The bestFamily Guyepisodes feature tons of pop culture references, some sharp one-liners, and more visual gags than almost any adult animated television show airing today. Debuting in 1999, Seth Macfarlane created a hit series that survived an early cancelation and eventually became one of the longest-running animated shows on television. It features Peter Griffin and his family as they get into trouble and barely care about the fallout that comes from their bad decision-making.
The hit Fox animated seriespremieres its 23rd season in 2025and shows no signs of slowing down as it continues to deliver hilarious jabs at both pop culture and modern-day sensibilities on a regular basis.While the show is known for its rapid-fire jokes, many of its episodes feature aspects that carry it to a higher level, and the bestFamily Guyepisodes include not only memorable moments and characters but also just enough heart to remind viewers that they are supposed to want to see the Griffin family somehow succeed in life.
15North By North Quahog
Season 4, Episode 1
Family Guy’s cancellationfollowing season 3 was a blow to many fans, but it is a testament to the passion of those fans as well as the lasting impact ofFamily Guythat it was able to return. “North by North Quahog” stands out as one of the bestFamily Guyepisodes if only for the fact that it wasthe first episode to bring the show back after three years. As it turns out, it is also an episode that reminded fans just how funny the series is.
The episode finds Peter and Lois accidentally finding a copy of Mel Gibson’sThe Passion of the Christsequel (made into a buddy action movie co-starring Chris Tucker). This puts them on a thrilling Hitchcockian adventure as they flee from the dangerous director. The show proves it is not out of step at all with its humor after the hiatus. The characters are also better than ever with some of the best moments coming from Stewie and Brian serving as the parents of the household while Peter and Lois are gone.
1412 And A Half Angry Men
Season 11, Episode 6
Movie parodies are a big thing inFamily Guyand it is especially fun when an entire episode is dedicated to spoofing one particular movie. In the cast of “12 and a Half Angry Men,” the show recreates a classic film that is regarded asone of the greatest movies of all time,12 Angry Men. The movie’s setup presents Family Guy with the perfect opportunity for a bottle episode as various fan-favorite characters from the show assemble as part of a jury with Brian as the only one not voting for “guilty.”
SeveralFamily Guyepisodes have tried the approach of characters engaging in heated discussions without much action and the results have been mixed at best. However,“12 and a Half Angry Men” never forgets to be funny and ridiculous in its story, failing to take the concept seriously at all. It also makes for a surprisingly exciting episode with some terrific punchlines, such as Peter realizing at the end that his jury duty was scheduled for the following day.
13Death Is A Bitch
Season 2, Episode 6
WhileNorm MacDonald’s acting careerwas not as prolific as his standup career, the late comedian delivered one of the best guest-starring roles inFamily Guyhistory. “Death is a Bitch” begins with Peter hatching another one of his zany schemes, faking his own death to get out of paying his hospital bill. However, the ruse is so convincing that Death himself (voiced by MacDonald) shows up to claim Peter’s soul.
The shenanigans get even funnier when Death gets injured and has to cooperate at the Griffins' home, thus creating a world in which death does not exist.
MacDonald’s performance is a big part of the fun of this episode, as his sarcastic and disinterested sense of humor makes Death less frightening and more like a guy who is simply tired of his job. The shenanigans get even funnier when Death gets injured and has to cooperate at the Griffins' home, thus creating a world in which death does not exist. It makes for a wild and hilarious episode with some standout gags, including an imagined scenario of Hitler hosting a modern talk show.
12To Love And Die In Dixie
Season 3, Episode 12
There are a lot ofgreat episodes that take the Griffin family out of their usual setting and make them fish out of water in a new life. One of the best examples of this is the season 3 episode “To Love and Die in Dixie”. The episode finds Chris witnessing a crime and being targeted by the criminal as a result (with Peter making it hilariously worse by giving the criminal a photo of Chris with this school schedule and a list of his greatest fears on the back). To protect Chris, the family relocates to the Deep South.
It is a lot of fun seeing the family get used to the new Southern lifestyle and flourishing in it. Meg becomes popular with her big city stories, Brian and Peter build the General Lee car fromThe Dukes of Hazard, and even Stewie finds the love of the banjo. The episode is also notable as the introduction of the scene-stealing Mr. Herbert.
Season 9, Episode 7
Family Guy’s Christmas episodeshave become favorite rewatches for fans every holiday season, but it seems like an impossible task for the show to ever top “Road to the North Pole”. The yuletide adventure wonderfully combines withFamily Guy’s tradition of “Road to…” episodes and makes for another terrific pairing of Brian and Stewie. The episode finds Stewie becoming dissatisfied with Santa Claus and sets out on a mission to kill him with Brian reluctantly joining him on the way to the North Pole.
