Seth MacFarlane made writer/showrunner for The Simpsons.

After viewing Macfarlane’s Larry & Steve shorts in 1996-1997, Matt Groening offers Seth Macfarlane a position as a writer/showrunner for The Simpsons which he accepts instead of making Family Guy like IOTL. How does this affect both The Simpsons and Macfarlane’s subsequent creative decisions?
 
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After viewing Macfarlane’s Larry & Steve shorts in 1996-1997, Matt Groening offers Seth Macfarlane a position as a writer/showrunner for The Simpsons which he accepts instead of making Family Guy like IOTL. How does this affect both The Simpsons and Macfarlane’s subsequent creative decisions?

That'd put in showrunner position by season 9, which might be a good thing since that's when Mike Scully took over and things went kind of downhill for the show. Season 9 was when we got the Prinicpal and the Pauper, after all.
 
His run as show runner would be even wackier than the Scully era (1997-2001) was in some respects, but it would also have some serious themes as well.
 
Anyone would be better than Al Jean.

I could see Seth bringing some big changes to the show...characters aging? Bart and Lisa have always acted more like teens then 10 and 8 for sure
 
Fans treat any change like New Coke, ratings plummet, The Simpson’s gets shit-canned in 2001, Seth MacFarlane tries something different but never makes it big, and Groening focuses on Futurama and turns that into his moneymaker.
 
Fans treat any change like New Coke, ratings plummet, The Simpson’s gets shit-canned in 2001, Seth MacFarlane tries something different but never makes it big, and Groening focuses on Futurama and turns that into his moneymaker.
Wouldn’t the Simpsons be remembered more fondly ITTL for that reason? Instead of being remembered as the “show that refuses to die”
 
Wouldn’t the Simpsons be remembered more fondly ITTL for that reason? Instead of being remembered as the “show that refuses to die”

Perhaps, but they would leave fans wanting more. Kind of like how fans clamor for more Futurama and blame FOX and Comedy Central for killing it - Seth MacFarlane would be the bastard who killed The Simpsons.
 
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