Family Guy Episode Guide

Family Guy Episodes

The most hilarious animated sit-com since The Simpsons, Family Guy revolves around the Griffin family and their madcap adventures. The Griffin household includes two teenagers, a cynical dog who is smarter than everyone else, and a megalomaniacal mutant baby who makes numerous attempts to eradicate his parents and siblings. Heading up this eclectic household is Peter Griffin. Peter does his best to do what's right for the family, but along the way, he makes mistakes that are the stuff of legends.

Season 1: 1999

Death Has a Shadow: Original Air Date: 04/06/99

After getting fired from his job at the toy factory for putting hazardous material in the toys while suffering a hangover, Peter signs on to welfare, though he gets much more than he expected. Meanwhile, Stewie's matricidal tendencies are born.
I Never Met the Dead Man: Original Air Date: 04/11/99

While driving Meg home from her driver's test, Peter crashes into the town's cable TV transmitter and promises Meg she'll get a car of her own if she takes the blame for it. Stewie goes to war against broccoli and builds a weather machine to destroy it.
Chitty Chitty Death Bang: Original Air Date: 04/18/99

Lois wants Stewie's first birthday party to be perfect, but complications arise: Meg ditches the party and unknowingly joins a cult; Stewie thinks the party's climax will be his reinsertion into the womb and acts accordingly.
Mind Over Murder: Original Air Date: 04/25/99

Stewie begins teething and builds a time machine to help pass the pain more quickly. Peter, under house arrest after punching a pregnant woman he thinks is a man, builds a bar in the basement, where Lois becomes a lounge singer.
A Hero Sits Next Door: Original Air Date: 05/02/99

Peter invites his new neighbor Joe Swanson to be a ringer for the company softball team, but is shocked to find that Joe is confined to a wheelchair. Meanwhile, Meg has trouble trying to connect with Joe's son, Kevin, and Stewie tries to commandeer Joe's wheelchair so he can rule the world.
The Son Also Draws: Original Air Date: 05/09/99

On their way to New York to redress Chris' dismissal from the Boy Scouts, the Griffins stop at an Indian casino, where Lois loses their car to a gambling machine. Back home, Brian becomes unintentionally addicted to the sitcom "One Day at a Time".
Brian: Portrait of a Dog: Original Air Date: 05/16/99

After being humiliated at a dog show, Brian runs away from home, but gets in trouble with the law because of his species. Meanwhile, the family buys a cat in an attempt to deal with Brian's possibly permanent absence.

