The sixteenth season of Family Guy aired on Fox in the United States from October 1, 2017, to May 20, 2018.[1]
| Family Guy | |
|---|---|
| Season 16 | |
 DVD cover | |
| Starring | |
| No. of episodes | 20 |
| Release | |
| Original network | Fox |
| Original release | October 1, 2017 – May 20, 2018 |
| Season chronology | |
The series follows the dysfunctional Griffin family, consisting of father Peter, mother Lois, daughter Meg, son Chris, baby Stewie, and the family dog Brian, who reside in their hometown of Quahog. The executive producers for the sixteenth production season are Seth MacFarlane, Richard Appel, Alec Sulkin, Steve Callaghan, Danny Smith, and Kara Vallow. Sulkin returns after a two-season absence as the new showrunner for the series, replacing previous showrunner Callaghan. Appel continues to serve as showrunner alongside Sulkin.
The season features guest appearances from Bill Maher, Sir Ian McKellen, Kristen Bell, Louis C.K., and Modern Family cast members Ty Burrell, Julie Bowen, and Sofía Vergara.[2][3]
The season also marks the final appearances of Adam West and Carrie Fisher following their deaths, as well as the show's 300th episode ("Dog Bites Bear").[4][5]
As of season sixteen, the series' first-run cable syndication rights have switched from Adult Swim and TBS, who had premiered the first fifteen seasons, over to Disney-owned Freeform and FXX, who will continue to premiere new episodes on cable with the coming seasons. Freeform and FXX began exclusively broadcasting the first fifteen seasons starting in September 2021 when Family Guy officially went off Adult Swim and TBS.[6][7]
Marketing
editFox celebrated the series' 300th episode with a character customization website titled familyguyyourself.com in which users could create versions of themselves in the show's art style.
Episodes
edit| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | Prod. code | U.S. viewers (millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 290 | 1 | "Emmy-Winning Episode" | James Purdum, Dominic Bianchi & Peter Shin | Aaron Lee | October 1, 2017 | FACX06 | 2.80[8] |
|
Peter goes out of his way to earn an Emmy win after getting fed up with not being nominated. He tries to make Family Guy more like several Emmy-nominated television shows, including Modern Family and Transparent. But a tip from Bill Maher lets Peter learn the true nature of the awards process and come to terms with his show's futile pursuit of recognition. | |||||||
| 291 | 2 | "Foxx in the Men House" | Brian Iles | Andrew Goldberg | October 8, 2017 | EACX20 | 3.05[9] |
|
After being wobbly-legged upon sitting on the toilet in the girls' bathroom and hitting his head on the counter, Peter meets a paramedic named Stryker Foxx (voiced by Chris Diamantopoulos), who tended to his injury. He later dumps Quagmire, Cleveland and Joe as friends, due to his friendship with the cool guy Stryker giving him an inflated self-esteem. Later on, Peter comes to realize that he does not have the strength to do the physical activities that Stryker wants to do and a fateful sky-diving experience results in Stryker's death. | |||||||
| 292 | 3 | "Nanny Goats" | Steve Robertson | Tom Devanney | October 15, 2017 | FACX02 | 2.54[10] |
|
Lois' mother, Barbara, hires a nanny for the Griffin family when she gets displeased with recent living arrangements for the kids. This enables Peter and Lois to revitalize with their love. However, they soon get tired of their couple time and nearly split up for good. The family nanny, Natalya, is actually a Belarusian assassin who saves Stewie from rival spies who open fire on the Griffin house. | |||||||
| 293 | 4 | "Follow the Money" | Mike Kim | Kevin Biggins | October 22, 2017 | EACX15 | 2.69[11] |
|
Chris receives a misprinted but extremely valuable dollar for his birthday from Carter, but loses it. They then go on an adventure to find it. Meanwhile, Lois gets in a fight with Peter's nemesis Earnie, the giant chicken's wife. | |||||||
| 294 | 5 | "Three Directors" | Joe Vaux | Travis Bowe | November 5, 2017 | EACX18 | 2.31[12] |
