"Don’t see a good reason to stop" — Seth MacFarlane would consider ending Family Guy only when audience "get sick of it"

In an interview with the Los Angeles Times published on April 16, 2024, the cast of the animated sitcom Family Guy, including its creator and star Seth MacFarlane, opened up about the odds of ending the show after it had been on the air for a quarter-century.

When asked if there is any reason why Family Guy couldn’t last another 25 years, Seth MacFarlane said he doesn’t see any reason to end the sitcom as the demand for the animated show is still strong.

“At this point, I don’t see a good reason to stop. People still love it.”

Seth MacFarlane continued that he would consider pulling the plug if the audience became disenchanted with the show, but he hasn’t seen any evidence of their waning interest.

“There was a time when I thought, it’s time to wrap it up. At this point, we’ve reached escape velocity. I don’t know that there’s any reason to stop at this point unless people get sick of it."

The comments were made as the cast sat down for an interview with the LA Times earlier this month, reflecting on 25 years of the show.

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Seth MacFarlane says he does not have a good reason to end the series

Family Guy, which debuted in 1999, stars MacFarlane, who voices many characters, including Peter, the maniacal talking baby Stewie, and the erudite dog Brian. MacFarlane is joined by Alex Borstein, who plays his wife Lois, Seth Green as Peter’s son Chris, and Mila Kunis, who voices daughter Meg. The show has now been on air for 22 seasons.

In the interview with the Los Angeles Times, Seth MacFarlane weighed in on Family Guy's longevity as they celebrate 25 years since the topical series, produced for Fox by 20th Television Animation, began airing.

Seth MacFarlane revealed that there was a time when he considered wrapping up the show in its heyday. But he said that he did not have a good reason to end the series, which the audience loves, as evidenced by its ratings.

Since creating the animated series in 1999, MacFarlane has become a prolific producer, actor, and singer. He has continued to donate money from the show to charitable causes.

“It makes people happy and it funds some good causes. It’s a lot of extraneous cash that you can donate to Rainforest Trust and you can still go out to dinner that night,” he said.

Family Guy premiered in 1999 and was canceled after two seasons. The show was picked up for a third season before it was again axed. However, it became a cult show among fans after reruns on Cartoon Network gave it new life and enabled more people to discover it.

Due to the show's popularity, Fox again picked up Family Guy in 2005, and it has since aired consistently every year.

During the interview, Seth MacFarlane reflected on the show's cancellations, saying he wasn’t deeply affected and viewed it as a normal experience.

“It was the first show I’d ever pitched, and it got picked up. I thought, “Oh, I guess this is normal.” Which it certainly was not. When I got canceled, I was like, “OK, I guess this is normal too.”

Seth MacFarlane continued, saying he wasn’t too worried about being axed because his contract hadn't expired with the network, which expressed interest in continuing their business relationship.

“But it wasn’t like they’re kicking you to the curb. It was, we still want to be in business with you. My deal [with 20th Television Animation] never expired over those two years. It was about to expire and then they picked up the show again.”

As the Family Guy season finale is set to air on Wednesday, the cast, including Mila Kunis and Seth Green, told the Los Angeles Times they have no interest in ending the show, describing it as the best job they’ve ever had.