It is safe to say that, over the past two decades, Seth MacFarlane has carved out an empire of adult animation. Beginning with Family Guy and extending through American Dad and The Cleveland Show, MacFarlane has had an incredible run, at one point holding almost a monopoly over FOX's Sunday Night Animation programming block.
With MacFarlane's newest live-action hit The Orville set to debut its third season on Hulu next year, MacFarlane is one of television comedy's biggest stars. However, the comedian has lent his talents to various other lower-profile projects over the years. Here are the ten obscure Seth MacFarlane projects that you might not have been aware of.
The Life Of Larry/Larry & Steve (1995/1997)
Seth MacFarlane's breakthrough came when his 1995 short The Life of Larry received notice from Hannah-Barbera, which led to a sequel short, Larry & Steve, being produced and shown on the Cartoon Network anthology series, What A Cartoon!.
The shorts serve as a template for what would become Family Guy, as they follow a loser named Larry, his talking dog Steve, and Larry's family. Larry soon became Peter, Steve became Brian, and Larry's son Milt morphed into teenage everyman Chris. No doubt the launchpad of MacFarlane's career, this is where his signature style was first displayed.
Books of Blood (2020)
Earlier this year in October, Hulu dropped Books of Blood, an anthology horror film centered around stories from the warped mind of genre master Clive Barker. Though the film failed to capture the mass audience's attention or any real critical adoration, the film was backed by executive producer Seth MacFarlane.
Horror is a highly lucrative field currently for producers, and MacFarlane nobly tries his hand at steering this ship of disjointed literary terrors that is unfortunately dull, and thus was lost in the Halloween shuffle.
Cosmos: Possible Worlds (2020)
MacFarlane has been very vocal about his love of the original Cosmos series from 1980, and the show's original host Carl Sagan, so it was not a surprise when he decided to executive produce a follow-up season for FOX in 2014.
The resulting series, Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey, was a big hit for the network and brought host Neil Degrasse-Tyson a higher profile of fame. In 2020, the team reunited for a third series, Possible Worlds, which debuted on National Geographic. While still a critical success, the new show has failed to capture the audience interest or ratings of its predecessors.
The Drawn Together Movie: The Movie (2010)
It should come as no surprise, given his voice acting contributions to his own shows, that Seth MacFarlane lends his malleable voice to other pieces of animation. One such example is the series finale/Direct-to-Video film of the Comedy Central cult hit Drawn Together.
The blue-humored series, which parodied reality tv shows, specifically The Real World, initially ran for three seasons before being canceled in 2007. This film served as the official end of the series and Seth MacFarlane's appearance as a robot programmed to erase tv characters fits right in with his similar brand of crude humor.
Loveline (2004-)
Loveline is a long-running radio show that features guests calling in to a celebrity host and a medical professional to glean relationship advice. MacFarlane has made numerous appearances on the show, one notable example including an interview where he explained his personal, and very scary, experience on Sept. 11, 2001.
MacFarlane's golden radio voice and quick wit make him a natural talent in the radio format. MacFarlane's main recurring spots occurred between 2004-2005, but the show continues to be syndicated, leaving the door open for more appearances in the future.
The Loudest Voice (2019)
Though Bombshell received the lion's share of the critical and popular acclaim, 2019 saw another dramatic rendering of the already-infamous Roger Ailes scandal that brought him down from being at the top of a media empire. The series, which spans seven episodes, also features moments from Ailes' multi-decade ascent to his ultimate seat of power at FOX News.
MacFarlane, in a substantially more dramatic turn, plays Brian Lewis, the real-life second-hand man to Ailes during his tenure at FOX News. Even though Russell Crowe's performance as Ailes was generally acclaimed, the miniseries itself was only received with lukewarm reception and was seen by few.
Blunt Talk (2015-2016)
Theoretically, the pairing of Patrick Stewart, one of the world's best living actors, and Seth MacFarlane in the peak of his fame would lead to another knockout. Unfortunately, the Starz series only lasted two seasons before having the plug pulled.
The show, which attempted to mix fish-out-of-water comedy with biting satire, told the story of Stewart's veteran news anchor who moves across the pond to America and attempts to start his own show from the ground up. The series had its moments; Sir Stewart's excellent performance especially, but was largely forgotten about as soon as it was taken off the air.
An Entire Career In Vocal Jazz Pop (2011-)
Though MacFarlane has always been notable for his rich baritone voice, it was nonetheless a pleasant surprise in 2011 when he released Music is Better Than Words, his first record of vocal jazz-pop covers in the vein of his musical idol Frank Sinatra. In hindsight, this move was precedented by several song-and-dance numbers in his own television shows, especially Family Guy.
However, the success and maturity with which MacFarlane tackles the material is something to behold, especially as his discography goes on. By now, his sixth album released in August of this year, MacFarlane has fully come into his own within his second career as a classic crooner.
Seth MacFarlane's Calvacade Of Cartoon Comedy (2008-2009)
Essentially a series of short comedic sketches developed in constant partnership with prominent corporate sponsors like Nike and Burger King, Calvacade of Cartoon Comedy consists of 50 installments of short clips featuring MacFarlane's signature blend of crude humor and pop culture satire.
Initially a 23 episode Youtube series that aired in 2008, the official DVD release saw the addition of over 25 unseen shorts. Though largely forgotten in the present, the anthology contains some iconic moments for fans of MacFarlane's humor and represents a unique detour for the creator.
The Flintstones (Cancelled)
Fans of Seth MacFarlane that have followed the comedian over the past decade might remember in 2011 when it was announced that the Family Guy creator would helm a revival of the groundbreaking classic. In its initial incarnation, The Flinstones represented the first real successful mainstream foray into primetime animated sitcoms aimed at adults.
The show didn't get past the initial pilot writing phase, but it continues to represent the "obscure" project that never was amidst MacFarlane's, admittedly large, collection of noble failures. The natural pairing of the material with MacFarlane's resume makes the failure of the project truly lamentable.