Why It’s Harder Than Ever to Make a Studio Comedy, With Seth MacFarlane

Summary

Podcast Title: The Town with Matthew Belloni
Episode: Why It’s Harder Than Ever to Make a Studio Comedy, With Seth MacFarlane
Release Date: July 31, 2025
Host: Matt Bellany
Guest: Seth MacFarlane, Creator and Executive Producer of Family Guy, American Dad!, The Cleveland Show, and Producer of the new Naked Gun reboot.

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Introduction

In this episode of The Town with Matthew Belloni, Matt Bellany delves into the evolving landscape of comedy in Hollywood with none other than Seth MacFarlane, a seminal figure in modern animation and comedy filmmaking. MacFarlane, known for his sharp wit and boundary-pushing content, provides an insider's perspective on the challenges facing studio comedies today.

The Decline of Traditional Studio-Comedy Films

Bellany opens the conversation by addressing the dwindling presence of joke-driven comedies in theaters, using the recent Naked Gun reboot as a focal point. MacFarlane acknowledges this shift, attributing it to changes in audience tastes and the evolving nature of comedic storytelling.

Notable Quote:
"The show that kind of keeps it alive, obviously for the past 25 years, or one of them at least, is Family Guy." (04:00)

Challenges in Getting Studio Comedies Greenlit

One of the central themes of the discussion revolves around the increasing difficulty of getting mainstream comedies produced in today's studio environment. MacFarlane highlights the hesitancy of studios to invest in traditional comedies, emphasizing economic uncertainties and the unpredictable nature of audience reception.

Notable Quote:
"A movie that I'm pitching right now that's a little outside the box from what I do, but is still very mainstream. And I think 10 years ago it would have been maybe a little bit of an easier sell." (23:25)

The Shift from Comedic Actors to Dramatic Performers

A significant point of contention MacFarlane discusses is the industry's reluctance to cast traditional comedians in comedic roles for films like the Naked Gun reboot. Instead, there's a push towards hiring dramatic actors to deliver humor, a strategy rooted in the belief that non-comedic actors can portray comedic roles with the same effectiveness.

Notable Quote:
"Trying to explain why you absolutely cannot cast comedians in the role. You have to cast actors." (05:27)

Animation vs. Live-Action: Freedom and Constraints

Comparing animated shows like Family Guy and South Park to live-action comedies, MacFarlane underscores the unique freedoms animation offers. Animated characters, being fictional, are often perceived as immune to the repercussions live actors face, allowing for more audacious and boundary-pushing humor.

Notable Quote:
"I think that that has a lot to do with it because, again, they're fictional characters and it takes so many people to get Peter Griffin to walk even two steps. You don't really know who to yell at." (09:52)

Internal Vetting Processes for Comedy Content

MacFarlane explains the stringent internal processes Family Guy employs to ensure jokes stay within acceptable boundaries. From the writer's room to table reads, each joke is meticulously vetted to prevent crossing lines that could lead to backlash or censorship.

Notable Quote:
"If you decide to try it, it goes to the table read. A table read is pretty unforgiving if you've crossed a line." (10:29)

The Evolution of Shared Comedy Experiences

The conversation shifts to how modern media consumption has transformed shared comedic experiences. MacFarlane reminisces about the communal joy of watching shows like Seinfeld simultaneously with a broad audience, contrasting it with today's fragmented consumption through memes and social media.

Notable Quote:
"Maybe it's memes. Maybe it's... We kind of gather around and enjoy things like that, which are, you know, the roots of them are a little less bright." (19:32)

Balancing Laughter with Critical Acclaim

MacFarlane touches upon the shifting priorities in comedy production, where the pursuit of critical acclaim and awards often overshadows the primary goal of making audiences laugh. He laments the rarity of comedies that excel in both humor and prestige, highlighting a systemic issue within the industry.

