"Friends of Peter G." | |
---|---|
Family Guy episode | |
Episode no. | Season 9 Episode 10 |
Directed by | John Holmquist |
Written by | Brian Scully |
Featured music | "Mr. Booze" by Jimmy van Heusen (music) and Sammy Cahn (lyrics) [1] |
Production code | 8ACX13 |
Original air date | February 13, 2011 |
Guest appearances | |
| |
"Friends of Peter G." is the tenth episode of the ninth season of the animated comedy series Family Guy . It aired on Fox in the United States on February 13, 2011. The episode follows Peter and Brian as they are forced to join Alcoholics Anonymous, due to their excessive drinking, much to their chagrin. Soon, however, Peter crashes his car while driving home drunk, and is approached by Death, who shows him what his life will be like if he continues to drink alcohol, as well as if he had never drank at all. Death persuades Peter that he has the willpower to put the bottle down sometimes.
The episode was written by Brian Scully and directed by John Holmquist. It received mostly mixed reviews from critics for its storyline and many cultural references. According to Nielsen ratings, it was viewed in 5.99 million homes in its original airing. [2] The episode featured guest performances by H. Jon Benjamin, Adam Carolla, Carrie Fisher, Phil LaMarr, Jessica Stroup and Laura Vandervoort, along with several recurring guest voice actors for the series. It was first announced at the 2010 San Diego Comic-Con.
When Brian and Peter decide to go and see The Sound of Music together, Peter sneaks in liquor, and the two become extremely intoxicated, disrupting the entire audience. Joe is then called upon to arrest them. In court, the two are ordered to attend Alcoholics Anonymous for thirty days, much to their annoyance. At the first meeting, Peter is told that alcohol is a bad part of his life, with Brian becoming reluctant to give up drinking. Realizing that the people in Alcoholics Anonymous have nowhere to drink without being judged, Brian and Peter decide to bring several cases of beer to their next meeting. Joe is once again called upon, under a noise complaint, causing everyone to transform the center into a church and spring into a large musical number in favor of sobriety in order to trick Joe into leaving.
Afterwards, Peter decides to drive home drunk, and ends up passing out at the wheel and crashing into a tree, killing him instantly. Death arrives, and Peter's soul exits his body. Death decides to give Peter a second chance, and takes Peter into the future, where he sees what will result from his continued excessive drinking: an abusive, drunken and filthy man who tortures his family with cigar burns (which Stewie enjoys) and has sex with his boss Angela while at work. After seeing this, Peter wishes that he had never touched a drop of alcohol in his life, so Death also shows Peter what his life would be like without alcohol: he is extremely cheerful, has a different voice and drinks milk with uptight friends at the Drunken Clam, and he also does not know Joe or Quagmire, but instead looks at them as noisy and uncouth. Peter also does not like this version of himself at all either. Death explains to Peter that he doesn't need to give up alcohol altogether, but to drink responsibly, and persuades him that he can live his life without being totally dependent on alcohol.
Afterwards, whenever Peter buys a 6-pack of beer, he takes three cans and throws them in the garbage, thus allowing him to drink in moderation, much to Lois' delight. The episode ends at a landfill site, where the seagulls become extremely intoxicated from drinking the beer that Peter threw away.
