classmates (besting Oinky the Pig), and Chris makes a new friend named Sam. Later, when Peter interferes with a Civil War reenactment, claiming the North won the war, despite how they were being portrayed in the play, Sam's dad says Chris and Sam can no longer be friends and Peter and Brian have to answer to
8686-470: The visual direction of Family Guy . For "One If by Clam, Two If by Sea", several characters carried out fosse moves in prison — Povenmire went into the office of a color artist, Cynthia Macintosh, who had been a professional dancer, and had her strike poses in order for him to better illustrate the sequence. In the episode " To Love and Die in Dixie " Povenmire drew on his childhood in the deep south to sequence
8787-446: The voice of Peter from a security guard he overheard talking while attending the Rhode Island School of Design. Stewie's voice was based on the voice of English actor Rex Harrison , especially his performance in the 1964 musical drama film My Fair Lady . MacFarlane uses his regular speaking voice when playing Brian. MacFarlane also provides the voices for various other recurring and one-time-only characters, most prominently those of
8888-576: Was "really sight unseen". At the time, Borstein was performing in a stage show in Los Angeles. She played a redheaded mother whose voice she had based on one of her cousins. Seth Green primarily voices Chris Griffin and Neil Goldman . Green stated that he did an impression of the character Buffalo Bill from the thriller film The Silence of the Lambs during his audition. Mila Kunis and Lacey Chabert have both voiced Meg Griffin . Chabert left
8989-547: Was almost nominated in 1993, but voters were hesitant to pit cartoons against live action programs. The show was nominated for a Grammy in 2011. Family Guy has been nominated and has won various other awards, including the Teen Choice Awards and the People's Choice Awards . In the 1,000th issue of Entertainment Weekly , Brian Griffin was selected as the dog for "The Perfect TV Family". Wizard Magazine rated Stewie
9090-732: Was announced that Arif Zahir would take over as the voice of Cleveland. Other recurring cast members include Patrick Warburton as Joe Swanson , Jennifer Tilly as Bonnie Swanson , John G. Brennan as Mort Goldman and Horace the bartender , Carlos Alazraqui as Jonathan Weed , Adam Carolla and Norm Macdonald as Death , Lori Alan as Diane Simmons , Phil LaMarr as Ollie Williams and Judge Dignified Q. Blackman, and Kevin Michael Richardson as Jerome. Fellow cartoonist Butch Hartman has made guest voice appearances in episodes as various characters. Also, writer Danny Smith voices various recurring characters, such as Ernie
9191-498: Was constantly beaten in the ratings by ABC 's then-new breakout hit Who Wants to Be a Millionaire , coming in at No. 114 in the Nielsen ratings with 6.32 million households tuning in. Fox announced that the show had been canceled in May 2000, at the end of the second season. However, following a last-minute reprieve, on July 24, 2000, Fox ordered 13 additional episodes of Family Guy to form
9292-402: Was directed by Dan Povenmire , who would direct the rest of the "Road to" episodes until the episode " Road to Rupert ", at which point he had left the show to create Phineas and Ferb with Jeff "Swampy" Marsh . Series regular Greg Colton then took over Povenmire's role as director of the "Road to" episodes. The "Road to" episodes are generally considered by critics and fans to be some of
9393-438: Was first canceled in 2000 following the series' second season , but following a last-minute reprieve, it returned for a third season in 2001. In 2002, the series was canceled again after three seasons due to low ratings . Fox attempted to sell the rights for reruns of the show, but it was difficult to find networks that were interested; Cartoon Network eventually bought the rights, "[...] basically for free", according to
9494-495: Was granted substantial creative freedom by series creator and executive producer Seth MacFarlane . Povenmire recalled that MacFarlane would tell him "We've got two minutes to fill. Give me some visual gags. Do whatever you want. I trust you." Povenmire praised this management style for letting him "have fun." Povenmire brought realism, and material from his own experiences, to the visual direction of Family Guy . For this episode, Povenmire drew inspiration from his own childhood in
9595-407: Was hired by the company. In 1996, MacFarlane created a sequel to The Life of Larry titled Larry and Steve , which featured a middle-aged character named Larry and an intellectual dog, Steve; the short was broadcast in 1997 as one of Cartoon Network 's World Premiere Toons . Executives at Fox saw the Larry shorts and contracted MacFarlane to create a series, titled Family Guy , based on
9696-468: Was initially canceled in 2000 due to low ratings , following a last-minute reprieve, the series returned for a third season in 2001. The season's first 10 episodes aired on Wednesday nights, before airing them on Thursdays; one episode, "A Very Special Family Guy Freakin' Christmas," would air on a Friday, before concluding by airing Thursdays. The series was canceled again in 2002; however, high ratings on Adult Swim and high DVD sales renewed Fox's interest in
9797-711: Was one of her most difficult decisions to cancel the show, and was therefore happy it would return. The network also began production of a film based on the series. Dan Povenmire , who became a director on Family Guy during the series' second season, took a more prominent role in directing by the third season, having directed five episodes. Creator Seth MacFarlane granted Povenmire substantial creative freedom. Povenmire recalled that MacFarlane would tell him "We've got two minutes to fill. Give me some visual gags. Do whatever you want. I trust you." Povenmire praised this management style for letting him "have [...] fun." Povenmire brought realism, and material from his own experiences, to
9898-468: Was settled out of court in 2010 with undisclosed terms. The "Road to" episodes are a series of hallmark travel episodes. They are a parody of the seven Road to ... comedy films starring Bing Crosby and Bob Hope . These episodes have always involved Stewie and Brian in some foreign, supernatural or science-fiction location, unrelated to the show's normal location in Quahog. The first, titled " Road to Rhode Island ", aired on May 30, 2000, during
9999-559: Was shown primarily in my dorm room and Family Guy was shown after the Super Bowl ." After the pilot aired, the series was given the greenlight . MacFarlane drew inspiration from several sitcoms such as The Simpsons and All in the Family . Premises were drawn from several 1980s Saturday-morning cartoons he watched as a child, such as The Fonz and the Happy Days Gang and Rubik,
10100-443: Was syndicated to various local stations from 2007 to 2024. In April 2019, FX Networks began airing reruns of season 16 on FXX, with season 17 debuting that October, and shared off-network rights to both seasons with sister channel Freeform. After Adult Swim and TBS' rights expired on September 18, 2021, FXX and Freeform began airing the first fifteen seasons. The show also joined FX's lineup that same month. These deals did not affect
10201-573: Was the place to create a prime-time animation show. Family Guy was originally pitched to Fox in the same year as King of the Hill , but the show was not bought until years later, when King of the Hill became successful. MacFarlane has served as an executive producer throughout the show's entire history. The first executive producers were David Zuckerman , Lolee Aries , David Pritchard, and Mike Wolf. Family Guy has had many executive producers in its history, including Daniel Palladino , Kara Vallow , and Danny Smith . David A. Goodman joined
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