Seth MacFarlane is 39 years old today, and to celebrate this, let’s take a look at some of his ventures into the world of television. He’s had some huge hits, and some pretty big misses, which has made him a controversial figure. Still, if nothing else, MacFarlane has proven himself as someone willing to take risks. Let’s look at which ones paid off, and which ones didn’t.
5. Seth And Alex’s Almost Live Comedy Show (2009)
This was a one-off special that aired in 2009, when Seth pretty much had completely control over the Fox lineup — or at least the Sunday night lineup. It wasn’t anything special, basically acting like a mediocre late-period Family Guy episode, except in this case, there was no attempt to have a plot. It seemed like the concept behind this was to just put Seth MacFarlane and Alex Borstein on TV for half-hour and see what kind of hilarity ensues. The results were decidedly underwhelming, and it’s not a surprise that there hasn’t been a repeat attempt at a special like this.
4. The 2013 Oscars
Seth MacFarlane was a weird choice to the host the Oscars, and he seemed to be completely aware of that, spending the entire time making absolutely certain he would never be invited to host again. “We Saw Your Boobs,” the most controversial bit from MacFarlane’s gig, was supposed to represent the type of offensive thing MacFarlane would do as the Oscars host, but that meta-humor was largely lost on audiences who just saw the bit as sexist. It probably didn’t help that some of the, um, boob-sightings references in the song occurred durings rape scenes. MacFarlane’s humor really didn’t translate to the Oscars, and he’ll likely go down as one of the worst hosts ever, but he probably couldn’t care less about that.
3. The Cleveland Show (2009-2013)
It took The Cleveland Show some time to gain steam — the entire first season is pretty much skippable — and when it finally got going, most people had already begun to ignore it. That’s why it was canceled after four seasons in 2013. But there are certainly some episodes of The Cleveland Show that are worth your time, and with reruns showing on TBS on Adult Swim on a regular basis, there’s plenty of chances to enjoy the best episodes of this show.
2. Family Guy (1999-2002, 2005-Present)
The current state of Family Guy is a classic “be careful what you wish for.” For its first three seasons, not only was Family Guy a hilarious show, it also cared about things like character development and coherent storylines. When it was initially canceled after just 49 episodes, it felt it was gone too soon. But when it reappeared in 2005, things were never the same. The show increasingly relied on shock-for-the-sake of shock humor, and its characters are often needlessly cruel. This isn’t to say there aren’t any good post-2005 Family Guy episodes (“Road To The Multiverse,” anyone?), but the early years of the show represent its peak, and one can’t help but think that if Family Guy had never been revived in 2005, it might have a much better reputation.
1. American Dad! (2005-Present)
When American Dad! first debuted in 2005, it looked like it was a mere Family Guy clone, but over time, it gained steam, and became one of the funniest shows on television. Originally conceived as a satire of post 9/11 America, AD thrived when it decided to focus on its characters instead, with Roger in particular bringing a ton of laughs. It’s worth noting, MacFarlane does not play a huge role in the show’s day-to-day production, as Mike Barker has been the showrunner for years (he’ll be replaced by Steve Callaghan this year), but he should get credit for creating the characters, and giving life to the voices of Stan and Roger.
