There was a time when Family Guy not only had significant cultural clout, but was considered a legitimately dominant force in the cultural ethos of the era, a series that was often quoted, copied, and generally admired for its off-the-cuff humor, its sensitivity to pressure. buttons and delivers a relentless barrage of quick jokes. He emerges from his colossal shadowThe Simpsons, Family Guy became one of the defining shows of the 2000s, often making headlines for its willingness to push the boundaries of taste, decency, and offense.
It's a shame to see that today is Family Guyat the animal shelter, accused of being out of touch and out of time, but bravely limping along as a shadow of his former self. The thing about Seth MacFarlane's animated comedy is that at one point it really seemed like it was onto something special, taking the "one man and his family" format to surreal and often hilarious places. It may not be what it once was, but looking at this list of the best Family Guy episodes, it's clear that this sleazy star had a lot to love from the get-go.
The best episodes of Family Guy
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20. The guy from The Simpsons, parts 1 and 2 – Season 13, episodes 1 and 2
"Oh, I guess we're in a town called Springfield."
“Springfield, huh? What situation?"
"I can't imagine we're allowed to say that."
The Simpsons Guy is such a weird episode of TV that it's almost like watching the cast of Glee perform a song and dance routine on an episode of NCIS. Family Guy may have been constantly criticized for being nothing more than a pale imitation of one of thebest cartoon shows of all time, but what the final crossover ultimately proved was just how different the two creations really are. The premises may be similar, but the tone and execution certainly aren't.
To use a musical analogy, Family Guy is like Gilbert and Sullivan. Bolder, more accessible and more direct, it often looks and feels like something more substantial, but rarely reaches the rarefied range of what might be called high art. The Simpsons, on the other hand, is (or at least was) a concerto or an opera, a multi-layered work that only unravels upon closer examination and is appreciated by everyone from slavish to insider. Except, unlike opera, people actually watch The Simpsons.
This all sounds pretty negative for what's supposed to be a list of the best Family Guy episodes of all time, but it's worth remembering that sometimes television is important for what it stands for, not just what it does. . Plus, there are moments where, amid the odd tonal discord, everything falls into place, like when Peter and Homer clash in an undeniably slick fight sequence, or when the residents of Quahog and Springfield attend a court hearing for intellectual property theft . (piece, piece ) and the status of each city. the corresponding character isplaced next to itits counterpart.
Love it or hate it, as a television event, The Simpsons Guy is a piece of cultural history. Or at least it would have been if it had been released 15 years earlier.
19. Not All Dogs Go to Heaven - Season 7, Episode 11
"You need the bowling shoes!"
“Why exactly can't I wear loafers? What is the danger there?
It's rare for a cartoon's "B" story to overshadow its main "A" plot, but that's the case with episode 11 of Family Guy's strong seventh season asStewie's kidnappingof the Star Trek: The Next Generation cast ends up overshadowing Meg's efforts to convert Brian to Christianity.
Let's be clear: Both yarns are extremely funny and somehow co-exist in the same 22-minute frame despite their wildly different subjects. Meg's indoctrination at the hands of Kirk Cameron's preaching of the divine is a great satire of how vulnerable people can be fooled by any form of indoctrination, but it's a plot that loses prominence to Stewie's star-studded adventures. Seth MacFarlane's favorite sci-fi shows.
Everything about the Next Generation subplot works wonderfully as Stewie, initially smitten by the likes of Patrick Stewart (always a good value), LeVar Burton and Will Wheaton soon becomes the raging guardian of a group of feuding man-boys who refuse to give it. one chance. Moment of calm. It's a perfectly executed twist when the venerable cast of actors distracts a little baby and, in terms of pure comedic value, it makes for one of the best Family Guy episodes of all time.
18. The Fat Man's Strangler – Season 4, Episode 17
"Whoa, right on the kiss!"