|
The story of Peter's firing from the Pawtucket Brewery, as told in the directorial styles of Quentin Tarantino, Wes Anderson, and Michael Bay. | |||||||
| 295 | 6 | "The D in Apartment 23" | Julius Wu | Artie Johann | November 12, 2017 | FACX03 | 3.11[13] |
|
Brian's tweet involving Baywatch and Ride Along 3 comes back to haunt him as it's deemed racist and goes viral. Even though Brian deletes the tweet and all of his social media accounts, the Griffins are turned into pariahs by all of Quahog, prompting them to kick him out of the house until the situation blows over. | |||||||
| 296 | 7 | "Petey IV" | Mike Kim | Anthony Blasucci | November 19, 2017 | FACX04 | 2.08[14] |
|
Vladimir Putin visits Quahog after Peter writes an email to him complaining about the ending to a Russian bootleg version of Rocky IV, where Ivan Drago wins the final fight. Meanwhile, in light of moving out, Brian gets a job at a suicide hotline center to obtain some money to pay the rent to Lou Spinazola, where he falls for his co-worker, Martha (voiced by Kristen Bell). He takes drastic measures when she rejects him. | |||||||
| 297 | 8 | "Crimes and Meg's Demeanor" | Greg Colton | Mike Desilets | December 3, 2017 | FACX05 | 2.59[15] |
|
Meg takes up drinking at a high school party, which brings out her more outgoing and loosened side, both concerning and delighting Peter. Meanwhile, while recovering from a leg injury following the incident in the last episode, Brian suspects that Principal Shepherd has murdered his wife and enlists Stewie to help him out. | |||||||
| 298 | 9 | "Don't Be a Dickens at Christmas" | Jerry Langford | Danny Smith | December 10, 2017 | FACX07 | 2.98[16] |
|
In a play on Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol, Peter takes a journey around Quahog with the ghost of Patrick Swayze (voiced by Don Swayze) after he loses his Christmas spirit. | |||||||
| 299 | 10 | "Boy (Dog) Meets Girl (Dog)" | Brian Iles | Steve Callaghan | January 7, 2018 | FACX09 | 3.40[17] |
|
After Brian falls in love with Ellie (voiced by Amanda Seyfried), a female show dog, he enters a dog show competition, where the winner will get to breed with her. Meanwhile, Peter and Lois attempt to convince Chris that "Arthur Valentine" is not real. When they are unable to do so, they kill Arthur Valentine which leads to Chris falling into depression. References: Stewie training Brian makes a joke about 9/11, Brian makes a statement saying "I was supposed to be on one of those planes" Stewie saying "yes me too" references when Seth MacFarlane had a hangover on that day missing his flight to Los Angeles, which was crashed into the World Trade Center. | |||||||
| 300 | 11 | "Dog Bites Bear" | John Holmquist | Cherry Chevapravatdumrong | January 14, 2018 | FACX01 | 4.10[18] |
|
Brian and Stewie's friendship is put to the test after Brian mutilates Stewie's teddy bear, Rupert, out of jealousy. Stewie and Brain travel to Vermont to spread Rupert's remains. Meanwhile, Peter meets his favorite cereal mascot, Boo Berry, and refuses to wash his right hand after shaking it with him, grossing and creeping his friends out. | |||||||
| 301 | 12 | "Send in Stewie, Please" | Joe Vaux | Gary Janetti | March 18, 2018 | FACX10 | 2.24[19] |
|
When Stewie gets sent to see his school's child psychologist Dr. Cecil Pritchfield (voiced by Ian McKellen) for a surprising session, he reveals major secrets about himself that would make him more normal. Stewie soon realizes that his secrets might come out, and decides not to help Dr. Pritchfield when he suffers a heart attack, choosing not to bring him his medication and letting him die, although he feels haunted by his decision as he falls asleep that night. Note: This episode premiered on Fox without commercial interruption due to a sponsorship agreement with Sony Interactive Entertainment for their PlayStation 4 game, God of War, which was the sole advertiser at the end of this episode. | |||||||
