EXCLUSIVE: Seth MacFarlane and the showrunners for American Dad and Family Guy are placing down their instruments and abilities till the Writers Guild of America have a brand new cope with the studios.
Multiple Emmy winner MacFarlane, American Dad’s Brian Boyle and Matt Weitzman and Family Guy’s Rich Appel and Alec Sulkin made it clear to twentyth Television this week that none of them can be engaged on the respective collection so long as the WGA stays on strike.
Putting his toes the place his cash is, the creator and voiceover star of Family Guy and co-creator and voiceover star of American Dad, MacFarlane has been seen on the picket traces since talks broke down with the AMPTP and the guild went on strike on May 2. His look with fellow WGA members and his strolling off the 2 reveals ought to be no large shock, as MacFarlane was a giant advocate for the WGA holding robust over the last strike of 2007-2008.
Reps for each WME repped MacFarlane and 20th TV had no remark in the present day when contacted by Deadline on the exit of the ex-Oscar host, and the showrunners.
However, it appears to be like just like the affect of these departures can have little speedy impact on both the Fox broadcast Family Guy or American Dad.
MacFarlane had lengthy since accomplished all his duties on the previous, which ended its 20-episode 21st season on May 7. As for American Dad, which kicked off its 20th season in late March, there may be fairly a little bit of runway to go earlier than the wheels come off. The animated satire has about 3 months of scripts, v/o, and so forth already accomplished, I hear. Then the studio must determine what steps to take subsequent.
In January, Fox renewed Family Guy for a 22nd and 23rd season. Back in December 2021, American Dad was renewed for a 20th and 21st season.
Like many showrunners, Boyle, Weitzman, Appel and Sulkin had been despatched letters final week informing them individually that they needed to present up for work for his or her “non-WGA duties.” What truly constitutes such non-guild duties have confirmed an more and more tense level of competition between the WGA and the studios. The guild’s POV is solely that there isn’t a non-writing component of being a showrunner.
Having shifted in 2020 from a long-time general cope with twentieth Century Fox Television to a five-year and $200 million settlement with NBCUniversal, it’s unclear if MacFarlane and his Fuzzy Door Productions acquired a suspension letter from the Comcast-owned firm, as many high-profile showrunners and expertise have in current days.
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