Sometimes it's hard to figure out exactly why an episode works or why it doesn't. A story in which Peter founds the NAAFP (National Association for the Advancement of Fat People) feels like a satire on structured victimization for a group trying to gain the same social status as a truly oppressed population, but it's hard not to sympathize with her. . of Peter and his companions when they are hunted by a serial killer with a strange hatred for older knights.
That figure turns out to be Patrick Pewtershmitt, Lois's long-lost brother, who has been committed to an asylum after a series of gruesome murders. Voiced by none other than Robert Downey Jr. before reviving his career as Tony Stark, Patrick is an excellent character whose silent hatred of all things makes him a strangely compelling figure in contrast to the loudmouthed Peter and relatives the brothers.
The Fat Guy Strangler is a strange episode, very strange, even by Family Guy standards, to the point that its paper synopsis only underlines the completely unusual premise it actually is, but the end result is an effective and surreal game that resists repeat viewings thanks to its morbid sensibilities and unerring commitment to its dark premise.
17. Death Is A Bitch – Season 2, Episode 6
"Because if humanity discovers that I no longer lurk in the shadows, the consequences will be dire."
"Follow…"
"That's it. What the hell do you see in him?"
Family Guy used to do cameos really, really well. In fact, it's no exaggeration to say that many of the show's best episodes stand out on the strength of one-off or non-recurring appearances by some truly remarkable talent. James Woods is the obvious example, but the late great Norm Macdonald proved equally adept at stealing the show as the sarcastic and mean personification of death.
Death's subsequent appearances, all voiced by the extremely capable Adam Corolla, are always a treat, but Macdonald was the first to make the character shine. Lazy, sarcastic and completely unmoved by his gruesome calling, Death is far from the macabre specter that haunts mankind and, as he puts it, lurks in the shadows waiting to fulfill his grim tasks.
Macdonald's acting career never reached its legendary status as a comedian (have you seen Screwed?), but the old hunk of coal could pull it out of the bag when necessary. It's a shame the show didn't use him more, but the Canadian comedian appeared in a later episode of Family Guy as himself, as well as a recurring role on Seth MacFarlane's The Orville as Yaphit, the gelatinous green mechanic.
16. Brian and Stewie – Season 8, Episode 17
“Do you want to kill yourself? Well, I think that's very selfish of you.''
"How is that selfish?"
“What would I do if you weren't here, hmm? You're the only one who makes my life bearable."
When the eighth season came out, Family Guy was on the verge of decline. The rot wasn't evident when the 2009 series debuted, but a gradual slide into cheap comedy was inevitable, even if no one at the time was fully aware of the impending decline.
as it was debatablealso the caseWith The Simpsons, the show peaked just before sliding down the other side of the metaphorical mountain. Season 8 is full of excellence, from Road to the Multiverse to Peter-Assment, with Brian and Stewie standing out as a quiet gem that deserves more credit. taking the form aclassic episode of the bottleBrain and Stewie lock their two clients in a bank vault and watch them explode, reunite and ultimately strengthen their relationship.
Because, let's be honest, the kinship between an alcoholic talking dog and a psychotic upper-class baby has always been at the heart of Family Guy. The episode isn't perfect, often distracting viewers with lazy vulgarity and enough shock humor to undermine its message, but when Brian and Stewie finally start to turn the proverbial gun and confess their true love for each other, everything falls into place. It turns out that when the poop jokes backfire, the show finally has a heart.
15. McStroke - Season 6, Episode 8
"Peter, my love, how are you feeling?"
“Hey, I've had better days, Lois. I've had better days."
McStroke was somewhat divisive among television critics when it first aired in early 2008. While some dubbed itlazy, rude and offensive(not the first time Family Guy has resisted such accusations), others saw it as acrazy highlightfrom the sixth season of the series.
When Peter saves the life of a fast food restaurant owner, he is given a lifetime of free hamburgers, only for patriarch Griffin to consume thirty in one go and suffer a massive stroke, paralyzing half his body and turning his life into chaos. . misery. A local stem cell research center miraculously repairs the damage, allowing Peter to launch a legal crusade against the local burger joint for negligence.
