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The tenth season of Family Guy premiered on the Fox network from September 25, 2011, to May 20, 2012 with a one-hour broadcast of two episodes.[1] The series follows the Griffin family, a dysfunctional family consisting of father Peter, mother Lois, daughter Meg, son Chris, baby Stewie and the family dog Brian, who reside in their hometown of Quahog, a fictional city in Rhode Island.
| Family Guy | |
|---|---|
| Season 10 | |
 DVD cover for Volume 11 | |
| Starring | |
| No. of episodes | 23 |
| Release | |
| Original network | Fox |
| Original release | September 25, 2011 – May 20, 2012 |
| Season chronology | |
The executive producers for the ninth production season, which began in season ten, are Seth MacFarlane, Chris Sheridan, Danny Smith, Mark Hentemann, Steve Callaghan, Alec Sulkin, and Wellesley Wild. The showrunners are Hentemann and Callaghan.
During this season, Peter becomes friends with Ryan Reynolds (guest-voicing as himself), the Griffins win the lottery, Meg falls in love with an Amish boy as Peter goes to war with his family, Stewie starts driving Brian's car and accidentally crashes it, Meg dates Quagmire on her 18th birthday, Chris dates a girl who looks like Lois (voiced by Elliot Page), Quagmire asks Peter and Joe to help him kill his sister's (voiced by Kaitlin Olson) violently abusive boyfriend (voiced by Ralph Garman), Peter befriends a dolphin (voiced by Ricky Gervais[2]), Kevin Swanson (voiced by Scott Grimes) surprisingly returns to Quahog on Thanksgiving, Lois kidnaps Stewie's sick friend, Brian gets a blind girlfriend who hates dogs, James Woods makes a shocking return after being killed last season when Peter becomes an agent to Tom Tucker, Meg delivers a few home truths while scolding her family for all the abuse she personally suffered, Peter has another showdown with his mortal enemy, and Brian and Stewie travel back in time to the premiere Family Guy episode.[3]
Also, the hurricane-themed episode, "Seahorse Seashell Party", that was scheduled to air on May 1, 2011 as part of the ninth season, ended up being aired on October 2, 2011 as the second episode of this season and during a crossover called Night of the Hurricane with The Cleveland Show and American Dad!. It was put on hold because of the 2011 Super Outbreak, which killed an estimated 346 people in the Southern United States around the time of the planned original release date.[4]
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To promote the show's tenth season, 20th Century Fox announced a sweepstakes. The sweepstakes reportedly would provide the winner with $3,000, as well as the announcement of the winner's name during the season 10 premiere.[5] Fox celebrated the show's 10th anniversary with an event called the "Something Something Something Anniversary" in which Fox hosted theatrical screenings of 3 episodes each, across 10 cities in the United States.[6]
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | Prod. code | U.S. viewers (millions) | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 166 | 1 | "Lottery Fever" | Greg Colton | Andrew Goldberg | September 25, 2011 | 9ACX01 | 7.69[7] | ||||||||
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Lois announces to the family that they should start sticking with a budget — just as Peter comes in with 200,000 lottery tickets, one of which turns the lower-middle-class Griffins into multi-millionaires. | |||||||||||||||
| 167 | 2 | "Seahorse Seashell Party"[a] | Brian Iles | Wellesley Wild | October 2, 2011 | 8ACX20 | 6.99[8] | ||||||||
|
When a hurricane hits Quahog, Brian gets through the storm by taking magic mushrooms and going on the trip of his life, while Meg, fed up with the verbal, physical, and emotional abuse from her family, stands up to them, only for the family to fall apart without a scapegoat. Note: This episode is part two of a hurricane-themed crossover with The Cleveland Show and American Dad! that begins on "The Hurricane!" and concludes on "Hurricane!". | |||||||||||||||