First announced at the 2010 San Diego Comic-Con by series creator and executive producer Seth MacFarlane, [3] the episode was written by series regular Brian Scully and directed by series regular John Holmquist during the course of the ninth production season. [4] Series veterans Peter Shin and James Purdum, both of whom having previously served as animation directors, served as supervising directors for the episode, [4] with Andrew Goldberg, Alex Carter, Elaine Ko, Spencer Porter and Aaron Blitzstein serving as staff writers for the episode. [4] Composer Walter Murphy, who has worked on the series since its inception, returned to compose the music for "Friends of Peter G". [4]
In addition to the regular cast, voice actor H. Jon Benjamin, actor and radio host Adam Carolla, actor Chris Cox, actress Carrie Fisher, voice actor Phil LaMarr, actress Jessica Stroup and actress Laura Vandervoort guest starred in the episode. Recurring guest voice actors Ralph Garman, writer Steve Callaghan, writer Danny Smith, writer Alec Sulkin and writer John Viener made minor appearances throughout the episode. [4] [5]
Peter refers to Rolf in The Sound of Music as "Ian Ziering." In a cutaway, 19th-century poet William Wordsworth writes the lyrics to "Gold Digger" by Kanye West. Peter says sarcastically that his drinking ruined his television show, 24 , a reference to Kiefer Sutherland's drinking. [6] Peter leads his Alcoholic Anonymous group in an elaborate rendition of the song "Mister Booze" from the 1964 film Robin and the 7 Hoods . [7] Death tells Peter that humanity's greatest achievements include sending a man to the moon and making Justin Long a movie star, and Peter replies, "We did it with Justin Long, didn't we? America said no but we kept at it." [8]
"Friends of Peter G." was broadcast on February 13, 2011, as a part of an animated television night on Fox, and was preceded by American Dad!, The Simpsons and Bob's Burgers , and followed by Family Guy creator and executive producer Seth MacFarlane's spin-off, The Cleveland Show . It was watched by 5.99 million viewers, according to Nielsen ratings, despite airing simultaneously with Desperate Housewives on ABC, the 53rd Grammy Awards on CBS and Harry's Law on NBC. The episode also acquired a 3.2 rating in the 18–49 demographic, beating American Dad!, The Simpsons, Bob's Burgers and The Cleveland Show in addition to significantly edging out all four shows in total viewership. [9] The episode's ratings decreased significantly from the previous week's episode, largely due to the episode's airing simultaneously with the Grammy Awards. [9]
Rowan Kaiser of The A.V. Club gave "Friends of Peter G." a negative review, calling it unfunny and stating that its message is "vaguely offensive", and he rated the episode D. [10] Jason Hughes of TV Squad reacted positively to the episode, praising the musical number and the appearance of Adam Carolla as Death. [11]
"Excellence in Broadcasting" is the second episode of the ninth season of the animated comedy series Family Guy. It originally aired on Fox in the United States on October 3, 2010. The episode features anthropomorphic dog Brian, an adamant liberal, confronting conservative radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh at a book signing in Quahog, and ultimately having a political change of heart when Limbaugh persuades him to read his latest book. Brian soon decides to become a devoted member of the Republican Party, and soon begins criticizing liberals. This leads Brian to become roommates with Limbaugh, and begin following him everywhere; Limbaugh eventually gets annoyed with Brian and ends up disclosing his true political convictions.
Peter Löwenbräu Griffin Sr. is a fictional character and the protagonist of the American animated sitcom Family Guy. He is voiced by the series' creator, Seth MacFarlane, and first appeared on television, along with the rest of the Griffin family, in the episode "Death Has a Shadow" on January 31, 1999. Peter was created and designed by MacFarlane himself. MacFarlane was asked to pitch a pilot to the Fox Broadcasting Company based on Larry & Steve, a short made by MacFarlane which featured a middle-aged character named Larry and an intellectual dog, Steve. For the series, Larry was renamed Peter.
"I Take Thee Quagmire" is the 21st episode of season four of Family Guy, originally broadcast March 12, 2006 on Fox. In this episode, Peter wins free maid service for a week; he intentionally creates extra work for the maid, Joan. Quagmire meets her and instantly falls in love with her, leading him to propose to her after the second date. After the marriage, Quagmire comes to regret his new relationship, but learns that Joan will kill him and herself if he leaves her, so he fakes his own death.
"Meet the Quagmires" is the 18th and final episode of the fifth season of the animated comedy series Family Guy. It originally aired on Fox on May 20, 2007. The episode features Peter after he goes back in time to live the single life a little longer, before he meets future wife Lois. This causes Quagmire to make his own move on Lois, and they ultimately end up marrying and having children; Peter is horrified by this "alternate timeline" and resolves to go back in time again and set things right.
"Peter's Two Dads" is the tenth episode in the fifth season of the American animated television series Family Guy. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on February 11, 2007. The episode was written by Danny Smith and directed by Cyndi Tang, with Greg Lovell as co-director. The plot follows Peter travelling to Ireland, along with Brian, to find his biological father, after he accidentally kills his stepfather at Meg's birthday party. Meanwhile, after Lois hits Stewie, he becomes fascinated with it and goes to great lengths to have her hit him again.
