In the latest issue of Entertainment Weekly, there’s a great article about “Family Guy” creator Seth MacFarlane and his new $100 million, five-year deal with FOX. If that sounds like a lot of money for a guy in charge of an animated series, you’d be wise to hold your tongue. In addition to writing, producing and voicing roughly half of the characters on the show, MacFarlane is also in charge of similar duties on his companion series, “American Dad,” as well as the new “Family Guy” spin-off, “The Cleveland Show,” set for debut in early 2009. Let’s just say the guy is definitely earning his paycheck.
If that wasn’t enough, the animation wunderkind has officially launched his new series of web shorts entitled “Seth MacFarlane’s Cavalcade of Cartoon Comedy.” I had previously heard about his plans for the web series before, but it was sheer luck that I happened to stumble upon it on the day of its official launch. For those wondering what to expect on the site, it’s pretty simple: you know those fun cutaways that appear throughout the course of an episode of “Family Guy”? You know, the ones that were so infamously lampooned on “South Park” for being completely random? Well, picture those minus the actual story.
There are currently only two up on the site (one involving a contestant on “$25,000 Pyramid” who is partnered with a dog, and another spoofing “Super Mario Bros.”), but they’re both excellent examples as to why MacFarlane is making the big bucks. It’s exactly these types of shorts that separate “Family Guy” from everything else on TV, and the fact that MacFarlane is creating even more on his own is great news for fans.