Season 2: 1999-2000

Peter, Peter, Caviar Eater: Lois's Aunt Marguerite dies, leaving Lois and the rest of the family her posh summer home. Peter likes the place so much that he sells their house so that they could live there. Meanwhile, Brian trains Peter to be more sophisticated.
Holy Crap: Peter's devoutly religious father Francis comes to visit, where he insults Lois for being Protestant, accuses Chris of masturbating, and thinks Meg is a whore because of her crush on Joe's son.
Da Boom: In this dream episode, Peter's newly adopted fears of the Y2K bug are realized. Now the Griffins must find a Twinkie factory in order to stay alive and establish a new town. This episode features the first fight between Peter and the Giant Chicken.
Brian in Love: Stewie is being blamed for urinating all over the house and is made to learn how to use the toilet, but when the culprit turns out to be Brian, Brian seeks therapy about his accidents.
Love Thy Trophy: The neighbors fight over a trophy won for the best parade float, and the situation only worsens when the trophy ends up missing. Meanwhile, Meg takes a job at a pancake restaurant, where she lies to her boss and the patrons about being an unwed mother with a crack-addicted baby (Stewie) in order to earn more money for a Prada bag.
Death Is a Bitch: After a cancer scare, Peter gets out of paying a hospital bill by declaring that he's dead and gets a surprise visit from Death himself. However, Death injures himself while chasing Peter and is unable to do his job while he heals, which makes all of mankind immortal.
The King Is Dead: Lois is appointed the director of Quahog's theater company after the former director dies and appoints Peter the producer to keep him out of her way, but her plans to produce "The King and I" get uprooted when Peter wants to recreate the play.
I Am Peter, Hear Me Roar: After telling a sexist joke at work, Peter is sent to a women's retreat camp and comes back acting effeminate.
If I'm Dyin', I'm Lyin': When Peter's favorite TV show is cancelled, he pretends Chris is terminally ill so the "Grant-A-Wish Foundation" can get the show back on the air. When Chris doesn't die, however, Peter declares himself to be a healer.
Running Mates: Lois runs for President of the Quahog School Board, but Peter runs against her so he can bring back his favorite science teacher. Meanwhile, Chris becomes addicted to pornography.
A Picture is Worth a 1,000 Bucks: Chris's birthday painting to Peter lands the family in New York, where an art dealer wants Chris to be the next Andy Warhol.
Fifteen Minutes of Shame: After being embarrassed by her family during her slumber party, Meg brings them on a daytime talk show out of revenge, where a TV producer turns the Griffins' dysfunctional life into a reality show.
Road to Rhode Island: Brian volunteers to bring Stewie home from his grandparents' house in Palm Springs so Brian can visit the mother he was separated from when he was a puppy. Meanwhile, Peter becomes addicted to watching a collection of marriage counseling videos hosted by a porn star.
Let's Go to the Hop: When two kids get high off licking Colombian toads, several youths across Quahog start licking the toads themselves. Not wanting his own children to be put at risk, Peter goes undercover as a high school student to kick users off the habit.
Dammit Janet!: Lois gets a job as a flight attendant at Peter's request, who uses Lois's job position as a means to get free travel. Meanwhile, Stewie falls in love for the first time.
There's Something About Paulie: Peter buys Lois a new car, but ends up inadvertably putting a hit out on her when he makes friends with a member of the Mafia.
He's Too Sexy for His Fat: Chris becomes insecure about his weight, so Peter trains him with diet and exercise, but abandons his son's method of getting thin for plastic surgery. Meanwhile, Stewie, while trying to make Chris feel bad about his diet, eats too much starts to develop an eating disorder, which results in him just getting fatter and fatter.
E. Peterbus Unum: While confronting the mayor about zoning issues around his house, Peter discovers that his house isn't anywhere on the map, prompting him to secede his house from the rest of the United States, creating the country Petoria.
The Story on Page One: Meg signs up for the high school newspaper club as a college's requirement, but Peter puts her chances in jeopardy when he replaces her original article with one about Luke Perry's supposed homosexuality. Meanwhile, Stewie, sick of being patronized for his height, uses Chris to do his evil bidding.
Wasted Talent: Lois desperately searches for a talented piano player to beat her rival, Alexis, at an upcoming talent competition, finding one in the form of her husband, who can only play professionally when he's drunk.
Fore Father: Peter thinks his son won't amount to anything, so he gets him a job at a golf course. However, when Peter begins training Cleveland's son to be a pro golf player, Chris finds a father figure in Quagmire. Meanwhile, Stewie becomes paranoid after receiving a vaccination at the doctor's office.

