Peter's Progress
Encyclopedia
"Peter's Progress" is the sixteenth episode and the season finale of the seventh season of Family Guy
. It originally aired on Fox
in the United States on May 17, 2009. In the episode, a psychic reads Peter
's palms and discovers he led a fascinating past life as Griffin Peterson, a dignified gentleman in 17th century England, who was the original founder of Quahog.
The episode was written by Wellesley Wild
and directed by Brian Iles. It received mixed reviews from critics for its storyline and many cultural references. According to Nielsen ratings
, it was viewed in 7.33 million homes in its original airing. The episode featured guest performances by John Ross Bowie
, Erik von Detten
, Brody Hutzler
, Derwin Jordan, Keri Lynn Pratt
, David Pressman
, Josh Radnor
, Martin Savage
, Jason Segel
, Alexander Siddig
and Neil Patrick Harris
, along with several recurring guest voice actors for the series.
introduces his Jamaica
n cousin, Madame Claude, to his friends, saying she is a psychic
, and offers to have her read their palms
and determine past lives
they have had. Madame Claude then determines that Joe was once an octopus whose tentacles were bitten off by a shark, and Quagmire
was Jack the Ripper
. When Claude reads Peter's palm, she discovers that he was Griffin Peterson, the supposed founder of Quahog. Most of the episode follows the story of this past life, the main characters therein having the appearance of regular Family Guy characters.
In 17th century England, Griffin proposes to the love of his life, Lady Redbush (Lois
). The ruthless King Stewart III (Stewie
), however, spots Redbush while strolling through town and decides he must be the one she should marry. While Griffin is on the way to his wedding, Stewart secretly kidnaps and exile
s him to the New World
. As Lady Redbush waits in growing angst, Stewart walks into the church. He tells Lady Redbush that Griffin is dead, proceeding to marry her himself.
Upon reaching the New World, Griffin establishes the colony of Quahog, which eventually grows into a thriving settlement, and moves on with his life, even marrying another woman (Meg
). Redbush, on the other hand, suffers a dull, sexless marriage with King Stewart, and continues to lament Griffin's supposed death until King Stewart's jester (Brian
) reveals the truth to Redbush. Redbush immediately departs for Quahog and happily reunites with Griffin, who has grown irritated with his current wife and "divorces" her by shooting and killing her with a musket
. Six months later, King Stewart learns that Redbush is gone, and he makes his way to Quahog to reclaim his wife, kill Griffin, and terrorize the colony. Upon being discovered by Stewart's Cockney
first lieutenant (Chris
), Griffin threatens to kill the officer, while Stewart threatens to kill Redbush. After exchanging threats without getting anywhere, Griffin and Stewart decide to settle their dispute with a talent show
, with the winner winning Lady Redbush's hand in marriage, and ownership of the town of Quahog. For his act, King Stewart steals his jester's mostly unfunny jokes about his Aunt Frida. However, Griffin and his colonist friends (featuring Quagmire, Joe, Cleveland, Mort, and Seamus) effectively steal the show with a techno-rock number from Revenge of the Nerds
, beating Stewart. Griffin and Redbush remain in Quahog to live happily ever after.
and directed by Brian Iles
. The live action sequences used throughout the episode to promote supposed shows on Fox was directed by Bones
director Steve Beers. The night the episode aired, the "Animation Domination" block was co-hosted by an animated version of rapper Eminem
and Stewie Griffin. Eminem, who provided his own voice, said that it was a "thrill to work with Stewie" and that he is a "big fan of talking babies and their humor".
In addition to the main cast, Josh Radnor
, Jason Segel
and Neil Patrick Harris
guest starred in the episode as their characters from the CBS
sitcom How I Met Your Mother
. Family Guy writer John Viener was the voice of Cleveland's cousin, Madame Claude. Recurring guest voice actor John G. Brennan
and writers Alec Sulkin
, Danny Smith
, Tom Devanney and Mark Hentemann
made minor appearances in the episode. Alexander Siddig
, Martin Savage
, John Ross Bowie
, Brody Hutzler
, Derwin Jordan, Keri Lynn Pratt
, David Pressman
and Erik von Detten
guest starred as well.
