No Chris Left Behind
Encyclopedia
"No Chris Left Behind" is the sixteenth episode of the fifth season
of the animated
comedy series
Family Guy
. It originally aired on Fox
in the United States on May 6, 2007. The episode features Chris
after he is kicked out of James Woods High School, and is forced to attend an upper-class academy who do not take kindly to Chris's lower-class upbringing. In an effort to fit in, he decides to join the academy's Skull and Bones
society, but quickly finds it to be too demanding. It is also the first appearance of the recurring character "Bruce".
The episode was written by Patrick Meighan
and directed by Pete Michels
. It received praise from critics for its storyline and many cultural references, in addition to receiving an Emmy Award
for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Animation. According to Nielsen ratings
, it was viewed in 7.95 million homes in its original airing. The episode featured guest performances by Gary Cole
, Neil Patrick Harris
, Phil LaMarr
, Josh Radnor
and Tara Strong
, along with several recurring guest voice actors for the series.
decides to take them out to the ballet
Swan Lake
, on a late school night. The next morning, Chris
is seen studying at the breakfast table for an upcoming exam at school. After first being told not to study at the table by Lois, Brian
notices that Chris's history textbook is hopelessly out of date. Upset by this, Lois
goes to a PTA
meeting to complain about the textbook. Responding to her grievances, Principal Shepherd explains that the school cannot afford new textbooks, due to the school's loss of federal funding, after reporting low test scores, as a result of the No Child Left Behind Act
. Forced to make a decision on how to improve the scores and the school's overall performance, Principal Shepherd decides to expel the school's "dumbest" student, who is revealed to be Chris Griffin. After several failed attempts to find another school for Chris, Lois asks her father, Carter Pewterschmidt, to utilize his superior influence to get Chris admitted to the upper-class Morningwood Academy, which he agrees to, and eventually succeeds in doing so. At his new school, Chris is shunned by the wealthy students at the academy, being both verbally and physically assaulted. An example is being whacked with sock full of paper money. After hearing this, Lois again turns to her father to help Chris, by inviting him to become a member of the Skull and Bones
society with the other students, who eventually come to accept him.
Meanwhile, the family have all begun to take extra jobs, in order to pay for Chris's tuition; Peter decides selling butt scratchers at the ballpark
, Lois and Meg
begin working as prostitutes
, and Stewie
decides to follow overweight park-goers, while playing the sousaphone
(although it's referred to as a tuba
), making them fall. As this is happening, Chris starts to feel uncomfortable with his membership at the Skull and Bones, especially after one of their activities involves teasing an orphan they had pretended to adopt. Feeling his family should not go through so much trouble to keep him satisfied, Chris asks Carter to help him get back into his old school
. Carter complies with his request, and Chris moves back home, and returns to James Woods High School. At the end of the episode, Stewie plays the sousaphone for Chris, making him fall.
, in his second episode for the season, the first being "Road to Rupert
", and directed by former Rugrats
and Rocko's Modern Life
director Pete Michels
, also in his second episode for the season, the first being "Chick Cancer
", before the conclusion of the fifth production season
.
In addition to the regular cast, actor Gary Cole
, actor Neil Patrick Harris
, voice actor Phil LaMarr
, actor Josh Radnor
and voice actress Tara Strong
guest starred in the episode. Recurring guest voice actors Ralph Garman
, writer Mark Hentemann
, writer Chris Sheridan, writer Danny Smith
, writer Alec Sulkin
and writer John Viener also made minor appearances.
is seen watching a television show entitled How I Met Your Father, a spoof of the CBS
comedy-sitcom How I Met Your Mother
. Actors Josh Radnor
and Neil Patrick Harris
make cameo appearances, voicing their characters, Ted Mosby
and Barney Stinson
, who end up kissing passionately by the end of the scene.
During Peter's prolonged fight with the Giant Chicken, a scene involving an electric carving knife is taken from the James Bond film The Living Daylights
. A Wilhelm scream
is during the chicken fight.
Stating his desire to become more powerful, Stewie references the Neighborhood of Make-Believe
from Mister Rogers' Neighborhood
, and is then shown portraying King Friday XIII. The cutaway features a live action
hand puppet segment, in which Stewie is making a proclamation to his subjects, before the Trolley comes along. This is the second reference to the show since the second season episode "Brian in Love".
