Watch Family Guy

Family Guy is an animated American comedy following the antics of the Griffin family and the challenges they face as they attempt to live their lives in the fictional town of Quahog, Rhode Island. Nominated for thirteen Emmy awards during its run of over ten years, the show has been praised by critics for being inventive and fresh as well as labeled as repetitive and offensive by others.

The show revolves around Peter Griffin, the father of the family. Peter is a simple blue collar man who equates a lot of what he knows to television shows and previous experiences that he shares with the audience in the form of flashbacks. Peter is a fairly simple man in his approach to problems, for example, when the FCC began cracking down on television nudity, he simply decides to start his own network. Peter's approach usually leads to trouble though and he needs the support of his family to see it through. He is joined by his wife, Lois, a woman from a family of means who has tried to distance herself from her family's money for fear that it would corrupt the family she is trying desperately to raise. Lois teaches piano in addition to maintaining the household. Rounding out the household is their dog, Brian who is able to talk. Brian is Peter's best friend and intensely attracted to Lois. Despite the conflict of interest, Brian often does whatever is in the best interest of the family, even if it injures his own dreams. Brian attended Brown University but never graduated and considers himself an intellectual in the family. Brian struggles at times with his desire to lead an independent life and the limitations of being labeled as a family pet.

The Griffins have three children. Meg, the oldest and only daughter in the family, is socially awkward and frequently regarded as unattractive by the other members of the cast. She spends the majority of her time trying to fit in and be a normal teenage girl. Chris is the middle child and oldest son. Chris routinely battles with his weight and his less than stellar intellect. Chris idolizes his father, and will frequently try to impress or please him, even though he knows his father is not always making sound decisions. Finally, there is Stewie, the baby of the family who is clearly the most intelligent person in the household. Stewie is a genius who gets little credit for his intellect from his family. Stewie occasionally toys with the idea of ruling the world and sees his mother, Lois, as a hindrance to his plans. Stewie frequently dreams of eliminating Lois, but never follows through with the notion or falls short in his attempts. Stewie has created a weather controlling device, time machine and a mind control device while only being two years old. Stewie has a love-hate relationship with Brian, who is the only member of the family who recognizes that Stewie is intelligent, but frequently has conflicts with Stewie due to his own intellectual perceptions. In addition to the family, Peter has many friends in the town who make regular appearances including Joe Swanson, the paralyzed cop who does more than most able bodied men and Glenn Quagmire, the wacky neighbor who is a legend with the ladies in town.

Seth MacFarlane has gathered a diverse cast of Hollywood actors to voice the Griffin family and their neighbors. In addition to providing multiple voices himself, MacFarlane recruited veteran actors Seth Green, Mila Kunis, Patrick Warburton and Adam West to contribute to the cast. The show uses a wide variety of techniques to keep the viewer entertained. MacFarlane frequently employs original songs in the show in addition to the comic flashbacks and unusual situations. These methods have been widely praised by critics for the show remaining fresh and unpredictable. The end result is a show which finds humor in television, pop culture and every day life.