Every Family Guy Season 23 Episode Ranked From Worst to Best

After 23 seasons, it’s time to review the latest season of *Family Guy*. The show, a cornerstone of Fox’s adult animation lineup alongside *The Simpsons* and *Bob’s Burgers*, has been renewed for four more seasons. Fox is clearly investing in its established hits, which is welcome news for *Family Guy* as the show has faced scheduling changes and a year-long delay for this particular season.

Season 23 of *Family Guy* is similar to recent seasons: some episodes are great, others have interesting ideas, but many feel repetitive and lose steam quickly. We’ve ranked all the episodes to identify the weakest ones. Read on to see our picks!

18.) Drunk With Power

Family Guy often builds entire episodes around political figures, but these episodes rarely deliver much entertainment beyond a few initial jokes. This is true for “Drunk With Power,” which features Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh and swaps his life with Peter Griffin. While Peter’s antics as a Supreme Court Justice are occasionally funny, the episode is weighed down by an unfunny parody of Kavanaugh and generally weak political commentary. Ultimately, the episode feels tedious and doesn’t live up to its potential.

17.) Twain’s World

The episode “Twain’s World” suffers from the same problem as “Drunk With Power” – it relies too heavily on a single idea. While the concept of bringing Mark Twain in to help Brian with his novel is creative and provides some funny moments as Brian gets humbled, and it’s amusing to see Twain adjust to modern life, the episode ultimately feels repetitive. It’s essentially one joke stretched too thin. The final montage and Twain’s eventual reveal almost redeem it, but they happen too late to significantly improve the overall experience.

16.) A Real Who’s Hulu

Normally, *Family Guy*’s standalone episodes are strong because the show’s characters can easily fit into any scenario. However, “A Real Who’s Hulu” feels overly focused on corporate promotion. Instead of genuinely satirizing Hulu’s shows, it often feels like the episode was required to mention them – Peter even admits he hasn’t watched some of the programs. While there are some funny moments poking fun at the shows, too often the characters simply break the fourth wall to comment on how boring the parodies are. Compared to past standalone episodes, this one just doesn’t feel like enough effort was put in.

15.) Lois C.K.

The show often features Lois succeeding in unexpected careers that bother Peter, and this episode cleverly uses that dynamic for humor. Although Lois’s career eventually stalls because Peter stops acting silly, it leads to a heartwarming moment where she understands she needs to accept his personality for both their sakes. However, the episode as a whole isn’t particularly funny. When Lois isn’t doing something over-the-top, episodes focused on her tend to be a bit dull.

14.) Karenheit 451

This episode, like previous ones, tackles a political issue and suffers from Brian’s storyline backfiring. However, Peter’s subplot is a bright spot. The idea of the guys giving up alcohol and realizing how central beer is to their friendship is really interesting, but it doesn’t get enough attention. While each character’s sober transformation is amusing, the episode focuses too much on Brian’s predictable and unengaging story. It would have been better if those storylines were reversed.

13.) Live, Laugh, Love

Principal Shepard has quickly become one of the most entertaining characters in the series, especially as we’ve learned more about his personal life. He’s become almost comically pathetic, but still manages to act with surprising confidence, making him a joy to watch. This episode is no different – we get a glimpse into his past, including his surprisingly specific dream of owning a Taco Bell, and he even achieves a satisfying win. Of course, true to form, that win is quickly undercut by a hilariously disastrous incident involving a bus toilet. Episodes featuring Principal Shepard are consistently funny and engaging.

12.) Dog Is My Co-Pilot

The ongoing conflict between Brian and Quagmire has been a major part of *Family Guy* recently, and while it can be funny, it sometimes falls flat. This episode gets the rivalry right, hilariously undermining Brian’s ego and then having him unexpectedly rescue Quagmire from a messy situation. Brian’s attempt to return the favor by sabotaging a ferry leads to a great scene, and the episode also includes a fun subplot with Stewie and Chris running a pizza shop, along with a surprisingly dark joke involving Herbert. Overall, it’s packed with entertaining moments.

11.) Row v. Wade

The latest episode of *Family Guy* subtly addresses the sensitive topic of abortion, something a previously banned episode also touched on. This time, the storyline revolves around Brian and Stewie helping women who lack access to abortions, but with a darkly comedic twist. Instead of taking a clear stance, the episode cleverly subverts expectations by revealing that Brian and Stewie would actually turn these women in for rewards. It’s a surprising and characteristic move for the duo, playing on dark humor in a way fans would anticipate.

10.) The Chicken or the Meg

This season has featured some powerful moments for Meg, and the show is increasingly connecting her story to other ongoing plots. Her relationship with the Giant Chicken’s son not only reignites Peter’s old feud, but also offers a fresh perspective on their dynamic. It once again emphasizes how poorly Peter treats Meg – even his friends notice – while also showing how different Meg is from him. She probably ended the long-running conflict with the Giant Chicken in this episode, which could be a major turning point for her. After facing so much hardship, it’s great to see her finally succeed.