Season 3: 2001-2002

"The Thin White Line" (1): In search of a thrill, Brian becomes a police dog, but gets addicted to cocaine and is sent to rehab after attacking a passenger at the airport.
"Brian Does Hollywood" (2): Brian moves to Los Angeles after his drug rehabiliation and inadvertently becomes a pornographic film director.
"Mr. Griffin Goes to Washington": The toy factory at which Peter works is taken over by a cigarette company who hires Peter as a lobbyist so they can create toys that encourage kids to smoke.
"One if by Clam, Two if by Sea": The Drunken Clam is turned into a British pub after a hurricane and it's up to Peter and his buddies to fight back. Meanwhile, Stewie tries to teach a crass British girl how to speak properly.
"And the Wiener is...": Peter is sure Chris will never beat him at any competition, but is taken aback when he discovers Chris has a bigger penis than he does. Meanwhile, Meg becomes a flag girl at school.
"Death Lives": On their wedding anniversary, Peter sends Lois on a scavenger hunt so he can go play golf at the Barrington Country Club. But when Peter gets struck by lightning, he goes on a near-death experience where he shows Death how he met Lois and tries to get Death a date.
"Lethal Weapons": Lois takes tae-jitsu lessons to fight back against the leafers (New York tourists) overtaking the town, but worries that her violence may be a bad influence on her family.
"The Kiss Seen Around the World": Channel 5 announces that they're hiring interns, and Meg, who has a crush on news anchor Tom Tucker, applies and is selected. Meanwhile, Stewie gets a tricycle--and fights back against a bully who wants it for himself.
"Mr. Saturday Knight": Peter's boss, Mr. Weed, dies during a dinner with the Griffin family. Now unemployed, Peter decides to live his dream of being a Renaissance fair jouster.
"A Fish out of Water": After nearly two weeks of unemployment, Peter decides to begin a new career as a fisherman, but faces problems when he has to pay off a boat loan. Meanwhile, Lois takes Meg to the beach for spring break, but Lois ends up having more fun than Meg.
"Emission Impossible": After delivering Lois's sister's newborn child, Lois and Peter decide to have another kid, prompting Stewie to do whatever he can to stop it.
"To Love and Die in Dixie": When a convenience store robber threatens to kill Chris for witnessing his crime, the family is taken into the witness protection program and moves to the deep South.
"Screwed the Pooch": The family visits the Pewterschmidts, where Peter becomes friends with Lois's father and Brian takes out all of his pent-up sexual energy on the Pewterschmidts' racing dog, Sea Breeze.
"Peter Griffin: Husband, Father...Brother?": While teaching Chris about his Irish heritage, Peter discovers that he has a black ancestor--who was a slave to Lois's family. Meanwhile, Stewie tries to learn mind control from the school cheerleaders.
"Ready, Willing, and Disabled": Peter trains Joe to compete in the Special People's Games, but gets left out when Joe becomes famous. Meanwhile, Chris, Meg, and Stewie find $26.00 in a money clip, but end up fighting over it while waiting for the owner to retrieve it.
"A Very Special Family Guy Freakin' Christmas": It's Christmas time in Quahog, where Lois goes berserk after her plans for a perfect Christmas blow up in her face and Stewie uses his role as the baby Jesus in the town play to be good for Santa.
"Brian Wallows and Peter's Swallows": Brian gets a DUI and is forced to care for a bitter, old woman who used to be a jingle singer. Meanwhile, Peter grows a beard and houses a family of baby birds.
"From Method to Madness": Stewie signs up for an acting class, where he's paired up with a stuck-up child star named Olivia. Meanwhile, Peter and Lois object to Meg dating a nudist.
"Stuck Together, Torn Apart": Peter and Lois are advised to go through a trial separation after Peter becomes jealous over Lois reuniting with her best friend from high school. Meanwhile, Stewie and Brian get stuck together after Stewie plays around with industrial-strength glue.
"Road to Europe" aka "European Road Show": Stewie becomes obsessed with a British kids' show and runs away to be part of the cast. Meanwhile, Peter and Lois go to KISS-Stock, where Lois reveals she knows nothing about the band.
"Family Guy Viewer Mail #1": Brian and Stewie host a special episode of Family Guy, featuring three stories created from viewer requests.
"When You Wish upon a Weinstein": Peter prays for a Jewish person to help him with his money woes, then gets the idea of converting Chris to Judaism so he'll be successful in life.

