Family Guy has been on for over 20 years, providing countless cultural references and abrasive humor throughout its run. What started as a clone of the ever-popular The Simpsons would blossom into its own wonderfully, funny thing. While there are some valid complaints over the quality and how problematic the show has gotten over the past few years, it’s still a great show.
Of course, as all great shows do, Family Guy started with a humble first season that tried to prove its worth. It may look a bit rough and really lean into family sitcom cliches but it marked an important stepping stone for one TV’s greatest animated sitcoms. Here are ten funny and memorable moments from season one of Family Guy.
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The Thermostat Joke
Family Guy’s first three seasons tried their hardest to make the Griffins an actual family, a la The Simpsons. This included a few cliched jokes about dads, most notably how every sitcom dad freaks out over anyone touching the thermostat. In this first episode, “Death Has a Shadow,” Meg (voiced by Lacey Chabert instead of Mila Kunis) complains about the house being too cold. Lois warns her that Peter hates it when anyone touches the thermostat.
When Meg attempts to turn the dial, Peter appears from nowhere and asks “who touched the thermostat.” It’s a corny, sitcom joke but it’s funny nonetheless. The real twist comes when other neighborhood dads appear and ask if their kids touched a thermostat.
Stewie’s Birth
Nothing is more beautiful than the miracle of childbirth. This cutaway gag shows the faithful day our favorite matricidal infant was born as Lois reminisces while she plans through Stewie’s first birthday. The day is like any other childbirth, Peter even runs in disgust during the whole thing.
What makes it even funnier is once Stewie’s actually born. Lois is overjoyed with her baby boy being born but that changes once doctors are able to find a map of Europe with countries marked for bombing. Every evil has its origin apparently.
Oh Yeah!
The Kool-Aid Man crashing through walls has been a running gag on Family Guy for years. The first episode of the show introduced audiences to this reference and it birthed one of the best recurring jokes ever. After Peter commits heavy welfare fraud, he is put on trial. He is sentenced to serious jail time, which causes everyone to exclaim “oh no!”
A few “oh nos” and bam! Kool-Aid Man comes crashing in, delivering his classic tagline, “oh yeah!” It’s such a random thing to include in the first episode but its so funny.
Stewie’s Sesame Street Phone
“Put me through to the Pentagon!” The early seasons of the show really go hard into Stewie’s knack for being an evil genius. He speaks with such eloquence as if he memorized a thesaurus before exiting the womb.
His plots for world domination are amusing, especially coupled with the fact that he’s a baby and the limitations that come with that. In the second episode, “I Never Met the Dead Man,” there is a cold open that shows Stewie playing with a Sesame Street phone and making threats at the countless Muppets on the famous street. Hard to believe Stewie’s already shooting at a fifth-grade level.
The Weirdest Mint Commercial Ever
A running theme in Family Guy is how much of a driving force TV is in the culture of most American families. This cold open starts with a “Mintos” commercial that features John Wilkes Booth before attempting to assassinate President Lincoln. It is absolutely bizarre, even for Family Guy but it’s absolutely hilarious.
The cherry on top is when it cuts to the family discussing the commercial. Lois asks how that is supposed to sell Mentos and Peter decides he has to kill Lincoln. All that violence in movies and sex on TV really isn’t good for a man.
Meg Joins A Cult
As Meg struggles to fit in at school she meets the oddly peppy Jennifer. Long story short, she is a part of a cult that recruits teens looking for enlightenment or just insecure, fitting the bill for Meg.
Meg is invited for a “party” that Peter mistakenly lets her go to despite it being Stewie’s birthday. Lois is upset and Peter decides to get her back. He catches the cult as they were ready to partake in mass suicide, he is able to pull Meg out in time though both are oblivious to what was going on. Peter even remarks that the teens are faking their death to avoid hanging with Meg.
Peter Teaches Meg How to Drive
This is more of Family Guy’s attempt to make Peter a real father. After Lois forces him to spend time with their kids, Peter helps Meg practice for her driving exam. He gives her one important lesson: anyone who pulls up beside the car at a stoplight and looks at her is obviously trying to race.
Her first opponent is an Amish fellow on a horse-drawn buggy. Both vehicles race, and, in one of the funniest visual gags ever, manage to not only blow up the buggy, but the horse manages to explode too. Nothing like a little cartoon violence to spice up a driving lesson.
Peter’s Various Jobs
The first episode is absolutely wild, as it starts off with Peter getting drunk to him getting put on trial for welfare fraud. After getting fired for negligence from the toy factory he works at, Peter laments on the other jobs he tried in this cutaway gag.
One job saw him as the mascot in a cereal commercial where he says “I’m caca for coco puffs” instead of the right thing. The other job was the sneeze guard at a restaurant’s salad bar. Where he aggressively enforces the no sneezing rule by pointing a gun at customers. He also loses a talent show, beaten by the Von Trapp family from Sound of Music.
Cheesy Charlie’s
In “Chitty Chitty Death Bang,” Lois tries to plan Stewie’s first birthday by making a reservation at a party place not too different from Chuck E Cheese’s. Peter messes up big time and loses the reservation.
In order to avoid a fight with his wife, Peter decides to make up an elaborate excuse as to why he did not want to have Stewie’s party there. Featuring references to Nazism, hell and even Peter turning into the Incredible Hulk. It shows how absolutely outlandish Family Guy can be and how funny these cutaways are.
“Peter, I’m Holding Melons”
In the fifth episode, “Mind Over Murder,” Peter is under house arrest, builds a bar in the basement and has Lois sing for the guys he invites over. He doesn’t like the attention she’s been getting, as evident by interaction at the grocery store.
See, Family Guy is really good at misdirection and this gag is a great example. A few guys in the store start making comments about Lois, using many euphemisms for breasts such as “hooters” and “melons.” It’s an easy joke but an effective one nonetheless.