In an attempt to get Chris into Morningwood Academy, Peter is forced by Carter Pewterschmidt to appear in a remake of the 1997 comedy film Liar Liar
. After Chris is accepted to Morningwood Academy, he falls asleep in his bed for the night, and is suddenly attacked by a group of fellow classmates, who stuff dollar bills into their socks, and quickly begin hitting him with the weapons. A similar scene is shown in director Stanley Kubrick
's 1987 war film Full Metal Jacket
.
, in the United States. The episode also acquired a 2.8 rating in the 18-49 demographic, slightly edging out The Simpsons
, in addition to significantly winning over series creator Seth MacFarlane
's second show on Fox, American Dad!
, in both rating and total viewership.
Reviews of the episode by television critics were mostly positive, calling it "refreshing." Ahsan Haque of IGN
praised the episode's extended chicken fight scene, going on to note, "Like every other encounter with the Giant Chicken, this was highly entertaining, incredibly creative and just the type of sequence the Family Guy needs more of." In contrast, Brett Love of TV Squad found the chicken scene to be too long, stating, "there are only 22 minutes per episode Taking a quarter of that for the chicken fight is just ridiculous." Love did enjoy the scenes involving Chris's time at Morningwood Academy, however, going on to mention that he "would have liked to see a little more of Chris and Carter bonding over Skull and Bones adventures."
"No Chris Left Behind" was nominated for, and won the Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Animation. The recipient of the award was episode storyboard artist Steven Fonti
, who was awarded the distinction due to his work in storyboarding the episode's chicken fight scene. In addition, Steven Fonti's chicken fight sequence was also nominated for, and won, the Annie Award hosted by ASIFA-Hollywood at the 35th annual award ceremony for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Storyboarding in an Animated Television Production.
Family Guy (season 5)
Family Guy fifth season first aired on the Fox network in eighteen episodes from September 10, 2006 to May 20, 2007 before being released as two DVD box sets and in syndication. It premiered with the episode "Stewie Loves Lois" and finished with "Meet the Quagmires"...
of the animated
Animated cartoon
An animated cartoon is a short, hand-drawn film for the cinema, television or computer screen, featuring some kind of story or plot...
comedy series
Television comedy
Television comedy had a presence from the earliest days of broadcasting. Among the earliest BBC television programmes in the 1930s was Starlight, which offered a series of guests from the music hall era — singers and comedians amongst them...
Family Guy
Family Guy
Family Guy is an American animated television series created by Seth MacFarlane for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series centers on the Griffins, a dysfunctional family consisting of parents Peter and Lois; their children Meg, Chris, and Stewie; and their anthropomorphic pet dog Brian...
. It originally aired on Fox
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
in the United States on May 6, 2007. The episode features Chris
Chris Griffin
Chris Griffin is a character from the animated television series Family Guy. He is the son and middle child of Peter and Lois Griffin, brother of Stewie and Meg Griffin. Chris is voiced by Seth Green.-Personality:...
after he is kicked out of James Woods High School, and is forced to attend an upper-class academy who do not take kindly to Chris's lower-class upbringing. In an effort to fit in, he decides to join the academy's Skull and Bones
Skull and Bones
Skull and Bones is an undergraduate senior or secret society at Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut. It is a traditional peer society to Scroll and Key and Wolf's Head, as the three senior class 'landed societies' at Yale....
society, but quickly finds it to be too demanding. It is also the first appearance of the recurring character "Bruce".
The episode was written by Patrick Meighan
Patrick Meighan (writer)
Patrick Meighan is an American animation writer. Meighan is most notably known for writing several episodes of the animated series Family Guy and Titus.Meighan has also served as a production assistant on Dharma & Greg.-Family Guy:...
and directed by Pete Michels
Pete Michels
Pete Michels is an animation director on Family Guy. He has also been the supervising director on Family Guy as well as on the short-lived TV show, Kid Notorious. He started working on The Simpsons in 1990 as a background layout artist. He worked his way up to character layout artist, timer,...
. It received praise from critics for its storyline and many cultural references, in addition to receiving an Emmy Award
Emmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Animation. According to Nielsen ratings
Nielsen Ratings
Nielsen ratings are the audience measurement systems developed by Nielsen Media Research, in an effort to determine the audience size and composition of television programming in the United States...
, it was viewed in 7.95 million homes in its original airing. The episode featured guest performances by Gary Cole
Gary Cole
Gary Michael Cole is an American actor. Cole is known for his supporting roles in numerous film and television productions since the 1990s.-Early life:...