Season 4: 2005-2006

"North by North Quahog": Lois and Peter try to bring the spark back in their marriage and run afoul of Mel Gibson. Meanwhile, Brian and Stewie team up to discipline Chris after they catch him drinking vodka at a school dance.
"Fast Times at Buddy Cianci, Jr. High": Brian becomes a substitute English teacher, but is transferred to a class for troubled teens. Meanwhile, Chris is attracted to Brian's replacement teacher, who wants him to murder her husband so they can be together.
"Blind Ambition": Peter's ambitions to do something he can be remembered for ultimately costs him his eyesight. The Giant Chicken also returns in this episode, and he has a bone to pick with Peter.
"Don't Make Me Over": Meg gets the ultimate makeover in an attempt to boost her confidence which, along with her talented singing voice, causes the entire family to become a travelling band.
"The Cleveland-Loretta Quagmire": Loretta has an affair with Quagmire and leaves Cleveland because of how boring he is. Peter decides to teach Cleveland to express his emotions, which leads Cleveland to try and kill Quagmire out of revenge.
"Petarded": An IQ test reveals that Peter is mentally retarded. His condition is made public, and Peter initially feels like an outcast from society. However, he discovers all the perks that come with his fellow citizens' sympathy.
"Brian the Bachelor": Brian appears on the ABC reality show The Bachelorette thinking he won't win, but falls for the Bachelorette when he sees her true self. Meanwhile, Chris makes friends with a talking pimple on his face, who orders him to make mischief.
"8 Simple Rules for Buying My Teenage Daughter": Peter offers his daughter, Meg, to Mort Goldman's son, Neil, to pay off a tab at the pharmacy. Meanwhile, Stewie falls for a beautiful babysitter who has a boyfriend.
"Breaking Out is Hard to Do": Lois becomes a kleptomaniac and is sent to prison after she is busted for stealing a priceless painting. The Griffins can't stand life without her, so they break her out of jail and start life anew in "Asiantown."
"Model Misbehavior": Lois fulfills her lifelong dream of being a fashion model after appearing in her underwear in the newspaper. Meanwhile, Brian works on a pyramid scheme with Stewie to get money for tapeworm medication.
"Peter's Got Woods": Brian falls for an African-American teacher and petitions to have the name of the school changed just to please her. Peter feels uncomfortable about this and abandons Brian as his best friend in favor of James Woods.
"The Perfect Castaway": Peter and his friends get shipwrecked, prompting Lois to marry Brian under the assumption that Peter is dead. When Peter returns to the house, however, Lois can't help but have an affair with him.
"Jungle Love": Chris runs away from his horrible first day as a high school freshman and joins the Peace Corps. Meanwhile, Peter gets a job at the newly renovated Pawtucket Patriot Brewery.
"PTV": A "trouser malfunction" during an award show prompts the FCC to censor mildly objectionable content on TV, which in turn, prompts Peter to create his own TV station, filled with uncut, uncensored, and all-around obscene programming.
"Brian Goes Back to College": When it's revealed that Brian never finished college, Brian decides to return to obtain his last degree. Meanwhile, Peter and his friends start their own "A-Team" style rescue crew.