. King Stewart III orders to kill the cast of How I Met Your Mother
after he is displeased with their performance. Griffin Peterson's act in the talent show is a reference to the act the Lambda Lambda Lambdas perform at the homecoming in the 1984 film Revenge of the Nerds
. As a running gag throughout the episode, Fox promos appear on the bottom of the screen with made up shows including Shovin' Buddies, Slowly Rotating Black Man, and Cross-Armed Opposites, parodying Fox advertising. Griffin says that he is "the happiest guy in the world because he's got a girl and is 290 years away from the films of Kevin Smith
". A clip is shown of Madonna
celebrating her sixteenth birthday, suggesting she is over 300 years old. During King Stewart's invasion of the settlement the music and lyrics are identical to that of Mel Brooks' Blazing Saddles
, with Rock Ridge changed to Quahog. A lady says of King Stewart, "I didn't vote for him," alluding to Monty Python and the Holy Grail
.
, American Dad!
and King of the Hill
. It acquired a 3.7 rating
in the 18–49 demographic, finishing third in its timeslot after the season finales of Survivor: Tocantins and Desperate Housewives
.
The episode received mixed reviews from critics. Ahsan Haque of IGN
said that "Family Guy has never really done anything particularly special for the last episode of any season [...] and despite the obvious efforts to increase the animation quality and try to tell a complete story in this episode, it didn't turn out to be the winning effort that will keep fans eagerly awaiting the show's return next season". Todd VanDerWerff of The A.V. Club
gave the episode a D, and called it an "unfortunate and unfunny flashback [...] with lots of incest gags [that] was genuinely queasy-making, but not in a way that made anyone laugh from the shock of recognition or anything like that", but said that Family Guy can be "damn funny when it wants to be", referring to the Fox promos that take up the bottom quarter of the screen. Robin Pierson of The TV Critic gave the episode a positive review, stating: "Good fun story, good fun jokes", but said that the end "felt flat" because of the Revenge of the Nerds music sequence.
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 17, 2009. In the episode, a psychic reads Peter
Peter Griffin
Peter Griffin is a fictional character and the protagonist of the animated comedy series Family Guy and the patriarch of the Griffin family. He is voiced by cartoonist Seth MacFarlane and first appeared on television, along with the rest of the family in the 15-minute short on December 20, 1998....
's palms and discovers he led a fascinating past life as Griffin Peterson, a dignified gentleman in 17th century England, who was the original founder of Quahog.
The episode was written by Wellesley Wild
Wellesley Wild
Wellesley Wild is an American animation writer. He is best known for writing and producing several episodes of the animated series Family Guy. He is currently co-executive producer and an occasional voice actor for the show....
and directed by Brian Iles. It received mixed reviews from critics for its storyline and many cultural references. 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 7.33 million homes in its original airing. The episode featured guest performances by John Ross Bowie
John Ross Bowie
John Ross Bowie is an American actor and comedian best known for playing Barry Kripke in The Big Bang Theory, and modeling as the benefits spokesperson for Target Corporation "Ben E. Fitz". He has also appeared in commercials for Progressive and appeared in the film What The Bleep Do We Know?...
, Erik von Detten
Erik von Detten
Erik Thomas von Detten is an American actor. He is known for his roles in Escape to Witch Mountain, Toy Story, Brink!, The Princess Diaries, and So Weird.-Personal life:Von Detten was born in San Diego, California...
, Brody Hutzler
Brody Hutzler
Ian Brody Hutzler is an American actor primarily known for his roles on soap operas.-Career:Hutzler played the role of Zachary Smith on Guiding Light from 1996–1997 and the role of Cody Dixon on The Young and the Restless from 1999-2004 before moving on to Days of our Lives, where he played the...
, Derwin Jordan, Keri Lynn Pratt
Keri Lynn Pratt
Keri Lynn Pratt is an American actress of film and television. She is well known for her role of Missy Belknap on Jack & Bobby or as Dee Vine in the film Drive Me Crazy, which was her debut role....
, David Pressman
David Pressman
David Pressman is an American human rights lawyer and former aide to United States Secretary of State Madeleine K. Albright. He advises a number of highly-visible individuals on foreign policy and related advocacy strategies...
, 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...
, Martin Savage
Martin Savage
Volunteer Martin Savage was an Officer in the Dublin Brigade of the Irish Republican Army, from Ballisodare, County Sligo....
, Jason Segel
Jason Segel
Jason Jordan Segel is an American television and film actor, screenwriter, composer, puppeteer and musician, known for his work with producer Judd Apatow on the short-lived television series Freaks and Geeks and Undeclared, the films Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Knocked Up, I Love You, Man,...
, Alexander Siddig
Alexander Siddig
Siddig El Tahir El Fadil El Siddig Abderrahman Mohammed Ahmed Abdel Karim El Mahdi is a Sudanese-born English actor, also known as Siddig El Fadil and his stage name Alexander Siddig. He is known for playing Dr...