"Hannah Banana" is the fifth episode of the eighth season of the American animated television series Family Guy. It originally aired on Fox in the United States on November 8, 2009. The episode follows Stewie Griffin after he sneaks backstage at a Miley Cyrus concert in Quahog, eventually discovering her horrible secret. Meanwhile, Chris Griffin proves to his family that the Evil Monkey who lives in his closet is actually real, and eventually comes to realize that the monkey is actually friendly, well-spoken and intelligent, when he begins spending more time with him than with his own father.
"Big Man on Hippocampus" is the tenth episode of the eighth season of the American animated sitcom Family Guy. It originally aired on Fox in the United States on January 3, 2010. The episode features Peter after he suddenly begins suffering from amnesia, and can no longer remember anything about his life, including his own family and friends. His wife, Lois, attempts to reintroduce Peter to his surroundings, but he soon discovers partying, and having sex with other women is much more entertaining. Frustrated, Lois decides to leave her husband, causing her neighbor, Quagmire, to attempt to win her over.
"Extra Large Medium" is the 12th episode of the eighth season of the animated comedy series Family Guy. Directed by John Holmquist and written by Steve Callaghan, the episode originally aired on Fox in the United States on February 14, 2010. In "Extra Large Medium", Peter discovers that he has supposedly developed "extrasensory perception" (ESP) after his two sons, Chris and Stewie, go missing during a family hike in the woods. Soon after being rescued, Chris decides to ask out a classmate at his school, named Ellen, who has Down syndrome, and eventually takes her on a romantic date, which he goes on to regret. Meanwhile, Peter begins performing psychic readings, but is eventually discovered to be faking his ability once he is approached by the town's police force.
The ninth season of animated television series Family Guy first aired on the Fox network in eighteen episodes from September 26, 2010, to May 22, 2011, before being released as two DVD box sets and in syndication. Family Guy follows the dysfunctional Griffin family—father Peter, mother Lois, daughter Meg, son Chris, baby Stewie and dog Brian, all of whom reside in their hometown of Quahog.
"Road to the North Pole" is the seventh episode of the ninth season of the animated comedy series Family Guy. Directed by Greg Colton and co-written by Chris Sheridan and Danny Smith, the episode originally aired on Fox in the United States on December 12, 2010. In "Road to the North Pole", Stewie and Brian go on an adventure to the North Pole so that Stewie can kill Santa Claus. They discover a dreary, polluting factory full of inbred elves and carnivorous, feral reindeer, along with a sickly, exhausted and suicidal Santa. Stewie and Brian take pity on him and decide to fulfill Christmas by delivering gifts to the entire globe, albeit unsuccessfully.
"Halloween on Spooner Street" is the fourth episode of the ninth season of the animated comedy series Family Guy. It originally aired on Fox in the United States on November 7, 2010. The episode follows baby Stewie and anthropomorphic dog Brian as they go trick-or-treating on Halloween. Stewie is confronted by bullies, who steal his candy, causing the two to attempt to take the candy back. Meanwhile, neighbors Peter and Joe decide to play several pranks on their other neighbor, Glenn Quagmire, causing him to want to seek revenge on his friends while Meg and Chris attend a teenage halloween party at Connie D'Amico's house. The episode is the only Halloween special of the series as well as one of the only episodes to have three subplots.
"Welcome Back, Carter" is the third episode of the ninth season of the animated comedy series Family Guy. It originally aired on Fox in the United States on October 10, 2010. The episode follows Peter after he discovers his father-in-law, Carter Pewterschmidt is having an affair with another woman. Deciding to blackmail him, Peter begins taking advantage of his father-in-law's enormous wealth, before accidentally spilling the beans to Carter's wife, Barbara, who divorces him soon after. Peter then becomes Carter's wingman, and helps him rediscover his bachelorhood, as he begins navigating through the dating scene.
"New Kidney in Town" is the eighth episode of the ninth season of the animated comedy series Family Guy. It originally aired on Fox in the United States on January 9, 2011. The episode follows Peter, after he drinks kerosene, causing him to suffer immediate kidney failure. In need of a replacement kidney, Peter is unable to locate a match, until it is discovered that his anthropomorphic dog Brian is a match, but would require the donation of both his kidneys. Meanwhile, Chris is instructed by his English teacher to write an essay about hope, in preparation of United States President Barack Obama's appearance at their school. Unable to write anything inspiring, he decides to pick his sister Meg's brain and use her ideas.
