Early history and cancellation
How many viewers did "Family Guy" premier to?
Family Guy
"Family Guy" officially premiered after Fox's broadcast of Super Bowl XXXIII on January 31, 1999, with "Death Has a Shadow". The show debuted to 22 million viewers, and immediately generated controversy regarding its adult content. The show returned on April 11, 1999, with "I Never Met the Dead Man". "Family Guy" garnered decent ratings in Fox's 8:30 pm slot on Sunday, scheduled between "The Simpsons" and "The X-Files". At the end of its first season, the show was No. 33 in the Nielsen ratings, with 12.8 million households tuning in. The show launched its second season in a new time slot, Thursday at 9 pm, on September 23, 1999. "Family Guy" was pitted against NBC's "Frasier", and the series' ratings declined sharply. Fox removed "Family Guy" from the network's permanent schedule, and began airing episodes irregularly. The show returned on March 7, 2000, at 8:30 pm on Tuesdays, but was constantly beaten in the ratings by the new breakout hit "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire", coming in at No. 114 in the Nielsen Ratings with 6.320 million households tuning in. Fox announced that the show had been canceled in 2000, at the end of the second season. However, following a last-minute reprieve, Fox announced on July 24, 2000, its intention to order 13 additional episodes of "Family Guy" to form a third season. The show returned November 8, 2001, once again in a tough time slot: Thursday nights at 8:00 pm ET. This slot brought it into competition with "Survivor" and "Friends". (This situation was later referenced in ""). During its second- and third-season runs, Fox frequently moved the show around to different days and time slots with little or no notice and, consequently, the show's ratings suffered. Upon Fox's annual unveiling of its 2002 fall line-up on May 15, 2002, "Family Guy" was absent. Fox announced that the show had been officially canceled shortly thereafter.