Family Guy
Season 12
DVD cover
Starring
Country of originUnited States
No. of episodes21
Release
Original networkFox
Original releaseSeptember 29, 2013 (2013-09-29) –
May 18, 2014 (2014-05-18)
Season chronology
← Previous
Season 11
Next →
Season 13
List of episodes

The twelfth season of Family Guy aired on Fox from September 29, 2013, to May 18, 2014.[1][2][3]

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.

During this season, Peter gets a vestigial twin ("Vestigial Peter"); the Griffins travel to Italy ("Boopa-dee Bappa-dee"); Quagmire and Peter form a folk band ("Into Harmony's Way"); and, as confirmed by series creator Seth MacFarlane, Cleveland moves back to Quahog along with his family, since The Cleveland Show was cancelled ("He's Bla-ack!").[4] Also, as mentioned by Steve Callaghan in the 2013 Comic-con Panel, a member of the Griffin family was killed off in a special episode.[5] After much speculation, that member was Brian, after being hit by a motorist in the episode "Life of Brian". This elicited strongly negative reactions from fans of the show, and a petition demanding Brian to be resurrected garnered over 100,000 signatures. His death turned out to be only temporary as in the episode "Christmas Guy", Stewie goes back in time and saves him, effectively changing the future so that he never dies.

The show was initially airing in its usual timeslot of 9:00 PM Eastern. Beginning on March 9 and continuing for the rest of the season, Family Guy moved to 8:30 PM Eastern; the move came as a result of the addition of Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey to the network's lineup.

Guest stars for the season include Conan O'Brien, Lea Thompson, Jeff Daniels, Michelle Dockery, Tony Sirico, Yvette Nicole Brown, Gary Cole, Lauren Bacall, Liam Neeson, Bryan Cranston, Adam Levine, and Ariana Grande.[6][7][8][9]

This is the last season to be secondarily composed by Ron Jones, leaving Walter Murphy in charge of the musical score for the rest of the series.

Marketing

At San Diego Comic Con 2013, It was revealed by showrunner Steve Callaghan that one member of the Griffin Family would be killed off. Though many assumed to be Meg Griffin, the cast remained silent. This would later be revealed, with Brian Griffin being killed off. In addition, a preview was released.[10] It was also revealed that a crossover episode with The Simpsons was in the works, which released in September 2014, titled The Simpsons Guy.[11]

