How to use this Page

In early January, I posted a clip from Family Guy that one of our readers thought was making of the drawing style in the Fox show Bob’s Burger. Yesterday, I received an email from Alex Carter, a producer on Family Guy, who explained the backstory of the gag. Alex explains that Bob’s Burger creator Loren Bouchard suggested to the Family Guy crew that they “take a shit on my show.” So if you’ve been losing sleep over this gag, rest assured, they’re all friends.

My thanks to Alex for writing to clear the air. Below is the full text of his letter:

Hello Cartoon Brew amigos! My name is Alex Carter, a writer for Family Guy. Don’t stop reading, just continue. A recent episode I wrote, called “Space Cadet”, contained a somewhat controversial joke when it aired in January. The joke involved Chris getting a failing grade in art by submitting an art project showing the face of Bob Belcher, from Bob’s Burgers. Some of you guys here decried us for bashing an “actually good show”. But, I just have to admit some stuff.

First, Loren Bouchard, the creator of the show, was in on the joke the whole time. Everyone here in the Fox writing department knows each other pretty well. Bob’s Burgers was in between production between the show’s second and third seasons, so Loren went to a pitch meeting one day to see how our show works. We were pitching out ideas for “Space Cadet”, and Loren told us his idea that Family Guy, would, in his own words, “take a shit on my show.” And things went on from there.

Second: How did we discover the whole controversy? Well, after episodes air, we look on review sites and see what went right and what went wrong. That way, it will help us for future episodes. And Brian, one of our writers, showed me a link to Amid’s article about the incident. I was a little upset, so I was hesitant to e-mail you until now. I just want to say that even though I may disagree with your opinion, Amid, I respect it.

Third, some of you mentioned that it was “all Seth’s fault”. I just want to make something clear: Seth has had no involvement in the writing process nor the animation process since about season six. If you want to blame someone, blame Steve Callaghan and Mark Hentemann. They’ve been running the show for three seasons now, and they have a very tight grip on the show’s content. So, if you see something you don’t like, don’t blame Seth. But this season, Rich Appel was brought back on the show, Steve left for American Dad, and Mark was demoted to producer, and it’s been a little freer than other seasons. Let me say this, I think you guys might enjoy next season.

Thank you guys for taking the time to read this message (if this is posted on the site), and want to let you know I read Cartoon Brew every day. It’s a nice place, and I hope it continues for years to come.

Sincerely,
Alex Carter
Supervising Producer
Family Guy