‘Ted’ Season 2’s Abortion Episode Is Way Edgier Than Its Banned ‘Family Guy’ Counterpart

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This article discusses abortion.

Seth MacFarlane is known for tackling sensitive topics in his comedies. While an episode of Family Guy was banned due to its controversial content, the second season of Ted explored similar themes and wasn’t censored. The Family Guy episode never aired in the United States, but Ted‘s season premiered on Peacock without any apparent objections from NBC.

Even when Family Guy tries to be shocking, its cartoon format often softens the impact of its jokes. Ted, being mostly live-action, doesn’t have that buffer, making its potentially offensive humor much more direct. Interestingly, Family Guy skipped an episode in June 2010 – fans could only see it on the DVD release. And despite debuting on BBC Three in the UK, Fox has never aired that episode in the US. There are a few possible reasons why NBC was more willing to show the Ted episode, though.

Ted’s Abortion Episode Is Significantly Darker Than ‘Family Guy’s “Partial Terms of Endearment”


Peacock

The Family Guy episode “Partial Terms of Endearment” tackles a surprisingly serious plot for an animated sitcom. Lois becomes a surrogate for a friend, but tragedy strikes when the biological parents die, leaving Lois to grapple with a difficult decision about the pregnancy. The episode balances comedy with this heavy subject matter, with Peter’s inconsistent reactions providing much of the dark humor. While Family Guy sometimes mixes comedy and drama, this episode leans more heavily into the dramatic side. In contrast, another sitcom, Ted, handles a similar accidental pregnancy with a barrage of intentionally uncomfortable jokes in its episode “Roe. Vs. Weed,” going much further with the humor than Family Guy does.

While “Roe vs. Weed” explores other plotlines, they all ultimately revolve around Blaire’s decision to have an abortion, even though she faces opposition. Despite the serious subject matter, the episode surprisingly ends on a feel-good note, reminiscent of a classic 90s sitcom like Ted. Given the limited public reaction to the episode, Fox may have overreacted when they initially prevented “Partial Terms of Endearment” from airing. Family Guy had previously and subsequently used abortion as a joke, suggesting that a full episode dedicated to the topic was where the network decided to draw the line.

Why ‘Ted’ Got Away With What ‘Family Guy’ Didn’t


Fox

Abortion remains a deeply sensitive topic in the US, and the debate hasn’t changed much even since the film “Partial Terms of Endearment.” The inclusion of anti-abortion protests in episodes of both “Family Guy” and “Ted” demonstrates this. The fact that “Ted” is set in the 1990s further highlights how long this issue has been discussed. However, it’s been almost 16 years since the controversial “Family Guy” episode was banned, and comedy has evolved. Comedians have consistently used current events as material, and abortion has been one of those topics for over a decade and a half. As a result, making jokes about what was once considered off-limits has become relatively common since 2010. Essentially, the film “Ted” isn’t offering any new comedic perspective on the subject – it’s just revisiting jokes that have already been made in various forms.

During a 2009 press event, Seth MacFarlane told The Hollywood Reporter he completely agreed with Fox’s choice not to broadcast the episode.

Both Family Guy and Ted were created by Seth MacFarlane, but they aired on different networks with different political leanings. Family Guy is on Fox, which generally leans right, while Ted aired on NBC, a typically left-leaning studio. Because of this, an episode of Family Guy dealing with a sensitive and controversial topic like abortion likely pushed the boundaries of what Fox was willing to air. NBC, with its different political perspective, was probably more comfortable with the same subject matter. It’s hard to know for sure, but the difference in how these episodes were handled likely comes down to a combination of these factors and more.

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2026-03-23 14:03