Episodes

No.
overall		No. in
season		TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateProd.
code		U.S. viewers
(millions)
2111"Finders Keepers"John HolmquistMike Desilets & Anthony BlasucciSeptember 29, 2013 (2013-09-29)BACX015.23[12]
Peter is convinced that a placemat at a restaurant is a treasure map. The rumor of supposed treasure sparks a city-wide search, turning the residents of Quahog against each other.
2122"Vestigial Peter"Julius WuBrian ScullyOctober 6, 2013 (2013-10-06)BACX025.20[13]
Peter finds a strange lump on his neck that turns out to be a vestigial twin, who ends up winning over Peter's family and friends with his optimism and sense of wonder.
2133"Quagmire's Quagmire"Pete MichelsCherry ChevapravatdumrongNovember 3, 2013 (2013-11-03)BACX034.87[14]
Quagmire dates a woman named Sonja, who is just as sexually active as he is, but things take a turn for the worse when she kidnaps him to be her sex slave, so Peter, Joe and Ida (Quagmire's transgender father) must search the seedy back alleys of Quahog to rescue him. In the meantime, Brian, Stewie and Rupert get involved in a most unusual love triangle.
2144"A Fistful of Meg"Joe VauxDominic Bianchi & Joe VauxNovember 10, 2013 (2013-11-10)AACX224.18[15]
Meg angers a psychopathic bully who threatens to kill her in a fight at the school's backyard. Meanwhile, Brian is disturbed by Peter exposing his nudity to him.
2155"Boopa-dee Bappa-dee"Mike KimWellesley WildNovember 17, 2013 (2013-11-17)BACX044.46[16]
The Griffins go to Italy on vacation, but Peter wants to stay there permanently, as he feels life in America has gotten boring, so he disintegrates their passports.
2166"Life of Brian"Joseph LeeAlex CarterNovember 24, 2013 (2013-11-24)BACX054.58[17]
After a time travel escapade goes horribly wrong, Stewie destroys his time machine, but regrets his decision when Brian is fatally injured by a car.
2177"Into Harmony's Way"Brian IlesJulius SharpeDecember 8, 2013 (2013-12-08)BACX065.36[18]
Peter and Quagmire find out that their voices create beautiful harmony when they get frightened by a bee and become a Simon & Garfunkel-style singer/songwriter duo — and, like the real Simon & Garfunkel, Peter lets fame go to his head and the duo begin feuding.
2188"Christmas Guy"Greg ColtonPatrick MeighanDecember 15, 2013 (2013-12-15)BACX076.37[19]
Peter tries to get his father-in-law Carter to repent his Christmas-hating ways. Meanwhile, Stewie travels back in time to save Brian's life.
2199"Peter Problems"Bob BowenTeresa HsiaoJanuary 5, 2014 (2014-01-05)BACX085.76[20]
When Peter gets fired for crashing a forklift into a business meeting, Lois takes a job at the grocery store while Peter becomes a stay-at-home dad — which leads to poor bedroom performance.
22010"Grimm Job"Joe VauxAlec SulkinJanuary 12, 2014 (2014-01-12)BACX095.22[21]
The Griffins put a new Quahog spin on three fairy tales: Jack and the Beanstalk, Little Red Riding Hood and Cinderella.
22111"Brian's a Bad Father"Jerry LangfordChris SheridanJanuary 26, 2014 (2014-01-26)BACX104.11[22]
Brian's human son, Dylan, returns, now a teen TV star. Rather than be a good father to his estranged son, Brian uses his son's television connections to further his own writing career. Meanwhile, after Peter "accidentally" shoots Quagmire on a hunting trip, the two friends clash, and Joe must choose a side.
22212"Mom's the Word"John HolmquistTed JessupMarch 9, 2014 (2014-03-09)BACX114.56[23]
When Peter's mother dies, he befriends her longtime friend, Evelyn, who then tries to seduce him. Meanwhile, Brian tries to help Stewie overcome his fear of death.
22313"3 Acts of God"Bob BowenAlec SulkinMarch 16, 2014 (2014-03-16)AACX174.62[24]
Peter is sick of opposing football teams thanking God for beating the Patriots, so he and the guys go on a quest to find the Lord and ask Him to stop determining the outcomes of football games. Cleveland Brown drops by to assist Peter.
22414"Fresh Heir"Mike KimSteve CallaghanMarch 23, 2014 (2014-03-23)BACX134.38[25]
Lois's father Carter names Chris as his heir, but Chris says he doesn't want the money.
22515"Secondhand Spoke"Julius WuDave Ihlenfeld & David WrightMarch 30, 2014 (2014-03-30)BACX124.17[26]
Peter is asked to be the face of an anti-smoking campaign just as he has taken up the habit of smoking cigarettes, while Stewie helps Chris face bullies at school.
22616"Herpe the Love Sore"Greg ColtonAndrew GoldbergApril 6, 2014 (2014-04-06)BACX164.77[27]
Stewie and Brian become blood brothers, which leads to Stewie contracting herpes from Brian. Meanwhile, a gang occupies Peter, Joe and Quagmire's booth at The Clam and they have to fight to take it back.
22717"The Most Interesting Man in the World"Joseph LeeTom DevanneyApril 13, 2014 (2014-04-13)BACX144.39[28]
Peter decides to make some changes to his behavior after he returns from the park with the wrong baby.
22818"Baby Got Black"Brian IlesKevin Biggins & Travis BoweApril 27, 2014 (2014-04-27)BACX154.02[29]
Chris is forbidden to see Jerome's daughter Pam, so when the kids run away together, Jerome and Peter must work together to find them.
22919"Meg Stinks!"Bob BowenDanny SmithMay 4, 2014 (2014-05-04)BACX174.40[30]
Meg parties with Peter at a college where he takes her for an interview, while Brian is forced to live in the wild after he is sprayed by a skunk and prevented from coming into the house.
23020"He's Bla-ack!"Steve RobertsonJulius SharpeMay 11, 2014 (2014-05-11)BACX194.16[31]
With his spin-off show cancelled due to low ratings, Cleveland returns to Quahog, with his new family accompanying him. When a conflict arises between Lois and Donna, it is up to Peter and Cleveland to reconcile their wives in order to save their friendship.
23121"Chap Stewie"Joe VauxArtie Johann & Shawn RiesMay 18, 2014 (2014-05-18)BACX183.88[32]
Stewie gets upset over having his TV time interrupted, so he heads back in time to see that Lois and Peter break up before he is conceived, thus he would never be born into the Griffin family. However, when he finally is born, it is into a Downton Abbey-esque household in Great Britain.

