It's January 31st, 1999. Television has gone through its greatest animation boom, and things begin to wane when nothing seems to replicate the success of The Simpsons. In comes Family Guy. It's since been over 20 years since the show premiered, and it has survived 2 cancellations, a few cast changes, and years of controversy.
Family Guy has shown time and again that it has a beloved fanbase, and it has done nothing less than entertain and tickle them during its nearly 20 season run. Having run as long as it has, Family Guy isn't exactly the same show that it used to be. Looking back to the pilot, it's strange seeing what the early ideas and character of the show was compared to the modern day. In a fit of nostalgia and criticism, this list will be running down a few of the ways that Family Guy has changed since day one.
10 It's No Longer Just A Family Sitcom
When the series started out, it was a near carbon copy of The Simpsons, if not the entire sitcom formula of American television. The talking dog and baby notwithstanding, the series was just a regular comedy series featuring a fat, bumbling husband, a loving wife, and a group of kids going through a pivotal part of their life.
However, the days of Meg and Chris just asking about the facts of life and Peter's trying father figure schtick are all but gone, as the way of the cutaway gag and all of the modern age's pessimism has taken over the show, morphing it into the animated parody and reference machine that fans know today.
9 It Has Gotten Pretty Dark And Violent
As the series moved away from the more traditional family values of American television, it began to test how many buttons it could actually push. And, while going into controversial and offensive subjects brought about plenty of angry letters, what really pushed Family Guy into a new realm of edginess was its sudden embrace of dark and violent humor.
While Peter's initial chicken fight was plenty violent and action-packed, it really doesn't compare to the bloodshed and horrors of the fights and casual violence of today, with Stewie's brutal beating of Brian for a gambling debt already seeming like a tame experience as compared to his gore-filled affairs of today.
8 Meg Completely Changes Voice Actresses
A change that happens fairly early on that hardcore fans (and even the show itself) love to point out is the fact that Meg's original voice acrtress, Lacey Chabert, had actually left the show. To take her place, Seth MacFarlane would actually enlist the help of Mila Kunis, as she was within the throws of That 70s Show acclaim.
Having persisted for the show's near entirety, Mila has undoubtedly become the defining voice of Meg, with Chabert's involvement only seeming like a distant memory.
7 Meg Becomes The Butt Of Every Joke
While on the topic of the Griffin's pink-adorned eldest, her character has gone through quite a transition over the years. Early on, it was clear that she was meant to play the classic daughter character, going through the waves of puberty and crying to her family about the troubles of high school.
However, the Griffins would only increasingly respond to her with reluctance and ambivalence, eventually transferring those feelings into the aggressive and mean behavior that fans know today. Instead of actually helping her with her teenage problems, the Griffins have abused and picked on her in all manner of cruel and strange ways ranging from just farting in her face to directly forcing her out of the house.
6 Brian Goes From Voice Of Reason To A Parody Of Liberals
Brian's original incarnation in the series was to simply be a smart voice of reason who, despite his own pleas for rationality and simplicity, would tag along with Peter for the fat man's various schemes. A huge part of that gimmick involved him being an incredibly cultured and well-read voice among the Griffins, often using that charm to connect with Lois.
However, much like other things in the series, Brian's character has been whittled down to cheap jokes and parody, as that same voice of reason has been contorted into the arrogant, chauvinistic voice of a liberal poser.
5 Victory Is No Longer Stewie's
Stewie, by far, has been the series' most consistently entertaining character, using his innate charm and capacity for sci-fi nonsense to create some of the show's most interesting performances and scenarios. It was during his early years that the youngest Griffin would have a much more simple, cartoony demeanor, as he would dedicate his days to trying to kill Lois and develop plans for world domination.
Now, he kind of just doesn't do that anymore. He's outright stopped trying to kill Lois, and all of his inventions are based on his own curiosity and desire for adventure. Even when he's blatantly violent, the people he goes against are those who have already crossed him or displayed some manner of annoyance or jerkiness. Far from the villain, he now stands as the series' lead hero.
4 Cleveland Gets Divorced, Leaves, Then Comes Back
One can gauge what generation of Family Guy that someone is watching just based on how Cleveland is. The infamously token black guy of the show, Cleveland has been put through the absolute ringer across the series. His wife cheats on him with Quagmire, leading to a nasty divorce and an interesting run of girlfriends.
When Family Guy and American Dad had reached stable popularity, Fox would decide to give Cleveland his very own spinoff, having him leave the show for a new, TV family. However, like a lot of Fox projects, The Cleveland Show would fail, and he would return to Quahog with the family of his show (though they really haven't shown up a lot in the series). He's also no longer a butcher because being a mailman is apparently a more interesting angle for the show.
3 Bonnie Actually Gives Birth
It seems like such a long time ago when a running gag in the series was Bonnie Swanson's seemingly neverending pregnancy. Having been introduced as pregnant around the beginning of the series, Family Guy would kind of just forget that she was expecting for about seven seasons.
Either realizing the blatant inconsistency or just wanting to stop using as much purple coloring, the series would have Bonnie finally give birth to the baby Susie, jokingly stating that she would already be 18 years old. From then on, Bonnie's gimmick hasn't been being pregnant but constantly talking about cheating on her wheelchair-bound husband.
2 Peter Goes Through A Lot Of Jobs
A huge part of a sitcom family man's character is their work. Emblematic of their character and the surrounding culture of their hometown, a job does a hefty job of defining a character. However, the series would have a really hard time doing just that, as it would push Peter through a variety of different jobs.
He'd lose his job as a toy factory worker, fall out of renaissance fair jousting, go under as a fisherman, and eventually settle as a desk jockey in a brewery.
1 The Show Kills A Lot Of Its Cast
Perhaps the greatest indication of the series' age is each season's run of characters. As the series has progressed, it would slowly get rid a few of its recurring yet underutilized cast, as it would make way for other gags and new people. This would include the loss of both of Peter's parents, Loretta Brown, Muriel Goldman, various gag characters, and Diane Simmons.
Even with recent years, there has been a sharp uptick in change for the cast, as two of its core characters, Mayor Adam West and Peter's boss Angela, would see their voice actor's passing and their characters being written off the show with varying respect.