Family Guy's Seth MacFarlane: ''Adam West was a joy to work with''

The writer/creator was very fond of Adam West.

For an entire generation of Batfans, Adam West was the Caped Crusader, one-half of the Dynamic Duo, and, above all else, the protector of Gotham City. He was the constant foil of the Joker, and thank goodness for that. Adam West led a spectacle of spandex and campy characters into the history books in Batman, the 1966 television series. For that audience, West was inextricably tied to Batman and defined the character for years.

But, for a slightly younger group of viewers, Adam West was Mayor Adam West of Quahog, Rhode Island. Yes, the actor's resonant voice brought to life a fictionalized version of himself in the animated Family Guy, where West was in on the joke. He was ridiculous and played hilariously with his legacy.

After West's passing in 2017, Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane released a statement, which was published by the Associated Press.

"Adam West was a joy to work with, and the kind of guy you always wanted to be around," wrote MacFarlane.

"His positivity, good nature, and sense of fun were undeniable, and it was always a big jolt of the best kind of energy when he walked in to record the show. He knew comedy, and he knew humanity...

"Thank you from the bottom of my heart for all that you have given, Mr. Mayor. You're irreplaceable."

While Michael Keaton, Val Kilmer, George Clooney, Ben Affleck, and Robert Pattinson have all since donned the cape and cowl, West was the first to exemplify Batman's heroism on such a large scale. 

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20 Comments

Cowgirl 6 months ago
I grew up watching Adam West and Burt Ward in Batman. That will always be my Batman and I have never seen any of the movies and never will. Batman should not be violent and R rated.
Pacificsun 8 months ago
Nice article, enjoy hearing about good people!
Andybandit 8 months ago
I love Seth MacFarlane and Adam West. They are both handsome guy.
LoveMETV22 8 months ago
Credit to Seth MacFarlane, for all the parodies/spoofs/etc his show has produced. Not only Adam West, but many other celebrities as well, as anyone who has watched Family Guy would know.
CoreyC 8 months ago
One mistake Seth MacFarlane made was not having Burt Ward to guest star as Governor Burt Ward in Family Guy.
cperrynaples CoreyC 8 months ago
No, Robin should have been Deputy Mayor! West & Ward did do a Simpsons together!
LoveMETV22 CoreyC 8 months ago
No. Mr.MacFarlane chooses what he wishes to spoof or parody on his series. (So it's not a mistake on his part). It's not what viewers wish they saw, It's what he chose to portray on his series.P&S.
justjeff LoveMETV22 8 months ago
Agreed. Viewers tend to make personal their favorite shows or characters. It's one thing to say "I wish Burt Ward had guested on Family Guy" and another to say "MacFarlane made a mistake"... As the old saying kinda-sorta goes... "When you are in charge you can make any changes you'd like to. In the meantime, I'm in charge"...
LoveMETV22 justjeff 8 months ago
And as some may have enjoyed seeing Burt Ward in a guest role ( meaning more than a few seconds) Seth MacFarlane and his team did feature Robin briefly in one episode:

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I like the show, as a semi-regular viewer. They do references to movies/TV shows, etc.... in cutaways on a regular basis if not nearly every episode.
justjeff LoveMETV22 8 months ago
My favorite episode is "The Search for Rupert" where they completely reanimated the scene from "Anchors Aweigh" where Gene Kelly dances with Jerry the Mouse and puts Stewie in Jerry's place.. fantastic! Another favorite is where Peter sings "Shipoopi" from "The Music Man"... grin:
LoveMETV22 justjeff 8 months ago
Glad Matt Groening (Simpsons) and Seth MacFarlane both chose to parody some of their material. It's neat when they also have those celebrities do the voice overs in those episodes.
MrsPhilHarris 8 months ago
My favourite Batman.
Adamtwelvia MrsPhilHarris 8 months ago
Mine too! THIS to me is the TRUE Batman! None of this dark, gritty, rated R crap! That's not MY Batman! My Batman is fun and somethong the family can enjoy
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Adamtwelvia 8 months ago
He's MY Batman, that's for sure! I just wish metv would air more eps besides the Main 4 villans. I haven't seen any eps with King Tut (he was always one of my favorites) or Mad Hatter, or Shame!
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