Family Guy going commercial-free for risky Stewie episode

Sunday night’s new episode of Family Guy is certainly going to be different than many others you’ve seen over the years. For starters, it’s airing completely commercial-free from start to finish. That is extremely rare for primetime TV, but it does represent a few different things.

1. It’s a sign that Fox has a great deal of faith in this episode and the story being told. Fox wants viewers to watch this show live without thinking that there are some boring commercials to sit through. (Oh, millennials.)

2. Fox may also be looking at something more when it comes to product integration — in one of the sneak peeks below, you can see pretty clearly a Dunkin’ Donuts coffee cup. Hey, it’s all good if it gets us an extended episode without commercial breaks.

3. This is a very big, very different sort of story that the producers are telling. At the center of the installment is the character of Stewie undergoing therapy — Sir Ian McKellen is playing said therapist. Along the way, we may start to understand more about the character’s sexuality, his British accent, and other odds and ends. There could be some serious, rather surprising notes to the episode, which could in turn make it polarizing for viewers out there looking for more than the same.

Personally, though, we’re of the belief that shows must evolve here and there and this is the sort of opportunity a show in its sixteenth season should be taking. It’s also a chance to give the writers a chance to tell a very different sort of story.

In speaking as to what it was like for him to be able to cultivate this particular story, Gary Janetti had the following to say to TVLine, who also supplied one of the attached videos:

“When you know a character this well — and I have been writing him for almost 20 years — it’s kind of a gift to be able to say, ‘I’m just going to see where this takes us and where this goes if we start going inside his real thoughts.’ He’s a very complicated person to me and he’s very much a real thing. I have such affection for him. He’s my favorite character that I’ve ever written, so to get a chance to really explore him like this was a gift.”

What do you want to see when it comes to this big episode of Family Guy? Be sure to share right now in the attached comments below!

Meanwhile, you can also like CarterMatt on Facebook in the event you want to get some other news when it comes to the series. (Photo: Fox.)