Seth MacFarlane

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

MacFarlane's path to Family Guy began at the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), where he majored in animation. In his senior year, he made his thesis film, The Life of Larry, which became the inspiration for Family Guy. A professor submitted his film to Hanna-Barbera, where he was later hired. While at Hanna-Barbera, he created Larry & Steve, a sequel to The Life of Larry featuring middle-aged Larry and his intellectual dog, Steve. The short was broadcast as one of Cartoon Network's World Premiere Toons. Executives at the Fox Broadcasting Company saw both Larry shorts and negotiations began for a prime-time animated series. MacFarlane first pitched Family Guy to Fox during his tenure at Hanna-Barbera. After the success of King of the Hill in 1997, he called development executive Leslie Kolins to ask about a possible second pitch. Fox offered MacFarlane a budget of $50,000 to produce the full pilot episode. Recalling the experience, MacFarlane said: "I spent about six months with no sleep and no life, just drawing like crazy in my kitchen and doing this pilot." After six months, he returned with a "very, very simply, crudely animated film—with just enough to get the tone of the show across" to present to the executives, who loved the short and immediately ordered the series. In July 1998, they announced the purchase of Family Guy for a January 1999 debut.

In Their Own Story

The recording booth became a one-man theater as Seth MacFarlane shifted between characters. In one moment, he was Peter Griffin, his voice dropping an octave with a thick Rhode Island drawl. The next, he straightened up, adopting the sophisticated, sinister cadence of Stewie Griffin, plotting world domination between takes. He also voiced Brian Griffin, the family's intellectual dog, and Glenn Quagmire, the neighbor with the distinctive catchphrase. Beyond the main cast, he voiced Tom Tucker, the local news anchor, and his son Jake Tucker. Bolstered by high DVD sales and fan loyalty, Family Guy developed into a $1-billion franchise. On May 4, 2008, after approximately two and a half years of negotiations, MacFarlane reached a $100-million agreement with Fox to keep Family Guy and American Dad! until 2012, making him the world's highest paid television writer.

Reader's Guide

Family Guy first aired January 31, 1999. MacFarlane's work in animating the show was influenced by Jackie Gleason and Hanna-Barbera along with examples from The Simpsons and All in the Family. In addition to writing three episodes—"Death Has a Shadow", "Family Guy Viewer Mail 1", and "North by North Quahog"—he voices the main male characters. A fan of Broadway musicals, MacFarlane incorporated lush orchestration and old-fashioned melody writing into the show, saying: "I love the lush orchestration and old-fashioned melody writing ... it just gets you excited, that kind of music. It's very optimistic. And it's fun."

On April 26, 2005, MacFarlane and composer Walter Murphy created Family Guy: Live in Vegas, a soundtrack featuring a Broadway show tune theme. A video game, Family Guy Video Game!, was released in 2006. In August 2007, MacFarlane closed a digital content production deal with AdSense. The show's success opened doors to other ventures, and MacFarlane's leadership has guided the series through multiple cancellation and revival cycles, cementing its status as a cultural phenomenon.

Did You Know?

• MacFarlane was often cited as television's youngest executive producer at age 24 when Family Guy debuted, though the absolute record is disputed and not universally accepted.
• Family Guy originated from MacFarlane's thesis film and shorts for Cartoon Network, not from a planned series of shorts on MADtv.
• MacFarlane's senior thesis film at RISD, The Life of Larry, became the direct inspiration for Family Guy.
• Fox gave MacFarlane a budget of only $50,000 to produce the full pilot episode for Family Guy, not just a pitch/test short.
• In 2008, MacFarlane reached a $100-million agreement with Fox to keep Family Guy and American Dad! until 2012, making him the world's highest paid television writer.