Content Alarm: The following contains discussions of violence, abuse, terrorism, and ableism.

When Seth MacFarlane's Family Guy first hit Fox's airwaves, it was criticized equally a stake imitation of The Simpsons, and the bear witness'southward emphasis on the everyday suburban family fabricated the comparison undeniably apt. Notwithstanding, the serial somewhen manifested a unique personality, brand, and sense of humor, andFamily unit Guy went to carve a singular niche as the much darker cousin toThe Simpsons.

Family Guy'due south willingness to go to much more offensive and challenging places than The Simpsons, exploring dicier themes and pushing the boundaries of network television, has resulted in these unremittingly dark and controversial installments.

Updated on March 24th, 2022 by Tanner Play tricks:Though often uncomfortable and controversial, much of Family Guy'southward identity is tied to its proclivity for potentially-distasteful humor. Making light of everything from the assassinations of prominent political figures to all-as well-soon topical jokes, there'south almost nothing from which the showrunners will shy away.

With that in mind, there are almost uncountable moments in Family Guy meant entirely to offend. Some, of course, are more palatable than others, merely these fifteen are some of the most egregious examples of the show'south over-the-summit satire.

Seahorse Seashell Party (Flavour 10, Episode two)

When Pull a fast one on did a crossover issue with hurricane-themed episodes of Family Guy, American Dad!, and The Cleveland Show, Family Guy'southward entry in the "Dark of the Hurricane" pantheon took a strange plow. Stuck in the house during the tempest, Brian decides to take magic mushrooms and has a really bad trip.

In that location'south a lot of fun to be had with the surrealist blitheness as Brian hallucinates and Stewie helps him through information technology, just it's more agonizing than funny, often evoking upsetting themes and playing on the paranoia of unfortunate experiences with recreational drugs.

No Meals On Wheels (Season 5, Episode 14)

Afterward Peter receives a financial windfall, he uses it to open his own restaurant. Unfortunately, he struggles to maintain a loyal clientele, leading Joe to step in and make it the go-to hangout spot for his friends. To Peter's dismay, his friends are all paraplegic. Believing that this would somehow further touch his business, Peter bars them from the establishment, prompting a fight between the friends.

Equally silly equally it is insensitive, "No Meals on Wheels" is a particularly goofy episode of Family Guy. While the show oftentimes forces Joe to be the butt of many jokes, it feels particularly out-of-hand in this flavor 5 outing.

Stewie Is Enceinte (Flavour 13, Episode 12)

When he becomes worried that he and Brian are drifting autonomously in "Stewie is Enceinte," Stewie secretly takes some of the dog's Deoxyribonucleic acid and impregnates himself with information technology, resulting in a troubling litter of domestic dog-human hybrid creatures.

Brian and Stewie stop up with style more kids than they can handle. Near of them have nascency defects, necessitating round-the-clock care that the ill-prepared parents can't afford. Eventually, they ditch their kids at an animal shelter. Information technology's a grim take on domestic mistreatment paired with a sure Cronnenberg-esque unpleasantness.

Trading Places (Flavour ix, Episode 13)

Chris works at the brewery and Million becomes a homemaker while Peter and Lois become to high school in "Trading Places" in club to determine whether information technology'south easier to be an adult or a kid. Chris ends up being so proficient at Peter's task that he's hired permanently.

However, the stress of beingness the breadwinner of the house at such a young age gets to Chris, and he starts drinking heavily, having heart palpitations, and verbally abusing his family at every opportunity. It's a non-so-fun shoe-on-the-other foot scenario that may cut a little too close to home in some cases.

Death Is A B**** (Season two, Episode 6)

In this season 2 episode, Peter marks himself as diseased in social club to evade a pricey hospital bill. Notwithstanding, this prompts a visit from Death himself, who subsequently twists an ankle in pursuit of Peter. The Griffin family unit patriarch must then temporarily assume Death'due south duties while he is recovering.

While it'south overall fairly low-cal-hearted and features a guest spot from the belatedly comedian Norm MacDonald, "Death is a B****" does deal with some fairly heavy subject area affair, specially during the finale sequence in which Peter must decide who to kill during a potentially-fatal aeroplane crash.

Partial Terms Of Endearment (Season 8, Episode 21)

While it is available on home media, "Fractional Terms of Endearment" has never been allowed to air in the United States. Play tricks refused to broadcast the episode and requested that Adult Swim not air it, either. Ironically, this likely drew more attention to the episode than if Fox had just aired information technology.

In the episode, Lois is asked past friends to exist a surrogate mother. She gets pregnant, then the friends who were going to heighten the infant dice, and then Lois has to determine whether to heighten information technology herself or get an abortion. It's a scathingly sardonic episode with a premise that doesn't feel fit for a comedy series in the slightest.

Drome '07 (Flavor 5, Episode 12)

A loose parody of the classic 1980s one-act Airplane!, "Aiport '07" sees Peter and the gang stage an airplane hijacking in order to portray Quagmire as a hero of aviation, thereby reinstating his airplane pilot position from which he was fired. Things don't become exactly according to plan, though Quagmire is able to save the solar day at the concluding second.

Memorable thank you to a cameo from the tardily Playboy founder Hugh Hefner, "Airport '07" draws a few uncomfortable parallels to the September 11th attacks. Information technology'south also notable for its out-of-place "Prom Night Dumpster Baby" cutaway gag which has become famous amongst fans of the show.