| 302 | 13 | "V Is for Mystery" | Joseph Lee | David A. Goodman | March 25, 2018 | FACX08 | 1.91[20] |
|
In a parody of Sherlock Holmes, the episode depicts Sherlock Holmes (portrayed by Stewie) and Dr. Watson (portrayed by Brian) as they embark on solving a string of murder mysteries. | |||||||
| 303 | 14 | "Veteran Guy" | John Holmquist | Patrick Meighan | April 1, 2018 | FACX11 | 2.05[21] |
|
Peter pretends to be a veteran after buying a cap with the name USS Nathan James on it, along with Joe and Cleveland, annoying Quagmire, who is an actual veteran. After they are caught, they are sentenced to join the U.S. Coast Guard, where they must stop a bomb plot by four frat boys. | |||||||
| 304 | 15 | "The Woof of Wall Street" | Steve Robertson | Alex Carter | April 8, 2018 | FACX12 | 1.93[22] |
|
Stewie teaches Brian how to invest in the stock market, but even after discovering that the product he is investing in uses dog meat, Brian doesn't bother to change his mind. Meanwhile, Peter, Joe, Cleveland, and Quagmire look after the Drunken Clam while Jerome is away which ends up being a disaster. | |||||||
| 305 | 16 | "Family Guy Through the Years" | Julius Wu | Chris Sheridan | April 22, 2018 | FACX13 | 2.00[23] |
|
Family Guy is reimagined as a series that has been on the air for 60 years, and in a special retrospective, it looks back at the cultural events and issues that were tackled on the show in the 1950s, '60s and '70s. | |||||||
| 306 | 17 | "Switch the Flip" | Mike Kim | Kevin Biggins | April 29, 2018 | FACX14 | 2.26[24] |
|
Stewie uses one of his inventions to swap bodies with Brian in order to fix his life, but this plan backfires as chaos quickly ensues around Quahog. | |||||||
| 307 | 18 | "HTTPete" | Greg Colton | Damien Fahey | May 6, 2018 | FACX15 | 1.92[25] |
|
In order to promote the brewery, Peter adopts the millennial lifestyle. This attracts a high-powered Silicon Valley executive's attention. | |||||||
| 308 | 19 | "The Unkindest Cut" | Jerry Langford | Mark Hentemann | May 13, 2018 | FACX16 | 2.15[26] |
|
On a boat trip with his friends, Quagmire is attacked by a shark, and loses his penis in the attack; as such, he struggles with living without his most treasured body part. Ida Davis helps to get his life back on track. Meanwhile, Stewie and Brian try to find Mort after they discover that the FBI has put a reward on him, due to him being involved in a drug scam. | |||||||
| 309 | 20 | "Are You There God? It's Me, Peter" | Joseph Lee | Travis Bowe | May 20, 2018 | FACX17 | 1.83[27] |
|
When Peter falls into a coma and gets the opportunity to have a conversation with God, he interrogates the deity with some tough questions. | |||||||
References
edit- ^ Andreeva, Nellie (June 22, 2017). "Fox Sets Fall 2017 Premiere Dates: 'Empire', 'The Gifted', & 'Orville'". Deadline. Retrieved September 1, 2017.
- ^ Dan Snierson (July 19, 2017). "Ian McKellen to guest on Family Guy". Ew.com. Retrieved August 25, 2017.
- ^ Dan Snierson (August 13, 2017). "Kristen Bell, Louis C.K. to guest on Family Guy". Ew.com. Retrieved August 25, 2017.
- ^ Snierson, Dan (September 28, 2017). "Family Guy season 15 preview: Peter loses his job, Quagmire loses his penis". EW.com. Archived from the original on June 22, 2018. Retrieved November 30, 2017.
- ^ Hugar, John (November 14, 2016). "Talking to Showrunner Alec Sulkin About Working to Revitalize 'Family Guy'". Split Sider. Retrieved November 19, 2017.
- ^ "FX Networks Nabs Off-Network Rights To 'Family Guy' & 'Bob's Burgers'; FXX To Share 'Family Guy' With Freeform". April 9, 2019. Archived from the original on August 4, 2019. Retrieved April 27, 2019.
- ^ "Family Guy is leaving Adult Swim, the network that saved it, tonight". The A.V. Club. September 18, 2021. Archived from the original on October 1, 2021. Retrieved October 1, 2021.
- ^ Porter, Rick (October 3, 2017). "'NCIS: LA' and '60 Minutes' adjust up, 'Wisdom of the Crowd' and 'Ten Days in the Valley' down: Sunday final ratings". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on October 3, 2017. Retrieved October 3, 2017.
