How 'Family Guy' Writers Keep Things Fresh After 450 Episodes (Exclusive)

Family Guy is one of the longest-running shows on TV. It first premiered in 1999, only to then get canceled in 2002. But in 2005, Peter Griffin and his dysfunctional family came back with a vengeance, and they’ve been a mainstay of Fox’s Sunday night lineup ever since. 

Season 24 of Family Guy premieres on Feb. 15 with the show’s 450th episode. In the premiere, titled The Edible Arrangement, Stewie and Lois finally are able to hash out their differences — thanks to a wild trip on Brian’s weed gummies. In an unusual turn for the show famous for its crass humor, the episode actually takes on a tender, heartwarming tone. But when a show has been on as long as Family Guy has, the creatives behind it have to keep it fresh to keep the audience — and themselves — from getting bored. 

Men’s Journal spoke with Family Guy’s executive producers, Rich Appel and Alec Sulkin, about how they manage to keep the show from getting stale.

'Family Guy' Showrunners Praise the Writing Staff

“We have an amazing writing staff who are really inventive,” Appel explained. “We have a big team of artists and animators and directors, and they populate Quahog with 40, 50 characters you can probably name. And that helps with story.” He added, “You have a community. You don’t just have six friends on a couch.”

Sulkin agreed, especially when it came to praising the writers. “Sometimes [we ’re] laughing about something and then it dawns on [us]: this could be a story,” he said. “The writers are just so funny. Everybody just knows each other really well. They get their rhythms.”

A large part of why the writers get each other’s rhythms so well: they’ve worked together since the days of iPods and flip phones. “We probably have half a dozen writers who have been here for 20 years,” Appel said. “It’s such an advantage, because like you are with your closest friends who you’ve known for so long, it’s easier to share. You’re not as afraid of saying something foolish.” 

In addition to taking risks among each other in the writers’ room, the creative forces behind Family Guy also have freedom to take risks with the studio and network since the showhas proven itself a success over the last quarter-century. “We have some ideas that we just do,” Appel said, “but if you boiled it down to what the pitch would be, a network would say, ‘Meh.’”

Family Guy Season 24 premieres Feb. 15 on Fox at 9:30 p.m. EST.