General Info
The family was conceived by MacFarlane after developing two animated films,
The Life of Larry and Larry & Steve. MacFarlane redesigned the
films' protagonist, Larry, and his dog, Steve, and renamed them Peter and Brian,
respectively. MacFarlane pitched a seven-minute pilot to Fox on May 15, 1998.
The show was given the green light and started production. Shortly after the
third season of Family Guy aired in 2001, Fox canceled the series,
putting the series to a 2-year hiatus. However, favorable DVD sales and high ratings for syndicated reruns on Adult
Swim convinced the network to renew the show in 2004.
Family Guy has been nominated for 12 Primetime
Emmy Awards and 11 Annie Awards, and has won three of each. In 2009,
it was nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Comedy Series, the first time an
animated series was nominated for the award since The
Flintstones in 1961. Family Guy has also received
criticism, including unfavorable comparisons for its similarities to The Simpsons.
Family Guy holds a TV-PG and TV-14 rating, with the latter being used more
often.
The Life of Larry and Larry & Steve. MacFarlane redesigned the
films' protagonist, Larry, and his dog, Steve, and renamed them Peter and Brian,
respectively. MacFarlane pitched a seven-minute pilot to Fox on May 15, 1998.
The show was given the green light and started production. Shortly after the
third season of Family Guy aired in 2001, Fox canceled the series,
putting the series to a 2-year hiatus. However, favorable DVD sales and high ratings for syndicated reruns on Adult
Swim convinced the network to renew the show in 2004.
Family Guy has been nominated for 12 Primetime
Emmy Awards and 11 Annie Awards, and has won three of each. In 2009,
it was nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Comedy Series, the first time an
animated series was nominated for the award since The
Flintstones in 1961. Family Guy has also received
criticism, including unfavorable comparisons for its similarities to The Simpsons.
Family Guy holds a TV-PG and TV-14 rating, with the latter being used more
often.