Every ‘Family Guy’ Finale, Ranked (So Far)
Family Guy has enthralled audiences for over two decades with its irreverent humor, outrageous scenarios, and lovable yet dysfunctional Griffin family.
From the mind of Seth MacFarlane, the show has captivated viewers with its memorable characters, witty writing, and clever pop culture references. As the animated series’ 21st season comes to a close, we’re ranking all finale episodes so far from worst to best.
In this countdown, we’ll revisit some of the most epic and hilarious finales that have kept us laughing, shocked, and emotionally invested. These episodes of each season have often pushed the boundaries of animated comedy, as several finales have either been banned or showcased tough subjects for network television.
So, get ready to embark on a journey through Stewie’s time machine as we relive the greatest finales that made us laugh, gasp, and eagerly anticipate what madness the Quahog family would unleash next.
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21. "Jersey Bore," Season 20 Finale
Peter (MacFarlane) goes to a business conference in Atlantic City with Preston (Peter Macon), while Stewie helps Chris prepare for his role in Adam West High’s presentation of “Romeo and Juliet.” It’s not a laugh-out-loud episode, and Preston is pretty bland (even if that’s supposed to be the point).
20. "Tales of Former Sports Glory," Season 19 Finale
Cleveland (Arif Zahir), Quagmire (MacFarlane), and Peter (MacFarlane) share stories of athletic accomplishments from their youth. There’s a 9/11 joke here that’s more tactful than others in the series, but other than (or alongside) that, it’s pretty cringeworthy.
19. "Movin' In (Principal Shepherd's Song)," Season 18 Finale
Principal Shepherd (Gary Cole) moves in with the Griffins when he gets fired for fat-shaming Chris (Seth Green) at school, and Brian (MacFarlane) sues Stewie (MacFarlane) for portraying him as an idiot in a series of children’s books. The scene where Shepherd gets fired is pretty funny, but the later the season, the weaker the episodes.
18. "Are You There, God? It's Me, Peter," Season 16 Finale
After falling into a coma, Peter comes face-to-face with God, leading him to ask some of life’s tough questions. The resolution is pretty hilarious, but the rest is just OK.
17. "Adam West High," Season 17 Finale
Brian runs for Mayor after successfully renaming James Woods High after the late Adam West, only for Quagmire to campaign against him. How did Brian and Quagmire become so unlikeable as the series progressed?
16. "Adult Education (Part 2)," Season 21 Finale
Meg (Mila Kunis) gets married in Russia. Meanwhile, Chris, in need of an extracurricular activity, joins Principal Shepherd in shooting adult films at the high school. It was cool seeing Chris and Meg come into their own and embrace themselves here, and the Beauty and the Beast parody was well animated.
15. "A House Full of Peters," Season 15 Finale
After Lois (Alex Borstein) discovers that Peter was a sperm donor in his youth, Peter’s past comes back to him when many of his children unexpectedly come to his house – one of whom wants to usurp his place as Lois’ husband. Peter’s Black daughter is pretty funny.
14. "Peter's Progress," Season 7 Finale
The episode centers around a psychic reading Peter’s palms, revealing that he had a captivating past life as Griffin Peterson, an elegant gentleman from 17th-century England who founded Quahog. It’s just OK.
13. "No Country Club for Old Men," Season 11 Finale
The storyline follows the Griffins, who join a country club after Chris starts dating the daughter of Rhode Island’s wealthiest family. Peter, however, gets Lois’s father, Carter (MacFarlane), kicked out of his cherished country club. Peter and Carter usually make for a great pairing, but this may be one of their weakest linkups.
12. "Chap Stewie," Season 12 Finale
In the episode, Peter and Chris ruin Stewie’s TV time, prompting him to get revenge by traveling back in time to split Lois and Peter up so he is never conceived, but the plan goes awry when he is reborn into a British household similar to the ITV period drama Downton Abbey. As a result, there are more than a few good British bashings in this one.
11. "Take My Wife," Season 13 Finale
In this episode, Lois arranges a trip to the Bahamas for herself and Peter, but upon arriving, Peter discovers that it’s actually a retreat for marriage counseling. Meanwhile, Carter is tasked with watching the Griffin kids but becomes exasperated when they prefer using electronic devices over traditional games. “Randy Jackson is a sea turtle in human clothes” and Peter saying “throwing full sodas in the garbage” probably started a revolution on the island are the only things that made us laugh out loud.
10. "Road to India," Season 14 Finale
In this episode, Brian develops a crush on a tech support worker and convinces Stewie to join him on a trip to India. While they’re away, Peter decides to play bingo with Joe but ends up alienating him by being too competitive. It’s funny seeing Brian fall in love over the phone and the stereotypical jokes make you chuckle, but it’s only hilarious in spots.
