Family Guy’s First Episode Had A Subtle Nod To Seth MacFarlane’s Upbringing – Looper

In a 2004 New York Times article, Seth MacFarlane gave a little more insight into his personal New Englander influence on Peter Griffin when he talked about his father’s friend who once fell asleep during a screening of “Philadelphia.” That clearly had a notable impact on MacFarlane, as he used it as inspiration for another project before “Family Guy.” 

For his senior thesis at the Rhode Island School of Design in 1995, MacFarlane created an animated film titled “The Life of Larry.” It only takes one quick look at the short to immediately get a sense of déjà vu. In the film, while they do look different, Larry and his brown dog are basically Peter and Brian Griffin. Not only do they sound the same, but they act similarly as well.

But characters aren’t the only thing transferred from the short film into the pilot episode. Some jokes featured in “Death Has A Shadow” are also seen in “The Life of Larry,” including the same “Philadelphia” bit. In fact, besides a live-action scene of MacFarlane setting it up in “The Life of Larry,” the entire moment is virtually unchanged compared to what later appears in the “Family Guy” pilot. MacFarlane definitely thought the scene was the best way to establish the link between his main characters and the type of people he grew up with.