Seth MacFarlane created a short film entitled "The Life of Larry" while studying at the Rhode Island School of Design.

It featured a middle-aged slob named Larry Cummings, his cynical talking dog, Steve, wife Lois, and pudgy teenage son Milt.

The film begins with a live-action segment where MacFarlane, as himself, briefly describes the show and its characters.

The film includes many of the same gags that would appear in the first few episodes of Family Guy, such as the Star Trek parody in "I Never Met the Dead Man".