Seth MacFarlane is putting his talents on hold until the Writers Guild of America reaches a new agreement with studios. Together with American Dad showrunners Brian Boyle and Matt Weitzman and Family Guy showrunners Rich Appel and Alec Sulkin, MacFarlane conveyed to 20th Television this week that no one would be working on their series while the WGA is on strike, Deadline reported. A show of solidarity was shown on the picket lines by MacFarlane, the creator and voiceover star of Family Guy and co-creator and voiceover star of American Dad, as the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) went on strike on May 2, following the breakdown of negotiations between the guild and the studio. MacFarlane was a strong advocate for the WGA holding its ground during the 2007-2008 strike, so his appearance with fellow WGA members and the walkout was not unexpected.
According to Deadline, both the Fox broadcasts of Family Guy and American Dad will be little affected by those departures. As for the former, MacFarlane had already completed all of his duties with the series, which was in its 21st season and had just finished all of its episodes on May 7, while with American Dad, which has just begun its 20th season, he still has quite a bit of runway left. Deadline noted about three months of scripts, voiceovers, and such has already been completed for the animated satire. Then the studio will have to figure out what steps to take next. Fox renewed Family Guy for its 22nd and 23rd seasons back in January. American Dad was renewed for its 20th and 21st seasons in December 2021.
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Boyle, Weitzman, Appel, and Sulkin received letters last week informing them individually that they had to report to work for their “non-WGA duties,” Deadline explained. The WGA and studios have become increasingly embroiled in the debate over what constitutes a showrunner’s non-guild duties, so their relationship has become increasingly tense. The guild argues that there is no non-writing component to the role of a showrunner.
Even though MacFarlane and his Fuzzy Door Productions changed from a long-time overall deal with 20th Century Fox Television to a five-year NBCUniversal agreement for $200 million in 2020, the company has not sent him or his team a suspension letter, as many other high-profile showrunners and talent have in recent days, sources told the outlet.
