The creator and showrunners of the hit animated sitcom Family Guy say the not-so-family-friendly series consistently avoids the "cancel culture" narrative because they and the show's viewers successfully separate fiction from reality.

Executive producers Seth MacFarlane, Alec Sulkin and Rich Appel spoke to The Hollywood Reporter about the show's success and their ability to successfully push buttons without running afoul of Fox or the masses watching. McFarlane, who conceptualized the idea of Family Guy and brought it to life, said outrage about the show is minimal from what he's seen. "Peter Griffin and Brian Griffin and Lois Griffin are not actual people that you can find on social media because they don't exist," he said. "The supposed outrage -- I don’t find a lot of it in the real world. I read a lot about it on Twitter, which is, as much as we lend credence to it, statistically very fringe. Most people aren't on Twitter."

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Sulkin credited Family Guy writers for regularly coming up with edgy yet entertaining material that pushes all the right buttons. However, he also hailed Appel for his legal nous to handle any potential issues with the network, if raised. "A lot of the credit goes to our writers, who come up with funny, edgy stuff all the time," Sulkin said. "And a lot of credit goes to Rich, who, with his legal background, is uniquely qualified to fight network standard notes."

Appel compared Family Guy to other animated classics like The Simpsons and South Park, hinting people need to avoid taking things to heart when watching the interactions throughout the show. "I think if you look at South Park and The Simpsons and our show, it's not a coincidence that they're all animated. And I think people's quote-unquote outrage and willingness to take offense at anything is in a different world when they're animated characters," he said. "To me, it's proof that people don't take such offense."

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It Seems Today, That All You See...

Family Guy has never been afraid to step on proverbial toes throughout its body of work, which spans over two decades. MacFarlane's brainchild has courted praise for its hard-hitting pop culture references and dark humor. However, the series has been an epicenter of controversy, including accusations of anti-religious sentiments, its handling/portrayal of domestic violence and its mocking of various serious issues. Additionally, the show has faced a host of FCC complaints and condemnation from the Parents Television Council for its content.

Despite the controversies and being literally canceled twice during its run, Family Guy continues its envelope-pushing ways on Fox and has amassed great success throughout its run. The animated series has won 23 awards to date including multiple Primetime Emmy Awards and the ASCAP Film and Television Music Award for Top Television Series in 2013. It also got nominated for a Grammy in 2012 for Best Song Written for Visual Media for "Christmastime is Killing Us," by MacFarlane and Bruce McGill. MacFarlane promised a movie based on the Family Guy series would happen at some point, though nothing has been announced as of yet.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter