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Family Guy is one of the longest-running shows on television. It rivals The Simpsons in popularity and has dozens of running jokes, gags and bits that have been consistent throughout the show. Not to mention their famous cutaways. However, some of the best episodes come from when Family Guy parodies real-life works of fiction. Whether it’s the Griffin’s spoofing the iconic Star Wars original trilogy, modern juggernauts like Game of Thrones and Succession, or classic literature that everyone read in high school; there is always a joke to be made, even for things people and critics universally love. These are the best Family Guy parody episodes that are perfect for binge-watching.
25
“Don’t Be a Dickens at Christmas”
Season 16, Episode 9 (2017)
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While Peter is excited about the upcoming Christmas holiday, he is less enthusiastic when Lois expects him to volunteer at a homeless shelter and spend the holiday with her stuffy parents. When Peter falls asleep on the couch, he’s visited by the ghost of Christmas past, present, and future, hoping the reflections of what has come and what may come will remind him of what Christmas is truly all about. “Don’t Be a Dickens at Christmas” is a parody of Charles Dickens’ iconic novel, A Christmas Carol, but with a classic Family Guy twist of humor and absurdity. With Patrick Swayze acting as Peter’s ghostly guide, the episode stays somewhat faithful to Dickens’ original premise while still conveying a consistently comical tone that doesn’t overshadow the sentimental point of this excellent parody and Christmas sitcom episode.
24
“Spies Reminiscent of Us”
Season 8, Episode 3 (2009)
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When actors Dan Aykroyd and Chevy Chase move into Cleveland’s old house on Spooner Street, Brian and Stewie think there’s more to their random arrival in town. As the two try to figure out why the actors are really in Quahog, they discover Aykroyd and Chase are actually American spies who are searching for a sleeper agent who was programmed by the former Soviet Union. “Spies Reminiscent of Us” is a clever parody of Chase and Aykroyd’s 1985 espionage comedy, Spies Like Us. With Aykroyd and Chase playing themselves, the episode has an impressive and authentic quality and incorporates some of the film’s signature elements, including specific scenes, costumes, and even characters. The episode pokes fun at the ’80s comedy while still blending it with the series’ established formula of sarcastic puns and outrageous jokes that rank it as a first-rate parody episode.
23
“The 2000-Year-Old Virgin”
Season 13, Episode 6 (2014)
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When Peter invites Jesus out to the Drunken Clam with Cleveland, Joe, and Quagmire, Jesus admits that he’s still a virgin, prompting the guys to help Jesus in his quest for his first time. As the guys try everything they can think of, nothing works, but Peter is caught completely off guard when Jesus tells him that the only woman he has any interest in sleeping with is Lois. Initially, Peter and Lois agree to help, but once Peter discovers the truth about his so-called virgin friend, he realizes he’s been played like a fiddle. “The 2000-Year-Old Virgin” is an obvious take on the 2005 comedy, The 40-Year-Old Virgin, starring Steve Carell. Even though the episode follows the movie’s general premise, it takes an unexpected turn when Peter finds out that Jesus is not only not a virgin anymore, but that he does this every year, scamming hundreds of husbands into letting him sleep with their wives. The revelation is the cherry on top of this rather ingenious episode that essentially sets fans up for a half-hour episode of Jesus striking out, only to reveal that he could give Quagmire a run for his money (Giggity!)
22
“PeTerminator”
Season 19, Episode 13 (2021)
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When Lois tries to make Stewie eat broccoli, Stewie decides to build a robot designed in Peter’s image and programmed to kill Lois, but, to Stewie’s surprise, the robot turns on him and tries to kill him instead. Thinking one of his enemies had reprogrammed the robot, Stewie and Brian discover that Brian from the future was behind the robot’s arrival. As Brian and Stewie travel to the year 2060, they discover Terminator-like versions of themselves fighting each other, realizing that if they don’t bring peace between their future selves, then Stewie’s life will be in danger. “PeTerminator” is a hysterical spoof on the 1984 action movie, The Terminator, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger. The episode flips the script on the show’s traditional formula of Brian and Stewie’s time-traveling episodes and is essentially a unique contribution to the series that mixes things up for the two characters who are always at odds in some way or another. Despite their bickering and butting heads, “PeTerminator” reminds fans that at the end of the day, Brian and Stewie genuinely care about one another and are willing to do anything to save not only each other but also their friendship.