It's all funny, fun stuff, but the episode's biggest strength is its B-story, where Stewie poses as a high school student named Zac Sawyer to prove how easy it is to be one of the popular kids these days. Stewie has always been one of the main reasons for Family Guy's success, whether in his psycho Rex Harrison mode or his mid-season camp incarnations. His imagination of what constitutes social acceptance in the mid-2000s (saying everything is "stupid" and wearing "long-sleeved shirts over short-sleeved shirts") really makes the episode shine.
14. Stewie Kills Lois / Lois Kills Stewie – Season 6, Episodes 4 & 5
"Stevie, how long have you been this messy and mean?"
“Oh, now you're into Stewie? Last week when I did this spaghetti photo of an owl, you didn't give a damn!
Remember a time when Stewie's character was almost the raison d'être of wanting to kill his mother? Very prevalent in the early seasons and more and more in the background as things progressed, the baby genius's desire to see Lois six feet underground faded as he himself softened more and more over time.
While the soccer-headed would-be assassin probably still wanted to kill his oppressive matriarch, he certainly succeeded in the hundredth episode, a two-part cinematic treat in which Stewie finally makes good on his many threats and promises. . Completely unusual and an incredibly enjoyable departure from the usual Family Guy format, both parts are hugely satisfying departures that come together to feel like a proper TV event.
No cinematic action gets in the way of real comedy. All the usual jokes, snipe and hidden cultural references are there to keep things moving along and keep fans satisfied in the long run. Peter's forays into dating and Chris's ignorance of his mother's apparent death areespecially rewarding jokes.
13. Three Wise Men – Season 7, Episode 15
“Andy Dufresne, the man who crawled through a river of feces and came out clean on the other side. I'll never know why he chose enchilada night.'
The anthology episodes are murky waters. Most long-running cartoons end up relying on a couple now and then, either to keep things fresh or, perhaps more likely, as something to fall back on when the creative well occasionally runs dry. The Simpsons and Futurama have done them in their various guises, usually with some success, while Family Guy has also dabbled in non-canonical trilogies as a break from the usual.
Best of all is Three Kings, a trilogy of different versions of three classic Stephen King film adaptations: Stand By Me, Misery and The Shawshank Redemption. Each has its own merits, and each clearly has some degree of love and reverence for its source material, a select trio that each bring something slightly new to the table, be it fantasy, horror, or redemption over the old.
The most impressive thing about Three Kings is the direction of each mini music. Modern cartoons can veer into the realm of the soulless, especially since the art of hand-drawing has fallen out of fashion, but Three Kings, like Family Guy's intergalactic Star Wars pasties, always offers a movie feel. .
12. Backfired – Season 4, Episode 6
"Peter, I'm not retarded, I'm disabled."
"Okay, now you're just splitting hairs."
There is nothing more provocative than a story with this title that delves into a subject that, in reality, walks a fine line between satire and outright mockery. Call an episode Petarded and you'll have to be very careful that you and your audience know exactly which way the bread is spread.
However, this was a much better time for Family Guy and the writers almost escaped unscathed. Peter's arrogance after winning the children's version of Trivial Pursuit inflates his ego so much that he thinks he's a genius, only for a McCarthur Fellows scholarship application to reveal that he has a learning disability.
The Backfired joke isn't really at the expense of the differently abled or the less educated. Instead, the whole joke is based on the premise that Peter is taking advantage, intentionally or not, of the extra attention and support he's getting, not to mention the social taboos he can now break as a result of his diagnosis or the initial humiliation he's endured. as a result he thinks of himself as a genius but turns out to be the opposite.
And say what you will about his use of cuts from Family Guy, hisMordaza de Hiroshimaremains one of the best diversion pieces in the show.
11. The Thin White Line – Season 3, Episode 1
“Wow Brian, did you lose weight? You must tell me your secret."
“Here's a clue. Put down the fork!