"The Courtship of Stewie's Father": Lois thinks Stewie's matricidal behavior is just a cry for fatherly attention, so she makes Peter bond with Stewie, although Peter and Stewie play cruel tricks on her instead. Meanwhile, Chris does chores for Herbert the Pervert after breaking his window.
"The Fat Guy Strangler": Peter starts an advocacy group for overweight men after the doctor tells him that he's fat. Meanwhile, Lois discovers that she has a brother who, after a traumatic experience involving Jackie Gleeson, is locked in a mental hospital and holds a grudge against the obese.
"The Father, the Son, and the Holy Fonz": After failing to find a religion he would want to follow personally, Peter starts his own religion based on his faith in Fonzie from Happy Days. Meanwhile, Stewie is stuck in a plastic bubble after being diagnosed with a weak immune system brought on by tainted holy water.
"Brian Sings and Swings": Brian sinks into a depression after survivng getting hit by a car, but finds a new lease on life as a back-up singer for Frank Sinatra, Jr. Meanwhile, Meg pretends to be a lesbian in order to make friends with a group of real teenage lesbians.
"Patriot Games": Peter becomes a player for the New England Patriots after displaying his charging skills, but Tom Brady becomes very uncomfortable with his showboating. Meanwhile, Stewie becomes a bookie and assaults Brian over an unpaid bet.
"I Take Thee Quagmire": Peter wins a free maid on Wheel of Fortune whom Quagmire wants to marry. Meanwhile, Stewie tries to cope when Lois weans him from her breast milk.
"Sibling Rivalry": Peter gets a vasectomy after a pregnancy scare from Lois, which puts a kibosh on Peter and Lois's sex life and Lois begins overeating and gets fat. Meanwhile, Stewie's sperm brother Bertram is born and fights a battle against Stewie.
"Deep Throats": Brian tries to uncover the true motive of why Mayor West is dating his intern, Meg Griffin. Meanwhile, Peter and Lois start doing drugs in the hopes of finding musical inspiration.
"Peterotica": After reading an erotica book that he thought was bad, Peter writes a collection of his own, leading to Lois's father, Carter, to lose his money.
"You May Now Kiss the...Uh...Guy Who Receives": Mayor West tries to ban gay marriage to divert attention from a bad investment he made with the taxpayers' money, prompting Brian to fight for the right of his cousin Jasper to get married and Chris to protest against gay marriage so he can feel up a conservative girl.
"Petergeist": Out of jealousy over Joe's new theater room, Peter decides to build a multiplex, but comes across an Indian skull, which causes a poltergeist to haunt the Griffin house.
"Untitled Griffin Family History": Meg is held captive by robbers during a burglary. Meanwhile, the rest of the family is stuck in a panic room and Peter tells stories of the many famous Griffins in the family.
"Stewie B. Goode (1)": After a near-death experience, Stewie tries to be nicer to his family and becomes an alcoholic. Meanwhile Peter gets a new job as an editorial reporter on the local news.
"Bango Was His Name Oh! (2)": Stewie and Brian join Quagmire on a cross-country trip as Stewie searches for a man on TV he thinks is his father. Meanwhile, Peter and Lois try to help Chris and Meg get dates.
"Stu and Stewie's Excellent Adventure (3)": Stewie goes 30 years into the future with his future self, Stu, who has given up his plans on world domination and killing Lois for a blue collar job.

