Watch: Seth MacFarlane Reveals What Fans Can Expect In New 'Ted' SeriesCitizens of Quahog, raise a glass of Pawtucket Patriot Ale. Because Family Guy is celebrating its 27th anniversary. On Jan. 31, 1999-after FOX's broadcast of Super Bowl XXXIII-audiences were introduced to Seth MacFarlane's animated magnum opus. Viewers met Peter Griffin, the bumbling father (voiced by MacFarlane); Lois, his pretty wife (Alex Borstein); Meg, their oft-ridiculed daughter (Mila Kunis); Chris, their awkward son (Seth Green); Stewie, their diabolical baby intent on ruling the world; and Brian, their anthropomorphic dog (the latter two also voiced by MacFarlane). With its heady mix of high-and low-brow comedy, cutaway gags and crass language, the adult cartoon was a lightning rod for controversy. "One of the things that Family Guy has really tried to do every step of the way is to look at every joke and say, 'OK, if we were called on the carpet, could we defend this in an intellectual way, and say, this is the point we were making?'" MacFarlane explained to the Los Angeles Times in 2024. "There's an earnestness to that approach that I think has created sort of a shield around the show that continues to this day. And I think audiences are smart enough to recognize that."readHow Seth MacFarlane and Family Guy Have Been Calling Out Hollywood's Biggest Scandals for YearsBut over the course of the last two decades, the story of the series itself has, at times, eclipsed whatever animated antics were going on in any given episode. FAMILY GUY (C) 2024 by 20th Television Whether it's the show's multiple cancellations (yes, multiple), its unapologetic approach to skewering just about everything, its high-profile casting changes, or its brazen feuding with programs on the very same network, the story of Family Guy is anything but boring. And the series doesn't appear to be calling it quits anytime soon. "There was a time when I said, 'Hey, let's wrap it up while we're going strong,'" MacFarlane added to the outlet. "At this point, I don't know, I don't see a good reason to stop. People still love it. It makes people happy, and I don't know that there's any reason to stop at this point unless people get sick of it. Unless the numbers show that people just are, 'Eh, we don't care about Family Guy anymore.' But that hasn't happened yet." So before we all head down to The Drunken Clam to celebrate 27 years of MacFarlane and Co. cracking fans up as they gasp in shock, let's take a little trip down memory lane, shall we?Warner Bros.A PrecursorBefore there was Peter Griffin and his talking dog Brian, there was Larry and his talking dog Steve. For his thesis film at the Rhode Island School of Design, MacFarlane created a short called The Life of Larry, which featured a human character with a voice reminiscent of the one he'd go on to use for Peter's and his verbose pooch. The short got him hired at famed animation studio Hanna-Barbera immediately upon graduating, where he contributed to classic Cartoon Network shows like Dexter's Laboratory and Johnny Bravo. During his time at the studio, he created a second short of his own, called Larry & Steve, that told the story of how the title characters found each other. It aired on Cartoon Network in 1997 as part of its "What A Cartoon!" series.

FoxThe Original PlanFamily Guy was originally intended to find life as a series of animated shorts included in episodes of the network's popular late-night series. "Family Guy was supposed to be a series of shorts on Mad TV, in the way that The Simpsons began on Tracey Ullman," MacFarlane told IGN. The reason it didn't? Money. "It just came down to a budgetary thing," he explained. "They didn't really have the budget to do any kind of animation at that point."FOX via Getty Images; Earl Gibson III/Getty ImagesAn Almost Very Different BrianThough Fox gave MacFarlane the greenlight to provide the voices for three of Family Guy's main characters (among many, many more)-Peter, Stewie and Brian-once the show was picked up to series, they entertained the idea of bringing in some other actors to test for the role of the Griffin family dog. "There were actually some cool people; at one point, William H. Macy auditioned for Brian," MacFarlane told IGN in 2003. Ultimately, however, MarFarlane's take on the role, which he'd already recorded for the pilot presentation, won out. "It was the fact that they had heard Brian that way in the initial pilot, and at that point they were used to hearing him that way," he explained. "I think they just didn't want to mess with it."FOX; Ken Regan/Orion/Kobal/REX/ShutterstockThe Inspiration for ChrisWhen looking for the voice behind Chris Griffin, MacFarlane heard actor after actor audition with their best surfer speak. So, when the Buffy the Vampire Slayer star Seth Green came in with a very different take on the role, it was a breath of fresh air. As Green has admitted, his inspiration for Chris' unique speaking voice came from an impressi