‘It Insists Upon Itself’: Family Guy Creator Seth MacFarlane Explains One of the Show’s Most Iconic Quotes, Nearly 20 Years Later

Andy Swift

22 January 2025 at 12:56 pm·2-min read

Even if you’ve never seen one of Family Guy‘s 400+ episodes, there’s a good chance you already know that Peter Griffin did not care for The Godfather. In fact, he’d go so far as to say that Francis Ford Coppola’s 1972 classic “insists upon itself.”

That’s because one of the show’s most iconic scenes — in which the Griffin family gets into a heated exchange about movies while the room slowly fills with water — remains one of the show’s most viral moments, still regularly shared online nearly two decades after the episode’s original airing.

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The clip most recently resurfaced this past week, with TikTokers using the audio to express some of their own controversial opinions ahead of what was supposed to be the app’s official banning. (The ban has since been extended by 75 days.)

Seth MacFarlane, who created Family Guy and voices several of the show’s most popular characters (including Peter), took to X on Tuesday to offer some insight into the evergreen audio.

“Since this has been trending, here’s a fun fact: ‘It insists upon itself’ was a criticism my college film history professor used to explain why he didn’t think The Sound of Music was a great film,” MacFarlane wrote. “First-rate teacher, but I never quite followed that one.”

Since this has been trending, here’s a fun fact: “It insists upon itself” was a criticism my college film history professor used to explain why he didn’t think “The Sound of Music” was a great film. First-rate teacher, but I never quite followed that one. pic.twitter.com/v7Yo4eHa93
— Seth MacFarlane (@SethMacFarlane) January 21, 2025

As TVLine recently reported, Family Guy will return for Season 23 on Sunday, Feb. 16. It will initially air at 8/7c, kicking off the Animation Domination block for six weeks, before moving to 8:30 pm on Sunday, March 30.

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