Notable Quote:
"It's a combination of those two things. I think it's a combination of those two things." (14:20)

The Future of Comedic Films and the Path Forward

Despite the challenges, MacFarlane remains optimistic about the resurgence of studio comedies. He believes that with even a single successful hit, the appetite for traditional comedies could reignite, provided there's a willingness to embrace new talents and innovative storytelling.

Notable Quote:
"I think that's always true. It's like suddenly this is what everybody wants." (24:14)

Personal Experiences and Aspirations

Towards the end of the interview, MacFarlane shares personal reflections on his career trajectory, the exhilaration of challenging projects like Ted, and his aspirations to venture into new genres, including a traditional Hollywood musical film.

Notable Quote:
"I would love to do a film musical. A true old style Hollywood musical." (25:55)

Conclusion

Matt Bellany wraps up the episode by thanking Seth MacFarlane for his insightful contributions and wishes him luck with the Naked Gun reboot. MacFarlane's candid discussion offers a comprehensive look into the complexities of producing studio comedies in the modern cinematic landscape, highlighting both the obstacles and the enduring passion that drive creators like him.

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This episode serves as a compelling exploration of the state of comedy in Hollywood, enriched by Seth MacFarlane's extensive experience and thoughtful analysis. For anyone interested in the behind-the-scenes dynamics of comedy production and the challenges faced by creators today, this conversation offers invaluable insights.

Transcript

[Seth MacFarlane]

Hi everyone, it's Amy Poehler and I'm launching a new podcast called Good Hang. In preparation for that, I asked some of my friends to send in some videos and give me some advice.

[Matt Bellany]

Just be yourself and the guests will come.

[Seth MacFarlane]

Don't be the celebrity that this is their like sixth thing they're doing.

[Matt Bellany]

I love true crime and cooking podcasts. Is there any way you could combine the two?

[Seth MacFarlane]

Well, everyone has an opinion and a podcast, so join me for Good Hang. It's rough out there, we're just trying to lighten it up a little bit. Hi, I'm Ben Mankiewicz and on this season of the plot Thickens. We're going behind the scenes on a film whose history it's a little close to home. Cleopatra was my Uncle Joe's biggest gamble and his greatest failure. It had everything you could want in a Hollywood blockbuster, but the budget and the on set love affair both went off the rails, creating a story even more dramatic than Cleopatra herself. The plot thickens. Cleopatra available now. Wherever you get your podcasts, visit tcm.compodcast to learn more. This episode is brought to you by Netflix says Happy Gilmore 2.

[Matt Bellany]

We're back.

[Seth MacFarlane]

30 years ago, he decided to give golf a try. Now he's ready for the happiest comeback of all time. Adam Sandler's beloved golf legend returns to the green for another swing at glory. Just remember, it's all in the hips. Also starring Ben Stiller. I like him.

[Matt Bellany]

Julie Bowen like her, and Benito Antonio Martinez Ocasio.

[Seth MacFarlane]

Happy Gilmore 2 now streaming only on Netflix.

[Matt Bellany]

It is Thursday, July 31st. I went to a screening at Paramount the other night of the new Naked Gun reboot. It's very funny and it really feels like a throwback. Not just because it's a comedy coming out in theaters, albeit based on known ip or at least IP known to my generation. Not sure how much Gen Z is familiar with Naked Gun. It's also a pure joke driven comedy, something you really don't see anymore on film or in tv. For that reason, I feel like the stakes are higher for this movie. If it's a hit, we may see more swings from the studios in the comedy space. We've talked about this subject before, but we haven't talked about what's one of the major comedic voices of the past 25 years. Seth MacFarlane is here. In addition to being the creator and executive producer of Family Guy, American dad, the Cleveland show, he's a writer, director in film and TV and a talented singer produces a bunch of stuff, including the new Naked Gun movie. We're gonna get into the comedy climate these days, how to push the envelope in this environment, the business end of comedy, and why he says it's so hard for even someone like him to get a studio interested in a mainstream comedy. Plus what he wants to make now. No call sheet today. It's Seth MacFarlane from the Ringer and Puck. I'm Matt Bellany, and this is the town. All right, we are here with Seth MacFarlane, writer, producer, actor, actor, animator, singer. Did I miss any hyphenates there?

