The Surprising Connections Between ‘Family Guy’ and ‘Gilmore Girls’
Gilmore Girls was an incredibly popular family-centered dramedy that ran from 2000-2007. It’s full of heartfelt mother-daughter moments and sincere explorations of love and relationships of all types. Family Guy is an incredibly irreverent and long-running animated series that’s been on the air since 1999 and is known for its crass nature, absurdist elements, and tendency to push the envelope.
On the surface, these two series have very little in common, but fans of either may be surprised to hear about the connection that ties them together.
Daniel Palladino is the thread that ties ‘Gilmore Girls’ to ‘Family Guy’
One thing that the shows have in common is that their creators’ names have become forever tied to these representative works. Gilmore Girls is intrinsically linked to its creator Amy Sherman-Palladino.
While Sherman-Palladino has had several other projects in her creative career, the exploration of multiple generations of mother-daughter dynamics and their fast-talking quips has become her foundational work.
Likewise, Seth MacFarlane — a writer and producer who has worked on Ted, American Dad!, and Johnny Bravo among other projects — has become publicly entwined with his work on Family Guy.
The surprising link between Gilmore Girls and Family Guy, though, is found in a man who has worked alongside both of these creators. Daniel Palladino — Sherman-Palladino’s husband — served a substantial producer role in both shows.
Seth MacFarlane ended up on an episode of ‘Gilmore Girls’
Speaking with WIRED in a video interview where he answers the web’s most searched questions about himself, MacFarlane reflected on his brief appearance on Gilmore Girls. It’s clear the minor role didn’t leave a huge impression as he wasn’t entirely sure of the details.
“I think I was a graduating college student,” he remembers. “I was literally just taking shots at Lorelai Gilmore. And then I think my sister and I sang a rendition of ‘Michael Row Your Boat Ashore.’ I think that was the extent of my Gilmore Girls tenure.” According to IMDb, MacFarlane was in episodes “Lorelai’s Graduation Day,” and as a voice actor in “I Solemnly Swear” and “Die, Jerk.”
He calls snagging this tiny role “a bit of nepotism” because of his friendship with Sherman-Palladino and Palladino. He further explained that he and Palladino had become friends working together on Family Guy. MacFarlane joked that when Palladino “left to go do Gilmore Girls, he took me with him, I guess.”
Daniel Palladino has stayed busy on other projects
While MacFarlane has taken on other projects in recent years, he continues to focus a lot of his time and energy on Family Guy, where he not only writes and produces but also voices protagonist Peter Griffin.
Palladino, however, has been hopping around on other projects — primarily other collaborations with his wife Sherman-Palladino. The pair have teamed up on Bunheads, the Gilmore Girls limited Netflix revival, and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.
Bunheads was a much-beloved series among its fans, but it failed to gain wider traction and was ultimately short-lived. The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, however, has proven to be a more lasting success. The series has racked up multiple Emmy awards and shined as a real winner as an Amazon Prime original.
Fans have already started coping with the fact that the series is planned to end with its upcoming fifth and final season, as Glamour reports. Once that wraps up, Palladino and Sherman-Palladino will likely be looking for their next project. While some are holding out hope it will be yet another Gilmore Girls revival, only time will tell what the duo have up their sleeves.
Who knows? Maybe MacFarlane will even make another guest appearance someday!