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...
, along with several recurring guest voice actors for the series.
Plot
ClevelandCleveland Brown
Cleveland Orenthal Brown is a character from the animated television series Family Guy, and its spin-off series The Cleveland Show. He is voiced by Mike Henry. In the first seven seasons of Family Guy, Brown is a frequently recurring character. As one of Peter Griffin's neighbors and friends,...
introduces his Jamaica
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
n cousin, Madame Claude, to his friends, saying she is a psychic
Psychic
A psychic is a person who professes an ability to perceive information hidden from the normal senses through extrasensory perception , or is said by others to have such abilities. It is also used to describe theatrical performers who use techniques such as prestidigitation, cold reading, and hot...
, and offers to have her read their palms
Chiromancy
Palmistry or chiromancy , is the art of characterization and foretelling the future through the study of the palm, also known as palm reading, or chirology. The practice is found all over the world, with numerous cultural variations...
and determine past lives
Reincarnation
Reincarnation best describes the concept where the soul or spirit, after the death of the body, is believed to return to live in a new human body, or, in some traditions, either as a human being, animal or plant...
they have had. Madame Claude then determines that Joe was once an octopus whose tentacles were bitten off by a shark, and Quagmire
Glenn Quagmire
Glenn Quagmire, often referred to as just Quagmire, is a character from the animated television series Family Guy. Quagmire is a neighbor and friend of the Griffin family. He is best known for his hypersexuality...
was Jack the Ripper
Jack the Ripper
"Jack the Ripper" is the best-known name given to an unidentified serial killer who was active in the largely impoverished areas in and around the Whitechapel district of London in 1888. The name originated in a letter, written by someone claiming to be the murderer, that was disseminated in the...
. When Claude reads Peter's palm, she discovers that he was Griffin Peterson, the supposed founder of Quahog. Most of the episode follows the story of this past life, the main characters therein having the appearance of regular Family Guy characters.
In 17th century England, Griffin proposes to the love of his life, Lady Redbush (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...
). The ruthless King Stewart III (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....
), however, spots Redbush while strolling through town and decides he must be the one she should marry. While Griffin is on the way to his wedding, Stewart secretly kidnaps and exile
Exile
Exile means to be away from one's home , while either being explicitly refused permission to return and/or being threatened with imprisonment or death upon return...
s him to the New World
Americas
The Americas, or America , are lands in the Western hemisphere, also known as the New World. In English, the plural form the Americas is often used to refer to the landmasses of North America and South America with their associated islands and regions, while the singular form America is primarily...
. As Lady Redbush waits in growing angst, Stewart walks into the church. He tells Lady Redbush that Griffin is dead, proceeding to marry her himself.
Upon reaching the New World, Griffin establishes the colony of Quahog, which eventually grows into a thriving settlement, and moves on with his life, even marrying another woman (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....
). Redbush, on the other hand, suffers a dull, sexless marriage with King Stewart, and continues to lament Griffin's supposed death until King Stewart's jester (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...
) reveals the truth to Redbush. Redbush immediately departs for Quahog and happily reunites with Griffin, who has grown irritated with his current wife and "divorces" her by shooting and killing her with a musket
Musket
A musket is a muzzle-loaded, smooth bore long gun, fired from the shoulder. Muskets were designed for use by infantry. A soldier armed with a musket had the designation musketman or musketeer....
. Six months later, King Stewart learns that Redbush is gone, and he makes his way to Quahog to reclaim his wife, kill Griffin, and terrorize the colony. Upon being discovered by Stewart's Cockney
Cockney
The term Cockney has both geographical and linguistic associations. Geographically and culturally, it often refers to working class Londoners, particularly those in the East End...
first lieutenant (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:...
), Griffin threatens to kill the officer, while Stewart threatens to kill Redbush. After exchanging threats without getting anywhere, Griffin and Stewart decide to settle their dispute with a talent show
Talent show
A talent show is an event where participants perform their talent or talents of acting, singing, dancing, acrobatics, drumming, martial arts, playing an instrument, and other activities to showcase a unique form of talent, sometimes for a reward, trophy or prize...
