2007 Fall TV Preview: Family Guy On Fox

Family Guy - Season 7

Premieres: Sunday, September 23rd at 9:00 p.m. EST
Network:Fox
Creator(s):Seth MacFarlane
Starring:Seth MacFarlane, Mila Kunis, Alex Borstein and Seth Green
Website: familyguy.com

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Love it or hate it, Family Guy will not go away. The animated sitcom about a dysfunctional family living in a fictional Rhode Island town originally aired on Fox in 1999. It ran for two seasons, after which it was canceled. Fan outcry and a shakeup at Fox led to a third season—and then it was canceled again. After reruns aired on The Cartoon Network to high ratings, Fox realized that it should never underestimate the power of comic book geeks and potheads and brought it back for a third go around. Now, two years later, fans are getting a sixth season.

The premiere episode proves that McFarlane knows his fan base. There’s a blackout in Quahog that leads to Peter sitting around with his family and telling stories. The stories quickly lead to the Griffins acting out scenes from Star Wars. The second episode has the family looking for a new dog after Brian (their talking dog) starts showing his age.


I was in college when Family Guy originally premiered, and I loved it. As a fan of South Park and The Simpsons, I was ready for a new show that could be both daring and downright raunchy. After it was canceled for the second time, it kind of fell off my radar. I’ve caught a few episodes since then, but the bloom has kind of gone off the rose for me.

Unlike The Simpsons, which has a comfortable familiarity, Family Guy just strikes me as repetitive. But really, what I think doesn’t matter. Family Guy has already proven that its fans are beyond diehard. Even though the 6th season hasn’t even premiered yet, production is already scheduled for season 7.