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Family Guy is an American
animated television sitcom created by
Seth MacFarlane for the
Fox Broadcasting Company. The series centers on the Griffins, a
dysfunctional family consisting of
Peter,
Lois,
Meg,
Chris,
Stewie, and their pet dog
Brian. The show uses frequent
cutaway gags, often in the form of
tangential vignettes which parody
American culture.
Family Guy was conceived by MacFarlane after developing two predecessor animated films,
The Life of Larry and
Larry & Steve. MacFarlane changed the design of the protagonist Larry and renamed him Peter; he also changed the design of Larry's dog Steve, and developed him into Brian. Shortly after the third season of
Family Guy aired in 2003, the series was canceled. However, because of favorable DVD sales and high ratings on syndicated reruns, the network renewed the show in 2004. The setting for the stories is a partially fictional town in
Rhode Island, based on MacFarlane's upbringing and education.