The beloved animated sitcom Family Guy has once again captured the internet’s attention as its pilot episode, originally aired on Fox in 1998, has resurfaced after nearly 30 years of dormancy. Created by Seth MacFarlane, this American sitcom continues to hold a special place in pop culture.
Recently, the X user @Dexerto shared a tweet regarding this exciting finding, which quickly went viral, garnering over 420,000 likes and 15,000 shares on the platform. This buzz underlines the show’s enduring popularity and relevance even decades after its debut.
As reported by Dexerto, the pilot episode first appeared online in 2022 thanks to animator Robert Paulson, who uploaded it to his personal website. It gained wider exposure when a user known as GhostTheDeadGirl from the Lost Media Wiki’s Discord server rediscovered it on March 21, 2025.
For those unfamiliar, the Lost Media Wiki is a fan-driven initiative where enthusiasts collaborate to recover lost media across film, television, music, and more.
Insights on the Family Guy Pilot Episode
According to Yahoo Entertainment, the journey to bringing Family Guy to television began when Fox provided Seth MacFarlane with a budget of $50,000 to develop the show’s first pilot. Premiering on January 31, 1999, the show quickly became a staple of animated comedy.
The official pilot, titled Death Has A Shadow, included several elements from the original 1998 pilot, such as scenes featuring Peter Griffin’s drunken antics at a stag party and Stewie’s infamous mind-control contraption.
Surprisingly, the 1998 pilot was only partially available on the Family Guy Volume 2 DVD, featuring just the first seven minutes. However, the complete 16-minute version was recently uploaded to YouTube by the channel Goobie on March 21, 2025.
Watch it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tn4qno6wxoA
Reflections from Seth MacFarlane on the Legacy of Family Guy
During an interview with the Los Angeles Times in April 2024, MacFarlane, alongside fellow voice actors Alex Borstein, Seth Green, and Mila Kunis, celebrated the show’s 25th anniversary. The discussion highlighted the show’s significance and its profound impact on its audience.
MacFarlane emphasized the show’s ongoing relevance, stating that as long as fans continue to enjoy Family Guy, there is no imminent reason to end it. He also expressed his gratitude for the show’s financial success, which allows him to contribute to philanthropic efforts, such as a notable $1 million donation to The Rainforest Trust to combat deforestation.
“At this point, I don’t see a good reason to stop. People still love it. It makes people happy and it funds some good causes. It’s a lot of extraneous cash that you can donate to Rainforest Trust and you can still go out to dinner that night,”MacFarlane remarked.
He also reflected on moments when he considered concluding the show but concluded that the audience’s unwavering support has kept it alive and thriving. “There was a time when I thought, it’s time to wrap it up. At this point, we’ve reached escape velocity. I don’t know that there’s any reason to stop at this point unless people get sick of it,”he added.
Today, Family Guy is currently in its 23rd season and remains accessible for streaming on platforms like Disney Plus, Hulu, Prime Video, and Apple TV.