Seth MacFarlane would prefer FOX not air studio-completed new episode

There was once a time when Seth MacFarlane was desperate for FOX to air new episodes of "Family Guy," but that isn't the case this Sunday (Nov. 18).

According to the industry trade papers, the last "Family Guy" episode completed before the start of the Writers Guild strike aired last Sunday night.

FOX has another new episode scheduled for this Sunday, but series creator/producer/star Seth MacFarlane is saying that the episode may have been close to completion before the strike, but that the finishing touches were done without the striking MacFarlane's blessing.

MacFarlane colorfully told Variety that he hopes FOX will decide not to air the new episode, completed by the folks within 20th Century Fox TV, saying "It would just be a colossal dick move if they did that."

Like many (most?) writer-producer showrunners, MacFarlane is holding out on his showrunning responsibilities as additional leverage to force a return to the bargaining table between the warring factions.

At least two additional episodes were in a similar state of pre-strike near-completeness and MacFarlane lacks any sort of television equivalent to final cut, meaning that the studio has the right to deliver episodes to the network for airing without the creator's sign-off.

Reached for comment on Wednesday, a FOX spokesperson said that a new episode of "Family Guy" was still scheduled for Sunday. The studio offered no comment.