"And I'm Joyce Kinney" is the ninth episode of the ninth season of the animated comedy series Family Guy. It originally aired on Fox in the United States on January 16, 2011. The episode follows housewife Lois as she becomes close friends with the local news anchor Joyce Kinney. In an attempt to become closer, the two decide to get drinks together, and reveal their darkest secrets. Wanting to fit in, Lois reveals her participation in a pornographic film when she was in college, with Joyce promising to keep her revelation a secret. The next day, Kinney unveils the story on the local news, much to the anger of Lois, who is quickly shunned by the entire town.
"A Piñata Named Desire" is the eleventh episode of the seventh season of the animated comedy series American Dad!. It first aired on Fox in the United States on February 13, 2011. This episode mainly centers on Roger and Stan, who begin to experience tensions growing against each other for the dominant figure in the house. Roger becomes tired of Stan's stance as the authoritarian figure of the house, and he challenges Stan's leadership qualities. Stan insists that he is better than Roger at everything, and he tells him that he has a mission that involves acting. Unknown to Stan, Roger spies on him, only to find out that Stan is a terrible actor. Roger later boasts to the house that he is a better actor than Stan, but he eventually teaches him to improve his acting skills. Meanwhile, Steve and his friends plan to throw their last slumber party together.
"You Debt Your Life" is the twelfth episode of the seventh season of American Dad!. It aired on Fox in the United States on February 20, 2011. The episode focuses on two of the show's main characters, Roger the Alien and Stan Smith. After he saves Roger from being run over by a bus, Stan has repaid what Hayley calls his "life debt", which forces Roger to moving out of the household, and Stan replaces him with Andy Dick. Roger intuitively figures out he can get reaccepted by Stan and move back in by forcing him into a new life debt, by getting him attacked by a polar bear at a zoo and then saving his life at Area 51. Meanwhile, Steve and his friends abuse the power of being public announcers at Pearl Bailey High School.
"Amish Guy" is the seventh episode of the tenth season of the animated comedy series Family Guy, and the 172nd episode overall. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on November 27, 2011. The episode follows the Griffin family after their car breaks down in Amish country on their way back from a vacation. The family must then learn to adjust to the community for the weekend, until they are able to fix their car at a mechanic's. However, when Meg falls in love with an Amish boy named Eli, and his father forbids the two from ever seeing each other again, a Romeo and Juliet conflict arises between the two families. This results in a battle between the families, with the victor determining Meg and Eli's ultimate fate.
"Grumpy Old Man" is the ninth episode of the tenth season of the American animated sitcom Family Guy, and the 174th episode overall. The episode originally aired on Fox in the United States on December 11, 2011. The episode follows Griffin family patriarch Lois Griffin's father, Carter Pewterschmidt, after he accidentally falls asleep while driving in a snowstorm. Concerned for his safety, Lois decides to admit him to a nursing home in Florida, in an attempt to help him adjust to life as an older man. Carter is reluctant to live in the retirement community, however, but eventually comes to enjoy the various activities at the home. Six months later, Carter suddenly becomes grumpy, and even more elderly, causing Peter to take him back to his old business and bring him back to normal.
"Cool Hand Peter" is the eighth episode of the tenth season of the American animated sitcom Family Guy, and the 173rd episode overall. It originally aired on Fox in the United States on December 4, 2011. In the episode, Peter Griffin and his friends Joe, Quagmire and Cleveland decide to go on a road trip to New Orleans, Louisiana. Whilst driving, they are stopped by a police officer, arrested and thrown in jail by the sheriff who abuses his power, and plants marijuana in their car. The friends then attempt to escape the prison due to their stay being extended indefinitely, and return to Quahog.
"Leggo My Meg-O" is the twentieth episode in the tenth season of the American animated television series Family Guy, and the 185th episode overall. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on May 6, 2012. In this episode, Meg travels to Paris with her friend Ruth after being treated badly in school, but her exciting adventure comes to a halt when she gets kidnapped. Brian and Stewie embark on an action-packed mission to find her before it is too late. This plot is a parody of the 2008 film Taken.