, with the winner winning Lady Redbush's hand in marriage, and ownership of the town of Quahog. For his act, King Stewart steals his jester's mostly unfunny jokes about his Aunt Frida. However, Griffin and his colonist friends (featuring Quagmire, Joe, Cleveland, Mort, and Seamus) effectively steal the show with a techno-rock number from Revenge of the Nerds
Revenge of the Nerds
Revenge of the Nerds is a 1984 comedy film satirizing social life on a college campus. The film stars Robert Carradine and Anthony Edwards, with Curtis Armstrong, Ted McGinley, Julia Montgomery, Brian Tochi, Larry B. Scott, John Goodman, and Donald Gibb...
, beating Stewart. Griffin and Redbush remain in Quahog to live happily ever after.
Production
The episode was written by Wellesley WildWellesley Wild
Wellesley Wild is an American animation writer. He is best known for writing and producing several episodes of the animated series Family Guy. He is currently co-executive producer and an occasional voice actor for the show....
and directed by Brian Iles
Brian Iles
Brian Iles is an American animation director. Iles is most notably known for directing several episodes of the animated series Family Guy....
. The live action sequences used throughout the episode to promote supposed shows on Fox was directed by Bones
Bones (TV series)
Bones is an American crime drama television series that premiered on the Fox Network on September 13, 2005. The show is based on forensic anthropology and forensic archaeology, with each episode focusing on an FBI case file concerning the mystery behind human remains brought by FBI Special Agent...
director Steve Beers. The night the episode aired, the "Animation Domination" block was co-hosted by an animated version of rapper Eminem
Eminem
Marshall Bruce Mathers III , better known by his stage name Eminem or his alter ego Slim Shady, is an American rapper, record producer, songwriter and actor. Eminem's popularity brought his group project, D12, to mainstream recognition...
and Stewie Griffin. Eminem, who provided his own voice, said that it was a "thrill to work with Stewie" and that he is a "big fan of talking babies and their humor".
In addition to the main cast, 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...
, Jason Segel
Jason Segel
Jason Jordan Segel is an American television and film actor, screenwriter, composer, puppeteer and musician, known for his work with producer Judd Apatow on the short-lived television series Freaks and Geeks and Undeclared, the films Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Knocked Up, I Love You, Man,...
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...
guest starred in the episode as their characters from 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...
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...
. Family Guy writer John Viener was the voice of Cleveland's cousin, Madame Claude. Recurring guest voice actor John G. Brennan
John G. Brennan
John G. Brennan , a.k.a. Johnny B., is an American actor, film writer, and voice actor. He is a member of the Jerky Boys prank call duo, with Kamal Ahmed, who formed in 1989 and split up in 2001, but reformed in 2006...
and writers 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....
, 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...
, Tom Devanney and 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...
made minor appearances in the episode. Alexander Siddig
Alexander Siddig
Siddig El Tahir El Fadil El Siddig Abderrahman Mohammed Ahmed Abdel Karim El Mahdi is a Sudanese-born English actor, also known as Siddig El Fadil and his stage name Alexander Siddig. He is known for playing Dr...
, Martin Savage
Martin Savage
Volunteer Martin Savage was an Officer in the Dublin Brigade of the Irish Republican Army, from Ballisodare, County Sligo....
, John Ross Bowie
John Ross Bowie
John Ross Bowie is an American actor and comedian best known for playing Barry Kripke in The Big Bang Theory, and modeling as the benefits spokesperson for Target Corporation "Ben E. Fitz". He has also appeared in commercials for Progressive and appeared in the film What The Bleep Do We Know?...
, Brody Hutzler
Brody Hutzler
Ian Brody Hutzler is an American actor primarily known for his roles on soap operas.-Career:Hutzler played the role of Zachary Smith on Guiding Light from 1996–1997 and the role of Cody Dixon on The Young and the Restless from 1999-2004 before moving on to Days of our Lives, where he played the...
, Derwin Jordan, Keri Lynn Pratt
Keri Lynn Pratt
Keri Lynn Pratt is an American actress of film and television. She is well known for her role of Missy Belknap on Jack & Bobby or as Dee Vine in the film Drive Me Crazy, which was her debut role....
, David Pressman
David Pressman
David Pressman is an American human rights lawyer and former aide to United States Secretary of State Madeleine K. Albright. He advises a number of highly-visible individuals on foreign policy and related advocacy strategies...
and Erik von Detten
Erik von Detten
Erik Thomas von Detten is an American actor. He is known for his roles in Escape to Witch Mountain, Toy Story, Brink!, The Princess Diaries, and So Weird.-Personal life:Von Detten was born in San Diego, California...
guest starred as well.