When you're writing a list of the best Family Guy episodes, it's hard not to start each entry with "there was a time" or "remember when the show did that?" while longing for the better days of those faded years when the world seemed brighter and the show was undeniably better. The Thin White Line is a case in point, an episode that isn't so much frivolous or cynical as it is about the personal growth of one of its main characters.
In The Thin White Line, Brian takes a job as a sniffer dog as he searches for more purpose and meaning in his life, a role that eventually leads him to become a drug addict in need of serious help. Look, real character exploration. Remember that;
Things slow down a bit when Brian visits a rehab center in the third act, a diversion that's less interesting than his exploits as a border cop, but gives Griffin the dog a chance to find himself again with something very... I needed introspection and development. When Brian defends Peter after the latter is accused of being a bad influence, it's a touching moment that you simply wouldn't find in a modern day outing.
10. I Dream of Jesus - Season 7, Episode 2
"There seems to be an absence of any ornithological piece. A title about mass awareness of a particular variety of birds.
"What are you talking about?"
“Oh, didn't you hear? I understood that everyone had heard.
Family Guy's impact on mid-2000s culture was arguably quite large. It wasn't always profound social commentary, but there really was a time when performance was legitimately a dominant force in the pre-mimic era of culture. In fact, if we had such a thing as viral "memes," dozens of them sprung from clips of Seth MacFarlane's animation creation.
Few were as notorious as theThe Surfin' Bird version of the series, The Trashmen's surf rock hit that once again exploded into the psyche of the impressionable teenage community around the world thanks to I Dream of Jesus. When Peter rediscovers the hit when it's accidentally played at a '50s-themed dinner party, his obsession with the record leads the rest of the Griffin clan to destroy it to preserve their collective sanity.
The premise of the episode actually leads to Peter meeting Jesus, our Lord and Savior, who took a job at a local music store (remember that?) to keep a low profile, but even the Son of God can't face up. the power of a viral phenomenon. In an episode starring Jesus Christ himself, the main attraction is the constant replay of a 60s breakthrough record.
9. Meet the Quagmires - Season 5, Episode 18
"Hey, did you hear on the news that President Gore hunted down and killed Osama Bin Laden with his bare hands?"
Time and dimensional travel have always been Family Guy's forte. While it would normally be the youngest member of the Griffin clan who would be powering up one of their various high-tech gadgets in anticipation of a high-concept adventure with his trusty sidekick Brian, Meet the Quagmires instead turns the spotlight on Peter to find out what would happen next.. If he had never asked Lois to the dance when they were both wide-eyed eighteen-year-olds.
Heavily influenced by Back to the Future, Meet the Quagmires has fun not only exploring what life was like in the 1980s, when many Family Guy regulars were still hip teenagers, but also seeing what life would have been like. if Peter had done the wrong thing. options with Lois' ditch and Cleveland's party. The fact that Peter, of course, consistently fails to learn his lesson and accepts Lois's date invitation is one of the best running gags of the episode.
The last joke, on his part, is a big reference tooriginal gag filmabout Chuck Berry's Johnny B. Goode writing, reworked for Brian to singI will never give up on youAnd Rick Astley's cousin Marvin calls his relative to say he's found the "generic average sound" he's been looking for.
8. Da Boom – Season 2, Episode 3
"OMG, they're eating Asian reporter Trisha Takanawa!"
"That's crazy, they'll be hungry in an hour."
The third episode of Family Guy's second season goes nuclear as 2000 fears loom large for Americans around the world. Released in late 1999 and set on the eve of the new millennium, Da Boom sees Peter worry about the end of the world to the embarrassment of his family. However, in a strange twist of fate, Peter's powers of prediction prove accurate and the year 2000 does indeed materialize, leaving Quahog and the entire United States plunged into a post-apocalyptic nightmare.
Da Boom stands on its own, but it also introduced a number of notable firsts for the show. For starters, the episode is the first to feature Mila Kunis as the voice of Meg since Lacey Chabert left. It is also notable for the first chicken race, a run that would become a staple over the years and a firm fan favorite.
