Seth MacFarlane Leaving 20th Century Fox TV, Signs Overall Deal with NBCUniversal

Seth MacFarlane, creator of the long-running hit adult animated series Family Guy, has signed an overall deal with NBCUniversal and will be leaving his longtime home at 20th Century Fox TV, according to Deadline.

  • Details on MacFarlane’s deal with NBCUniversal have not been officially announced but Deadline reports that it is for five years and worth at least $200 million.
  • MacFarlane has spent his entire television career of more than two decades with 20th Century Fox.
  • 20th Century Fox TV reportedly made an effort to keep MacFarlane but were simply outbid by NBCUniversal, who reportedly plan to use him as an anchor when it comes to content production for their coming streaming service, Peacock.
  • MacFarlane and his production company, Fuzzy Door, will produce projects for both NBCU and Peacock.
  • After creating Family Guy, which is currently in the middle of its 18th season, MacFarlane went on to create American Dad!, another successful animated series.
  • He also voices multiple characters for both of those series.
  • MacFarlane also created and stars in the sci-fi dramedy The Orville, which ran for two seasons and will be moving from Fox to Hulu for its third.
  • He also revived the educational series Cosmos with Fox.

What they’re saying:

  • Dana Walden, chairman of Disney Television Studios and ABC Entertainment: “One of my oldest memories from Fox is of a young Seth MacFarlane hanging out in the halls of the studio. He entertained all of us with his incredible wit and hilarious observations. He is a brilliant artist and a great friend; and, there is no one we root for more than him. As a fan, I look forward to whatever he creates next, and as his studio partner on Family Guy, American Dad and The Orville, I feel lucky to be continuing an extraordinary partnership.”