Whether or not 'Family Guy' has fallen to the same ills that plague 'The Simpsons' is up for debate, but one thing's for sure - having Adam West in the cast as the mayor of Quahog was an inspired bit of casting.
For one, Adam West was undoubtedly one of the most naturally funny people out there. He didn't even have to be telling a joke for it to be funny. Christ, him describing how much he likes taffy was enough to have you in a fit of giggles for five minutes.
Anyway, West sadly passed in 2017 and since then, 'Family Guy' and the fictional town of Quahog has been without a mayor worthy of the title - until now, that is. Sam Elliott, he of 'Tombstone', 'Road House', 'The Big Lebowski', and 'A Star Is Born', is set to take on the role.
Intriguingly, Sam Elliott won't be playing himself in the role. Instead, he'll be playing Adam West's cousin, aptly named Wild Wild West. Per an interview with EW, 'Family Guy' executive producer Alec Sulkin revealed that the plan was to cast him as himself, but Elliott was reluctant to take the part.
"He just felt like he didn’t want to play himself. Which made us go back thinking, 'Well, all right, is there someone else?' And we thought, 'Wait a minute, that note is a smart note. Because that was more what Adam West was doing. And the new mayor shouldn’t be another real-world celebrity playing himself within our fictional world. So we kicked around a bunch of ideas and then said, 'What if we refashion this as Wild West for Sam Elliott and create this new character?' And he responded very well to that idea."
Elliott, naturally, has a varied career and even had a one-line joke as himself in 'Family Guy', but will be playing a role that's quite similar to who we understand as Sam Elliott. Basically, a baritone-voiced dude with a stetson, a prominent moustache, and an air of quiet authority about him.
The new episodes of 'Family Guy' will begin airing in the US on September 27th.
