The Unexpected Way Family Guy Was Saved After Being Canceled By Fox
Ever since its premiere in 1999, "Family Guy" has been one of the most influential animated series of all time. While its initial critics dismissed the series as nothing more than an edgier take on "The Simpsons," Seth MacFarlane's freakin' sweet satire of American family sitcoms has been embraced by multiple generations, whether they tuned in during its initial seasons on Fox, caught its syndicated telecasts on Adult Swim, streamed it on Hulu, or, as it grows ever-so popular, via out-of-context clip compilations on YouTube or TikTok. You can check out /Film's ranking of the 15 funniest episodes here.
After over a quarter century on the air, "Family Guy" continues to push the envelope for network animated sitcoms as part of Fox's Animation Domination lineup. Given the series' evergreen virality on social media thanks to memes and clips (particularly the show's signature cutaway gags), younger fans would assume that the series was always a runaway hit for Fox, fittingly in tandem with the network's groundbreaking series, "The Simpsons," in a one-two punch of legacy animated sitcoms. However, although "Family Guy" is arguably more popular today than ever before, it was subject to not just one, but two cancellations from Fox during its first years on the air. Thankfully, the series was saved in the most surprising ways.
How the Griffin family survived two cancellations and became more relevant than ever
The Griffin family's first years on Fox were not easy. Fox premiered "Family Guy" in one of the most prime time slots possible: right after the Super Bowl. Although the series premiere received 22 million viewers, it was subject to controversy due to the series' mature content, which was as edgy as adult animated sitcoms can get on network television, especially when compared to "The Simpsons." The series' struggles during its first two seasons can be attributed to some rough time slots, in which it was pitted against heavy-hitters such as "Frasier," "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire," "Survivor," and "Friends."
In 2000, Fox first cancelled "Family Guy" following its second season due to low ratings, but the series was thankfully saved for the first time on a last-minute reprieve, giving it a third season. However, in 2002, the series would be cancelled again, and it looked as though viewers saw the last of Peter Griffin's shenanigans and Stewie Griffin's evil schemes.
Although "Family Guy" failed to soar in the ratings on Fox during its first three seasons, it built a larger fanbase thanks to two major factors: Adult Swim and DVD sales. When reruns started to air on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim late-night television programming block in 2003, it became its most-viewed series, averaging around 1.9 million viewers according to USA Today. Not to mention, DVD sales were surprisingly strong, with the complete first season selling more than 2.2 million copies, making it the second best-selling DVD of a television series at the time, right behind the first season of Comedy Central's "Chappelle's Show" (via The Christian Science Monitor). "Family Guy" became the first series brought back from cancellation due to strong ratings in reruns and DVD sales, and the series returned with its fourth season in 2005, three years after Fox cancelled it for the second and final time.
Why modern series are unlikely to be renewed in the same fashion
It is no secret that the television landscape has changed significantly since the 2000s. In the 2020s, most viewers getting their "Family Guy" fix are likely watching it through streaming services, whether in full episodes on Hulu or in out-of-context clips on social media. Even though "The Simpsons' dwarfs "Family Guy" by 10 years and over 300 episodes, the Griffins' quarter-century worth of hijinks lends to clips for nearly every scenario viewers can attribute to their own lives, which is why many of its gags become viral on a regular basis.
However, "Family Guy" lucked out in its survival from cancellation thanks to two outlets that no longer have the same stranglehold on the entertainment industry as they did in the early 2000s. For one, although broadcast and cable networks still exist, viewers continue to cut the cord, favoring streaming. And perhaps most tragic of all, physical media sales continue to freefall, with major stores like Best Buy having stopped sales altogether. In an age where streaming is king, it is unlikely that we will see another scenario in which a series struggling in the ratings will be saved from cancellation under the same circumstances, because the industry today is unrecognizable from where it was when the Griffins were given a third chance at television longevity.
All episodes of "Family Guy" season 23 are available to stream on Hulu.