Stewie Griffin's latest scheme? Total Emmy domination.
The braintrust behind TV's Family Guy has put up the notoriously evil baby genius and the rest of the Griffin clan in not one, but two categories this season, as part of a novel bid to earn recognition for the half-hour 'toon's writing and animation squads.
Mastermind Seth MacFarlane and his merry band of producers for the first time submitted Family Guy in the live-action, half-hour comedy category, setting up a potential showdown with the likes of The Office and My Name Is Earl.
According to Variety, the move does have its risks.
For starters, Emmy voters have never nominated a 'toon in the live-action field before because it would relegate the show ineligible in the animation category. But MacFarlane and the Family Guy folks dreamed up a nimble way to circumvent the rules.
Producers reclassified "Blue Harvest," a Star Wars parody that served as the 'toon's hourlong season premiere last fall, as a special. That would make it distinct from the series, which in turn would still be eligible in the animated-program field.
The double-down was permissible under rules set forth by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences permitting animated specials to be considered in the cartoon category.
It also makes Family Guy the envy of competitors like The Simpsons, whose creators had long sought a live-action comedy Emmy but had been unable to qualify.
Of course, there's no guarantee Family Guy will actually score a live-action nod when Emmy nominations are announced July 17.
If not, there's always next year, since MacFarlane is working on a sequel to "Blue Harvest," a "special" spoofing The Empire Strikes Back. And the Force works in mysterious ways.