Seth MacFarlane: “Family Guy” Should Have Ended

The man behind "Family Guy" says seven seasons is the right lifespan for a TV show--his just started its tenth

It might be time to say goodbye to “Family Guy,” creator Seth MacFarlane says.

In the cover story of this week’s Hollywood Reporter, the man behind Peter Griffin et al. said every show has a limited shelf life. “Part of me thinks that ‘Family Guy’ should have already ended,” MacFarlane told the publication. “I think seven seasons is about the right lifespan for a TV series.”

A strange thing to say, as his show that’s in its tenth season.

"I talk to the fans and in a way I'm kind of secretly hoping for them to say we're done with it,” MacFarlane said, though there are obviously other factors he needs to consider. For one, he’s got around 300 people working on staff for the Fox television show. For another, he’s got a golden touch and started a cash cow for the network. And, of course, there’s the cult success the show has garnered.

In 2010 alone, his programming (including “Family Guy” spin-off “The Cleveland Show” and “American Dad!”) generated a solid $200 million in ad revenue.

But if MacFarlane wants to bid farewell to Quahog, what has he got his eyes set on? Possibly a reboot of his favorite television series, “Star Trek.”

“I’d love to see that franchise revived for television in the way that it was in the 1990’s: very thoughtful, smartly written stories that transcend the science fiction audience.”

One thing, MacFarlane said, that’s not in the cards Broadway. While the “South Park”’s Trey Parker and Matt Stone translated their love of political incorrectness, religion, and show tunes into the wildly popular “Book of Mormon,” MacFarlane said that if he ever did Broadway, he’d do something more “old fashioned.”

As it stands, though, “Family Guy” will continue into the foreseeable future.

Selected Reading: THR, IMDb

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