Family Guy Casts Sam Elliott to Replace Adam West as Mayor

While he was known by most as TV's iconic Batman, actor Adam West found a home late in his career on Fox's animated sitcom, Family Guy, voicing Quahog's mayor. For nearly two decades, Mayor West was a staple of the series, but that run came to an end with the passing of the actor back in 2017. Now, three years after his death, the series has found a new mayor to replace West's popular character. Sam Elliott, who remains immensely popular in his own right, will be taking on the job going forward.

EW revealed on Wednesday morning that Elliott has been tapped to appear in a recurring role in Family Guy beginning with the upcoming 19th season. This new mayor is actually a cousin of the late Mayor West and, due to Elliott's voice and career, will be named Wild Wild West. Yes, his first and middle name are both Wild. Elliott's character is set to make his debut in a November episode of the series.

"Who could be as original and unexpected and comedically fun and fresh as Adam," pondered executive producer Rich Appel. "Sam has a voice that — obviously he's a movie star but he also has a voice made for radio, and Sam Elliot quickly became our first choice."

Wild Wild West first arrives in Quahog during the mayoral election, as Peter is unhappy with the candidates that are running for the office. He convinces Elliott's character to stay and run, ultimately landing him the job.

According to executive producer Alec Sulkin, Elliott wasn't keen on the opportunity. "His first reaction was 'no,'" he said. But a lot of that reluctance had to do with the fact that the character was nothing more than a version of Sam Elliott.

"He was reluctant," added Appel. "He just felt like he didn't want to play himself. Which made us go back thinking, 'Well, all right, is there someone else?' And we thought, 'Wait a minute, that note is a smart note. Because that was more what Adam West was doing. And the new mayor shouldn't be another real-world celebrity playing himself within our fictional world. So we kicked around a bunch of ideas and then said, 'What if we refashion this as Wild West for Sam Elliott and create this new character?' And he responded very well to that idea."

What do you think of Sam Elliott's new look as the mayor of Quahog? Let us know in the comments!

Family Guy returns for Season 19 on September 27th.