9.) The Elle Word

Elle Hitler (and that *is* her real name!) is a surprisingly great addition to the later seasons of *Family Guy*. She started as a simple librarian who enjoyed her own silly jokes, but quickly became friends with many of the show’s main characters. Peter and Stewie loved her humor, and she eventually became part of Lois’s close circle of friends, bringing a lot of energy to the group. We even see her briefly as a romantic interest for Quagmire, where it’s revealed she’s far more experienced than he is. This not only puts Quagmire in his place – something he definitely needed – but also shows that the show’s writers actually appreciate Elle as a character. Expect to see her appear in more episodes in the future.

8.) Cool Hand Lois

As we’ve seen before, episodes centered around Lois are strongest when they showcase her more outlandish side. This time, she becomes obsessed with self-discovery, leading her to consider a relationship with Bonnie, and leaving Peter and Joe to cope on their own. The episode is packed with genuinely funny moments as Lois learns more about herself, and the reveal of her dating Bonnie is accompanied by a surprisingly creative visual gag – a reminder that *Family Guy* can still deliver. Overall, it’s easily the best episode focusing on Lois this season.

7.) One Foot in Front of the Mother

Compared to the other storyline in this episode, the one featuring Brian and Quagmire is more entertaining. The main plot revolves around Lois feeling jealous as Chris becomes friendly with her friends, sparked by his surprising talent for race walking. However, the real highlight is the amusing conflict between Brian and Quagmire, which culminates in them both wearing shock collars and Brian ultimately rescuing Quagmire. While their rivalry isn’t resolved, this episode stands out as one of their better clashes, thanks to a genuinely tense and exciting final scene.

6.) China Doll

While recent seasons haven’t quite captured the magic of Family Guy’s classic “Road to…” episodes, “China Doll” comes close in spirit. The episode focuses less on the trip to China and more on Stewie’s quest to find Rupert’s birthplace. It features the kind of outrageous humor only Family Guy can deliver, and the episode cleverly acknowledges its own wildness with a hilarious final chalkboard gag. It’s a risky balance, but this episode manages to pull it off exceptionally well.

5.) The Fat Lotus

Season 23 of *Family Guy* includes several episodes that break from the show’s typical style, and “The Fat Lotus” is arguably the best of these within the show’s main storyline. While *Family Guy* doesn’t always follow a strict timeline, this episode focuses on the death of a recurring character. The reveal happens late in the episode and is quite unexpected, but the story builds to it effectively. Even if you haven’t seen *The White Lotus*, you’ll likely enjoy this episode – it’s simply a well-crafted piece of television.

4.) Martian Meg

Going into the season, you probably wouldn’t have predicted a Meg-focused episode would rank so highly, but this one is full of surprises. Meg becomes deeply unhappy with her life and impulsively auditions for a one-way trip to Mars. The episode explores the emotional consequences of her decision, and Lois shockingly reveals how much she loves Meg by attempting to stop the rocket launch and go with her. It’s a visually impressive episode with a grand scale, capped off by a funny moment about Lois’s dishonesty regarding her weight, made even better by a great appearance from Keith David. While Lois and Meg often have a difficult relationship, this episode surprisingly ends on a heartwarming note.

3.) Pitch Imperfect

“Pitch Imperfect” is easily the strongest *Family Guy* episode of the season. The story cleverly changes Peter’s history with baseball, referencing past episodes and using those connections to create a heartwarming moment between Peter and Meg. Meg shines as a talented athlete and finally gets some well-deserved recognition, while the episode also reveals new details about Peter’s past. The ending gives Peter a win too, though it comes with a surprisingly dark twist – it’s a uniquely funny and satisfying conclusion that only *Family Guy* could pull off.

2.) Hard Times at Adam West High

When it comes to uniquely outrageous episodes, this one really showcases what *Family Guy* does best. The show often uses Stewie’s inventions – especially his time machine – for hilarious storylines, and things get even more chaotic when Chris is involved. This episode leans into Chris’s often-crude behavior, launching into a time travel adventure where trying to help him actually causes a lot more problems. The way everything wraps up is genuinely funny, and the whole premise feels like one of the most creative ideas *Family Guy* has had in a long time.

1.) Fat Gun

Despite its usual creative approach, the 23rd season of *Family Guy* kicked off with its strongest episode yet. “Fat Gun” is a clear parody of *Top Gun* and *Top Gun: Maverick*, but unlike other anthology episodes, it dedicates the entire runtime to the spoof. This allows for a deep dive into the *Top Gun* universe and a fresh take on the *Family Guy* characters within those roles (even featuring two Bonnies!). The episode includes surprisingly original jokes about the *Top Gun* franchise, hinting at a promising new direction for *Family Guy*’s parodies. Focusing an entire episode on a single movie franchise proved successful, and hopefully, this format will be revisited in future seasons.

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2025-09-27 22:13