Despite the Christmas setting,this is one of the most darkly comedic episodes ofFamily Guyever, which is saying quite a bit. The truth about life in the North Pole is a hilariously harrowing ordeal while Brian and Stewie’s attempt at delivering presence turns into a grim home invasion. However, it is also one of the best musical episodes of the series with some genuinely great songs.
10Blue Harvest
Season 6, Episode 1
SpoofingStar Warsis something several animated television shows have attempted in the past.Family GuyjoinsRobot Chickenas the adult animated series that did it the best. Both shows had trilogies to spoof all three of the originalStar Warstrilogy saga, with the first fromFamily Guycoming in 2007 to celebrate the 30th anniversary ofA New Hope. The episode delivers what fans of both properties would expect, and that is a ton of jokes poking fun atStar Warsand the events of that movie.
Chris takes on the role of Luke Skywalker in this spoof with Lois as Princess Leia, Peter as Han Solo, Brian as Chewbacca, Quagmire as C3PO, and Stewie as Darth Vader. While there were three episodes completing the trilogy for the show, it was “Blue Harvest” that remained the best, more of a witty love letter toStar Warsthan a cartoon making fun of it. There are also a ton of Easter eggs forStar Warsfans, and it seems even hardcore fans find more and more every time they watch it.
9Da Boom
Season 2, Episode 3
It is easy to forget about how great this episode was because of how long ago it was released. A second seasonFamily Guyepisode, “Da Boom” aired on August 04, 2025, which was perfect timing since it was about Y2K.People warn Peter that Y2K will end the world as he knows it, so he forces his family to prepare for it by wearing hazmat suits and hiding in their basement. This turned out to be smart since Y2K did cause the end of the world, unlike real life.
This was also the first-ever episode where Peter fights the Giant Chicken…
Peter becomes mayor of New Quahog and makes some terrible decisions, making the new world even worse than the old one was. There are two things that also really make this episode stand out. First, this was the first episode that Mila Kunis joined the series as the new voice-over artist for Meg. Second, it was also the first-ever episode wherePeter fights the Giant Chicken, starting a running gag that has become one of the favorites fromFamily Guyhistory.
8Meet The Quagmires
Season 5, Episode 18
“Meet the Quagmires” is aFamily Guyepisode that pays homage to the movieIt’s A Wonderful Life. In the episode, Peter begins to think that he might have gotten married too young and missed out on things in life.Peter asks Death to help change his life, and instead of Peter marrying Lois, it is Quagmire who marries her, and he has three kids who look a lot like a mix of his and Peter’s children. However, Peter knows the real timeline and has to find a way to fix things, or he will lose his family,
The episode has all the raunchy, low-brow jokes that fans expect and love so much, but it is also surprisingly sweet and makes Peter realize how lucky he was to have Lois as his wife. The episode also referencesBack to the Future,and there are some great jokes that poke fun at some big-name celebs. It is also a surprise to see The Jetsons appearing onFamily Guy, which adds to the fun.
7The Simpsons Guy
Season 13, Episode 1
Family Guygot into some trouble when it chose tomake fun ofThe Simpsonsin an episode. However, it seems Fox decided to get in on the joke andallowed the show to actually bring the Simpsons into conflict with the Griffins. The episode has Peter’s offensive comic strip turning the entire town of Quahog against him. He gets mad and decides he will take his family to a safer town that is more tolerant. However, that town turns out to be Springfield.
Soon, the two families become friends until Peter and Homer get into a fight over beer, and then everything starts to fall apart. Stewie becomes obsessed with Bart Simpson and will do anything to get his attention, while Meg starts to play the saxophone, which brings out Lisa’s jealous side. This is also the episode that has the iconic moment with Ralph sitting there and quietly saying, “I’m in danger.”
6Stewie Kills Lois
Season 6, Episode 4
This was the first part of a two-partFamily Guyepisode where Stewie finally breaks after so many of his threats against Lois end up never being followed through on.Stewie snaps, shoots, and seemingly kills Loisand then has a panic attack about what is going to happen next. He sets off a series of events that make it look like Peter killed his wife to collect insurance money. By the time the episode ends, Stewie realizes the mistake he has made, and there is nothing he can do about it.
There are so many great gags in the episode, including Joe trying to help protect the kids from their mother’s murder by dressing up like Lois and pretending to be her. It is brilliant because Chris never notices the difference, even though it is Joe in a wheelchair. This isn’t the first time thatFamily Guykilled off a main character, but unlike Brian’s death, this one was done in great humor and was then undone just one week later in an episode that was even better than this first part.
