Family Guy enjoys parodying some of cinema’s finest films. Many of the show’s cutaways, in particular, never pull a punch in lampooning a classic movie. Sometimes, however, the series goes all out and dedicates an entire episode to a cinematic spoof. From Hitchcock to Star Wars, Family Guy has deployed many friggin’ sweet spins on movies over the years, frequently under the span of one episode’s 22-minute runtime.
With season 23 commencing with a Top Gun parody, here are 10 of the finest Family Guy movie parody episodes.
10. Three Directors
Season 16 Episode 5
With the same prompt of “Peter Gets Fired,” Family Guy parodies the trademark tropes of Quentin Tarantino, Wes Anderson, and Michael Bay. Both comedically and visually, the episode peaks with the first take, satirizing Tarantino’s work — Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction, and Kill Bill. During the Kill Bill pastiche, Peter wears a Ronald McDonald outfit while reenacting the Crazy 88 action sequence with Tricia Takanawa and Angela (the late Carrie Fisher). It stylistically captures Tarantino’s gonzo, gory style, offering one fast-paced and remarkably fluid animated sequence that rivals the director’s work. Oddly enough, no foot jokes in it.
9. Petergeist
Season 4 Episode 26
“Petergeist” crams every scene with pop culture references, and while it may grow tiresome by its midpoint, you can’t help but appreciate its rapid firing of gags. The entire episode is a riff on Poltergeist, with Stewie getting stuck in the TV after discussing the aftermath of Friends with the supernatural entity. From there, it escalates into a frenzy of references and bits of Poltergeist lore that becomes more sardonic. Herbert fights a tree like Gandalf in Lord of the Rings, Peter’s peeled skin reveals Hank Hill, and Peter and Stewie escaping the TV straight through Meg’s rear end is all perfect Family Guy nonsense. Also this was how I was introduced to Phil Collins’ “In the Air Tonight” and the not Mike Tyson bit in The Hangover.
8. Leggo My Meg-O
Season 10 Episode 20
This is a Brian and Stewie adventure with them becoming Bryan Mills in a Taken parody. When Meg is kidnapped in Paris on a trip abroad, Stewie and Brian take it upon themselves to save her. Of course, Stewie acts as the man of action and master of disguise while Brian is nearby eating a sandwich. “Leggo My Meg-O” is a fun take on Taken with some shots directly, uh, taken from its source material, like Meg being pulled from under the bed and Peter doing the “I don’t know who you are” speech. Just to think this predated Liam Neeson working with Seth MacFarlane in films and on Family Guy.
7. Fat Gun
Season 23 Episode 1
In the season 23 opener, Top Gun and Top Gun: Maverick get their good ol’ Family Guy ribbin’ with Peter as Maverick, Joe as Goose, Stewie as Iceman, and Chris as Rooster. Every other interaction with Joe’s Goose has Peter going, “Talk to me, Goose,” which always lands a laugh along with playing up the homoeroticism in a hilarious take on the beach scene. Most of Top Gun‘s segment is sheer silliness, poking fun at the ‘80s outdatedness. Then, Maverick presents a visually impressive recreation of the finale’s dogfight sequence, coupled with making fun of plot holes ranging from Rooster’s youthful age and its entire female cast from the predecessor being shafted. Yes, Tiny Tom Cruise makes a cameo.
6. Three Kings
Season 7 Episode 15
This fun anthology set spoofs three of Stephen King’s best movies: Stand By Me, Misery, and The Shawshank Redemption. While Misery is the weakest of the bunch, Stand By Me and Shawshank are hilarious spins, with part of the charm being who are cast as these iconic King characters. Also, Joe’s legs are blown off in every segment….viciously. Points for having Patrick Warburton wail in agony.
5. Ocean’s Three and a Half
Season 7 Episode 7
The parody of Soderbergh’s Ocean’s series does not occur until halfway through. However, it is noteworthy that this is one of the significant family moments in history pertaining to the birth of Susie Swanson. The writers were tired of Bonnie being pregnant, so the baby came out. Stewie’s recreation of Bryan Adams’ “(Everything I Do) I Do It for You,” Brian’s list of songs with women names, and Cleveland opening a vault with Reese’s chin are some of the funniest gags in the episode. It’s a good episode that took advantage of a new norm for the series’ supporting cast and went with it.
4. North by North Quahog
Season 4 Episode 1
Nearly two years after cancellation, Family Guy made its grand return — thanks to Adult Swim reruns and high DVD sales — on Fox. There was no better way to make its comeback than with a hilarious take on North by Northwest. When Peter and Lois’ coital adventures get dry, they go on a romantic getaway to bring that spark back. Naturally, that adventure encompasses them getting into Mel Gibson’s hotel suite and stealing his Rush Hour-styled sequel to The Passion of the Christ. This all culminates in a recreation of the renowned cornfield chase scene from North By Northwest with Peter fleeing from two priests. It is a great blend of heart, maturity, and humor that assured viewers that Family Guy was here to stay.
3. Meet the Quagmires
Season 5 Episode 18
Peter, missing his wild days of yore, asks Death to take him back to the ‘80s to have fun. But canceling his date to see Zapped! with Lois has big consequences in the alternate universe, where Lois marries Quagmire. It’s a fun take on Back to the Future with Peter learning a valuable lesson in appreciating his marriage with Lois while also being a great love letter to ‘80s culture. Axel F, Rick Astley, and Molly Ringwald are just a few of the many references in this tribute to the decade. Furthermore, it features one of my favorite cutaways: an entire recreation of The Jetsons intro, which was animated by the episode’s co-director Dan Povenmire (co-creator of Phineas & Ferb), since Hanna-Barbera held the rights for it.
2. And Then There Were Fewer
Season 9 Episode 1
When network shows were prompted to make that HD jump, Family Guy‘s season 9 season opener took advantage of that leap with a cinematic murder mystery. Serving as both a spin on Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None and Clue, “And Then There Were Fewer” was a largely scoped affair that captured the essence of the murder mystery genre effortlessly and also shifted the series’ run forever. Every death in the episode was canon. For shows that usually can care so little for continuity, “And Then There Were Fewer” was one of the biggest turning points in Family Guy history.
1. Laugh It Up, Fuzzball: The Family Guy Trilogy
Season 6 Episode 1: “Blue Harvest”
Season 8 Episode 20: “Something, Something, Something, Dark Side”
Season 9 Episode 18: “It’s A Trap”
Stewie as Darth Vader is enough to warrant the top spot. Either way, Family Guy’s spin on the original Star Wars trilogy is one of the show’s staple highlights. Each 44-minute special is so silly and full of hilarious gags. It became so epic, each entry started featuring characters from other Seth MacFarlane series — Klaus from American Dad as Admiral Akbar and Tim from The Cleveland Show as Ewoks—to assume the familiar Star Wars roles. All of this, while maintaining the grandeur of the classic series, is what makes the “Laugh It Up, Fuzzball” trilogy so exceptional.
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