| 168 | 3 | "Screams of Silence: The Story of Brenda Q" | Dominic Bianchi | Alec Sulkin | October 30, 2011 | 8ACX21 | 5.96[9] | ||||||||
|
Quagmire is sent to the hospital for nearly dying of autoerotic asphyxiation, but, as he recovers, he soon discovers that the real danger is that his younger sister is still with her abusive boyfriend (and worse: she's pregnant with his child) and persuades Peter and Joe to help him stop the abuse once and for all. | |||||||||||||||
| 169 | 4 | "Stewie Goes for a Drive" | Julius Wu | Gary Janetti | November 6, 2011 | 9ACX02 | 5.82[10] | ||||||||
|
Actor Ryan Reynolds visits Quahog and befriends Peter, who is wary that Reynolds may like him as more than just a friend. Meanwhile, Stewie gets into trouble when he takes Brian's car for a drive, and afraid of facing punishment, decides to run away to Consuela's place. | |||||||||||||||
| 170 | 5 | "Back to the Pilot" | Dominic Bianchi | Mark Hentemann | November 13, 2011 | 9ACX08 | 6.01[11] | ||||||||
|
Brian and Stewie go back in time to January 31, 1999, the day the very first episode of the series aired, so the two could change history, but would have to go back again to change history a second time. While doing so, Present Brian tells himself (Past Brian) about the 9/11 attacks, which causes trouble in the present. | |||||||||||||||
| 171 | 6 | "Thanksgiving" | Jerry Langford | Patrick Meighan | November 20, 2011 | 9ACX04 | 6.02[12] | ||||||||
|
Lois cooks a big Thanksgiving dinner, and Kevin Swanson (previously voiced by Jon Cryer and Seth MacFarlane, now voiced by Scott Grimes), originally presumed to be dead in Iraq, suddenly returns to his family and friends. | |||||||||||||||
| 172 | 7 | "Amish Guy" | John Holmquist | Mark Hentemann | November 27, 2011 | 8ACX22 | 5.50[13] | ||||||||
|
While returning from an amusement park, the Griffins' car breaks down in an Amish county and they are stranded with no way out. When Meg falls for a local Amish boy, the Griffins soon find themselves in a crusade led by Peter against the conservative locals. | |||||||||||||||
| 173 | 8 | "Cool Hand Peter" | Brian Iles | Artie Johann & Shawn Ries | December 4, 2011 | 9ACX05 | 7.14[14] | ||||||||
|
Peter and the gang take a stand against their wives and flee to the Deep South on a road trip. On the way there, the men earn a one-way ticket to jail. But when they decide to make a run for it, Joe's quick planning and Peter's seductive ways help them escape. Meanwhile, Lois spends some quality time with the girls and they engage in childish and foolish antics. | |||||||||||||||
| 174 | 9 | "Grumpy Old Man" | John Holmquist | Dave Ihlenfeld & David Wright | December 11, 2011 | 9ACX07 | 6.10[15] | ||||||||
| 175 | 10 | "Meg and Quagmire" | Joseph Lee | Tom Devanney | January 8, 2012 | 9ACX03 | 6.23[16] | ||||||||
|
When Meg finally turns 18, Quagmire seizes the opportunity to pursue his next romantic conquest. As the new couple's relationship blossoms, Peter stops at nothing to come in between his daughter and his creepy friend, but Lois urges him to back off because she does not believe anything will happen, at first. | |||||||||||||||
| 176 | 11 | "The Blind Side" | Bob Bowen | Cherry Chevapravatdumrong | January 15, 2012 | 9ACX06 | 8.31[17] | ||||||||
|
Brian gets a blind girlfriend who hates dogs. Despite this, they build up a healthy relationship without her aware of his species, but he still wants to meet her parents; Peter is introduced to a new co-worker at the brewery named Stella (guest appearance by Marlee Matlin) whom Quagmire has his eyes on, while the family, mostly Peter, deals with their newly faulty staircase at home after Stewie gets a splinter. | |||||||||||||||
| 177 | 12 | "Livin' on a Prayer" | Pete Michels | Danny Smith | January 29, 2012 | 9ACX09 | 5.92[18] | ||||||||
|
When Stewie's new best friend falls ill, Lois takes him to the hospital where she finds out he has a critical, but treatable, disease. However, the boy's parents refuse treatment due to their religious beliefs, leaving Lois no choice but to take drastic measures to seek treatment for the boy herself. Meanwhile, Peter has a religious experience of his own. | |||||||||||||||
