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Family Guy is one of the worst shows on television…but that wasn’t always the case. In the long ago era of the early 2000’s, Family Guy was one of the freshest and funniest shows on ALL of television. Its now famously revered pop culture references were once one of the selling points of the show, and the currently hated characters were at one time one of the most famous on all of television. Family Guy is a horrible show now…but it used to be one of the best. And with the show set to celebrate its 200th episode this Sunday with a one hour special, we thought it would be appropriate to break down the best of the best of the last 199 (well technically 192, but production wise, it’s the 199th). So sit back, relax, and prepare for some Family Guy goodness!

10. “Brian and Stewie”

You know, I’m not sure if I love “Brian and Stewie” for the right reasons. Well the episode itself isn’t all that funny and relies pretty heavily on gross out humor (everything having to do with Stewie’s diaper especially was groan worthy), I appreciate “Brian and Stewie” just for the things it DOESN’T do. No cutaway gags, no pop culture references. It’s the classic bottle episode; just two people in one room conversing with each other about life. And I was surprised at how overall effective that aspect of the episode is. Brian’s admission to his thoughts of suicide was pretty well handled, as was Stewie ultimately confessing his love for him (in a non flamboyantly gay manner, thank god). This episode was proof that, when reeled in a bit, Family Guy isn’t just a random gag machine.

9. “Back to the Pilot”

I know I made a big stink about how much the past few years of Family Guy have sucked, and I wasn’t lying; for the most part, it’s been terrible. But there’s a bright spot here and there, and “Back to the Pilot” is certainly one of them. A rather meta episode for Family Guy, “Back to the Pilot” is mostly just a ton of fun. And I really enjoyed how the episode built up to an all out insane (and hilarious) conclusion. As Spider-Man himself once said, “Everybody gets one.” And this was the show’s one all and out great episode in the last few years.

8. “Let’s Go to the Hop”

Alright, that does it for all the new stuff. From now on, it will just be classic Family Guy. And well “Let’s Go the Hop” isn’t an amazing episode of the show or anything, it’s certainly a fun one, as Peter infiltrates James Woods High to cure the school of a recent drug epidemic. Lampooning everything from Grease to 21 Jump Street, “Let’s Go To the Hop” is an endlessly entertaining episode of Family Guy, with plenty of laughs and well timed pop culture gags.

7. “Death Is A Bitch”

This was the first episode to feature Death, one of the show’s signature characters. And well he eventually went on to become a non-entity in the show as it went forward, he’s still one of the best side characters in the series. But even though Adam Carolla made a decent replacement, you can’t beat Norm MacDonald’s original take on the character as one of the most whiny and needy figures of superstition this side of the river Styx. Add in a fair share of hilarious lines (“Hey, aren’t you Richard Simmons best friend…RICHARD SIMMONS?) and a subplot poking fun at the cast of Dawnson Creek, and you have a winner of an episode.

6. “Brian Does Hollywood”

The second episode in the two parter that kicked off Season 3 (arguably the best season of Family Guy), “Brian Does Hollywood” was a delightful episode from start to finish, poking fun at Hollywood in ways only Family Guy can. Brain’s venture into porn was a funny one, as was Stewie’s sideplot featuring the easily mockable Bill Cosby. Family Guy only visited California once more during a mediocre episode last season, and it was pretty obvious from the get go that it would never be able to match this one.

5. “Lethal Weapons”

I always love episodes of Family Guy in which every member of the family gets to participate in the main plot. There are no sideplots to speak of in “Lethal Weapons”, as every member of the family has to contend with their anger issues with one another. Of course this is Family Guy, so it ends with all of them just beating the shit out of each other in probably the best action sequence of the entire series (and for Family Guy, that’s quite a compliment). Add in jabs at the New Jersian Fall Migration (playfully called “Leafers” in this episode), and this is one of the funnest episodes of Family Guy out there. Other than the other four that come before it, of course. But wait, I’m getting to those!

4. “Road to Rhode Island”

The Brian/Stewie pairing is definitely the show’s most successful one. The two just compliment each other in ways that you would have never imagined, and their friendship has become one of the warmest aspects of Family Guy (as discussed above). And “Road to Rhode Island” was really the episode that started it all. And unlike later “Road to” episodes in which the main focus was just hammering out jokes, this one actually has a pretty good plot behind it as Brian tries to make peace with the mother who gave him away. Stuff like Stewie’s eulogy and the awesome song at the end really cement this episode as a bonefide classic.

3. “Brian in Love”

I remember, way back in the show’s heyday, absolutely loving Brian. He was easily my favorite character of the show, as his dry humor and strong characterization just spoke to me (which is why it irritates me that he’s such a terrible character now). And when it comes to Brian episodes, you don’t get much better than “Brian in Love” (well you do but, seriously, let me get to it). Brian’s relationship with Lois has always been one of the most interesting ones of the entire show, and it was actually pretty heartfelt and touching to see Brian in conflict with his feelings for her. Brian’s eventual admission to Lois abouthis feelings is still one of the best moments of the show, for both its subtly and inner sweetness and truth. Well we would eventually see this relationship advance further in the story, none of those episodes measured up to “Brian in Love.”

2. “Brian Wallows and Peter Swallows”

Alright, here’s the episode I was talking about above. See, you didn’t have to wait too long, did you? Anyways, “Brian Wallows and Peter Swallows” is an amazing, near perfect episode of Family Guy. Brian’s relationship with elderly singer Pearl was surprisingly sweet, and there’s so many elements that just work within it. The awesome song (which won an Emmy that year). The tearful ending in which Brian and Pearl share their final moments together. Hell, Peter saying goodbye to the chicks growing in his beard was pretty sad. Sure there was a ton of funny parts too, but this episode gets props on an emotional level alone.

1. “Da Boom”

Ah and here we are, the best episode of Family Guy ever made. I know there will be tons of arguments about this one, but whenever I think about the episode of Family Guy I love the most, I have to go with “Da Boom.” Its incredibly strange post-apocalyptic plot really cemented Family Guy as a show that was willing to do some odds thing for the sake of a joke. And since there’s more than a fair share of amazing jokes here, it was totally worth it. “Da Boom” is definitely the funniest episode of Family Guy, and further goes to show that, at one point in time, this show really was a force to be reckoned with in the comedy world. Oh and Randy Newman:

And there you have it, our favorite episodes of Family Guy so far. Be sure to tune into the show’s 200th episode entitled “Yug Ylimaf” on Sunday. It could be awesome…but it could easily be complete shit. But that’s the gamble we take with Family Guy now a days, isn’t it?

-Matthew