Family Guy said goodbye to two icons during production on Season 17: Carrie Fisher and Adam West, both of whom lent their voices to the animated comedy in numerous episodes over the years - West since Season 2 as Quahog's Mayor West, and Fisher since Season 4 as Angela, Peter Griffin's boss at Pawtucket Brewery.
Because Family Guy's episodes take so long to produce, the show paid tribute to Fisher shortly after her death by dedicating its midseason premiere to her in January 2017, but didn't address her absence on-screen until this year's Dec. 9 episode, "Pawtucket Pete," which revealed that Angela had died from going swimming 20 minutes after eating.
The scene begins in typically flippant Family Guy fashion, with Peter using lines from memorable TV theme songs to eulogize Angela, from Friends to Sanford and Son - but his speech soon turns heartfelt, as it becomes clear that creator and star Seth MacFarlane isn't talking about the fictional character anymore, but Fisher herself: "That was Angela: fearless, spontaneous, honest about herself, just as much as she was about the world around her. She had grace, courage, and an unmatched zest for life. She may be gone, but her voice will live on in DVD and Hulu Plus and tiny droid-projected messages. I may have lost a boss, but heaven has gained a princess.”
Before Season 17 began, executive producer Rich Appel shared the difficulties of moving on without the two actors with IGN: "In every way, they’re irreplaceable," he said, but in the case of Fisher, "you still have your hero working and you need to have a supervisor for him in some way. We thought by bringing in a married couple played by Bryan Cranston and Niecy Nash, that would be very distinct from the character Carrie played and the kind of relationship she had with Peter. There’s an entirely new relationship between Peter and that couple. We want to honor Carrie by thinking you don’t bring in another female boss with her characteristics and the dynamic she had with Peter. But it was tough, because she was a part of the show for so many years.”
As for West, who died in June 2017, Appel said the challenge of choosing a replacement mayor was still weighing on the writers: "We’re kind of of the mindset right now that mayors retire, mayors die, mayors lose elections, but we haven’t really figured out a way to replace him. What we’ve done is figured out a way to honor him in this coming season. We’ll be changing the name of the high school to 'Adam West High.'" That episode has yet to air, but will debut sometime this season.
Watch Family Guy's tribute to Fisher here, and for more on Family Guy, check out our review of the Season 17 premiere and our list of the Top 25 adult animated series:
