Consisting of one-liners, slap-stick humor, and crude, insensitive jokes, Family Guy has been in production for twenty-one seasons, following the adventures of the Griffin family - Peter (Seth MacFarlane), Lois (Alex Borstein), Brian (MacFarlane), Chris (Seth Green), Meg (Mila Kunis), and Stewie (MacFarlane). Conceptualized through hand-drawn animation and pop-culture references, the series has amassed a cult-like following, and has featured many guest stars, from Ryan Reynolds to James Woods.

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Behind the iconic animated television series is mastermind comedian Seth MacFarlane, whose role in the Family Guy production stemmed from creating the original character designs, working as the executive producer, and of course, voicing multiple characters. In 2011, he stepped away from production duties to simply working as a voice actor to make room for other acting commitments. When he is unable to hire someone who embodies that particular characteristic he is looking for, he has been known to step in and do the job himself!

Peter Griffin

Peter Griffin in the doghouse

The main character of the franchise, Peter Griffin is the dim-witted patriarch of the family, and often the canon of misdemeanor that accounts for the episode’s adventures. Controversial, abrasive and dense, Peter has appeared in every Family Guy episode since ‘Death Has A Shadow’ in 1999 as the lazy father who spends his time drinking and watching television (when he isn’t involved in shenanigans such as creating a television network, or repeatedly listening to ‘Surfin’ Bird’).

Seth MacFarlane chose to based Peter’s iconic voice on a security guard he met during his time at college, who had a “thick Rhode Island accent”, a loud voice, and “absolutely no self-editing whatsoever”.

Stewie Griffin

If he can bring his teddy, he'll do great on reality tv

The youngest member of the Griffin family, Stewie is a one-year-old infant with a large head in the shape of a football. Adopting an English accent, Stewie is a sophisticated character beyond his years, that possesses both a childish helplessness, and an adult seriousness that surpasses all of his family members. He doesn’t respect his family members outside of Brian, whom he spends most of his time with.

At the beginning of Family Guy, Stewie’s dominant personality trait came from his desire to kill Lois and achieve world domination - making him a super villain who creates many destructive weapons. In later seasons, Stewie blended this villain dream with more of a sexually ambiguous persona, that also still showcases his childish side. Stewie was designed and created by Seth MacFarlane, who took inspiration from Rex Harrison’s performance in My Fair Lady, as well as the lower, evil tones from The Simpsons character Mr. Burns.

Brian Griffin

Brian Griffin

The talking, two-legged walking, alcoholic Brian Griffin is the family Labrador, and loyal best friend to both Peter and Stewie. A failed writer, Brian doesn’t work, and instead spends his time trying to create meaningful relationships with women, which always backfires.

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Brian is said to be the anthropomorphic version of Seth MacFarlane, who uses his own speaking voice for characterization, and instills his political and religious views into the morally-driven character.

Glenn Quagmire

Quagmire smiling

One of Peter’s closest friend and neighbor is the sexually-motivated Glenn Quagmire, who is best known on Family Guy for his untimely catchphrase ‘Giggity’ - the show’s version of the saying “that’s what she said”, that is exclaimed any time something can be a connotation in sexual nature.

The inspiration of Quagmire’s voice came from the voices of radio announcers in the 40s and 50s, with his appearance created through an exaggerated depiction of comedian-actor, Bob Hope. Described as a character stuck in the “Rat Pack” era, Quagmire lives out the bachelor party life through numerous sexual relations, despite reportedly being sixty-one years old and a commercial pilot.

Tom Tucker

Tom Tucker drinking with Peter

The male anchorman for Quahog’s Channel 5 News, Tom Tucker is best known for delivering the news in the same bubbly tone, regardless of the subject he is reporting about.

Working alongside Dianne Simmons (Lori Alan) and more recently, Joyce Kinney (Christine Lakin), Tom has been known to belittle the female anchors, or make sexual comments towards them, and he encapsulates a somewhat narcissistic persona as a product of his slight infamy.

Jake Tucker

Jake Tucker

The only son of Tom and Stacey Tucker (Nicole Sullivan), Jake Tucker is a minor character in the Family Guy franchise, appearing in under twenty episodes since season one. Most notable for his upside-down face, he is often referred to as a freak, which appeared to cause a rebellious nature to him as a result.

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Jake used to attend Buddy Cianci Junior High School with Chris Griffin, where he engaged in many inappropriate acts such as bringing alcohol to the school dance, and being arrested for drug possession.

Carter Pewterschmidt

Carter singing with Lois

Billionaire Carter Pewterschmidt is married to Barbara Pewterschmidt (Alex Borstein), the father of Lois Griffin, and the father-in-law of Peter Griffin. Carter is the owner of Pewterschmidt Industries and U.S Steel, and finds value in money over everything else - though he is known to be stingy with his billions, even going as far as to refusing to pay for a ransom to rescue Lois.

Carter Pewterschmidt has been a regular on the series since season two, in the episode ‘Peter, Peter, Caviar Eater’.

Dr. Hartman

Dr. Hartman and Lois

The unhelpful Dr. Hartman is the Griffin family’s doctor, who often misunderstands medical jargon, causing the family to believe they have conditions despite being healthy. Dr. Hartman saw his medical license revoked in ‘Stewie Loves Lois’ after performing a prostate exam on Peter, who mistakes it for an act of rape, though it is later reinstated.

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Despite his haphazardness, Dr. Hartman saved Peter’s life by donating his kidney to him, in the save vein stopping Brian from dying on the operating table in an unsuccessful bid to donate his own, incompatible kidney. Interestingly, Dr. Hartman’s voice sounds exactly the same as Carter Pewterschmidt’s - which was once referenced in the episode, ‘Believe It Or Not, Joe’s Walking On Air’.

God

An interpretation of God

An interpretation of the Christian deity, God appears in Family Guy as a white-haired man wearing a white robe, who sits above the clouds watching the Earth below. His role is often one of comedic value, where Family Guy reinterprets biblical references such as the creation of the world, where God uses a cigarette lighter to light his fart on fire.

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God has been a character on the show since the first episode, ‘Death Has A Shadow’, where his depiction has caused controversy for promoting anti-Christian beliefs, in line with Seth MacFarlane’s own atheist views.

Seamus

The wooden armed and legged pirate Seamus

One of the town’s social outcasts, Seamus is a wooden armed and legged fisherman who lives a pirates’ life. Often ignored in friend groups and romantically, Seamus’ role in the series is generally to warn Peter of troubles whenever he goes out to sea.

Seamus first appeared in Family Guy in season three’s episode ‘A Fish Out Of Water’, and shares the same voice as both Carter Pewterschmidt and Dr. Hartman.

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