Season 5: 2006-2007

"Stewie Loves Lois": Stewie becomes attached to Lois after she fixes his torn teddy bear, Rupert, though she doesn't take to his obsessive attitude too well. Meanwhile, Peter sues his doctor for giving him a prostate exam, which Peter mistakes for rape.
"Mother Tucker": Peter's mother gets divorced, which makes Peter feel very uneasy. However, he takes an interest with a new father figure in his mom's new boyfriend, Tom Tucker. Meanwhile, Brian and Stewie get their own radio show.
"Hell Comes to Quahog": After Peter blows all of Meg's car money on a tank for himself, Meg gets a job at a Wal-Mart-like supermarket. Although the store uses up most of the town's energy and puts other stores out of business, Peter gets a job there as well after discovering how fun it is there.
"Saving Private Brian": Stewie signs himself and Brian up to join the military, where they go through Boot Camp and are ultimately sent to Iraq. Meanwhile, Chris joins a goth band as an after-school activity, though Peter and Lois grow increasingly concerned with the darker attitude he develops.
"Whistle While Your Wife Works": After Peter severely injures his hand in a freak fireworks accident, Lois decides to help him with his work while he recovers Meanwhile, Stewie tries to convince Brian to break up with his new girlfriend, Jillian, after discovering she's an airhead.
"Prick Up Your Ears": Lois volunteers to teach sex-ed class, though she is soon replaced by another teacher who makes all the students take an abstinence pledge. This prompts Meg to find an interesting loophole for intercourse. Meanwhile, Stewie tries to capture the Tooth Fairy.
"Chick Cancer": Stewie ties the knot with his old friend Olivia, but their relationship quickly turns into a traditional marriage. Meanwhile, Peter is inspired to create his own chick flick after watching one with Lois.
"Barely Legal": Brian goes to the school dance with Meg after she can't find a date, eventually leading Meg to be absolutely obsessed with Brian. Meanwhile, Peter, Cleveland and Quagmire join the police force to help out Joe.
"Road to Rupert": Brian accidentally sells Stewie's teddy bear, Rupert, at a garage sale and gets dragged into helping Stewie find him. Meanwhile, Meg becomes Peter's personal chauffeur while Peter's licence is suspended.
"Peter's Two Dads": After his father dies, Peter discovers that his real father is a town drunk in Ireland. Meanwhile, Stewie begins to take pleasure in Lois using physical force to punish him.
"The Tan Aquatic with Steve Zissou": Peter beats up a bully who is harassing Chris, and ultimately decides to become a bully himself. Meanwhile, Stewie becomes obsessed with getting a tan, though he ends up getting a nasty sunburn and fears he's developed skin cancer.
"Airport '07": Quagmire decides to move in with the Griffins after losing his job at the airport. However, after overstaying his welcome and failing to find other jobs, Quagmire must rely on Peter, Cleveland and Joe's schemes to get his old job back.
"Bill and Peter's Bogus Journey": Peter befriends Bill Clinton, but his relationship with Lois becomes strained when Peter catches her in bed with the former President, prompting Lois to try and convince Peter to even the score. Meanwhile, Brian tries to potty-train himself.
"No Meals on Wheels": The Griffins open a restaurant, but have trouble attracting customers. However, when Joe brings his fellow wheelchair-bound friends in, Peter becomes extremely uncomfortable.
"Boys Do Cry": The Griffins flee to Texas after Stewie gets sick off the Communion wine and everyone in the congregation suspects he's possessed. Once there, the family seems to fit right in with their new home.
"No Chris Left Behind": Chris gets expelled from James Woods High and moves into a classy boarding school, where he has trouble fitting in. This episode once again pits Peter against Giant Chicken in yet another epic brawl, only this time there is a peculiar twist.
"It Takes a Village Idiot, and I Married One": Lois runs for Mayor of Quahog after complaining of the oil companies dumping waste into the lake, but the only way she can get people to listen to her is if she dumbs down her plans to make Quahog a better place.
"Meet the Quagmires": Death grants Peter's wish of going back in time to be 18 again for one night so that he can sow his wild oats. But when he discovers he has altered the present so that he's married to Molly Ringwald and Lois to Quagmire, he and Brian must try and fix the past.

Season 6: 2007-2008

"Blue Harvest": In this hour-long special episode of Family Guy, a power outage at the Griffin house prompts Peter to retell the story of Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, with several Family Guy characters recast as those from the film.
"Movin' Out (Brian's Song)": Brian moves in with his girlfriend Jillian, but Stewie tries to get Brian to start dating again by interfering with their relationship. Meanwhile, Meg gets a job at the convenience store, as does Chris, who befriends the manager.
"Believe it or Not, Joe's Walking on Air": Joe regains his ability to walk after a leg transplant. He decides to play extreme sports and spends most of his time with the athletic players, forsaking Peter, Quagmire, Cleveland and even his wife Bonnie in the process which, of course, doesn't sit too well with them.
"Stewie Kills Lois" (1): Stewie has reached the final straw with Lois after she leaves him behind on a cruise, and wants her dead now more than ever. After being challenged by Brian, Stewie goes on to carry out what may be the most diabolical plan he has ever concocted.
"Lois Kills Stewie" (2): Part 2 of 2

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The Family Guy Series at Amazon

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Family Guy, Vol. 1 (Seasons 1 & 2): Family Guy, Vol. 1
(Seasons 1 & 2)

To the ranks of shows too brilliant and outrageous for prime time (The Ben Stiller Show, Andy Richter Controls the Universe), add Seth McFarland's Family Guy. This animated series, which debuted after the 1999 Super Bowl, simply sparked too much controversy and offended too many sensibilities to survive (Entertainment Weekly dubbed it "the Awful Show They Just Keep Putting on the Air"). That the Fox network also played hackysack with its schedule, ensuring viewers would not be able to find it, sealed its fate (it was cancelled in 2002). This boxed set containing all 28 episodes from the first two seasons is payback for the show's devoted cult following, who may be moved to echo the words of infant Stewie Griffin, the megalomaniacal 1-year-old bent on matricide and world domination: "Victory is mine!"

