Meet ‘Family Guy’ creator Seth Macfarlane

Seth Macfarlane, the creator of the hit TV series “Family Guy,” was born in 1973, in Kent, Conn. At an early age, Macfarlane developed a natural inclination to drawing cartoon characters, such as Fred Flintstone and Woody Woodpecker. By the age of five, Macfarlane was already creating flip books full of creative illustrations. He also regularly submitted his comic strips to a local newspaper, which paid him five dollars each week. After graduating from the Kent School in 1991, Macfarlane went on to continue his animation studies at the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD). As a senior in RISD, Macfarlane created a short, animated film called “The Life of Larry”, which served to be the model for the development of “Family Guy.” Macfarlane graduated RISD with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree.

Upon graduating, Macfarlane acquired a job at Hanna-Barbera, a cartoon company that was impressed with his senior film work. There, Macfarlane devised numerous different cartoon concepts, such as “Dexter’s Laboratory,” “Cow and Chicken,” “I Am Weasel,” and “Johnny Bravo.” Although he enjoyed his stay with Hanna-Barbera, Macfarlane sought for prime-time animation, which called for a much more satirical and offensive humors than the traditional G-rated humors. After formulating the concept for “Family Guy,” Macfarlane took his idea to FOX. Leslie Collins, the head manager of the comedy department of FOX, gave Macfarlane $500,000 to think of a series that could be a big hit on FOX. This was the creation of “Family Guy.”

“Family Guy” embodies a concept so drastically simple from other animated series. This show features several cutaway scenes, where one scene juxtaposes another scene that does not correlate at all. The dialogues shared by the characters are also extremely satirical. The Griffin family, who are the protagonist of “Family Guy,” just does not care about what happens to their kids and to themselves, which makes the series much more humorous. “Family Guy” is also centered on slapstick humor, which is an exaggerated humor that reaches beyond one’s common sense.

The fresh, new concept of “Family Guy” acquired a cult following from its viewers. When FOX discontinued the show in 2002, viewers demanded its return. “Family Guy” started airing on TV again in 2004.

Macfarlane also reached the pinnacle of his animation career when “Family Guy” became immensely successful. The show was nominated for 12 Primetime Emmy awards and 11 Annie awards, and won three of each. In 2009, “Family Guy” was nominated for Outstanding Comedy Series, which was the first time an animated series was nominated for that category since the Flintstones in 1961.

Another amazing aspect about the show is that one voice actor dubs many different characters in “Family Guy.” For example, Macfarlane is the voice of Peter Griffin, Brian Griffin, Stewie Griffin, Glenn Quagmire, Tom Tucker, Carter Pewterschmidt, and other extraneous figures. What’s even more amazing is that none of the characters sound the same. There are more than 19 central characters in “Family Guy;” there are five voice actors.

Macfarlane is working with other TV shows, such as “American Dad!,” “The Winner,” “The Cleveland Show,” and “The Cavalcade of Cartoon Comedy.” He is an outspoken gay-rights activist and a supportive democratic citizen. But regardless of what he did, what he’s doing, and what he will do, Macfarlane will always draw cartoon characters and improve on them.