Good news for adult animation fans and TikTok pirates, Family Guy isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. The series is officially 25 years and 22 seasons into its run, and in yet another “Simpsons did it first!” moment, creator and star Seth MacFarlane has hinted that the show will keep barreling ahead for as long as possible.
In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, MacFarlane touched on both the staggering longevity of the show and the future of the series. “At this point, I don’t see a good reason to stop. People still love it. It makes people happy and it funds some good causes,” he said. “It’s a lot of extraneous cash that you can donate to Rainforest Trust and you can still go out to dinner that night.”
“There was a time when I thought, it’s time to wrap it up. At this point, we’ve reached escape velocity. I don’t know that there’s any reason to stop at this point unless people get sick of it,” he continued. “Unless the numbers show that people just are, ‘Eh, we don’t care about Family Guy anymore.’ But that hasn’t happened yet.”
Family Guy premiered in 1999, when MacFarlane was just 24 years old. After an initial run, a cancellation, and an ultimate revival in 2005, the show has become one of the most recognizable franchises on television. In addition to creating the show, MacFarlane voices Peter Griffin, Brian Griffin, Stewie Griffin, Glenn Quagmire, and a litany of bit characters.
In the same Los Angeles Times profile, other members of the Family Guy team expressed similar interest in keeping the show alive. “I would be so sad if ever there was a reason for this to stop, because it is endless amounts of fun,” Chris Griffin actor Seth Green said. “I feel like every time we have a table read or recording, I’m laughing. For me, that’s my litmus test,” Lois Griffin actor Alex Borstein added.
Last year, Family Guy was picked up for Season 22 and Season 23. It’s currently in the first of those two installments and airs Wednesday nights on FOX.