Reception

The season received overwhelmingly negative reviews with many fans of the series regarding season 12 as the worst season of Family Guy.

Review grades
# Title Air date The
A.V. Club
(A-F) 		TV
Fanatic
(5)
1 "Finders Keepers" September 29, 2013 (2013-09-29) C —
2 "Vestigial Peter" October 6, 2013 (2013-10-06) C+ —
3 "Quagmire's Quagmire" November 3, 2013 (2013-11-03) B+ —
4 "A Fistful of Meg" November 10, 2013 (2013-11-10) D —
5 "Boopa-dee Bappa-dee" November 17, 2013 (2013-11-17) C- —
6 "Life of Brian" November 24, 2013 (2013-11-24) A- —
7 "Into Harmony's Way" December 8, 2013 (2013-12-08) B- —
8 "Christmas Guy" December 15, 2013 (2013-12-15) B+ —
9 "Peter Problems" January 5, 2014 (2014-01-05) D —
10 "Grimm Job" January 12, 2014 (2014-01-12) C- —
11 "Brian's a Bad Father" January 26, 2014 (2014-01-26) C- —
12 "Mom's the Word" March 9, 2014 (2014-03-09) C+ —
13 "3 Acts of God" March 16, 2014 (2014-03-16) B —
14 "Fresh Heir" March 23, 2014 (2014-03-23) D —
15 "Secondhand Spoke" March 30, 2014 (2014-03-30) B —
16 "Herpe the Love Sore" April 6, 2014 (2014-04-06) C- 4.6
17 "The Most Interesting Man in the World" April 13, 2014 (2014-04-13) B+ 4.6
18 "Baby Got Black" April 27, 2014 (2014-04-27) D+ 3.8
19 "Meg Stinks!" May 4, 2014 (2014-05-04) B 4.6
20 "He's Bla-ack!" May 11, 2014 (2014-05-11) B- 3.8
21 "Chap Stewie" May 18, 2014 (2014-05-18) B- 4.8

