Seth MacFarlane and the producers of Family Guy have created an original three-minute comedic short designed to educate, entertain and encourage the millions of unvaccinated citizens around the globe to feel confident getting vaccinated against COVID-19. The short was a joint production of Fuzzy Door, 20th Television Animation, FOX Entertainment and the Ad Council’s “It’s Up To You” COVID-19 Vaccine Education Initiative.
Described as part Schoolhouse Rock, part educational film from high school science class, but told with all the irreverence and hilarity for which Family Guy is known, the three-minute short finds Peter Griffin at the doctor’s office debating getting the shot, when Stewie and Brian teleport inside his body and explain how vaccines work. The tour de force short has MacFarlane voicing four characters — Peter, Stewie, Brian and Dr. Hartman — and was penned by the show’s writers in collaboration with MacFarlane and a team of scientific experts and epidemiologists.
“We were proud to work with some of the nation’s leading immunologists and epidemiologists on this PSA. And while we never understood a single note they gave us, we took them all,” said Family Guy exec producers/showrunners Rich Appel and Alec Sulkin.
“With millions of Americans still unsure about getting vaccinated against COVID-19, it’s more important than ever that we have smart, informative and entertaining messages like this that will boost confidence in the vaccines,” said Lisa Sherman, president and CEO of the Ad Council. “This new work from Seth MacFarlane and the team at Family Guy is bringing critical vaccine information to audiences in a fresh and hilarious way that will surely inspire people to take the next step in slowing the pandemic. We are grateful to our partners at Disney and Fox for their passion and collaboration at this pivotal moment in time.”
Since its debut in 1999, Family Guy has reached cult status among fans and racked up numerous awards, including an Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Comedy Series (only the second animated series to be so recognized). Most recently, series creator and lead voice actor MacFarlane won the 2019 Emmy Award for Outstanding Character Voice-Over Performance and is currently tied for the most voice-over Emmy wins of all time (four) for his work on the show.
Set to have its upcoming season premiere with its 375th episode, Family Guy continues to provide a humorous take on current events with big name guest voices, including Mike Judge, Justin Hartley, Zachary Levi, Jay Pharoah, Chris Parnell, Patton Oswalt, Wendy Malick, Peter Macon, Elizabeth Gillies, Leslie Uggams, Kenny Loggins and Sam Elliott. Arif Zahir joins the voice cast this season as the Griffins’ neighbor and family friend Cleveland Brown.
Family Guy is a 20th Television Animation production. MacFarlane is creator and executive producer. Rich Appel and Alec Sulkin serve as executive producers and showrunners, while Steve Callaghan, Tom Devanney, Danny Smith, Kara Vallow, Mark Hentemann and Patrick Meighan are executive producers.
The season premiere of Family Guy airs Sunday, September 26 (9:30-10:00 p.m. EDT).
