Seth MacFarlane has voiced his concerns regarding the growing number of “dystopian and pessimistic” television shows in recent years.
During a recent appearance on the Where Everybody Knows Your Name podcast, the creator of Family Guy expressed his discontent with the prevalence of negative narratives in Hollywood, arguing that audiences crave more uplifting films and shows that “give people hope.”
He shared, “That’s why I created The Orville… because when I was a kid, Hollywood was fostering that spirit in various ways.”
MacFarlane lamented, “There was a lot of optimism back then, and some of the responsibility lies right here in this town. The content we’re producing feels overwhelmingly dark. While it’s true there’s much to feel pessimistic about, the storytelling is strikingly one-dimensional. We’re not offering anyone a vision of hope.”
He noted The Handmaid’s Tale as a prominent example of today’s television landscape, admitting that it’s a “beautifully written and directed show,” but stressing that there are many more dark stories in circulation compared to optimistic ones like Star Trek: The Next Generation.
He criticized the current Hollywood trend of focusing on antiheroes, which began with the success of The Sopranos. MacFarlane emphasized the importance of creating positive narratives, especially given the current political climate.
“Telling hopeful stories is the only truly worthwhile thing Hollywood can do right now,” he remarked. “As we discovered from the recent election, people aren’t really interested in what celebrities have to say. We can post on social media all day, but it doesn’t resonate. What we excel at is storytelling, and right now, we’re not doing our best to convey messages of hope.”
In related news, MacFarlane has recently released an album featuring never-before-heard arrangements of Frank Sinatra songs. He also mentioned that he doesn’t see “a good reason” to end Family Guy, noting that the show’s original pilot episode was finally made available online earlier this year.
Additionally, MacFarlane is a co-producer on the upcoming Naked Gun reboot starring Liam Neeson, which is currently showing in UK theaters.
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