Stewies Playground - Your Family Guy Source

Family Guy without Seth MacFarlane? WTF, FOX!

by Wendy on November 15th, 2007

I can hardly believe that the Fox Douchebags have the brass cajones to do this, but apparently, they do: Fox says that they plan to move on with Family Guy with or without Seth MacFarlane. This is due to the writers strike that I wrote about last week; here’s a whole bunch more information in easily digestable, yet surely rage-inducing, snippets.

Fox is moving ahead on at least three Family Guy episodes and Seth MacFarlane is not a happy camper: The overlords at Fox have announced plans to air an original Family Guy episode this Sunday and move forward on three more without the participation of mastermind Seth MacFarlane, who not only serves as show runner but supplies many of the key voices….”It would just be a colossal dick move if they did that,” Family Guy’s creator told Variety, noting that the next three episodes of the animated comedy are “relatively close to completion, but they have not had a final pass.” - source

Seth MacFarlane is not in breach in contract, just an FYI: MacFarlane, who writes the show in addition to providing several key voices, walked out on the production when the WGA began its strike on November 5.Unlike other showrunners who walked out, like The Shield’s Shawn Ryan, who was later suspended by FX, MacFarlane is quick to point out that “I’m technically in breach of nothing,” as he has been negotiating with Fox for the past year for a new long-term contract. …Fox, however, seems to think that the risk of damaging their tumultuous relationship with MacFarlane is worth it. Had Fox honored MacFarlane’s wishes and backed down from this decision, they would have been forced to show reruns during the key November sweeps period. - source

There are new Family Guy episodes in the pipeline, but they need the magic touch of Seth MacFarlane: The first new epispde was reportedly delivered to FOX on Tuesday, and is supposedly one of three that was nearing completion when MacFarlane walked off the show in a show of support for the writers. A few other episodes had been put into the pipeline but only so much can be done without the series creator, who also voices a majority of the show’s characters. - source

Family Guy isn’t the only Fox show affected, just the one that people are going to get the most pissed about: FOX has been hit especially hard by the writers’ strike, and already some big ratings shows are off the schedule. There will be no 24, no more House, and all the network’s scripted shows are pretty much up in the air. So, FOX is going to go it alone. - source

Who’s to blame at Fox? Seth MacFarlane muses on that one: McFarlane’s quick not to blame his immediate contacts at the studio- namely, 20th Century Fox’s Gary Newman and Dana Walden, and Fox entertainment chairman Peter Liguori.

“I don’t think they’re making the call,” he said on Tuesday. “Those are all people who I have had close, respectful relationships with. It’s hard to believe it would be coming from them.”

And since he’s been in “final talks” over a new deal with the studio for more than a year now, McFarlane may have some leverage to prevent it from happening.

“But they’ve never done anything like this before, in which they’ve said, ‘We’re going to finish a show without you,’ ” MacFarlane says. “It’s really going to be unfortunate and damaging to our relationship if they do it.” - source

Fox might get away with it for these few episodes, but they won’t for future Family Guy episodes: Like many other show-runners, MacFarlane walked off the job to join the WGA picket lines. While the next three episodes of Family Guy are reportedly taped and just waiting on MacFarlane’s producerly seal-of-approval, he’s made it known that he will not record voices for further shows should the strike continue. - source

Doesn’t Fox remember the last time they messed around with Family Guy fans? : But can FOX really damage its rep any worse than when it cancelled the show for two years, only to bring it back only after DVD sales proved there was an audience (which, of course, we already knew…you know, being that audience)?

Dude, I hate to say it, but these creeps will take your dang show away from you if they see you as a liability. Just ask John K about his Ren & Stimpy run-ins with Nick….and then cry…. - source

Share This

Related Stories

• New Seth MacFarlane interview
• Zoo Mates by Seth MacFarlane
• Seth MacFarlane to Speak at Harvard?
• New online-only animated series coming soon from Seth MacFarlane
• The Voice of Peter Griffin

POSTED IN: Family Guy News, Seth MacFarlane