The dysfunctional Griffins of Quahog, Rhode Island, invite comparisons to The Simpsons. The testicular-chinned father, Peter Griffin, is a clueless oaf in the Homer mold. "Peter, what did you promise me last night?" asks his long-suffering wife Lois in one episode. "That I wouldn't drink at the stag party," he replies. "And what did you do?" she asks. "Drank at the stag part--oh ho ho, I almost walked into that one," he cackles. Other family members include teenage daughter Meg, a desperate high school social pariah; 13-year-old son Chris, a chip off his father's blockhead; and Brian, the family's sarcastic talking dog. But this series' true inspiration is football-pated Stewie (voiced by McFarlane, who earned an Emmy), who was born to be a Bond villain once he escaped his mother's "ovarian bastille." Family Guy recklessly ventured where The Simpsons feared to tread. In one episode, Meg's one and only friend turns out to be the member of a suicidal cult. In another, Death (voiced by Norm McDonald) becomes an unwanted houseguest. Each episode plays fast and furious with surreal flashes (in one episode, Peter turns his house into a puppet) and pop-culture references and TV, movie, and commercial parodies that invite repeated viewings. Freed from its own family-hour bastille and the whims of dim network executives, Family Guy can be appreciated at last on its own profane, sacrilegious, and irreverent terms. Welcome to the DVD family, Griffins. --Donald Liebenson
Family Guy, Vol. 2 (Season 3): Family Guy, Vol. 2
(Season 3)

The third and final season of Seth MacFarlane's late, lamented Family Guy finds television's most dysfunctional cartoon family even more animated than usual. As MacFarlane notes in a bonus segment about the controversial series' censorship battles, he was inspired to go for broke, thinking that the series, already juggled like a hot potato in the schedule (at one point, it aired opposite the mighty Friends), had been cancelled. Just as Spinal Tap walked the fine line between "clever and stupid," so did Family Guy gleefully mock the line between "edgy and offensive." Case in point is this set's holy grail: "When You Wish Upon a Weinstein," not aired during the series' original run, in which clueless Rhode Island patriarch Peter Griffin is convinced that if his lumpen son is to be rich and successful, he must become Jewish.

Like The Simpsons, Family Guy lends itself to multiple viewings to catch each densely packed episode's way-inside "one-percenter" gags (so-called by the creators because that is the percent of the audience who will get them), scattershot pop-culture references, surreal leaps, and gratuitous pot shots at everyone from, predictably, Oprah, Kevin Costner, and Bill Cosby to, unpredictably, Rita Rudner. Also like their Springfield counterparts, this series benefits from a great ensemble voice cast, with surprising contributions from a no-less-stellar roster of guest stars. Yes, that's actually Kelly Ripa as her "real" self, a heart-devouring alien in "Family Guy Viewer Mail #1," and June Foray popping in as Rocky the Flying Squirrel in "Brian Does Hollywood." Family Guy's stock has recently risen with its addition to Cartoon Network's "Adult Swim" lineup, a much better fit than prime time. To see Peter invite Charles Manson to a party for Sharon Tate ("but only if you don't embarrass me") is to marvel how much of this ever got on the air. Happily, it is on DVD. --Donald Liebenson
Family Guy, Vol. 3 (Season 4, Part 1): Family Guy, Vol. 3
(Season 4, Part 1)