| 178 | 13 | "Tom Tucker: The Man and His Dream" | Greg Colton | Alex Carter | February 12, 2012 | 9ACX10 | 5.03[19] | ||||||||
|
When Peter decides to help Tom Tucker realize his dream to become a famous actor, he becomes his agent as they go to Hollywood. But there, they cross paths with James Woods who is revealed to have been revived from his death in "And Then There Were Fewer". Back in Quahog, Chris dates a girl who looks disturbingly like Lois (guest voice Elliot Page). Note: This episode was dedicated to Ricky Garduno one of the storyboard artist of the show. | |||||||||||||||
| 179 | 14 | "Be Careful What You Fish For" | Julius Wu | Steve Callaghan | February 19, 2012 | 9ACX11 | 5.47[20] | ||||||||
|
When Peter and the guys try to salvage a sunken Mercedes-Benz, Peter half-heartedly promises a favor to a helpful dolphin named Billy Finn (guest voice by Ricky Gervais). Soon, the dolphin moves to Quahog but outstays his welcome at Peter's, so Peter tries to reunite Billy Finn with his ex-wife (guest voiced by Lucy Davis) in hopes that he will return to the ocean. Meanwhile, Stewie is attending a pre-school with an incompetent but pretty teacher who Brian falls for. | |||||||||||||||
| 180 | 15 | "Burning Down the Bayit" | Jerry Langford | Chris Sheridan | March 4, 2012 | 9ACX13 | 5.33[21] | ||||||||
|
Overwhelmed with financial troubles, Mort asks Peter and Quagmire to help him save his pharmacy. However, things take a turn for the worse when the trio decides to burn it down to collect insurance money. | |||||||||||||||
| 181 | 16 | "Killer Queen" | Joseph Lee | Aram Spencer Porter | March 11, 2012 | 9ACX12 | 5.74[22] | ||||||||
|
When Chris wins a hot dog eating contest, Lois fears for his health and sends him (and eventually Peter) to fat camp to get healthy. There, they cross paths with a serial killer who seems to target fat people, which coincides with Lois' brother Patrick being released from a mental institution. Meanwhile, Stewie is traumatized by the frightening cover of the Queen album News of the World. | |||||||||||||||
| 182 | 17 | "Forget-Me-Not" | Brian Iles | David A. Goodman | March 18, 2012 | 9ACX14 | 5.61[23] | ||||||||
|
When a seemingly innocent guy's night out takes a sudden turn, Peter, Joe, Brian, and Quagmire wake up in a hospital and discover that their memories have been erased and Quahog has been deserted. | |||||||||||||||
| 183 | 18 | "You Can't Do That on Television, Peter" | Bob Bowen | Julius Sharpe | April 1, 2012 | 9ACX15 | 5.05[24] | ||||||||
|
Peter creates and stars in a children's TV show after his favorite kiddie show is cancelled. Meanwhile, Meg begins an internship with Dr. Hartman at the hospital. | |||||||||||||||
| 184 | 19 | "Mr. and Mrs. Stewie" | Joe Vaux | Gary Janetti | April 29, 2012 | 9ACX17 | 5.63[25] | ||||||||
|
Stewie meets a girl on the playground named Penelope and is surprised to hear that they both have a lot in common, that saying that they both have plans for world domination. Meanwhile, Lois gets squashed in her sleep by Peter and suggests that they sleep in separate beds. Peter doesn't like the idea due to snuggling issues and decides to sleep with Quagmire. | |||||||||||||||
| 185 | 20 | "Leggo My Meg-O" | John Holmquist | Brian Scully | May 6, 2012 | 9ACX16 | 5.64[26] | ||||||||
| 186 | 21 | "Tea Peter" | Pete Michels | Patrick Meighan | May 13, 2012 | 9ACX18 | 4.94[27] | ||||||||
|
After Quahog City Hall threatens to shut down Peter’s illegally run business, Peter joins the Tea Party and, with the help of Peter’s father-in-law, Carter, who reaps the benefit of all the chaos in Quahog, successfully campaigns to shut down the government. However, this ordeal causes the city to break down without a government. | |||||||||||||||
| 187 | 22 | "Family Guy Viewer Mail #2" | Greg Colton | Tom Devanney | May 20, 2012 | 9ACX19 | 5.35[28] | ||||||||
| Alec Sulkin | |||||||||||||||