Da Boom also boasts a fantastic live-action ending, which recreates theinfamous comebackby Bobby Ewing of Dallas with the original cast and scenery but with new dialogue referring to the events of Da Boom.
7. Peter's Got Woods - Temporada 4, Episode 11
"Oh, a candy!"
That Hollywood actor James Woods would become one of the best recurring jokes on Family Guy is something few could have predicted when the fourth season debuted in 2005. That's especially true when you consider that most of target audience of the program you probably weren't particularly familiar with. featuring the work of Any Given Sunday star, Contact orVideodromo.
However, Woods' unparalleled performance as a warped version of himself cemented Peter's Got Woods as an all-time great episode, with the actor's relationship with Peter faltering as the pair's blossoming friendship soon turns decidedly sinister. As for the end of the episodes, theTribute to Raiders of the Lost ArkIt's probably right up there with the most memorable of all.
Woods would return to the role several times during the Family Guy run, with each visit usually being a season highlight whenever the Once Upon a Time in America star appeared in animated form. Season 6's "Back to the Woods" is particularly funny, but "Brian Griffin's House of Payne," "And Then There Were Lewer" and "Tom Tucker: The Man and His Dream" all have hilarious cameos from Woods.
6. Road to Rhode Island – Season 2, Episode 13
“We're on our way to Rhode Island! We are having the time of our lives!
Seth MacFarlane rarely keeps his adoration for all things music hall to his TV shows. Even episodes of his latest space sci-fi project, The Orville, render all things musical, but his early work was full of references and homages to what he considers "classics" in musical film.
Any excuse to go on a Road To adventure, you can bet you'll take advantage. Taking a lot of inspiration from the "Road to" series.wacky adventure comediesStarring Bing Crosby and Bob Hope, Road to Rhode Island captures the spirit of the films that inspired it with adorable ease. When Brian offers to pick Stewie up from his vacation at his grandparents' house in Palm Springs, the pair end up missing their flight and having to embark on a cross-country adventure to get home safely.
The good thing about Rhode to Road Island is that it manages to function as a fairly brilliant pastiche and simple piece of musical film, mocking its source material just enough without ever being so referential as to alienate casual viewers. How many 14 year olds know who Bing Crosby is?
5. And Then There Were Less – Season 9, Episode 1
"If anyone's gonna beat this bitch, it's gonna be me."
Agatha Christie parodies are everywhere. The classic murder spoof has been killed off in almost all media and is in danger of becoming stale, but a good spoof has the potential to remind us why so many shows keep revisiting one of fiction's greatest criminals. as a source of inspiration or pastiche. When done right, it can definitely be effective.
The thing about And Then There Were Fewer is that it really understands its source material. There's plenty of Family Guy's penchant for silliness, but the writers' acknowledgment of the bleak darkness of Christie's original text means the feature-length episode manages to evoke some feelings of genuine dread and terror.
It's also a story that seems to have a lot riding on it. The possibility of one of the Griffins being on the wrong end of a nasty accident is always out of the question (except for Meg), but with secondary characters being dispatched left and right, it can be hard not to feel some degree of emotional investment when his sword Damocles hanging over the head of some potential tertiary victim.
4. Harvest Blue – Season 6, Episode 1
"Hi, I'm Darth Harrington of the Moon Base and Intergalactic Proton-Powered Electric Tentacle Advertising Droid Emporium!"
Recreating the entire original Star Wars trilogy in one three-part episode is a pretty bold move when you think about it. Or it's lazy and cheap and evidence of the decline of original ideas. It depends who you ask.
Whatever the motivations behind Blue Harvest, later followed by Something, Something, Something Dark Side and It's A Trap!, the end result is a series of parodies that do what parodies are supposed to do. they show a clear respect for the source material while pointing out some of its clear shortcomings and points of mockery.
Star Wars fans will obviously get more out of Blue Harvest than regular moviegoers, especially when Alec Sulkin and co. Look for more specific references to Lucas' famous space saga, but there's still enough humor that regular viewers won't feel completely alienated. For its ambition and scale alone, Blue Harvest deserves a spot on this list of the best Family Guy episodes.
