Family Guy has had a long and windy road since it first debuted in 1999 on Fox. Peter and his Quahog clan was initially canceled, only to be resurrected thanks to fan demand, becoming one of the biggest animated series for the channel, becoming the biggest contender to The Simpsons. In the past, a portion of the 1998 lost pilot episode made its way online but in a shocking development, the full origin story for the Griffin family has found its way online. While said pilot has quite a bit in common with the first episode of the series, you can now check out the original take on Family Guy.
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Seth MacFarlane first pitched Family Guy to Fox as a seven-minute pilot, introducing Peter, Lois, Stewie, Meg, Chris, and Brian to the network in 1998. While MacFarlane voiced Peter, Brian, and Stewie in this premiere, many of the characters and their appearances were far different from what we’ve come to expect from Quahog’s finest to this day. Despite the powerhouse that the animated series is today, it was initially canceled in 2002 thanks to low ratings. However, thanks to Adult Swim’s re-airing of the series and the strong DVD sales for the show, Fox decided to reverse course and Family Guy sits strong with a massive twenty-three seasons to its name. If you want to see the pilot episode that started it all, click here to see a very different take on the Griffins.
The Life of Larry And Larry & Steve: The First Family Guy
While the above pilot depicts MacFarlane’s first crack at Peter and his family proper, this wasn’t the first animated series that Seth had developed. The Life of Larry and Larry & Steve were two short films that were created by the animator in 1995 and 1997 respectively. The latter short found its way onto Cartoon Network, highlighting the two titular characters who were clearly the drawing board for who Peter and Brian would eventually become. The former animated short was created specifically for the Rhode Island School of Design by MacFarlane, long before he hit it big with works like Family Guy, American Dad, and The Cleveland Show.
Family Guy’s Future
While the animated series’ past is on full display here, Family Guy’s future is a bright one as it shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon. A twenty-fourth season has yet to be confirmed but it seems like a safe bet that Quahog’s finest will make a comeback, especially considering the ratings and pull that the animated show still has to this day. This season alone, MacFarlane’s take on Quahog is still making headlines by bringing back long-forgotten characters and potentially killing off fan favorites at the same time.
Want to stay in the loop on all things Quahog? Follow along with Team Anime on ComicBook.com for the latest updates on Family Guy and hit me up directly @EVComedy to talk all things comics and anime.
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