| Deepak Sethi | |||||||||||||||
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Brian and Stewie respond to viewer mail. Chap of the Manor - We are introduced to a British version of the Griffins. Fatman and Robin - Peter discovers that everything he touches turns into his favorite comedian, Robin Williams. Point of Stew - A first-person perspective with Stewie. | |||||||||||||||
| 188 | 23 | "Internal Affairs" | Julius Wu | Wellesley Wild | May 20, 2012 | 9ACX20 | 5.35[28] | ||||||||
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Peter and Quagmire encourage Joe to have a one-night stand with his attractive new partner (Anna Kendrick) in order to even the score with Bonnie for her own indiscretions. But when Bonnie finds out and threatens divorce, Lois insists that Peter get them back together. Meanwhile, Peter has a run-in with the angry chicken which makes for another epic fight. | |||||||||||||||
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The season received mixed to negative reviews. Kevin McFarland of The A.V. Club gave a C rating for the season.[29] Tucker Cummings of Yahoo! TV said "Despite a one-hour finale event that delivered a few laughs, 'Viewer Mail #2 / Internal Affairs' tread far too much familiar ground, a problem that's been plaguing the series for some time now."[30] He continued, "There's a tipping point in TV sitcoms where the repeated use of a running joke stops being funny, and just seems lazy and uninspired. If the Viewer Mail concept had been done regularly, it might have seemed more like a tradition (like the Treehouse of Horror on "The Simpsons"). However, by re-using an episode idea from 2002, it seemed to viewers like the creative minds behind the show were lacking creativity. While some of the concepts were funny (the Griffins as British, life from Stewie's perspective), many jokes fell flat."[30]
| # | Title | Air date | The A.V. Club (A-F) |
TV Fanatic (5) |
Ology (10) |
Sources |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Lottery Fever" | September 25, 2011 | C | 3 | 6.5 | [31][32][33] |
| 2 | "Seahorse Seashell Party" | October 2, 2011 | D+ | 3.2 | 4.5 | [34][35][36] |
| 3 | "Screams of Silence: The Story of Brenda Q" | October 30, 2011 | C+ | 3.5 | 7 | [37][38][39] |
| 4 | "Stewie Goes for a Drive" | November 6, 2011 | C- | 4.5 | 7 | [40][41][42] |
| 5 | "Back to the Pilot" | November 13, 2011 | A- | 4.2 | 7.5 | [43][44][45] |
| 6 | "Thanksgiving" | November 20, 2011 | C | 3.5 | 9 | [46][47][48] |
| 7 | "Amish Guy" | November 27, 2011 | B- | 4 | 7.5 | [49][50][51] |
| 8 | "Cool Hand Peter" | December 4, 2011 | C | 4.5 | 6 | [52][53][54] |
| 9 | "Grumpy Old Man" | December 11, 2011 | C+ | 3.8 | 5.5 | [55][56][57] |
| 10 | "Meg and Quagmire" | January 8, 2012 | D | 4.5 | 6.5 | [58][59][60] |
| 11 | "The Blind Side" | January 15, 2012 | B+ | 3.5 | 7 | [61][62][63] |
| 12 | "Livin' on a Prayer" | January 29, 2012 | B- | 4.3 | — | [64][65] |
| 13 | "Tom Tucker: The Man and His Dream" | February 12, 2012 | B | — | — | [66] |
| 14 | "Be Careful What You Fish For" | February 19, 2012 | C- | — | — | [67] |
| 15 | "Burning Down the Bayit" | March 4, 2012 | C | — | — | [68] |
| 16 | "Killer Queen" | March 11, 2012 | B | — | — | [69] |
| 17 | "Forget-Me-Not" | March 18, 2012 | C+ | — | — | [70] |
| 18 | "You Can't Do That on Television, Peter" | April 1, 2012 | D | — | — | [71] |
| 19 | "Mr. and Mrs. Stewie" | April 29, 2012 | B+ | 3 | — | [72][73] |
| 20 | "Leggo My Meg-O" | May 6, 2012 | B- | 2.5 | — | [74][75] |
| 21 | "Tea Peter" | May 13, 2012 | C+ | 2.7 | — | [76][77] |
| 22 | "Viewer Mail #2" | May 20, 2012 | — | 3.3 | — | [29][78] |
| "Chap of the Manor" | A- | — | — | [29] | ||
| "Fatman and Robin" | C | — | — | [29] | ||
| "Point of Stew" | B- | — | — | [29] | ||
| 23 | "Internal Affairs" | B | 1.5 | — | [29][79] | |
| Season | C | — | [29] | |||
| Average | C+ | 3.5 | 6.8 | Average | ||
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- Part two of Night of the Hurricane
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