The writer’s strike continues to cause chaos for Hollywood’s studios, as it has been revealed by Deadline that the creators and showrunners for many of 20th Animation’s hit shows, including, “Family Guy” and “American Dad” have gone on strike until the Writers Guild Of America can sign a new deal.

Seth MacFarlane, along with “American Dads” Brian Boyle and Matt Weitzman and “Family Guy’s” Rich Appel and Alec Sulkin, informed 20th Television last week, that none of them will be working on the show, as long as the WGA is one strike, since unlike most animation studios, 20th Animation is a member of the WGA.

Last week, like many other showrunners,  Brian Boyle, Matt Weitzman, Rich Appel and Alec Sulkin, all received letters from Disney stating that they would be required to show up for work for their “non-WGA duties.”  However, this move from studios has received lots of negative feedback within the industry since the WGA view is that there is no non-writing element of being a showrunner.  Seth MacFarlane no longer has an overall deal with 20th Television, instead moving to Comcast in 2020.

The show’s creator Seth MacFarlane has been spotted on picket lines during the strike. He has been a strong supporter of the WGA, as the show also went on strike during the last writers’ strike in 2007, which resulted in the sixth season of “Family Guy” and the fourth season of “American Dad”, being much shorter than usual, with some episodes shifting into the next season.

While writing work on the upcoming episodes of both “Family Guy” and “American Dad” is suspended, work is still underway on production on episodes that have already been written and recorded, which is about three months’ worth in advance.   “Family Guy” recently finished its 21st season, and “American Dad” is currently being released.

Earlier this year, Fox renewed “Family Guy” and “American Dad” for two more seasons.   Both shows are also released exclusively on Disney+ in many countries, including the UK, Canada and Australia.  Depending on how long the writer’s strike continues on for, will ultimately depend on when work commences on these shows and when we might see the next season.

Previous seasons of “American Dad” and “Family Guy” are available to stream now on Hulu in the United States and on Disney+ in many countries worldwide.

What do you think of “Family Guy” and “American Dad” being hit by the writer’s strike?  Let us know on social media!

Roger Palmer

Roger has been a Disney fan since he was a kid and this interest has grown over the years. He has visited Disney Parks around the globe and has a vast collection of Disney movies and collectibles. He is the owner of What's On Disney Plus & DisKingdom. Email: Roger@WhatsOnDisneyPlus.com Twitter: Twitter.com/RogPalmerUK Facebook: Facebook.com/rogpalmeruk

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