, Neil Patrick Harris
Neil Patrick Harris
Neil Patrick Harris is an American actor, singer, director, and magician.Prominent roles of his career include the title role in Doogie Howser, M.D., Colonel Carl Jenkins in Starship Troopers, the womanizing Barney Stinson in How I Met Your Mother, a fictionalized version of himself in the Harold...
, Phil LaMarr
Phil LaMarr
Phillip "Phil" LaMarr is an American actor, comedian and voice actor. One of the original cast members on the sketch comedy series MADtv, he is also known for his small, but memorable role as Marvin in Pulp Fiction...
, Josh Radnor
Josh Radnor
Joshua Michael "Josh" Radnor is an American actor, director, and writer, best known for portraying the main character Ted Mosby on the popular, Emmy Award-winning CBS sitcom How I Met Your Mother, for which he has received worldwide fame and recognitions.He made his writing and directorial debut...
and Tara Strong
Tara Strong
Tara Lyn Strong is a Canadian actress, voice-over artist, singer, who is best known for her voice work in cartoons.-Early life and career:...
, along with several recurring guest voice actors for the series.
Plot
Seeking to spend time with her family, LoisLois Griffin
Lois Griffin is a character from the animated television series Family Guy. She is voiced by writer Alex Borstein and first appeared on television, along with the rest of the family in the 15-minute short on December 20, 1998. Lois was created and designed by series creator Seth MacFarlane...
decides to take them out to the ballet
Ballet
Ballet is a type of performance dance, that originated in the Italian Renaissance courts of the 15th century, and which was further developed in France and Russia as a concert dance form. The early portions preceded the invention of the proscenium stage and were presented in large chambers with...
Swan Lake
Swan Lake
Swan Lake ballet, op. 20, by Pyotr Tchaikovsky, composed 1875–1876. The scenario, initially in four acts, was fashioned from Russian folk tales and tells the story of Odette, a princess turned into a swan by an evil sorcerer's curse. The choreographer of the original production was Julius Reisinger...
, on a late school night. The next morning, Chris
Chris Griffin
Chris Griffin is a character from the animated television series Family Guy. He is the son and middle child of Peter and Lois Griffin, brother of Stewie and Meg Griffin. Chris is voiced by Seth Green.-Personality:...
is seen studying at the breakfast table for an upcoming exam at school. After first being told not to study at the table by Lois, Brian
Brian Griffin
Brian Griffin is a character from the animated television series Family Guy. He is voiced by Seth MacFarlane and first appeared on television, along with the rest of the family, in a 15-minute short on December 20, 1998. Brian was created and designed by MacFarlane himself...
notices that Chris's history textbook is hopelessly out of date. Upset by this, Lois
Lois Griffin
Lois Griffin is a character from the animated television series Family Guy. She is voiced by writer Alex Borstein and first appeared on television, along with the rest of the family in the 15-minute short on December 20, 1998. Lois was created and designed by series creator Seth MacFarlane...
goes to a PTA
Parent-Teacher Association
In the U.S. a parent-teacher association or Parent-Teacher-Student Association is a formal organization composed of parents, teachers and staff that is intended to facilitate parental participation in a public or private school. Most public and private K-8 schools in the U.S. have a PTA, a...
meeting to complain about the textbook. Responding to her grievances, Principal Shepherd explains that the school cannot afford new textbooks, due to the school's loss of federal funding, after reporting low test scores, as a result of the No Child Left Behind Act
No Child Left Behind Act
The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 is a United States Act of Congress concerning the education of children in public schools.NCLB was originally proposed by the administration of George W. Bush immediately after he took office...
. Forced to make a decision on how to improve the scores and the school's overall performance, Principal Shepherd decides to expel the school's "dumbest" student, who is revealed to be Chris Griffin. After several failed attempts to find another school for Chris, Lois asks her father, Carter Pewterschmidt, to utilize his superior influence to get Chris admitted to the upper-class Morningwood Academy, which he agrees to, and eventually succeeds in doing so. At his new school, Chris is shunned by the wealthy students at the academy, being both verbally and physically assaulted. An example is being whacked with sock full of paper money. After hearing this, Lois again turns to her father to help Chris, by inviting him to become a member of the Skull and Bones
Skull and Bones
Skull and Bones is an undergraduate senior or secret society at Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut. It is a traditional peer society to Scroll and Key and Wolf's Head, as the three senior class 'landed societies' at Yale....
society with the other students, who eventually come to accept him.