Family Guy lives! That's great news for the devoted fans who watched in record numbers the reruns on Cartoon Network and made the Family Guy DVDs bestsellers. It's bad news for Mel Gibson, Christina Aguilera, Justin Timberlake, Jimmy Fallon, Rob Schneider, Skeet Ulrich, Corey Haim, My Two Dads, and other pop-culture detritus this show's writers take infinite delight in kicking when they're down (or up, for that matter). The long, long, awaited fourth season begins with a bravado broadside at Fox, which canceled Family Guy in 2002. Peter Griffin (voiced by series creator Seth MacFarlane) recites a litany of 29 doomed replacement shows beginning with Dark Angel and ending with Greg the Bunny. From there, it's like the Griffins never left. The 13 episodes are just as dense with bodily function jokes, surreal nonsense, gratuitous pop-culture references (the more obscure, the better), and edgier gags that recklessly cross the line on any number of levels ("Maybe I was wrong about you," Jodie Foster says to John Hinckley in the episode, "Model Misbehavior." "Maybe I was wrong about all men.").

The new season rewards longtime viewers with appearances by such series icons as the Greased-Up Deaf Guy and the Evil Monkey in Chris's closet, and makes no concessions to newcomers to the show (who will no doubt be scratching their heads over the more than two-and-a-half-minute digression in "Blind Ambition," in which Peter's nemesis, the Giant Chicken, returns to continue the smackdown that started in the season 2 episode "Da Boom." In "World Domination: The Family Guy Phenomenon," one of the bonus features included on this three-disc set, MacFarlane proclaims these new shows to be "the best we've done." A bold claim, but often enough, one is laughing too hard to prove otherwise. One minute, Family Guy dazzles with inspired animation (In "Breaking Out Is Hard to Do," Chris reaches for a carton of milk at the supermarket and finds himself pulled in to A-ha's classic music video, "Take on Me"). The next, it's wallowing in vomit ("8 Simple Rules for Buying My Teenage Daughter"). In addition to the freewheeling episode commentaries, this set also includes a great bonus, excerpts of cast "table reads" of two episodes. Back to the "World Domination" featurette. MacFarlane states, "It's the first time since we've been doing (the show) that I think it's safe to say that we're here to stay for awhile." Are you listening, Fox? --Donald Liebenson
Family Guy, Vol. 4 (Season 4 Part 2): Family Guy, Vol. 4
(Season 4 Part 2)

Okay, let's get one thing straight right off the bat: Family Guy is not, never has been, and never will be, The Simpsons. Nor is it South Park, King of the Hill, or any one of a number of other shows on Adult Swim. But yes, it is in many ways a rip-off of those other shows (especially The Simpsons; let's not even pretend otherwise). But so what? By now, you either think the show's funny, or you don't, and the derivativeness either bothers you, or it doesn't. Volume 4 is likely to just cement your feelings one way or the other, because this collection features some of the funniest, and the most offensive material yet. It's also the most cohesive. The show has always been incredibly erratic, turning on a dime to fit in all those jokes from out of the blue that start with Peter saying "Boy, this is worse than that time when..." But by now, the writers and series creator/executive producer Seth MacFarlane have figured out how to more seamlessly integrate them into the show, and that's just what it needed to really come together. In fact, the extra attention being paid to the show recently in the form of swipes from The Simpsons and especially South Park (which dedicated an entire episode to trying to kill off Family Guy) is evidence that this is probably the peak for the series. This volume is 14 episodes, and stand-outs include "The Courtship of Stewie's Father," which gives more face time to creepy old man Herbert (brilliantly voiced by Mike Henry), and "The Father, the Son, and the Holy Fonz," in which Peter starts his own church dedicated to Fonzie from Happy Days. Of course, there is still the lingering question of who the real star of Family Guy is: Peter or Stewie? The little football-head gets his moments to shine in "Sibling Rivalry," in which he battles with half-brother Bertram, and... well, pretty much every other episode, as he continues to get many of the memorable lines. Along with the extra features, over 40 deleted scenes, extensive commentaries, and featurettes, you true fans will get more than your share of laughs from this collection, which is what you watch the show for in the first place. --Daniel Vancini