Seth McFarlane’s odd humor upsets Microsoft

Seth McFarlane’s brand of humor on ‘Family Guy’ can ruffle some feathers, but his recent performance at a live comedy show gave the Microsoft posse a nervous reboot.

Seth, 36, and his comedy partner Alex Borstein were booked to present a comedy special, “The Almost Live Comedy Show” which Fox would then broadcast on November 8, with Microsoft’s sponsorship meaning the show could be broadcast ad-free.

But the pair’s choice of content almost gave the folks down from Redmond a fit!

Fox’s sponsorship deal with the Microsoft guys was announced late last month, as part of a multimillion-dollar package of corporate branding designed to plug Windows 7. At the taping on October 16, Seth and Alex [the voice of 'Lois'] made some mild, “Family Guy”-style jokes about deaf people, female hygiene and a few other choice targets and the Microsoft bubbas had soon heard enough.

“We initially chose to participate based on the audience composition and creative humor, but it became clear the content was not a fit with the Windows brand,” said a MS spokeswoman who clearly endures almost life-threatening retention.

His bosses sent several ‘notes’ to the comics, expressing concerns about content, but they finally decided just to walk out and sulk.

While this storm may be done, Redmond’s big-money schmooze-fest with Fox is not over yet; Apart from the comedy special, Variety says you can expect to see Windows 7 being pitched at you from all kinds of places, like Fox Sports, FX, and Hulu – plus a 12-week college tour sponsored by Fox’s well-practiced ‘Licensing and Merchandise’ tribe.

The re-cut show will now air – with an, as yet un-named sponsor  – on November 8th. And that’s  a good night for Seth as he’ll also see debuts of “American Dad,” “Family Guy” and “The Cleveland Show” — which all involve him.