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It’s tough to choose only a few of MacFarlane’s best characters, and he’s got an impressive resume with all kinds of roles so there’s something here for everyone. From intelligent aliens to stuffed animals, there’s no telling where viewers will see or hear Seth next.
7 Emperor Palpatine, Robot Chicken (2001-)
Robot Chicken is the creation of Family Guy co-star Seth Green, and it’s a vicious and hysterical parody of media’s most beloved icons. The characters that are lampooned come from all eras between now and the dawn of movies and television, but the action figures of the 1980s and 1990s get some extra love.
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MacFarlane voices a number of roles on this show, which is made up of shorts that are anywhere from a few seconds to several minutes long, but the recurring parody of Emporer Palpatine is one of his best and funniest roles. Star Wars fans in particular will appreciate the twists that MacFarlane brings to this popular villain, like getting him into a “yo’ momah” fight with Luke Skywalker or yelling at Darth Vader about the Death Star “getting blown up by a bunch of teenagers.”
6 Roger, American Dad (2005-)
A well-spoken alien with a penchant for disguises, Roger gets some laughs from the many personas he takes on himself in an effort to move around freely while concealing his identity as an alien. It’s a play on the urban mythology of Area 51 since that’s where protagonist Stan Smith rescued him, and then took him home to live in their attic for reasons that are never really explained.
It might be as simple as Roger being incredibly funny and one of the most interesting characters in the show. American Dad plays on a lot of the conspiracy theory tropes of television and movie fame, with the alien landing and cover-up at Roswell being just one example.
5 Ted (2012)
An adult comedy that features a talking bear is an odd concept, but it’s exactly the kind of thing that would involve Seth MacFarlane. In what seems like a clear allegory for making the choice to embrace adulthood or remain a child, protagonist John Bennett has to choose between his relationship and his stuffed bear, Ted.
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Ted is no ordinary childhood keepsake, however. John brought him to life using a Christmas wish when he was a kid. It’s fairly obvious that this stuffed bear is an outlet for all of John’s most crude and childish impulses, and although this movie stars a plush bear it’s not something you want the kids to see.
4 Capt. Ed Mercer, The Orville (2017-)
Plenty of people brush this show off as Trekker fan fiction that’s mostly drama with a funny twist, but there are plenty of fans that think The Orville is the only authentic show in the franchise that’s currently running. Comparisons to other shows like Picard or Discovery are impossible to ignore, and for old-school hopeful Trek as opposed to dark and dramatic, Ed Mercer is the starship captain to call.
Captain Mercer leads the crew of the titular ship, and unlike other shows in this franchise, this time the Earth hasn’t exactly sent its best to sea. Despite their shortcomings as a motley crew of misfits and mess-ups, The Orville treks bravely through the galaxy in the classic tradition of Star Trek.
3 Peter Griffin, Family Guy (1999-)
A compilation of every TV dad that ever existed and a parody of them at the same time, Peter Griffin is the character that viewers can love and hate in the same episode. It’s not only his language that’s vulgar and terrifying, either.
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He’s the target for most of the shows shocking physical humor, and in the case of Peter, that usually means some kind of body horror. Fans of physical humor might change their minds after they see what Peter Griffin goes through, and thankfully, it’s all animated.
2 Johann Krauss, Hellboy 2: The Golden Army (2008)
Two actors played this character, with Seth MacFarlane as the voice and John Alexander in the costume. This is the crisp, cutting voice of an experienced scientist with a fierce wit, taking care of most of the exposition in a thick German accent.
Johann Krauss, like every member of Hellboy’s team, has an unusual power that includes a tragic backstory. His suit just holds together what’s left of his body, which was rendered to nothing more than a non-corporeal mist when something went horribly wrong during one of his experiments.
1 Brian Griffin, Family Guy (1999-)
MacFarlane voices a number of characters on Family Guy, another one being Stewie the Baby, who is often Brian’s partner in crime. Brian is the show’s most popular character, often speaking as the everyman who’s far too practical and wise to be on such a crazy television show.
On the other hand, Brian has his own issues, but he seems to hide them better than his co-stars. He often breaks into song to deal with his problems, and this character and Stewie have starred in a few musicals together, in one notable episode they used the power of song to legalize cannabis.
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