Meanwhile, the family have all begun to take extra jobs, in order to pay for Chris's tuition; Peter decides selling butt scratchers at the ballpark
Baseball park
A baseball park, also known as a baseball stadium, ball park, or ballpark is a venue where baseball is played. It consists of the playing field and the surrounding spectator seating...
, Lois and Meg
Meg Griffin
Meg Griffin is a character from the animated television series Family Guy. She is the eldest child of Lois and Peter and elder sister of Chris and Stewie. Meg is considered as the black sheep of the series due to the lack of attention she receives....
begin working as prostitutes
Prostitution
Prostitution is the act or practice of providing sexual services to another person in return for payment. The person who receives payment for sexual services is called a prostitute and the person who receives such services is known by a multitude of terms, including a "john". Prostitution is one of...
, and Stewie
Stewie Griffin
Stewie Griffin is a fictional character from the animated television series Family Guy. Once obsessed with world domination and matricide, Stewie is the youngest child of Peter and Lois Griffin, and the brother of Chris and Meg....
decides to follow overweight park-goers, while playing the sousaphone
Sousaphone
The sousaphone is a type of tuba that is widely employed in marching bands. Designed so that it fits around the body of the musician and is supported by the left shoulder, the sousaphone may be readily played while being carried...
(although it's referred to as a tuba
Tuba
The tuba is the largest and lowest-pitched brass instrument. Sound is produced by vibrating or "buzzing" the lips into a large cupped mouthpiece. It is one of the most recent additions to the modern symphony orchestra, first appearing in the mid-19th century, when it largely replaced the...
), making them fall. As this is happening, Chris starts to feel uncomfortable with his membership at the Skull and Bones, especially after one of their activities involves teasing an orphan they had pretended to adopt. Feeling his family should not go through so much trouble to keep him satisfied, Chris asks Carter to help him get back into his old school
School
A school is an institution designed for the teaching of students under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, which is commonly compulsory. In these systems, students progress through a series of schools...
. Carter complies with his request, and Chris moves back home, and returns to James Woods High School. At the end of the episode, Stewie plays the sousaphone for Chris, making him fall.
Production
The episode was written by series regular Patrick MeighanPatrick Meighan (writer)
Patrick Meighan is an American animation writer. Meighan is most notably known for writing several episodes of the animated series Family Guy and Titus.Meighan has also served as a production assistant on Dharma & Greg.-Family Guy:...
, in his second episode for the season, the first being "Road to Rupert
Road to Rupert
"Road to Rupert" is the ninth episode of season five of Family Guy. The episode follows Brian after he inadvertently sells Stewie's teddy bear, Rupert, during a yard sale. In an attempt to retrieve him, Stewie and Brian travel across the United States, eventually discovering he is with a child...
", and directed by former Rugrats
Rugrats
Rugrats is an American animated television series created by Arlene Klasky, Gábor Csupó, and Paul Germain for Nickelodeon. The series premiered on August 11, 1991, and aired its last episode on June 8, 2004....
and Rocko's Modern Life
Rocko's Modern Life
Rocko's Modern Life is an animated series created by Joe Murray. The show aired for four seasons between 1993 and 1996 on Nickelodeon. Rocko's Modern Life is based around the surreal, parodic adventures of an anthropomorphic wallaby named Rocko, and his life in the city of O-Town...
director Pete Michels
Pete Michels
Pete Michels is an animation director on Family Guy. He has also been the supervising director on Family Guy as well as on the short-lived TV show, Kid Notorious. He started working on The Simpsons in 1990 as a background layout artist. He worked his way up to character layout artist, timer,...
, also in his second episode for the season, the first being "Chick Cancer
Chick Cancer
"Chick Cancer" is the seventh episode of season five of Family Guy. The episode originally broadcast on November 26, 2006. In the episode, Stewie's old friend and child actress, Olivia Fuller returns to Quahog...
", before the conclusion of the fifth production season
Family Guy (season 5)
Family Guy fifth season first aired on the Fox network in eighteen episodes from September 10, 2006 to May 20, 2007 before being released as two DVD box sets and in syndication. It premiered with the episode "Stewie Loves Lois" and finished with "Meet the Quagmires"...
.
In addition to the regular cast, actor Gary Cole
Gary Cole
Gary Michael Cole is an American actor. Cole is known for his supporting roles in numerous film and television productions since the 1990s.-Early life:...
, actor Neil Patrick Harris
Neil Patrick Harris
Neil Patrick Harris is an American actor, singer, director, and magician.Prominent roles of his career include the title role in Doogie Howser, M.D., Colonel Carl Jenkins in Starship Troopers, the womanizing Barney Stinson in How I Met Your Mother, a fictionalized version of himself in the Harold...