Cultural references
When Madame Claude tells everyone who they were in a past life, she reveals that Quagmire was Jack the RipperJack the Ripper
"Jack the Ripper" is the best-known name given to an unidentified serial killer who was active in the largely impoverished areas in and around the Whitechapel district of London in 1888. The name originated in a letter, written by someone claiming to be the murderer, that was disseminated in the...
. King Stewart III orders to kill the cast of 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...
after he is displeased with their performance. Griffin Peterson's act in the talent show is a reference to the act the Lambda Lambda Lambdas perform at the homecoming in the 1984 film Revenge of the Nerds
Revenge of the Nerds
Revenge of the Nerds is a 1984 comedy film satirizing social life on a college campus. The film stars Robert Carradine and Anthony Edwards, with Curtis Armstrong, Ted McGinley, Julia Montgomery, Brian Tochi, Larry B. Scott, John Goodman, and Donald Gibb...
. As a running gag throughout the episode, Fox promos appear on the bottom of the screen with made up shows including Shovin' Buddies, Slowly Rotating Black Man, and Cross-Armed Opposites, parodying Fox advertising. Griffin says that he is "the happiest guy in the world because he's got a girl and is 290 years away from the films of Kevin Smith
Kevin Smith
Kevin Patrick Smith is an American screenwriter, actor, film producer, and director, as well as a popular comic book writer, author, comedian/raconteur, and internet radio personality best recognized by viewers as Silent Bob...
". A clip is shown of Madonna
Madonna (entertainer)
Madonna is an American singer-songwriter, actress and entrepreneur. Born in Bay City, Michigan, she moved to New York City in 1977 to pursue a career in modern dance. After performing in the music groups Breakfast Club and Emmy, she released her debut album in 1983...
celebrating her sixteenth birthday, suggesting she is over 300 years old. During King Stewart's invasion of the settlement the music and lyrics are identical to that of Mel Brooks' Blazing Saddles
Blazing Saddles
Blazing Saddles is a 1974 satirical Western comedy film directed by Mel Brooks. Starring Cleavon Little and Gene Wilder, the film was written by Brooks, Andrew Bergman, Richard Pryor, Norman Steinberg, and Al Uger, and was based on Bergman's story and draft. The movie was nominated for three...
, with Rock Ridge changed to Quahog. A lady says of King Stewart, "I didn't vote for him," alluding to Monty Python and the Holy Grail
Monty Python and the Holy Grail
Monty Python and the Holy Grail is a 1974 British comedy film written and performed by the comedy group Monty Python , and directed by Gilliam and Jones...
.
Reception
In its original airing in the United States, "Peter's Progress" was watched by 7.33 million homes, which was up from the previous episode, and was the most watched show in the "Animation Domination" block, beating the season finales of The SimpsonsThe 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...
, 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...
and King of the Hill
King of the Hill
King of the Hill is an American animated dramedy series created by Mike Judge and Greg Daniels, that ran from January 12, 1997, to May 6, 2010, on Fox network. It centers on the Hills, a working-class Methodist family in the fictional small town of Arlen, Texas...
. It acquired a 3.7 rating
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...
in the 18–49 demographic, finishing third in its timeslot after the season finales of Survivor: Tocantins and Desperate Housewives
Desperate Housewives
Desperate Housewives is an American television comedy-drama series created by Marc Cherry and produced by ABC Studios and Cherry Productions. Executive producer Cherry serves as Showrunner. Other executive producers since the fourth season include Marc Cherry, Bob Daily, George W...
.
The episode received mixed reviews from critics. 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...
said that "Family Guy has never really done anything particularly special for the last episode of any season [...] and despite the obvious efforts to increase the animation quality and try to tell a complete story in this episode, it didn't turn out to be the winning effort that will keep fans eagerly awaiting the show's return next season". Todd VanDerWerff of The A.V. Club
The A.V. Club
The A.V. Club is an entertainment newspaper and website published by The Onion. Its features include reviews of new films, music, television, books, games and DVDs, as well as interviews and other regular offerings examining both new and classic media and other elements of pop culture. Unlike its...
gave the episode a D, and called it an "unfortunate and unfunny flashback [...] with lots of incest gags [that] was genuinely queasy-making, but not in a way that made anyone laugh from the shock of recognition or anything like that", but said that Family Guy can be "damn funny when it wants to be", referring to the Fox promos that take up the bottom quarter of the screen. Robin Pierson of The TV Critic gave the episode a positive review, stating: "Good fun story, good fun jokes", but said that the end "felt flat" because of the Revenge of the Nerds music sequence.