[Seth MacFarlane]

You covered it all. You covered it all.

[Matt Bellany]

Bartender, you are in your home bar right now.

[Seth MacFarlane]

I'm in my home bar, yes. I'm not drinking. I usually drink for interviews, but I figured, let's just see what happens.

[Matt Bellany]

So do I. All right, So I wanted you on the show because I went to a tastemaker screening, which is a word we both hate. Nobody there had taste awful, but went to the screening. You got up at the very beginning and you said something interesting about how this was a comedy. And you may not be familiar with this because it's a comedy that we are showing in a movie theater. And I started laughing because you're exactly right. Not only is comedy a dying breed in theaters, we've done episodes about this. But this particular style of comedy, it's almost jarring. The throwback nature of the joke after joke after setup after joke. And I just. When I was watching it, I was like, are modern audiences going to even know what to do with this? Did you guys talk about that at all?

[Seth MacFarlane]

The show that kind of keeps it alive, obviously for the past 25 years, or one of them at least, is Family Guy.

[Matt Bellany]

Sure.

[Seth MacFarlane]

So if they've seen Family Guy, they're probably not going to be too unfamiliar with this, you know, rat a tat tat pace of jokes. And, you know, certainly we tried to do the same thing on our TED series. I think for people who are fans of adult animation, it won't be that unfamiliar. But it has been a minute since we've seen a comedy that is on television or in film that just seeks to be a comedy and nothing else.

[Matt Bellany]

Right. How much of a fight was that with Paramount to even get this movie off the ground? Even with the IP that they own.

[Seth MacFarlane]

There was no fight to get the movie made. They really liked the idea. The only challenge that we had was the same challenge that anyone who makes this type of comedy always has is trying to explain why you absolutely cannot cast comedians in the role. You have to cast actors. I mean, the Zucker Brothers showed us how it was done with Airplane and the original Naked Gun and whatnot. And so that was the only conversation I remember that was a bit of a lengthy one. Trying to sort of communicate that this. I know it seems counterintuitive, but we can't have any comedians. These have to be dramatic actors saying stupid stuff.

[Matt Bellany]

Right. Budget, 42 million. So they're not busting the bank on this one. Even though you have a legit star in Liam Neeson, Pam Anderson, like, like you. You joked at the screening that your contribution was suggesting Liam Neeson would be good. That can't be your. That can't be your contribution.

[Seth MacFarlane]

I just learned what our budget was just now from you. So that's.

[Matt Bellany]

Oh, really? That's not your job. You know, you're the.

[Seth MacFarlane]

You know I'm not a numbers guy.

[Matt Bellany]

Right, right. But I imagine you feel a little bit of the stakes for this movie. Right. You want it to succeed, not just because it's your movie, but I think you're like me. You want more of these movies.

[Seth MacFarlane]

Yeah. You know, I wasn't kidding when I said that is my essentially sole contribution. I'm definitely someone who likes to delegate and empower a project to the person that I have running it 1000%. I figure if the buck stops with you, then you're going to give more of your time and energy to make it great. And it's worked well for me throughout my career. I mean, American dad is a great example. That's a show that I've let exist on its own. The showrunners truly run that show. I'm not hanging over their shoulders. And this was very much the same.

[Matt Bellany]

I mean, how involved are you on Family Guy and American Dad? Are you reading Family Guy scripts still? Do you give little notes? Are you totally hands off these days?

[Seth MacFarlane]

I essentially do voices and that's it.

[Matt Bellany]

So you come in and you're like, oh, that's a funny joke.

[Seth MacFarlane]

Yeah, yeah. I mean, that's kind of it. I ran that show for about 10 years and then passed it off to my co showrunners. And American Dad, I. After the first week I was out, I went back to resurrecting Family Guy and let that show kind of evolve on its own. And, you know, Akiva Schaefer is somebody who doesn't need me hanging over his shoulder. He knows what he's doing.