- ^ Porter, Rick (October 10, 2017). "NFL adjusts up, all others unchanged: Sunday final ratings". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on October 10, 2017. Retrieved October 10, 2017.
- ^ Porter, Rick (October 17, 2017). "'Madam Secretary' and 'Wisdom of the Crowd' adjust down, '60 Minutes, 'AFV' and NFL up: Sunday final ratings". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on October 18, 2017. Retrieved October 17, 2017.
- ^ Porter, Rick (October 24, 2017). "'NCIS: LA' and 'Shark Tank' adjust up, 'Madam Secretary' adjusts down: Sunday final ratings". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on October 24, 2017. Retrieved October 24, 2017.
- ^ Porter, Rick (November 7, 2017). "'Family Guy,' '60 Minutes' adjust up, 'Bob's Burgers' and 'Madam Secretary' adjust down: Sunday final ratings". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on November 7, 2017. Retrieved November 7, 2017.
- ^ Porter, Rick (November 14, 2017). "'Wisdom of the Crowd' adjusts down: Sunday final ratings". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on November 14, 2017. Retrieved November 14, 2017.
- ^ Porter, Rick (November 21, 2017). "'Sunday Night Football' adjusts up, '60 Minutes' and 'Madam Secretary' adjust down: Sunday final ratings". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on November 24, 2017. Retrieved November 21, 2017.
- ^ Porter, Rick (December 5, 2017). "'Sunday Night Football' adjusts up: Sunday final ratings". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on December 5, 2017. Retrieved December 5, 2017.
- ^ Porter, Rick (December 12, 2017). "'Bob's Burgers,' 'The Simpsons' and '60 Minutes' adjust down: Sunday final ratings". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on December 13, 2017. Retrieved December 12, 2017.
- ^ Porter, Rick (January 9, 2018). "'Shark Tank' adjusts up, 'Simpsons,' 'Ghosted,' Golden Globes arrivals down: Sunday final ratings". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on January 10, 2018. Retrieved January 9, 2018.
- ^ Porter, Rick (January 17, 2018). "'NCIS: LA' and 'Family Guy' adjust up, other FOX shows adjust down: Sunday final ratings". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on January 18, 2018. Retrieved January 17, 2018.
- ^ Porter, Rick (March 20, 2018). "'Bob's Burgers,' 'NCIS: LA' and 'AFV' adjust up, 'Deception' and '60 Minutes' down: Sunday final ratings". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on March 20, 2018. Retrieved March 20, 2018.
- ^ Porter, Rick (March 27, 2018). "'NCIS: LA' and 'Bob's Burgers' adjust up, 'Instinct,' 'Simpsons' and 'Deception' down: Sunday final ratings". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on March 27, 2018. Retrieved March 27, 2018.
- ^ Porter, Rick (April 3, 2018). "'Bob's Burgers' and 'Dateline' adjust up: Sunday final ratings". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on April 3, 2018. Retrieved April 3, 2018.
- ^ Porter, Rick (April 10, 2018). "'America's Funniest Home Videos' rerun adjusts up: Sunday final ratings". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on April 10, 2018. Retrieved April 10, 2018.
- ^ Porter, Rick (April 24, 2018). "'Timeless,' 'Family Guy' and all others hold: Sunday final ratings". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on April 24, 2018. Retrieved April 24, 2018.
- ^ Porter, Rick (May 1, 2018). "'The Simpsons' adjusts up: Sunday final ratings". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on May 1, 2018. Retrieved May 1, 2018.
- ^ Porter, Rick (May 8, 2018). "'America's Funniest Home Videos' adjusts down: Sunday final ratings". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on May 8, 2018. Retrieved May 8, 2018.
- ^ Porter, Rick (May 15, 2018). "'American Idol' and 'Genius Junior' finale adjust up: Sunday final ratings". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on May 15, 2018. Retrieved May 15, 2018.
- ^ Porter, Rick (May 22, 2018). "'Bob's Burgers,' 'Family Guy' and 'Dateline' adjust down: Sunday final ratings". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on May 22, 2018. Retrieved May 22, 2018.