During a recent interview with the L.A. Times, Seth MacFarlane, Mila Kunis, Alex Borstein, Seth Green and the showrunnings of “Family Guy,” the animated Fox series, recently celebrated 25 years on the air. The voice cast and showrunners gathered to reflect on the show’s history.
This animated Fox sitcom about a none-too-typical household in suburban Rhode Island — father, mother, son, daughter, talking baby and talking dog — has recently celebrated an astonishing 25 years on the air. And from the moment it debuted in 1999, following Super Bowl XXXIII, “Family Guy” has endured with the help of a uniquely subversive sense of humor and, yes, a bit of luck.
“Family Guy” began as the brainchild of Seth MacFarlane, now 50, who imbued the show with its pop-cultural bona fides, iconic musical numbers and a desire to satirize every social convention that Americans hold sacred. MacFarlane, who performed many of the characters (including the hapless Peter, the maniacal baby Stewie and the erudite dog Brian), was joined by Alex Borstein (as faithful wife Lois), Seth Green (socially maladroit son Chris) and Mila Kunis (perpetually scapegoated daughter Meg).
Having survived not one but two cancellations in its earliest seasons — “Family Guy” was revived thanks to its success in reruns on Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim block and strong DVD sales that bolstered its cult following — the Fox series has become an institution of both animation and comedy. Under its showrunners, Rich Appel and Alec Sulkin, “Family Guy” continues to carve out its own indelicate but undeniably funny path on Fox, FXX and Hulu. (To quote one representative bit: While visiting an internet company in Silicon Valley, Peter asks its chief executive, “Where’s your nearest bathroom?” “Gender fluid?” says the executive. “Yes,” Peter replies, “there will be a lot of that.”)
After a quarter-century, the stars of “Family Guy” are now just as famous for their extracurricular activities: MacFarlane is a prolific producer, actor and singer, and Borstein is a two-time Emmy winner for “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.” Green and Kunis have their own thriving film and TV careers and children of their own. Yet they and their “Family Guy” collaborators remain intensely loyal to this show, which they still consider the best job they ever had.
“Family Guy” is celebrating its 25 years with a live table read as part of PaleyFest L.A. on Friday, and its season finale airs on Wednesday. Earlier this month, MacFarlane, Borstein, Kunis, Green, Appel and Sulkin gathered at the Fox Studio Lot to reflect on their history with “Family Guy,” and to affectionately tease and taunt one another as only family members can. This conversation has been condensed and edited for clarity.
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