[Matt Bellany]

Director of Naked Gun. Yeah.

[Seth MacFarlane]

He's got a great team of writers. And it's an interesting experiment because, again, Erica Huggins runs my company. Was brought on to be able to turn this thing into. This thing being our little company over there, into something that could generate good stuff, even if I was off working 12 hours a day, which in this case, I was on ted. So it's kind of a grand experiment, and it's a testament to her and her team and to Akiva that, honestly, it's like, I realize now how extraneous I really am.

[Matt Bellany]

That's the way to do it. Man. Can you believe these south park guys are still doing that show and writing and doing every episode? I know they only do 10 a year, but, like, can you believe that?

[Seth MacFarlane]

I would never trade our animation team for anything on Family Guy. But their production cycle of, what is it, like, two weeks?

[Matt Bellany]

Yeah. They're literally making tinkers to the episode, the day it airs.

[Seth MacFarlane]

It's kind of amazing.

[Matt Bellany]

I know you guys have feuded in the past, but it is kind of amazing.

[Seth MacFarlane]

It's pretty incredible that it's. Yeah. I mean, any show that lasts that long is pretty astounding. We have to. You know, our shows take about 10 months to a year to produce each episode. So, you know, we have to really kind of guess what the world is gonna look like, which obviously gets harder and harder. So you have to kind of treat it more.

[Matt Bellany]

No Jeffrey Epstein jokes added at the last second.

[Seth MacFarlane]

You just don't know what's gonna happen. We have to treat it more like all in the Family, the way Norman Lear did. If we're gonna talk about anything that's relevant, we have to kind of keep it maybe a little more general so that in 2026 or 2027, the jokes are still going to work.

[Matt Bellany]

Do you worry about the comedy climate right now? As a guy who pushes the envelope.

[Seth MacFarlane]

A lot, from my standpoint, it's hard to see what some other people are seeing. I've been very lucky with the way my career has progressed as far as comedy is concerned. I don't. I've never had a situation where I said, I, you know, damn it, I can't do this anymore. This. Everybody's so sensitive now. It's like, I haven't really run across that. I feel like Family Guy, it sort.

[Matt Bellany]

Of exists in its own little bubble. It's kind of like south park that way, where you guys do things on that show, and when you see them, you're like, oh, that's shocking. And then it's on to the next thing, and then you get away with it.

[Seth MacFarlane]

Yeah. And I think it's also that, like, these people aren't real Peter Griffin is not somebody that you can cancel.

[Matt Bellany]

Is that why these shows are immune is that they're not real? Like, why do the animated shows get away with what the live action stuff does?

[Seth MacFarlane]

I think that that has a lot to do with it because, again, they're fictional characters and it takes so many people to get Peter Griffin to walk even two steps. You don't really know who to yell at.

[Matt Bellany]

But there is a line, I'm sure even in your own taste, you have vetoed things, right?

[Seth MacFarlane]

Yeah, every once in a while. Every once in a while.

[Matt Bellany]

But give us a good example of something that was over the line for Family Guy.

[Seth MacFarlane]

God, it's been so long since I've worked in that writer's room. I'm sure there were things that I vetoed. But I will say that the system is pretty reliable in telling you when you've crossed the line, even if you yourself don't know that you've crossed the line.

[Matt Bellany]

Oh, interesting. How so? Meaning just in the fans telling you.

[Seth MacFarlane]

Well, it doesn't even get that far. You have the writer's room, where if it gets a laugh and it's a joke that's close to the edge of the line, you have a conversation about it. If you decide to try it, it goes to the table read. A table read is pretty unforgiving if you've crossed a line. We've had jokes on Family Guy where they've just gotten dead silence in that room because you have the executives, you have your artists, you have your production team. Everyone's there, and they're not gonna be kind if something doesn't work. So you do know before it even reaches the air. And if it makes it past that point, then you have to have the conversation with broadcast standards. And, you know, shockingly, Family Guy has had a good relationship with broadcast standards over the years.