, voice actor Phil LaMarr
Phil LaMarr
Phillip "Phil" LaMarr is an American actor, comedian and voice actor. One of the original cast members on the sketch comedy series MADtv, he is also known for his small, but memorable role as Marvin in Pulp Fiction...
, actor Josh Radnor
Josh Radnor
Joshua Michael "Josh" Radnor is an American actor, director, and writer, best known for portraying the main character Ted Mosby on the popular, Emmy Award-winning CBS sitcom How I Met Your Mother, for which he has received worldwide fame and recognitions.He made his writing and directorial debut...
and voice actress Tara Strong
Tara Strong
Tara Lyn Strong is a Canadian actress, voice-over artist, singer, who is best known for her voice work in cartoons.-Early life and career:...
guest starred in the episode. Recurring guest voice actors Ralph Garman
Ralph Garman
Ralph Garman is an American actor, comedian, and radio host best known as the host of The Joe Schmo Show, for his voice work in Family Guy, and as the entertainment reporter and impressionist for the Kevin and Bean morning show on Los Angeles radio station, KROQ-FM...
, writer Mark Hentemann
Mark Hentemann
Mark Hentemann is an American animation writer. Hentemann is most notably known for writing several episodes of the animated series Family Guy...
, writer Chris Sheridan, writer Danny Smith
Danny Smith (writer)
Daniel "Danny" Smith is an executive producer, writer and voice actor on the American animated television series Family Guy. He has been with the show since its inception and throughout the years has contributed many episodes, such as "Holy Crap", "The Father, the Son, and the Holy Fonz", "Chitty...
, writer Alec Sulkin
Alec Sulkin
Alec Sulkin is an American television writer. Most notable for writing and producing several episodes of the animated series Family Guy, he has also contributed to The Cleveland Show, another series by Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane....
and writer John Viener also made minor appearances.
Cultural references
In the opening scene of the episode, the Griffin familyGriffin family
The Griffin family is a family from the animated television series Family Guy. The Griffins are a nuclear family consisting of the married couple Peter and Lois, their three children Meg, Chris, and Stewie, and their dog Brian. They live at 31 Spooner Street in the fictional town of Quahog, Rhode...
is seen watching a television show entitled How I Met Your Father, a spoof of the CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
comedy-sitcom How I Met Your Mother
How I Met Your Mother
How I Met Your Mother is an American sitcom that premiered on CBS on September 19, 2005, created by Craig Thomas and Carter Bays.As a framing device, the main character, Ted Mosby with narration by Bob Saget, in the year 2030 recounts to his son and daughter the events that led to his meeting...
. Actors Josh Radnor
Josh Radnor
Joshua Michael "Josh" Radnor is an American actor, director, and writer, best known for portraying the main character Ted Mosby on the popular, Emmy Award-winning CBS sitcom How I Met Your Mother, for which he has received worldwide fame and recognitions.He made his writing and directorial debut...
and Neil Patrick Harris
Neil Patrick Harris
Neil Patrick Harris is an American actor, singer, director, and magician.Prominent roles of his career include the title role in Doogie Howser, M.D., Colonel Carl Jenkins in Starship Troopers, the womanizing Barney Stinson in How I Met Your Mother, a fictionalized version of himself in the Harold...
make cameo appearances, voicing their characters, Ted Mosby
Ted Mosby
Theodore Evelyn "Ted" Mosby is the titular fictional character of the U.S. television sitcom How I Met Your Mother, portrayed by Josh Radnor...
and Barney Stinson
Barney Stinson
Barnabas "Barney" Stinson is a fictional character created by Carter Bays and Craig Thomas for the CBS television series How I Met Your Mother, portrayed by Neil Patrick Harris. The character has been extremely well received by critics and has been credited for much of the show's success...
, who end up kissing passionately by the end of the scene.
During Peter's prolonged fight with the Giant Chicken, a scene involving an electric carving knife is taken from the James Bond film The Living Daylights
The Living Daylights
The Living Daylights is the fifteenth entry in the James Bond series and the first to star Timothy Dalton as the fictional MI6 agent 007. The film's title is taken from Ian Fleming's short story, "The Living Daylights"...
. A Wilhelm scream
Wilhelm scream
The Wilhelm scream is a film and television stock sound effect first used in 1951 for the film Distant Drums. The effect gained new popularity after it was used in Star Wars and many other blockbuster films as well as television programs and video games...
is during the chicken fight.
