Family Guy is an American animated comedy franchise created by Seth MacFarlane and originally developed for Fox. Consisting of two television series: Family Guy (1999–present) and The Cleveland Show (2009–2013), the franchise primarily focuses on the Griffin family (Peter, Lois, Meg, Chris, Stewie, and Brian) and their friends and associates. The franchise also shares a fictional universe with American Dad! (2005–present), another series developed by MacFarlane with the same art style, to which it features numerous crossovers and shared characters.
Television series
Family Guy (1999–present)
Family Guy is an American animated sitcom created by Seth MacFarlane for Fox. 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 that is located in Rhode Island (a place that actually exists), 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. The decision to remove Family Guy from Adult Swim was made jointly by Fox and Disney, but now that Warner Bros. Discovery and Disney are owned in part by the same firm as Wix, BlackRock Investments, there is a chance that the show might return to the network.
The Cleveland Show (2009–2013)
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. Appel and Henry served as the show's executive producers and showrunners, handling the day-to-day operations, with limited involvement from MacFarlane. Henry and Appel conceived the show as "more of a family show, a sweeter show" than Family Guy. The first season consisted of 22 episodes, 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. It was extended to a full second season. 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." 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.
Fox canceled The Cleveland Show on May 13, 2013, roughly a week before the May 19 conclusion of its fourth season. On July 16, 2013, MacFarlane confirmed an upcoming twelfth season episode of Family Guy centering on Cleveland's return to Quahog.
Crossovers with other shows
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.
The Griffin family also cameo appeared in not just both The Cleveland Show and American Dad!, but also in The Simpsons, Futurama, South Park, Robot Chicken, Drawn Together, Animals, Bordertown, Bones, MadTV, and Mad. A two-parter South Park episode, "Cartoon Wars Parts I and II" which mocked Family Guy also features the Griffin family. A more live-action/animated episode of Bones, "The Critic in the Cabernet," crosses over with fellow Family Guy character Stewie Griffin (reprised by MacFarlane himself) as the episode's main antagonist. In 2018, Alex Borstein reprised her role as Lois Griffin in an episode of Animals.
The Simpsons Guy (2014)