[Matt Bellany]

Well, I did an item on south park last week where the Trump episode they did not only went to standards, it went all the way up to the owner of the company. Beyond the CEOs, went to the owner, Sherry Redstone, who. Who had to decide whether to depict a naked AI Trump talking to his own penis.

[Seth MacFarlane]

You're like, people like, is this why I got into this business?

[Matt Bellany]

And that's when I decided that Hollywood was for me. The climate certainly has changed, especially since when you started out and started doing Family Guy. Do you think Ted would be made for theaters today?

[Seth MacFarlane]

It's possible. I mean, Ted was such a strange movie to begin with. The only thing that might hinder Ted today is Its budget, if it were being made because it was. That bear is just. He has not gotten any less expensive.

[Matt Bellany]

Right. Yeah. It's a CGI live action movie, but it's not for kids, so you gotta factor that in. And luckily, it was a big success. But I'm talking both from the perspective of comedies as theatrical movies, and I'm also talking sort of the comedy climate of what's appropriate, what's not. I feel you see a lot of filmmakers say, oh, we don't see as many comedies today because you can't really be as funny as some of those comedies of the 90s and 2000s were, because the climate has changed.

[Seth MacFarlane]

I don't buy that.

[Matt Bellany]

A lot of people don't. Seth Rogen. I've talked to Seth Rogen about this. He doesn't buy it either.

[Seth MacFarlane]

No, I think it makes for great headlines and it makes for a great clickbait to kind of get us all worked up about it. I have not experienced it myself. There are things that. I mean, the TED series we did for Peacock, which is a streaming service.

[Matt Bellany]

Oh, it is. Oh, yeah. Thank you. I watched the TED show on Peacock. I know you've said in the past that it's hard to find. It is there on Peacock. They did promote it.

[Seth MacFarlane]

Yes, they did. Yes, they did. But when we were making that show, at no point did I feel like. And that was, what, 2022. We were 2023. We were making that show. At no point did I feel like I was hamstrung in some way, in a way that I wouldn't have been 15 years ago. I just don't know that it's. That it's. I mean, what is it? Jeselnik quoted. Yeah, yeah. Quoted Andy Warhol. You know, art is getting away with it. And if nobody laughs, I'm sure I'm completely butchering that quote. If nobody laughs, you didn't get away with it. And I don't think audiences are as uptight about comedy as we're led to believe. I think you could make TED today, and I think there would be a. I think, you know, to your point where we're not seeing as much of these kinds of comedies, you would know much more than I do about how much of that is the studio. I do think, to some degree, us as writers, what is classified as comedy is so different than when, like, Cheers was on the air. You know, Cheers was winning Emmys, and that was a show that was a true comedy. It was. There were jokes. There were hard jokes. It was funny. And you know, nowadays shows that how many actual comedies are up for best comedy each year at the Emmys or at the Oscars? Not a whole lot.

[Matt Bellany]

Right.

[Seth MacFarlane]

And so as writers, that tells us, well, I guess, you know, everybody wants to win awards, so we all kind of start to maybe think, all right, how can I kind of make this show a little more important with a capital I? So I think it's a combination of those two things.

[Matt Bellany]

But if you're in the market, though, you're a writer, producer, you're coming up with ideas, you're doing projects with collaborators. If you want a project to sell and get made and air, what are the things that you are tailoring your projects towards?

[Seth MacFarlane]

For me, it's always been about what would I want to watch, what's going to make me laugh, what. What am I going to tune in for? What's not out there that I'm not seeing, that I want to see?

[Matt Bellany]

What does interest you about comedy these days? What are you into?

[Seth MacFarlane]

I always like, look, my. My favorite comedy of all time is Defending youg Life. There's a lot of similarities in. In as far as what I like about that film and. And what I like about doing TED is that I always like when there's one thing that is so outlandish and everything else has to be as grounded as you can make it. And that was the trick with ted. It's like, how do I take this crazy idea and make it as just banal as I can? And that's what interests me about comedy. It's the same thing that interests me about Sci Fi. It's like, how can I take something that is just so impossibly unfathomable and make it feel as mundane and relatable as possible?

