27 Years Ago Today, This Animated Classic Premiered (And Saved Itself From Cancellation)

27 years ago today, Family Guy made its premiere with Fox and the animated world has never been the same since as the animated classic went on to save itself from cancellation to become one of the biggest streaming icons of the modern era. Family Guy is one of those shows that feels like it’s been around for a long time alongside other animated mainstays like The Simpsons, but it wasn’t always the case. The Seth MacFarlane created series had an uphill battle to climb that no other show has been able to do as well.

But Family Guy started out with as big of a first impression as it possibly could with Fox all those years ago as well, 27 years ago today, on January 31, 1999, Family Guy aired its first episode right after Super Bowl XXXIII. The post-Super Bowl TV spot used to considered one of the most premium slots a show can have, so it was clear that Fox had a lot of faith that this show would succeed. We just wouldn’t see the full impact of its success until many years later, however.

Family Guy Premiered on Fox 27 Years Ago Today

Originally created by Seth MacFarlane, Family Guy introduced fans to a wacky Rhode Island family, the Griffins. Much like other famous sitcoms, the series is centered on a loud mouth, drunk idiot of a father, Peter, a much smarter and reserved wife, Lois, their kids Chris and Meg, and their talking dog, Brian, who served as both Peter’s best friend and his voice of reason for the first few seasons. Also shaking things up even further is their talking baby, Stewie, who had dreams of world domination (and it wasn’t clear if anyone understood him).

These first three seasons offered a unique spin on the average American sitcom, but were definitely much quieter and more reserved than what would be seen years later. Peter would get into shenanigans and in over his head on many occasions, but it was a result of him just trying to make a better life for himself and his family. All the while, the animated series would then carve out a name for itself among its peers thanks to the use of multiple non-sequitur, cutaway gags that were not tied to anything that happened in the episode itself.

These allusions to pop culture and the outside world are part of why Family Guy became a cult hit, and it’s ultimately what would end up saving the show from its cancellation years later. Because while it might be a mega hit with Fox now (recently being renewed for four more seasons with Episode 450 of it airing this February), it actually was away from TV for about three years when it was cancelled with Fox after just a few seasons. Back when DVD sales and TV rerun ratings meant something, Family Guy absolutely dominated.

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Family Guy‘s original run came to an end in February 2002, but the strength of its DVD sales and success with Adult Swim had Fox realize just how big of a franchise it was. The series returned for a new season in 2005, and has been continuously airing ever since. It’s now in the works on Season 24 of the animated series, and is showing no signs of ever slowing down again as it’s been made clear that Family Guy is stronger than it ever really has been before.

The funniest thing about Family Guy is that because of its cutaway gags, the animated series ended up being a perfect fit for modern entertainment habits. With the skew towards shorter, bite sized content, Family Guy clips ended up being the perfect kind of video to break through to multiple generations. This has kept the series alive with a new ironic audience, and feeds back into the main series. In fact, this has helped Family Guy to be huge in the streaming market.

Nielsen even awarded Seth MacFarlane their inaugural “Streaming Icon of the Year” because his franchises accounted for a total of over 60 billion views across multiple platforms. Thanks to how big Family Guy has become, MacFarlane has been able to take that and release all kinds of other projects that have gone on to their own success. It was a series that just could not be kept down, and all these years later MacFarlane is laughing to the bank.

Family Guy is such a rare series that it not only saved itself from cancellation, but has outright flourished in the years since. That’s a feat that really hasn’t been matched by anything else on TV…even The Simpsons. What do you think? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!