9. "Internal Affairs," Season 10 Finale
In an attempt to avenge Bonnie’s (Jennifer Tilly) infidelity, Peter and Quagmire urge Joe to have a one-night stand with his alluring new partner (played by Anna Kendrick). However, when Bonnie discovers the truth and threatens to file for divorce, Lois insists that Peter reconcile the couple. In the meantime, Peter engages in another epic fight with the infamous angry chicken. That, the uncomfortably hilarious fight between Bonnie and Joe, and the Toto “Africa” reference put it in the top 10.
8. "Long John Peter," Season 6 Finale
Peter steals a parrot from the vet and becomes convinced that he is a pirate. He becomes the scourge of the neighborhood until he accidentally kills his beloved bird. Meanwhile, Chris falls in love with the lovely vet intern Anna (Amanda Bynes) and turns to Peter for some advice. In 2008, the season ended abruptly in early May, as Seth MacFarlane participated in the 2007-2008 Writers Guild of America strike (another is currently in effect), making this the season’s final episode. Besides the well-animated car chase and a few good cutaway gags, this is where the finales start to decline in quality.
7. "It's a Trap!," Season 9 Finale
It’s a Trap! is a special episode of the animated series Family Guy that was released directly to video. It later served as the double-episode finale of the ninth season and concluded the Star Wars parody trilogy, “Laugh It Up, Fuzzball.” The title is derived from Admiral Ackbar’s memorable line in the Star Wars movie, Return of the Jedi. Although it’s the weakest in the trilogy of parodies, it’s still a good time. Even Captain Picard from Star Trek makes an appearance at one point.
6. "Partial Terms of Endearment," Season 8 Finale
Lois is approached by an old friend from college who asks her to become a surrogate mother. To Peter’s dismay, Lois agrees and undergoes in vitro fertilization, but while Lois is pregnant, the biological parents are killed in an automobile accident. Lois and Peter have to decide whether to abort the fetus or carry it to term and give the baby up for adoption. Due to its depiction of the contentious issue of abortion, the Fox Network prohibited the airing of the episode. Despite the heavy subject matter and possibly triggering abortion jokes, the last line of the episode (“We had the abortion!“) and its swift delivery from Peter is pure comedy.
5. "Fore, Father," Season 2 Finale
Peter attempts to instill a sense of responsibility in Chris when he fails to fulfill his duties by arranging a job for him as a ball collector at a driving range. At the range, Cleveland’s energetic son displays exceptional talent in golf, prompting Peter to offer himself as a mentor. Although Season 2 is among the best seasons of the series, this one if probably the weakest amongst them. The best moments come from Chris and Quagmire bonding, alongside the classic “Hic-a-doo-la!“
4. "Brian Portrait of a Dog," Season 1 Finale
The episode features Brian swallowing his pride to join a dog show, after much convincing, in order to win money for a new air conditioner. But after an argument over a trick gone bad with Peter, Brian realizes he is a second-class citizen and runs away from home, landing him in the pound on death row. Back when Brian was Peter’s best friend instead of Stewie’s, and before the characters became too outrageous, this one shows the genuine love between the old buddies.
3. "Meet the Quagmires," Season 5 Finale
The episode features Peter after he goes back in time in order to live the single life a little longer before he meets his 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 return and set things right. It features guest spots by Luke Adams, Jeff Bergman, Adam Carolla, Beth Littleford, and Will Sasso, along with several recurring guest voice actors for the series.
All the memorable gags — like a young Lois, Cleveland and Peter dancing, and Brian performing like Marty McFly — are what puts this so high on our list.
2. "When You Wish Upon a Weinstein," Season 3 Finale
Peter prays for a Jew to help him with his financial woes. After befriending Jewish accountant Max Weinstein (Peter Riegert) and discovering the wonders of their religion, Peter gets the idea of converting Chris to Judaism so he will be successful in life. In 2000, the episode was planned to be broadcast on Fox, but the network’s executives raised apprehensions about the content being perceived as anti-Semitic, which resulted in the episode not being aired on TV that year. It was the first episode in the series to be banned, making its infamy all the more titillating when it finally aired on Adult Swim in 2003. It was a moment in the fanbase and lived up to the controversy.
1. "Stu and Stewie's Excellent Adventure," Season 4 Finale
Originally released as a direct-to-DVD film called Stewie Griffin: The Untold Story, this three-part episode sees Stewie, following a near-death experience, trying to find who he thinks is his real father after seeing the man on TV. He travels to San Francisco, only to find that the man is him from the future. It’s the most ambitious three-parter up to this point and a high point in the series as it returned from cancellation.