[Matt Bellany]

And are there aspects of comedy that you were once into and that are boring for you now?

[Seth MacFarlane]

You know, sometimes when I watch an 80s comedy that I thought was great, I'm a little bit distressed that maybe it wasn't what I thought.

[Matt Bellany]

That's really funny because my producer, Craig here, he does the Rewatchables, which is a movie podcast for the Ringer. And I was having a huge argument with him about Vacation, which is one of my favorite 80s comedies. And he was like, eh, you know, give. I could take it or leave it.

[Seth MacFarlane]

It's the timing and the pacing feels.

[Matt Bellany]

I mean, like, some of them, obviously, like Naked Gun and Airplane still really work, but there are some Christmas Vacation in the National Lampoons.

[Seth MacFarlane]

They just feel a little slower.

[Matt Bellany]

Christmas Vacation is a little different, but I went back and watched the original Vacation, and I was like, you know what? Craig has a point. Christmas vacation's better.

[Seth MacFarlane]

The original vacation is.

[Matt Bellany]

It feels a little bit slow. And did that happen with you when you go back and look at these?

[Seth MacFarlane]

Yeah, with certain movies, I mean, like, I can watch the Jerk and it just holds up like it always did.

[Matt Bellany]

Yeah.

[Seth MacFarlane]

But, you know, I haven't seen Vacation in a while. And that's. That's interesting because I remember it being hysterically funny. And I feel like the last time I saw it in full was maybe like 10 years ago. And I still thought it was funny, but maybe it. I got to watch it again because I don't know. Starting a business can seem like a.

[Matt Bellany]

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[Seth MacFarlane]

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[Matt Bellany]

You say you'll never join the Navy, never climb Mount Fuji on a port visit, or break the sound barrier. Joining the Navy sounds crazy. Saying never actually is. Learn [e-mail] America's Navy forged by the sea. So, in preparation for this, did you watch all the original naked guns or. No?

[Seth MacFarlane]

I've seen them all multiple times. I've seen the. The Police Squad series. I've actually seen more than naked guns.

[Matt Bellany]

Oh, really? Interesting. Cause I was not, as a kid, I was not even familiar with Police Squad. Naked Gun was my only way into this.

[Seth MacFarlane]

Do you remember Ty? Do you remember Top Secret?

[Matt Bellany]

Oh, of course.

[Seth MacFarlane]

Yeah. Underrated.

[Matt Bellany]

Doc Kilmer, one of his great performances.

[Seth MacFarlane]

I agree. It's like, that's a movie that gets, like, a 0.5 rating from every critic. But it's so underrated and so funny.

[Matt Bellany]

And when I was seven, the jumping on the bulges from the ballerina dudes was, like, the funniest thing I'd ever heard.

[Seth MacFarlane]

Hysterical. Hysterical. Yeah.

[Matt Bellany]

I know. And it does make you nostalgic, though, for a time when there were shared experiences with comedies. And I think that is kind of what we're missing in movies. Or are we missing it? And it's just. It's online now. Everyone laughs at the same memes. Everyone laughs at the same Instagrams or TikToks that are all in our feeds. And that's the shared experience.

[Seth MacFarlane]

Now, to some degree, it's that, but the. The quantity is just so much greater that you're not going to. I mean, I think what you do miss is everyone watched Seinfeld that night and then talked about it the next day. And it was a very communal experience. And obviously, the fucking roots of theater are communal. It's like the Greeks gathering around to watch a tragedy. And so what is that now? Maybe it's memes. Maybe it's.

[Matt Bellany]

Yeah, it's the Coldplay video. It's stuff like that. It is. Yeah, it is the Coldplay cup.

[Seth MacFarlane]

Now we kind of gather around and enjoy things like that, which are, you know, the roots of them are a little less bright.