3. Back to the pilot – Season 10, Episode 5
“Oh my god, what's wrong with Meg's voice? Sounds like someone who is about to miss a big opportunity.''
Family Guy used to do time travel quite well, and the love of the genre is on display once again in Back to the Pilot, the fifth episode of the tenth series in which Brian and Stewie travel to the late 90s so Brian is able to retrieve an old tennis ball buried in the garden, only for things to go wrong when he messes with the space-time continuum.
Back to the Pilot works because of its relentless self-awareness. Seeing Brian and Stewie meet their former selves isn't so much about how the pair react to their previous incarnations in the story, but how they react to how the show previously portrayed them. Jokes like Brian asking "what? You had treasure with you?" when Season 1's Stewie shouts that he's going to escape the "Ovarian Bastille" is great meta-commentary, as is the pair's disgust and confusion at the various errors and malfunctions of the show's previously rather rickety animation.
Then there's the more controversial side of Back to the Pilot, which raises the idea that preventing 9/11 would have left the United States worse off than if it had simply been allowed to happen. Yes, it seems harsh at first, but the idea that Bush couldn't capitalize on post-9/11 terror fears to win a second term as president shows that some of the Family Guy writers still have some degree of satire. awareness. The idea that Bush gets re-elected only through exploitation is solid satire, but the real humor comes from the episode's depiction of aPost nuclear world in 3Dcaused by the dire consequences of the current American Civil War.
2. PTV – Season 4 Episode 14
“Gentlemen, we have received 20 calls regarding the David Hyde Pierce incident. And as you know, one call is equal to one billion people, which means 20 billion people were affected by it.”
There was a time, way back in the recesses of the past, when Family Guy was a satirical force for good. During the simpler times of the mid-2000s, what was most deserving of ridicule was the over-censorship of mainstream, reactionary heads and top government agencies, with Seth MacFarlane's seemingly offensive animation defending itself as the show that she pinched her nose happily. of men in suits who refused to acknowledge the presence of genitalia, bodily functions or non-Christian gods.
The worst part of this satirical fury was the Federal Communications Commission, or FCC, which was heavily criticized as humorless corporate types who, not only content to ban anything of interest from television, but eventually go crazy and try to hide these aspects of reality. lives they consider corrupt.
Funniest of all is Peter's reaction to all this over-the-top originality when the Griffin patriarch sets up his own network as a way of circumventing the rules and regulations that now prevent the enjoyment of mainstream television, with Stewie.cheeky bastard”, filmed in front of a live studio audience in which someone (himself) proves to be a particular highlight, as is the episode.FFC's raucous musical number.
1. Road to the Multiverse – Season 8, Episode 8
"It's a great day for cake!"
Family Guy has often annoyed people. Fox's animated hit has come under increasing criticism for its declining quality, its reliance on cheap cuts, and for lacking the tone and spirit of what originally made the show so watchable. Even at its best, there were times when you wished it would shed its complacency and over-reliance on cynicism and childishness and be the show you knew it could be.
And then he does something like Road to the Multiverse and you can't help but forgive his transgressions and wish for that to remain the standard every week, while you suppress your rage because, alas, it doesn't. The fact that a show capable of doing Road to the Multiverse would also dump some of the last few seasons' watershed is just infuriating.
Road to the Multiverse is simply a treat from start to finish, showing all that Family Guy can be when the reels were really rolling. A playful adventure through several multiverses gives the episode a sense of endless possibilities, twelve canvases on which you can paint any picture or weave any story you can think of.
With musical numbers, amazing animation, some of the best jokes of the season, boundless imagination, and plenty of honesty and heart rooted in its central duo, Road to the Multiverse is the best of Family Guy condensed into 22 minutes. HeDisney-style reinventionLife on Quahog is a standout, but it's the heady overall effect that ranks Road to the Multiverse as the best Family Guy episode of all time, in this universe or any other.
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