References

  1. ^ "Fox Announces Fall Premiere Dates for the 2013-2014 Season". Facebook.com. Archived from the original on July 21, 2013. Retrieved July 22, 2013.
  2. ^ "Fox Announces Fall Premiere Dates for the 2013-2014 Season". ComingSoon.net. June 26, 2013. Archived from the original on June 30, 2013. Retrieved July 22, 2013.
  3. ^ Kondolojy, Amanda. "Fox 2013-14 Schedule Announced: 'Bones' On the Move + 'Sleepy Hollow' Monday, 'Glee' Gets Midseason Break & More (Updated)". Zap2it. TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on June 7, 2013.
  4. ^ "Season 12 Trailer from Comic-Con | Family Guy | Animation on Fox". YouTube. Archived from the original on August 15, 2013. Retrieved July 22, 2013.
  5. ^ "Family Guy to kill off 'major character' as Ashton Kutcher is lined up for guest role". Metro. DMG Media. July 21, 2013. Archived from the original on January 24, 2015. Retrieved December 9, 2014.
  6. ^ "Shows A-Z - family guy on fox". The Futon Critic. Archived from the original on February 4, 2013. Retrieved September 10, 2013.
  7. ^ "Get Ready for Star-Filled "Animation Domination" Sundays This Fall on Fox". Fox Flash. Archived from the original on September 8, 2013.
  8. ^ "Video: Fox FanFare 2013 - "Family Guy" Sneak Peek at Comic-Con! | TheFutonCritic.com". Archived from the original on August 3, 2013. Retrieved August 3, 2013.
  9. ^ "'Family Guy': Maya Rudolph and Glenn Howerton to guest in episode -- Exclusive". Archived from the original on January 4, 2015. Retrieved October 30, 2013.
  10. ^ "Comic-Con: FAMILY GUY Panel Recap". Collider. July 24, 2013. Archived from the original on May 14, 2022. Retrieved May 14, 2022.
  11. ^ "Comic-Con: FAMILY GUY Panel Recap". Collider. July 24, 2013. Archived from the original on May 14, 2022. Retrieved May 14, 2022.
  12. ^ Bibel, Sara (October 1, 2013). "Sunday Final Ratings: 'The Simpsons' & 'Bob's Burgers' Adjusted Up; 'Revenge' Adjusted Down". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on October 4, 2013. Retrieved October 1, 2013.
  13. ^ Kondolojy, Amanda (October 8, 2013). "Sunday Final Ratings: 'Once Upon a Time' & 'The Simpsons' Adjusted Up + Final NFL Ratings & Unscrambled CBS". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on October 11, 2013. Retrieved October 9, 2013.
  14. ^ Kondolojy, Amanda (November 5, 2013). "Sunday Final Ratings: 'The Amazing Race' Adjusted Up; 'The Simpsons' Adjusted Down + Final NFL Ratings". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on November 5, 2013. Retrieved November 5, 2013.
  15. ^ Bibel, Sara (November 12, 2013). "Sunday Final Ratings: 'Revenge' & 'The Simpsons' Adjusted Down, Plus Unscrambled CBS & Football Numbers". TV by the Numbedrs. Archived from the original on November 12, 2013. Retrieved November 13, 2013.
  16. ^ Kondolojy, Amanda (November 19, 2013). "Sunday Final Ratings: 'The Mentalist' Adjusted Up; No Adjustment for 'Once Upon a Time' or 'Almost Human'". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on November 22, 2013. Retrieved November 20, 2013.
  17. ^ Bibel, Sara (November 26, 2013). "Sunday Final Ratings: 'The Simpsons' The Amazing Race', 'American Dad' & 'The Mentalist' Adjusted Up; 'America's Funniest Home Videos' Adjusted Down". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on November 28, 2013. Retrieved November 27, 2013.
  18. ^ Bibel, Sara (December 10, 2013). "Sunday Final Ratings: 'The Simpsons', 'Family Guy', 'Revenge' & 'The Mentalist' Adjusted Up; 'Once Upon a Time', 'Betrayal' & '60 Minutes' Adjusted Down". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on December 13, 2013. Retrieved December 11, 2013.
