Casting remains consistent with prior seasons—Seth MacFarlane voicing multiple characters, Alex Borstein as Lois, Mila Kunis as Meg, Seth Green as Chris—featuring no race-swapping, gender-swapping, or DEI-driven changes; incidental diversity like Joe Swanson (disabled Black cop) feels organic to the long-running animation without narrative emphasis. Themes center on family dysfunction, dark comedy, and parody (e.g., murder mystery in 'And Then There Were Fewer,' Santa exploitation in 'Road to the North Pole'), with minor political content limited to one episode, 'Excellence in Broadcasting,' where Brian temporarily adopts Republican views after meeting a Rush Limbaugh parody, clashing with Lois but ultimately played for laughs without endorsing systemic critiques or social justice activism.

Other episodes tackle abortion-adjacent surrogacy indirectly (though the direct episode is Season 8), addiction, porn scandals, and disability dynamics in 'The Hand That Rocks the Wheelchair,' but these provoke backlash for insensitivity, not wokeness. No creator interviews tie S9 to progressive intent; Seth MacFarlane's liberal leanings manifest in broad satire punching both sides. Reception is mixed, praising humor while criticizing edginess, with no notable 'go woke go broke' backlash—controversies stem from over-the-top offensiveness, reinforcing the show's anti-PC stance.