From Family Guy’s murder mystery to The Orville’s anti-A.I. warning, Seth MacFarlane’s TV shows have given us some classic episodes over the years. MacFarlane is one of the most prolific TV creators of the past 30 years.
When Family Guy premiered, MacFarlane was accused of ripping off The Simpsons. But he’s since given us a modern-day All in the Family starring a sociopathic alien, a nostalgic throwback to Star Trek of yore, and a ‘90s-set sitcom about a talking teddy bear that’s more Todd Solondz than Full House.
10
Cops & Roger
American Dad! Season 5, Episode 14
Easily the greatest character in any of MacFarlane’s shows is Roger, the Area 51 alien that lives in the Smiths’ attic. Roger is hilariously unpredictable; you never know what he’s going to do, and you never know what turns his storylines are going to take.
This is exemplified perfectly in season 5’s “Cops and Roger,” in which Roger joins the police academy to prove his manliness to Stan. Within one day on the job, Roger is in over his head as a dirty cop, building to one of the most shockingly gruesome (and darkly funny) sequences ever allowed to be broadcast on television.
9
Die Semi-Hard
The Cleveland Show Season 3, Episode 7
After Family Guy parodied Star Wars and American Dad! parodied James Bond, The Cleveland Show tackled a different cinema classic, and ended up producing arguably the best episode of its relatively short run. “Die Semi-Hard” reimagines Die Hard with Cleveland as John McClane, Donna as Holly, and Tim the Bear as Hans Gruber.
“Die Semi-Hard” is both a loving homage to an action movie masterpiece and a sharp satire of it. It perfectly recreates shots like McClane jumping off the exploding roof, but dials up the slapstick absurdity in moments like McClane ripping off his skin along with the gun taped to his back.
8
Road To The Multiverse
Family Guy Season 8, Episode 1
Long before Marvel, Rick and Morty, and Everything Everywhere All at Once were doing it, Family Guy explored the multiverse. Stewie creates a device that allows him to travel between parallel universes, and he and Brian end up tumbling through various alternate dimensions, unable to get home.
“Road to the Multiverse” is one of Stewie and Brian’s most exciting adventures, and the Family Guy writers made full use of the what-if scenarios of a limitless multiverse. The multiverse has been done to death now, but this is still a great episode.
7
Identity
The Orville Season 2, Episode 8
For the most part, The Orville is a lighthearted show with an optimistic view of the future, like the original Star Trek series. But in season 2’s “Identity,” it tackled one of the gravest technological threats facing humankind with the appropriate morbidity.
When Isaac shuts down, the crew takes him to his home planet to be repaired, but something isn’t quite right. The planet is perfectly habitable for organic life, but the only inhabitants are robots. As they quickly figure out what happened, the episode cleverly spells out the doom that awaits us at the hands of A.I.
6
Rabbit Ears
American Dad! Season 14, Episode 4
It’s rare that a TV show is still taking risks in its 14th season, but American Dad! delivered one of its most experimental episodes with “Rabbit Ears.” Stan becomes obsessed with an old black-and-white TV show from the 1960s and ends up trapped inside it in an episode that feels as much like a horror show as it does a sitcom.
5
Loud Night
Ted Season 1, Episode 6
MacFarlane’s Ted series was a lot better than it had any right to be. It felt like vintage Family Guy; it might’ve been even funnier than the movies. The highlight of the show’s surprisingly stellar first season was its holiday episode, “Loud Night,” in which Matty wishes for his own Christmas miracle and brings his own childhood toy to life.
Dennis the talking dump truck is the best one-off character in the series by far. He’s like Archie Bunker on wheels, backing up every ignorant thing Matty says, and as absurd as this premise is, it actually facilitates some real growth on Matty’s part when he realizes how much he’s alienating Blaire.
4
Blue Harvest
Family Guy Season 6, Episode 1
After featuring some kind of Star Wars reference in just about every one of its early episodes, Family Guy decided to cut out the middleman. The season 6 premiere, “Blue Harvest,” is a remake of the original Star Wars movie with all the Family Guy characters playing iconic roles: Chris as Luke, Lois as Leia, Peter as Han, Stewie as Vader, etc.
It was a simple setup, but it resulted in one of Family Guy’s funniest episodes. “Blue Harvest” has plenty of the show’s signature non-sequiturs, like the Griswolds vacationing in a galaxy far, far away and Han and Chewie taking an old couch from the trash compactor, but it also points out a bunch of plot holes.
3
Domino
The Orville Season 3, Episode 9
The crew of the USS Orville — and the whole Planetary Union, for that matter — is thrust into a moral and political dilemma in the season 3 episode “Domino.” The invention of a dangerous new weapon against the Kaylon is the catalyst for one of The Orville’s most thought-provoking and action-packed episodes. It has a great battle sequence, but it also asks deeper questions about warfare.
2
Rapture’s Delight
American Dad! Season 5, Episode 9
After a momentary lapse in his Christian values, Stan ends up getting left behind with all the sinners in “Rapture’s Delight.” This episode’s visually stunning vision of a post-Rapture hellscape, ravaged by war between angels and demons, is so gorgeously realized that it could be the basis for a big-screen blockbuster.
But underneath all the theological spectacle, the episode is firmly rooted in Stan’s love for Francine. He reluctantly teams up with Jesus, Francine’s new man, to save her from the Antichrist. This episode is funny, action-packed, and most importantly, emotionally resonant.
1
And Then There Were Fewer
Family Guy Season 9, Episode 1
Nine years before Rian Johnson would turn a savvy, self-aware riff on Agatha Christie murder mysteries into a hit movie franchise, Family Guy did just that in its all-time best episode. “And Then There Were Fewer” is a classic whodunit, with all the main characters being invited to a dinner party at a mysterious remote mansion, only for the host to turn up dead.
It’s a hilarious blend of off-the-wall absurdity and keenly observed social satire, just like all the best Family Guy episodes. But unlike a typical Family Guy episode, it actually has a compelling plot that the writers put a lot of thought into. There’s been a murder, and everyone is a suspect.
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