  19. ^ "Sunday Final Ratings: '60 Minutes' Adjusted Down, No Adjustment for 'Revenge' or 'Survivor'". Tvbythenumbers. December 8, 2013. Archived from the original on December 17, 2013. Retrieved December 17, 2013.
  20. ^ Bibel, Sara (January 7, 2014). "Sunday Final Ratings: 'Family Guy', '60 Minutes' & 'The Mentalist' Adjusted Up; 'The Simpsons', 'Bob's Burgers', 'The Best of Jimmy Fallon' & 'Betrayal' Adjusted Down". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on January 7, 2014. Retrieved January 7, 2014.
  21. ^ "Sunday Final Ratings: 'The Mentalist', 'American Dad', 'Family Guy', 'Bob's Burgers' & 'Bachelor Special Adjusted Up; '60 Minutes' Adjusted Down + 'Golden Globe' Finals". Tvbythenumbers. January 14, 2014. Archived from the original on January 16, 2014. Retrieved January 14, 2014.
  22. ^ "Sunday Final Ratings: '60 Minutes' & 'The Bachelor: Sean and Catherine's Wedding' Adjusted Down + Final Pro Bowl & Grammy Awards Ratings". Tvbythenumbers. January 29, 2014. Archived from the original on January 30, 2014. Retrieved January 29, 2014.
  23. ^ Kondolojy, Amanda (March 11, 2014). "Sunday Final Ratings: 'Resurrection', 'Once Upon a Time' & 'The Amazing Race' Adjusted Up". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on March 11, 2014. Retrieved March 11, 2014.
  24. ^ "Sunday Final Ratings: 'Once Upon A Time', 'Resurrection', 'America's Funniest Home Videos', 'Cosmos', 'American Dad' & 'Believe' Adjusted Up". Tvbythenumbers. March 18, 2014. Archived from the original on March 18, 2014. Retrieved March 18, 2014.
  25. ^ "Sunday Final Ratings: 'America's Funniest Home Videos', 'Once Upon a Time', 'American Dad' & 'The Mentalist' Adjusted Up; '60 Minutes', 'Revenge' & 'The Good Wife' Adjusted Down". Tvbythenumbers. March 25, 2014. Archived from the original on March 25, 2014. Retrieved March 25, 2014.
  26. ^ "Sunday Final Ratings: 'The Good Wife', 'Resurrection', 'Crisis', '60 Minutes' & 'America's Funniest Home Videos' Adjusted Up; 'The Mentalist' Adjusted Down". Tvbythenumbers. March 23, 2014. Archived from the original on April 4, 2014. Retrieved April 1, 2014.
  27. ^ "Sunday Final Ratings: 'Once Upon a Time', 'American Dream Builders', 'America's Funniest Home Videos' & 'Resurrection' Adjusted Up". Tvbythenumbers. April 8, 2014. Archived from the original on April 8, 2014. Retrieved April 8, 2014.
  28. ^ "Sunday Final Ratings: 'Resurrection', 'Once Upon a Time', 'The Simpsons', 'The Amazing Race', 'Cosmos', 'The Mentalist' & 'America's Funniest Home Videos' Adjusted Up; '60 Minutes' Adjusted Down". Tvbythenumbers. April 15, 2014. Archived from the original on April 16, 2014. Retrieved April 15, 2014.
  29. ^ "Sunday Final Ratings: 'Once Upon A Time', 'Revenge' & 'The Simpsons' Adjusted Up; 'Believe', '60 Minutes', 'Dateline' & 'American Dream Builders' Adjusted Down". Tvbythenumbers. April 29, 2014. Archived from the original on April 29, 2014. Retrieved April 29, 2014.
  30. ^ "Sunday Final Ratings: 'Once Upon a Time', 'The Simpsons', 'Dateline' & 'Resurrection' Adjusted Up; 'The Good Wife' Adjusted Down". Tvbythenumbers. April 27, 2014. Archived from the original on May 6, 2014. Retrieved May 6, 2014.
  31. ^ "Sunday Final Ratings: 'Once Upon a Time', 'American Dad' & 'America's Funniest Home Videos' Adjusted Up; 'Revenge', 'Cosmos' & 'Dateline' Adjusted Down". TVbytheNumbers. May 13, 2014. Archived from the original on May 14, 2014. Retrieved May 13, 2014.
  32. ^ "Sunday Final Ratings: 'The Amazing Race' & 'American Dream Builders' Adjusted Up". TVbytheNumbers. May 20, 2014. Archived from the original on May 21, 2014. Retrieved May 20, 2014.

External links

Wikiquote has quotations related to Family Guy/Season 12.
Family Guy episodes
Family Guy
Categories