Halloween On Spooner Street (Season ix, Episode 4)

Chris and Meg go to a political party with the hopes of finding someone to hook up with in "Halloween on Spooner Street." The just issue is that they unwittingly hooked upward with each other because they were in a dark closet. At the terminate of the episode, later being initially horrified by the revelation, they decide to just bask the fact that they hooked up, despite information technology being incestuous.

Meanwhile, Peter and Joe develop a habit of pranking Quagmire. Sick of their antics, Quagmire takes them for a virtually-fatal ride in a Japanese Globe State of war 2-era fighter plane. The episode is offensive on all fronts, and, while that's par for the course for the series, it may have fifty-fifty stiff-stomached fans turning away in cloy.

Brian & Stewie (Season 8, Episode 17)

The episode'due south titular duo of Brian and Stewie is trapped in a bank vault over a weekend in, the actress-long 150th episode of the serial. The lack of cutaway gags and location changes puts the focus squarely on the characters, allowing for some uncharacteristic soul-searching.

The darkest point in the episode is when Stewie finds a gun in Brian's safety deposit box and Brian reveals his nighttime reasons for keeping it. Unflinchingly morbid, "Brian and Stewie" strays from the testify'southward typical laugh-a-minute routine, forcing viewers through an uncomfortable emotional gauntlet.

Turban Cowboy (Flavor 11, Episode xv)

Peter befriends a Muslim man named Mahmoud in "Turban Cowboy," and, since this is Family unit Guy and the almost offensive stereotypes are indulged at every plow, Mahmoud turns out to be a radical extremist plotting an attack.

To make this episode fifty-fifty darker, it also has a gag almost Peter killing a bunch of people at the Boston Marathon, and it aired merely a couple of weeks earlier the tragic Boston Marathon bombings. Line-crossing to some and outright insensitive to others, "Turban Cowboy" showcased simply how unafraidFamily Guy's showrunners were to make light of taboo subjects.

Send In Stewie, Please (Flavor 16, Episode 12)

Ian McKellen guest-starred as a child therapist who was appointed to counsel Stewie later an altercation with i of his classmates in "Send in Stewie, Delight." The whole episode takes place in the therapist's office, get-go with Stewie deducing everything about the therapist's personal life from the personal effects around the room.

Throughout the episode, the therapist gets Stewie to open up and reveal that he puts on his pseudo-British accent. However, Stewie doesn't like someone knowing his secret and decides not to salvage the therapist when he starts dying.

A Shot In The Night (Flavor fourteen, Episode 9)

Taking inspiration from the tragic shooting of Trayvon Martin which took place iii years prior to the episode'due south debut, "A Shot in the Dark" begins with Peter setting up a neighborhood picket organization and accidentally shooting Cleveland, Jr. when he thought he was breaking into his own house.

The ensuing court example in which Carter'south lawyers do everything in their power to ignominy Cleveland, Jr. is a poignant, if unsubtle, take on how the justice arrangement handles these cases. Unfortunately,Family Guy isn't known for its moving social satire, and the episode can feel more like a wreckless jab than honest criticism.

Road To Germany (Flavor 7, Episode three)

1 of the most celebrated of the "Route To" collection of Family Guy episodes, "Road to Germany" sees Brian and Stewie time travel to 1939 Poland in pursuit of Mort, who accidentally stumbled into Stewie's fourth dimension car.

Rife with extremely crass humor and featuring elaborate gags involving fascist dictators, "Route to Germany" makes light of some incredibly sensitive subjects. It's a very on-brand outing for the series, but those potentially upset by subject area matter relating to Earth War 2 volition absolutely want to steer clear.

Screams Of Silence: The Story Of Brenda Q (Season x, Episode three)

Widely regarded to be 1 of Family Guy'southward worst episodes, "Screams of Silence: The Story of Brenda Q" revolves around Quagmire's sister's physical and psychological abuse at the hands of her fiancé. Information technology'south Ever Sunny alum Kaitlin Olson was squandered with a guest spot in an episode that has no redeeming comedic value.

Whenever Family Guy tries to get serious, it falls flat horribly, and that's exactly what happens in "Screams of Silence." The episode oversimplifies its subject matter and presents all the wrong letters.

Life of Brian (Season 12, Episode half dozen)

One of the virtually controversial episodes of Family Guy ever aired, Season 12'south "Life of Brian" depicts the death of one of Family Guy's most beloved characters following a car blow. Straight-faced and emotional, "Life of Brian" is an out-of-left-field gut-punch for fans of Family Guy, and it didn't go over particularly well.

Brian was briefly replaced past Vinny, only showrunners somewhen listened to the outcry from fans and returned Brian to the series. Inverse, of course, tin assist to maintain a show'due south appeal, only the axing of a beloved character is very rarely a well-received occurrence.

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Ben Sherlock (3534 Articles Published)

Ben Sherlock is a writer, comedian, independent filmmaker, and Burt Reynolds enthusiast. He writes lists for Screen Bluster and features and reviews for Game Bluster. He's currently in pre-production on his first feature (and has been for a while, because filmmaking is expensive). You tin can catch him performing standup at odd pubs around the UK that will give him stage time. Previously, he wrote for Gustation of Movie theatre, Comic Book Resources, and BabbleTop.

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