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Family Guy fans know Seth MacFarlane for his sharp humor, but lately, he's using his voice for something deeper. In a chat with Ted Danson on the "Where Everybody Knows Your Name" podcast, MacFarlane didn't hold back on what he feels is missing from today's TV and film. He said;
"The dishes that we are serving up are so dystopian and so pessimistic..."
His message? It's time Hollywood started giving audiences something they can actually feel hopeful about.
Why Seth MacFarlane thinks hope is Hollywood’s missing ingredient
Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane isn't knocking great content, but what he's saying is that tired of the never ending gloom and sad on screens. From his perspective and interpretation, it's been a long time since the viewers saw stories that inspired them to imagine something better and something more hopeful.
Shows like The Handmaid's Tale and The White Lotus get his respect for quality, but he says the industry leans too much on dark and cautionary content. In his words;
"It can't all be just, 'Here's what's going to happen to you if you f--- up."
That's exactly why he created The Orville. MacFarlane wanted to put out a story that still carried stakes but wasn't suffocated by despair. Growing up, he said Hollywood often provided "blueprints" for how to do things right with stories that blended entertainment with optimism.
The Family Guy creator believes those examples are rare now, replaced by antiheroes and bleak worlds. For him, telling hopeful stories isn't a minor wish list item; it's a responsibility Hollywood should take seriously if it wants to connect in a lasting way.
From Family Guy to The Orville: a push for balance in storytelling
Family Guy has always lived on bringing out a whole lot of edgy humor, but MacFarlane's creative work in general shows his interest in dealing with variety of content. With him doing The Orville, he moved and backed away from pure comedy to build on a series that leaned into wonder and optimism.
Speaking to Danson, The Family Guy creator recalled driving past endless billboards in Beverly with many of them advertising horror movies and other dark projects. That constant gate and rush of negativity, he says, leaves little room for stories that lift people up while giving them hope.
MacFarlane also drew comparisons to Star Trek: The Next Generation, citing Captain Picard as an example of a character who actually inspired people and gave them hope and integrity.
Don't get him wrong, he's not against gritty or unsettling shows and he even called The Sopranos "excellent" but he feels like Hollywood has become so focused on the antihero that it's lost balance. He said;
"What we do well is tell stories...And we're not doing the best job right now of telling those stories in a way that gives people hope."
In his mind, feeding in some more optimism/positivity into the mix isn't naive but it's long overdue.
Seth MacFarlane's appeal isn't about watering down content to only fit hopeful narratives or avoiding hard contemporary truths. It's about remembering that, along with cautionary content, audiences also crave something to look up to.
As the mind behind Family Guy and The Orville, he's shown he can deliver both laughs and layered narratives. Now, he's urging Hollywood to rethink the balance because sometimes, the most radical thing you can put on screen is a reason to believe things can get better.
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