Stating his desire to become more powerful, Stewie references the Neighborhood of Make-Believe
Neighborhood of Make-Believe
The Neighborhood of Make-Believe is the fictional kingdom inhabited by the hand puppet characters on the children's television program Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, produced from 1968 to 2001...
from Mister Rogers' Neighborhood
Mister Rogers' Neighborhood
Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, also known as Mister Rogers, is an American children's television series that was created and hosted by Fred Rogers. The series is aimed primarily at preschool ages, 2-5, but has been stated by Public Broadcasting Service as "appropriate for all ages"...
, and is then shown portraying King Friday XIII. The cutaway features a live action
Live action
In filmmaking, video production, and other media, the term live action refers to cinematography, videography not produced using animation...
hand puppet segment, in which Stewie is making a proclamation to his subjects, before the Trolley comes along. This is the second reference to the show since the second season episode "Brian in Love".
In an attempt to get Chris into Morningwood Academy, Peter is forced by Carter Pewterschmidt to appear in a remake of the 1997 comedy film Liar Liar
Liar Liar
Liar Liar is a 1997 American comedy film written by Paul Guay and Stephen Mazur, directed by Tom Shadyac and starring Jim Carrey. Carrey was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Comedy/Musical...
. After Chris is accepted to Morningwood Academy, he falls asleep in his bed for the night, and is suddenly attacked by a group of fellow classmates, who stuff dollar bills into their socks, and quickly begin hitting him with the weapons. A similar scene is shown in director Stanley Kubrick
Stanley Kubrick
Stanley Kubrick was an American film director, writer, producer, and photographer who lived in England during most of the last four decades of his career...
's 1987 war film Full Metal Jacket
Full Metal Jacket
Full Metal Jacket is a 1987 war film produced and directed by Stanley Kubrick. It is an adaptation of the 1979 novel The Short-Timers by Gustav Hasford and stars Matthew Modine, Vincent D'Onofrio, R. Lee Ermey, Arliss Howard and Adam Baldwin. The film follows a platoon of U.S...
.
Reception
In a slight decrease from the previous week's show, the episode was viewed in 7.95 million homes in its original airing, according to Nielsen ratingsNielsen Ratings
Nielsen ratings are the audience measurement systems developed by Nielsen Media Research, in an effort to determine the audience size and composition of television programming in the United States...
, in the United States. The episode also acquired a 2.8 rating in the 18-49 demographic, slightly edging out The Simpsons
The Simpsons
The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...
, in addition to significantly winning over series creator Seth MacFarlane
Seth MacFarlane
Seth Woodbury MacFarlane is an American animator, writer, comedian, producer, actor, singer, voice actor, and director best known for creating the animated sitcoms Family Guy, American Dad! and The Cleveland Show, for which he also voices many of the shows' various characters.A native of Kent,...
's second show on Fox, American Dad!
American Dad!
American Dad! is an American animated television series created by Seth MacFarlane and owned by Underdog Productions and Fuzzy Door Productions. It is produced in association with 20th Century Fox Television...
, in both rating and total viewership.
Reviews of the episode by television critics were mostly positive, calling it "refreshing." Ahsan Haque of IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
praised the episode's extended chicken fight scene, going on to note, "Like every other encounter with the Giant Chicken, this was highly entertaining, incredibly creative and just the type of sequence the Family Guy needs more of." In contrast, Brett Love of TV Squad found the chicken scene to be too long, stating, "there are only 22 minutes per episode Taking a quarter of that for the chicken fight is just ridiculous." Love did enjoy the scenes involving Chris's time at Morningwood Academy, however, going on to mention that he "would have liked to see a little more of Chris and Carter bonding over Skull and Bones adventures."
"No Chris Left Behind" was nominated for, and won the Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Animation. The recipient of the award was episode storyboard artist Steven Fonti
Steven Fonti
Steven Fonti also known as Steve Fonti , is a Primetime Emmy Award winner who has worked in the Art Department on movies such as Over the Hedge and Adam Sandler's Eight Crazy Nights, Cinderella III: A Twist in Time, Pooh's Heffalump Movie, Osmosis Jones and TV shows including Family Guy and Futurama...
, who was awarded the distinction due to his work in storyboarding the episode's chicken fight scene. In addition, Steven Fonti's chicken fight sequence was also nominated for, and won, the Annie Award hosted by ASIFA-Hollywood at the 35th annual award ceremony for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Storyboarding in an Animated Television Production.