Top 10 Times Family Guy Roasted TV Shows
#10: Don’t Try This at Home
Top 10 Times Sitcoms ROASTED Other TV Shows
“Jackass” (2000-01) After Peter and his pals watch an episode of “Jackass,” they get the idea to try some of the stunts themselves, despite the show’s warning not to. The shenanigans that follow are as much a roast of the Quahog gang’s IQs as they are of “Jackass” itself. They start with Peter rolling off the roof in a shopping cart and seriously messing up his spine, a knock on how pointless and dangerous some of the “Jackass” stunts are. The real “Jackass” faced harsh criticism after kids and adolescents seriously injured themselves trying the stunts on their own, so it’s not a stretch to believe that Peter and his friends would do the same thing.
#9: Harsh Punishment
“The Brady Bunch” (1969-74) The very first scene of the “Family Guy” pilot opens with the Griffin family watching “The Brady Bunch.” When Jan rats out Greg for smoking, Greg denies it, and Mr. Brady immediately assumes he’s lying. This leads to some pretty harsh punishments for both Greg and Jan. In the real “Brady Bunch” episode, Mrs. Brady actually believed Greg when he denied that the cigarettes in his jacket belonged to him–and it turned out she was right. Of course, “The Brady Bunch” could be so sickenly wholesome that “Family Guy” can’t help but poke fun at it occasionally.
#8: Modern Family Guy
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“Modern Family” (2009-20) & Various Determined to win an Emmy, the Griffins decide to do their own take on an awards-worthy comedy, and the result is a mishmash of characters and storylines. Peter, who starts out in the role of Jay from “Modern Family,” quickly comes out as transgender like Maura in “Transparent.” Along the way, they take aim at some not-so-flattering representations of people of color in these critically acclaimed shows. Even the minor “Family Guy” characters like Tricia Takanawa are able to get in on the jokes. In reality, “Family Guy” has won a bunch of Emmys, going all the way back to 2000, but we still love their takes on these award-winning shows.
#7: George Jetson Puts His Foot Down
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“The Jetsons” (1962-63; 1985-87) Viewers of a certain age will remember the classic Jetsons opener, where George Jetson sends each of his family members off for the day from the comfort of their flying car. When it’s time for his wife Jane to depart, George takes a single bill for her from his wallet, but Jane surprises him by snatching the entire wallet instead. But when “Family Guy” recreates the scene while Peter and Brian are watching TV, Jane doesn’t get away with it. Like other sitcoms of its era, “The Jetsons” was squeaky clean and uncontroversial. The family lived in a virtual utopia, where marital spats and family problems were never really serious. That means “Family Guy” can’t resist making fun of it.
#6: You Know Nothing, John Yellowsnow
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“Game of Thrones” (2011-19) What do you get when you cross “Family Guy” with “Game of Thrones”? How about: a parody that might make more sense than the actual final season of “GoT.” With the Griffins and their friends playing Westeros’s most iconic characters, the episode roasts everything that critics and fans took issue with in the beloved fantasy series. From the poorly lit set pieces, to the anticlimactic final battle against the White Walkers, and even the disposable coffee cup that was accidentally left on set, nothing gets a pass. Maybe we should let Seth MacFarlane finish “A Song of Ice and Fire” too.
#5: “A Roast Is Good-Natured”
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“Bob’s Burgers” (2011-) Almost every episode of “Family Guy” ends with the classic sitcom trope of the family sitting together in the living room, thankful that things are back to normal. In an episode where Peter is mistaken for a trans woman, the closing scene has an unexpected twist: Peter reveals that it was actually a crossover with “Bob’s Burgers” the whole time. When the Belcher family appears, Peter seizes the opportunity to take some shots at the show, implying that it didn’t deserve its Emmys and mocking some of its standard jokes. Since “Family Guy” actually has more Emmy wins than “Bob’s Burgers,” we wonder if someday the Belchers will turn the tables and invite the Griffins for some crossover payback.
#4: French-Canadian Weirdo
“Caillou” (1997-2010) “Caillou” might be the most pure and innocent television show there is, so of course “Family Guy” had to parody it. When Stewie lets a curse word fly at church, Lois first blames TV for teaching him foul language. When she learns that “Caillou” is the only program he watches, she sets out to watch the whole series. Unfortunately, it turns out to be really dull, and Lois falls asleep almost immediately. The episode makes fun of nearly everything about the educational children’s series, from Caillou’s baldness to the narrator’s voice, but it saves its harshest jokes for Caillou’s father. In a cutaway gag later in the episode, Peter takes yet another shot at Caillou’s dad, comparing him to a certain cable news host.
#3: “Homicide: Life on Sesame Street”
“Sesame Street” (1969-) & “Homicide: Life on the Street” (1993-99) “Family Guy” has made fun of “Sesame Street” more times than we can count. Of course they have–it’s a classic educational kids’ show that’s been on the air for more than 50 years, so they kind of have no choice. All the way back in episode 4 of season one, Peter sits down to watch a crossover between “Sesame Street” and the gritty cop drama “Homicide: Life on the Street.” In the clip, Bert and Ernie stand in for a hardened alcoholic detective and his long-suffering partner. Beloved “Sesame Street” characters drinking and cursing instead of singing about rubber duckies? That told us everything we needed to know about the kind of humor we’d be getting from “Family Guy” for years to come.
#2: The Crossover Episode
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“The Simpsons” (1989-) The similarities between “Family Guy” and “The Simpsons” are impossible to miss, to the point that some have accused Seth MacFarlane of taking more than just “inspiration” from the older show. In reality, MacFarlane and “Simpsons” creator Matt Groening are friends. And after taking turns parodying each other for more than a decade, the two shows finally collaborated on a crossover in “Family Guy” season 13. When the Griffins’ vehicle gets stolen, stranding them close to Springfield, they meet the Simpson family, and hijinks ensue. To be fair, “Family Guy” spends as much time making fun of itself in this episode as it does “The Simpsons.” In the end, the episode might be closer to a love letter than a roast. Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.
Cut to Black, “The Sopranos” (1999-2007)
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The Crime Drama’s Series Finale Was Iconic, Which Means “Family Guy” Has to Make Fun of It
Are These Jokes?,“How I Met Your Mother” (2005-14)
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King Stewart III Deletes the Sitcom from His TiVo
Peter Breaks Bad, “Breaking Bad” (2008-13)
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Time Jumps & Dark Plot Twists Make for Great Parody
“Doctor Who Farted”, “Doctor Who” (1963-)
Rick Sanchez vs The Doctor
Don’t Go in the TARDIS
Kermie Junior, “Muppet Babies” (1984-91)
A Pig & a Frog Were Not Meant to Breed
#1: The Son Also Writes
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“Robot Chicken” (2005-22) The stop-motion animation comedy “Robot Chicken” is the brainchild of Matthew Senreich and Seth Green, a.k.a. Chris Griffin. Of course, this means that the rest of the Griffin family can’t resist taking the occasional jab at it. In a gag at the end of the Star Wars parody “Blue Harvest,” Peter makes fun of “Robot Chicken”’s short runtime and its home on Cartoon Network, while Chris defends the show. The gag is repeated at the end of the sequel, “Something, Something, Something, Dark Side,” when Peter doubles down on his belief that no one actually watches “Robot Chicken.” In reality, Seth MacFarlane was one of the early champions of the show, so we know that this roast really is good-natured.
