Watching the 11-minute pilot pitch for "Family Guy" (via VerbcideMag YouTube) is a neat history lesson into the series' origins. The pitch could be seen as a stripped-down version of "Death Has A Shadow," which was the debut episode of "Family Guy." The plot remains unchanged, as Peter gets too drunk at a party and, as a result, falls asleep at his job. There's even a "Brady Bunch" bit that feels similar to whenever the series humorously skewers the '70s sitcom. The pitch is also a bizarre peek into what could have happened with the designs. Some of the Griffins' clothes are much different compared to what they wear in the series.
But all of that seems so trivial when we look at Lois. In the pitch, gone are her trademark red hair and blue blouse. Instead, Lois is sporting blond hair and a red shirt. Much like the rest of the Griffins, the design was short-lived, as we got the family's appearance as we know it today as soon as the first official episode. It hasn't been officially stated why Lois went through the hair change, but it could be because MacFarlane didn't have much money or time for the pilot. While speaking in an interview for The Paley Center for Media, MacFarlane recalled that when executives at FOX gave him only $50,000 for the pilot, he worked on it for only six months, animating by hand. It definitely explains the pilot's rough-edged look compared to the rest of the series.
