NEW YORK 鈥� As everyone must know by now, Fox鈥檚 animated series Family Guy lives to lampoon human nature and human frailties, and does so without fear or favour.
There鈥檚 something bracing about Family Guy as it blows its whistle on a society that seems to grow ever coarser and more mean-spirited, while individuals squawk at any hint of disrespect directed toward them and wilt at every trigger word.
For anyone weary of today鈥檚 reflexive correctness, the show, with its deft blend of the ingenious and the rude-and-crude, provides a counteractive safe space where no low blow, regardless of how low, is inadmissible. And so it carries on, as porky patriarch Peter Griffin and his family and friends begin their 15th season tonight at 9 on Fox.
With that in mind, show runners Rich Appel and Alec Sulkin recently shared some details of what lies ahead 鈥� including the series鈥� 300th episode, which won鈥檛 be just a milestone, Appel promises, 鈥渂ut one of our best.鈥�
The season premi猫re, said Sulkin, 鈥渨ill be our shameless grab to win a [best show] Emmy鈥� 鈥� an itch so far unscratched by the Television Academy.
As Peter embarks on his own For Your Consideration campaign, he will make Family Guy more like proven Emmy-winning shows, including not just comedy but also dramas and reality.
Guest voices include Sofia Vergara, Ty Burrell, Julie Bowen, Louis C.K., Bill Maher, Christina Pickles and the late Adam West.
What else?
鈥淲e鈥檒l have a special episode where [precocious toddler] Stewie is in therapy for the entire half-hour,鈥� said Sulkin, 鈥渨ith the therapist played by Sir Ian McKellen.鈥�
鈥淪tewie actually learns something about himself,鈥� said Appel 鈥� 鈥渁s opposed to everyone else鈥檚 therapy.鈥�
Another episode, titled Three Directors, will tell the same simple story 鈥� Peter losing his job 鈥� within the half-hour, 鈥渂ut each version is told in the style of Quentin Tarantino, Wes Anderson and Michael Bay,鈥� Appel said.
鈥淲e have an episode where Brian [the erudite, articulate family dog] and Stewie go back to Victorian England and play Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson,鈥� said Sulkin. 鈥淭hat seems like something we might have done before, but we actually hadn鈥檛.鈥�
The series, which premi猫red in 1999, was created by Seth MacFarlane, who handed over the reins as showrunner in 2010 to pursue other projects, including the two Ted films and, currently, his new Fox sci-fi series The Orville, which he created, wrote and stars in.
But he continues to voice a number of favourite Family Guy characters, 鈥渁nd while he鈥檚 recording if there are things that he doesn鈥檛 like, or does like, he will let us know,鈥� Sulkin said.
One of MacFarlane鈥檚 signature elements in the show is its cutaway gags and comic asides. Peppered through each episode鈥檚 22 minutes, those cutaways are where some of its sharpest and most devilish comedy resides, and where the series takes its wildest flights of fancy.
鈥淚t鈥檚 one of Seth鈥檚 brilliant strokes,鈥� said Appel.
鈥淭he cutaways predate YouTube and Hulu clips, and anticipated the shared content of my kids鈥� generation. When people watch 30- or 60- or 90-second bits that they like, that they think is funny, they鈥檒l follow the trail to the whole show those bits came from. Family Guy is popular because hopefully it鈥檚 good, but the cutaways serve as a lifeline to the show in some ways.鈥�
Another MacFarlane masterstroke continues unabated: the considerable naughtiness of Family Guy. This means ongoing discussions with the network over content.
鈥淩ich has a background in law,鈥� said Sulkin, 鈥渟o when we have issues that are brought up by Standards, he is particularly good at making arguments to get us around some of those issues.鈥�
鈥淚 think what Alec is saying is: as a comedy writer, I鈥檓 a great lawyer,鈥� Appel cracked.
鈥淩ich just made several valiant phone calls trying to defend a bit in an upcoming show which is a play on the I Love Lucy chocolates-on-a-conveyer-belt scene,鈥� Sulkin said. 鈥淏ut instead of Lucy, it鈥檚 Peter. And instead of chocolates, it鈥檚 little Dixie cups filled with truckers鈥� urine for a drug test. Those are the kinds of things that we fight for.鈥�
鈥淚t鈥檚 not exactly what my mother imagined when she paid for my law school,鈥� Appel said, 鈥渂ut it鈥檚 something.鈥�
He didn鈥檛 say who won this particular debate.
