Matt Groening doesn’t think so:
“At the beginning, there was probably some competition going on” between “The Simpsons” and “Family Guy,” he says. “But certainly not from me.
“I know how hard it is to do an animated TV show. [‘Family Guy’ creator] Seth MacFarlane is a good friend. And ‘Family Guy’ is funny. It’s got its own style. The more the merrier. I want more cartoons on TV,” Groening says.
MacFarlane had some nice things to say about The Simpsons, too:
“You could almost say ‘The Honeymooners’ or subsequently ‘All in the Family’ laid down the ground rules — everything structurally — for a live-action sitcom.
“And I think it’s the same thing for ‘The Simpsons’ regarding subsequent animated shows. They reinvented the process. A lot of things worked. So of course you’re gonna use that as a springboard.”