Seth MacFarlane’s grandaddy creation, Family Guy, is about to celebrate its 20th anniversary, as both he and Fox have taken time out of their day to celebrate the landmark achievement. First airing in January 1999, Family Guy has become ingrained in pop-culture, gaining the same cult-status as The Simpsons, a fellow Fox program. Despite its initial positive reception and relatively fair rating, the series would subsequently be canceled following a time-slot change which birthed a decline in the ratings. Thanks to high DVD sales and reruns on Adult Swim, the show resurrected itself on Fox, and from there, Family Guy has thrived on Sunday nights as part of the “Animation Domination” TV block.
Becoming one of their staple programs, Fox released a video on Youtube, marking the incredible landmark and the various misfits from the fictional town of Quahog. Simultaneously serving as a preview for upcoming episodes, the video is a reminder that there is still plenty of comedic material to be mined from pop culture and the socio-political landscape that we reside in, check it out below:
MacFarlane expressed his appreciation for the fans support over the last two decades as well, despite not being apart of the show’s current creation. He continues to remain family linked to the show, as he took Twitter and acknowledged the repeated cancellations and time slot changes. He may not be there to helm the ship directly, but MacFarlane has always remained engrained in the show’s crux as he tweeted:
It’s a remarkable milestone for any show to reach, but with the impending Disney acquisition of Fox’s assets, its worth considering the potential of the show’s longevity going forward. Back in August, there were rumors of a swan-song for the Griffins via a big-screen outing, but if that doesn’t go into production before the deal goes through, it may be the final send-off for the series. 20 years remains a considerable achievement nonetheless, as Family Guy is set to return for season 17 on Fox on February 10.