21
“Fat Gun”
Season 23, Episode 1 (2025)
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“Fat Gun” is a sidesplitting parody episode that brilliantly combines the 1986 movie Top Gun and the 2022 sequel Top Gun: Maverick. Peter takes on Tom Cruise’s role as Maverick, starting when the aspiring pilot joins Top Gun flight school and other significant events of the movie, but with a blend of the show’s signature style of humor and classic cutaways. Like other parody episodes, “Fat Gun” features other familiar faces from the show, including Joe Swanson, who, of course, plays Goose, Lois as Cruise’s love interest, Charlie, and Stewie as Iceman. “Fat Gun” is perhaps the show’s best parody in recent years and has a certain nostalgic feel that is similar to other movie parody episodes in Family Guy, notably the Star Wars episodes. The episode is full of laugh-out-loud moments and original jokes that many consider to be some of the show’s best comedy of the last several seasons. “Fat Gun” does a great job at balancing out material from the original movies and incorporating the show’s traditional comedy and slapstick humor, which makes it a first-rate parody episode.
20
“Mr. Griffin Goes to Washington”
Season 3, Episode 3 (2001)
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When Peter’s toy company is bought by a tobacco company, he confronts his new bosses about their new toy designs that are clearly meant to market cigarettes to children. In an effort to keep Peter quiet, the new owners promote him and give him the job as the CEO of the company, which comes with an array of perks. The company soon realizes that Peter is the perfect puppet for them to do their bidding and eventually send him to Washington to speak to Congress about a new bill. Family Guy has a habit of spoofing classic movies and Season 3, episode 3, “Mr. Griffin Goes to Washington,” is an obvious parody of Frank Capra’s Mr. Smith Goes to Washington starring James Stewart. While the concept is far from Capra’s plot, it does follow the same premise of people in positions of power taking advantage of those who are naive about their end game and have a welcoming image that resonates with the public.
19
“Meet the Quagmires”
Season 5, Episode 18 (2007)
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In Season 5, episode 18, Peter gets the chance to relive one day from his past and travels back in time with Brian to 1984, specifically the day he and Lois had an important date. When Peter cancels his date with Lois to enjoy being single, he returns to the present time and discovers his choice has altered his current life and learns that Lois married Quagmire. “Meet the Quagmires” is a ridiculous parody of the 1985 hit movie, Back to the Future, starring Michael J. Fox and is full of humorous takes on the iconic ’80s movie, including a spoof on Fox’s performance of Chuck Berry’s “Johnny B. Goode,” but instead, Brian plays “Never Gonna Give You Up” by Rick Astley. The main appeal of the episode is seeing how life would have been if Lois married Quagmire, revealing all the Griffin kids with their father’s, uh, charming good looks… giggity.
18
“The First No L”
Season 19, Episode 9 (2020)
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As Christmas slowly approaches, Lois asks the family to help with Christmas this year, but Peter and the kids blow it and fail to follow through. Lois decides to leave the holiday up to them and lies about going to Mexico while secretly hiding out at a motel and waiting for her family to come crawling back to her. At first, they aren’t able to get things together, but when they manage to put on a rather impressive Christmas, Lois decides to take matters into her own hands and ruin their hard work. “The First No L” is a bit of a reverse and clever Family Guy parody of the classic Christmas story, How the Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr. Seuss. The story is perfectly reflected in one particular scene when Lois sneaks into the house to steal all the presents. She even gives the Grinch’s sinister grinchy grin that is a bit frightened and over the top.
17
“The Woof of Wall Street”
Season 16, Episode 15 (2018)
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When Brian discovers that Stewie has made a fortune investing in the stock market, he asks him to help him get in on the wealth. Initially, Stewie declines but then agrees to help Brian if he helps him learn “gymkata,” which is a mix of gymnastics and karate. As Brian and Stewie invest in the stock market, they are soon swimming in cash, but when they invest in a questionable protein shake company, they discover the key ingredient is dog, forcing Brian to choose between his morals and his wallet. “The Woof of Wall Street” is a sly take on Martin Scorsese’s The Wolf of Wall Street starring Leonardo DiCaprio and is easily one of Family Guy’s most twisted parody episodes. The episode starts off seemingly simple, but it quickly escalates to a highly unexpected level that, in some strange sense, correlates with DiCaprio’s character in the film, making “The Woof of Wall Street” an intriguing parody episode.
16
“The Talented Mr. Stewie”
Season 19, Episode 2 (2020)
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When Stewie discovers that his beloved teddy bear, Rupert, used to belong to Chris, he feels betrayed and gives the bear back to Chris as he tries to form a friendship with a stuffed giraffe. Despite his best efforts, Stewie struggles with his emotions and can’t forgive Rupert and Chris and becomes even more distraught when he learns that Rupert and Chris are getting along well. After taking a long European vacation, Stewie seems to be happier, but he still decides that he has to kill his brother and former stuffed friend. “The Talented Mr. Stewie” is not only a classic Stewie episode, but also a hilarious parody of the 1999 psychological thriller, The Talented Mr. Ripley, starring Matt Damon and Jude Law. While Stewie doesn’t take on an alternative persona, the episode does feature the film’s European atmosphere as well as the key scene where Damon’s character kills Law’s character. Thankfully, the episode doesn’t end the same way as the movie, but Stewie does give Damon’s character a solid run for his money in this absurd parody episode.
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