[Matt Bellany]

Well, I open up. I open up my account sometimes, and friends of mine have sent me clips of Family Guy, and it's always the most outrageous, like, over the top ridiculous quotes and clips from Family Guy. And that is how I primarily experience the show. Now, I apologies to you and your backend conversation, but that is how a lot of us experience comedy now. And it's really tough to compete with this when you're talking to producers and other peers of yours. Do you guys blame the studios for the kind of tougher climate out there, or do you blame the creatives? Who is to blame for the situation we see ourselves in with comedies in film and tv?

[Seth MacFarlane]

I do think that it's layered. I think there is. You know, I don't read a lot of sitcom specs. For example, like when we were staffing Ted, the kind of sitcom spec that I read was so different than what I was reading when we were staffing Family Guy. There were a lot fewer hard jokes.

[Matt Bellany]

Yeah, everyone's brother has committed suicide and they're dealing with trauma.

[Seth MacFarlane]

And yes, yes, it was like everyone was begging for an Emmy. And I think, you know, you can't really blame the studios for that. That's on us. It's like, okay, well, you know, unfortunately, the landscape is such that you can either win your awards or you can make people laugh. And sometimes it intersects. Sometimes you get like a, you know, a curvy enthusiasm where it's managing to do both. But it's increasingly rare, and I think we as writers at times have to make that very difficult decision. I tend to opt for the laughs. I'd rather have the audience than the Emmys just because that's why we're all doing this in the first place. It's like you're not putting on a puppet show for your parents. You're creating work for the world.

[Matt Bellany]

Yeah. By the way, this is apropos of nothing. I was sitting in the sixth row of the Oscars when you hosted, and I will swear to my grave, everyone was laughing. Everyone in the room was laughing at those jokes, at the song, at the whole thing. And it was only when they saw that people were complaining on Twitter about stuff that they freaked out about it. So there.

[Seth MacFarlane]

Much appreciated, Matt. Appreciate that. Yeah. I mean, that was my experience as well. I loved that room. It was a great room. I had a blast. That was also a point. You know, as my friend Jon Favreau pointed out, like, if you reach this point of your career where you're. You've had, like, a couple successes in a row, and look, Family Guy was at its peak, and Ted had just come out, and I was hosting the Oscars, like, you're kind of ready to get the shit kicked out of you.

[Matt Bellany]

And that's kind of.

[Seth MacFarlane]

You know, they build you up to knock you down. I do think that was a factor with the Oscars, because I was. I mean, it was just. It was a blast. And, you know, look, hey, the ratings were up. Come on. What was the problem? I've never.

[Matt Bellany]

Oh, they would kill for those ratings.

[Seth MacFarlane]

Now, I've never gotten a clear answer from any reviewer as to exactly why. Did you classify that as something that didn't go well? It was. I think it went pretty well.

[Matt Bellany]

Yeah. I know. I never sat in seats as good as that for the Oscars after that show. I don't know what happened. Maybe they're cleaning the slate. I don't know what. All right, so Naked Gun comes out. It does fine. It's not a huge hit. It's not a bomb. They make their money back. You guys are happy with it. People like it. Does it impact the comedy landscape at all?

[Seth MacFarlane]

No idea. I mean, I think it's going to do well because I think people are starved. I think it's a little bit of water in the desert right now. It's always a little bit of hubris to say your movie that has yet to come out yet is going to do well. But I was hands off enough on this that I think I have an objective viewpoint and I see it doing really well. I think it's exactly what people are looking for right now.

[Matt Bellany]

Yeah. Do you think it's harder than it's been in your career in the business to get a movie made these days? Yeah. Yes, I would think so.

[Seth MacFarlane]

A thousand percent.

[Matt Bellany]

Tell us your experience there. Like, why do you say that there's.

[Seth MacFarlane]

A movie that I'm pitching right now that's a little outside the box from what I do, but is still very mainstream. And I think 10 years ago it would have been maybe a little bit of an easier sell. I think there's just a kind of gun shy attitude, mainly because of economics as far as what's going on right now, that the industry is changing. We don't know how things are going to look in 10 years. We don't know what role AI is going to play or any of us going to have jobs. You know, there's just. There's always a little bit of fear that comes into play when you're pitching a movie. But I think it's sort of on steroids right now because of all these other things.

[Matt Bellany]

Yeah. Rogan said on this show that all it will take is one big success and theatrical comedies will be back. Do you agree with that?

[Seth MacFarlane]

Absolutely. I mean, that's what old school did for R rated comedies.

[Matt Bellany]

Or Hangover.

[Seth MacFarlane]

Yeah, Hangover.

[Matt Bellany]

Yeah.

[Seth MacFarlane]

Yeah. No, I think that's always true. It's like suddenly this is what everybody wants. And I think that's perennially true.

[Matt Bellany]

Yeah, we gotta find some young stars as well, some sort of next generation of comedy stars.

[Seth MacFarlane]

Yeah. I mean, the next time I have to staff a show, I hope that I read more scripts with hard jokes. Because that's really. When you're doing a comedy, that's kind of what you're look, you're looking for in the room is like, is this. Can I rely on this person to be funny in a room with eight other people?

[Matt Bellany]

Yeah. Are you still excited about what you do? Do you like get charged up or is it sort of. This is your job now?

[Seth MacFarlane]

It's a little of both. I always get the most excited when there's the possibility of failure.

[Matt Bellany]

Oh, really?

[Seth MacFarlane]

Yeah. When I was doing the original, Ted was really exhilarating because it was such a weird movie and Bridesmaids had just come out and it was a huge hit and it was like we were kind of living in the shadow of Bridesmaids. And the whole time I was like, fuck, we're not gonna. We're gonna like pale in comparison to this movie. And that was fun because it pushes you to your limit and you're really forced to. You're guaranteed that you're doing your best because, you know, no one's just gonna hand this one to you. You have to do it right or you're screwed. But the day to day of filmmaking and the 12 to 14 hours of shooting. Definitely a little more tired of that than I have been in the past. I wish there was a quicker way to do it, but I love writing, I love post, and I love a good, efficient set that moves quickly.

[Matt Bellany]

Nice. And everyone's friends. Like they all.

[Seth MacFarlane]

And everyone's friends.

[Matt Bellany]

Yeah, everyone's friends. And what is something that scares you that you really want to do at some point?

[Seth MacFarlane]

I would love to do a film musical. A true old style Hollywood musical.

[Matt Bellany]

Wow. Comedic or not comedic, Comedic in the.

[Seth MacFarlane]

Sense that any Broadway musical is, you know, hello, Dolly is comedic in its own way.

[Matt Bellany]

Yeah, but you'd write the music. You'd do the whole thing or revive.

[Seth MacFarlane]

Something that's, you know, something like Brigadoon, for example. My God, what a great film that would make in 2025.

[Matt Bellany]

Interesting. It's almost like you're pitching it right now.

[Seth MacFarlane]

It's almost like I'm pitching it.

[Matt Bellany]

Yeah.

[Seth MacFarlane]

But, yeah, that's something that I've done. I've danced around it, no pun intended, on shows like Family Guy and the opening of Ted 2, but I've never gone right at it.

[Matt Bellany]

Yeah. Don't forget the sing movies. Do not. Do not. No omission there. Although you're only in the first. Sing.

[Seth MacFarlane]

Yes.

[Matt Bellany]

You're not in the second. I've always wondered what happened there.

[Seth MacFarlane]

Me too. I was. I was not asked back.

[Matt Bellany]

You were not asked back. Oh, my God. You must have been lovely to work with.

[Seth MacFarlane]

It must have been a nightmare.

[Matt Bellany]

Well, Sing one is better than sing two. And I will say that your contributions are. I. I have. Thank you so much. Yes. All right, Seth, appreciate the time. Good luck with the movie. Thanks for coming on.

[Seth MacFarlane]

Thanks for having me.

[Matt Bellany]

All right, that's the show for today. I want to thank my guest, Seth MacFarlane, producer Craig Horbeck, artist Jesse Lopez, and I want to thank you. We will see you next week.