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"Bigfat"
Family Guy episode
Episode no.Season 11
Episode 17
Directed byJulius Wu
Written byBrian Scully
Production codeAACX15
Original air dateApril 14, 2013 (2013-04-14)
Guest appearances
Episode chronology
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Family Guy season 11
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"Bigfat" is the seventeenth episode of the eleventh season and the 205th overall episode of the animated comedy series Family Guy. It aired on Fox in the United States on April 14, 2013, and is written by Brian Scully and directed by Julius Wu.[1] In the episode, Peter, Quagmire and Joe take a road trip to Canada, but their private plane crashes and Peter goes missing for two months. When his family finds him, he can no longer communicate intelligently.

Though primarily a Family Guy episode, it includes a crossover cold opening with characters from American Dad! and King of the Hill.[2]

Plot

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Crossover cold opening

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Mike Judge (pictured in 2011) guest voiced character as Hank Hill from his series King of the Hill in a crossover cold open cameo (that also features Seth's sister series American Dad! in the exact same crossover cold open) in his dream sequence.

The episode starts in Quahog when the Griffins visit their new neighbors, the Smiths (from American Dad!), living in Cleveland's old house. Peter is then shot by Stan Smith for revealing Roger's identity to Quagmire over the phone. Peter then wakes up in his bed and discovered it was a dream. At that moment, Hank Hill walks into the bedroom questioning, "Hey, Lois, what's that fat man doing in our bed?". Next, the scene cuts to Hank waking up in his bed saying, "Ugh, damn it, I always wake up before I find out if they can understand the baby." The episode opens with a King of the Hill-styled opening involving Quagmire, Peter, Joe, and Brian replacing Boomhauer, Hank, Bill, and Dale at their respective spots in "The Alley".

Main plot

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Quagmire asks the guys to come along with him on a trip to some Montreal strip clubs (Peter says he's always wanted to go there, but says he couldn't because South Park already went there). Quagmire asks that they lie about where they are going in order to keep the wives from complaining to him about going to strip clubs.

On the private luxury plane Quagmire acquires by "catching John Travolta with not Kelly Preston", Peter reenacts The Twilight Zone episode "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet", opening a door and causing the plane to crash in the Canadian wilderness. They build shelter and settle in for the night. Thanks to one of Peter's animal traps, Quagmire's legs get broken. With Peter the only able-bodied person left, he sets out to find help. But just after he leaves, they find out that they crashed into a Canadian's back yard. Quagmire worries about Peter, but he has already disappeared into the woods as confirmed by the Predator that had been watching them.

Two months later, the Search and Rescue Party nearly gives up the search when signs of Peter start to turn up. The family rushes to where Peter left a doll of Edna Garrett from The Facts of Life (though Chris also reminds everyone that Edna Garrett was first seen in Diff'rent Strokes) and find him in the bushes acting like a nonspeaking feral beast with long hair, a long beard, a partially muddy body, and wearing what's left of his underwear.

Getting Peter home, they try to reintroduce him to his life. Lois then shows Peter a video that he made before he became feral. When it comes to the second tape, the Peter on that tape tells Peter not to listen to the Peter on the first video since that Peter is lying and tells Peter to be free as he runs out of the house. Stewie tries to make the best of things by singing with Peter where he grunts to the tunes of "War" and "Baby Got Back." Lois awakes to find Peter in the garbage. Quagmire and Joe come over to check on things and find that every attempt to re-civilize Peter did not go well. The Griffin family decides to return Peter to the wild to be happy. As Lois and the family cries at their departure, Peter heads off towards the woods. But when Meg says goodbye, Peter struggles to tell Meg to shut up and slowly regains his speech. Peter and Lois embrace, he then tells her "Jim. Your name is Jim" (an allusion to the end of Star Trek III: The Search for Spock).

At home and returned to normal in only a day, Peter announces that Quagmire is taking him to a strip club in Montreal to celebrate Peter returning to normal. At the strip club, Peter is surprised to see Charlotte Rae (the actress who portrayed Edna Garrett) as a stripper.

Reception

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The episode received a 2.5 rating in the 18-49 demographic and was watched by a total of 5.02 million viewers. This made it the most watched show on Fox's Animation Domination line-up that night, beating The Simpsons, American Dad!, Bob's Burgers and The Cleveland Show.[3] The episode was met with mixed reviews from critics. Kevin McFarland of The A.V. Club gave the episode a C, saying "Bigfat" is one of those consistently funny episodes brought down by too much Meg-bashing.[4] Mark Trammell of TV Equals said "All in all, a good but not great episode that had the makings of a classic, but faltered in the end. If you’re a fan of the older style of "Family Guy" humor, you'll at least want to see the first bit of the episode, but be forewarned, it doesn't get any better than that."[5] Carter Dotson of TV Fanatic gave the episode three out of five stars, saying "Peter going feral didn't really last long enough, nor had any great comic consequences. It just wasn't nearly as funny as it could or should have been, minus perhaps Peter getting his humanity back by way of wanting Meg to shut up. It all felt like an extremely-missed opportunity. It was all half-baked. Survival was a theme in the Family Guy Season 11 premiere. Most of the jokes felt like lazy references that should have gone further than they did. None of the plot threads were given any room to develop. This could have been a lot better than it turned out to be, but instead was just mostly mediocre. Still, it had the King of the Hill homage, which justified the whole half-hour."[6]

References

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Revisions and contributorsEdit on WikipediaRead on Wikipedia
from Grokipedia
"Bigfat" is the seventeenth episode of the eleventh season of the Family Guy, originally broadcast on on April 14, 2013. In the episode, , along with friends Joe Swanson and , embarks on a to that ends in a plane crash caused by Peter's recklessness, leaving him lost in the wilderness for two months where he reverts to a state. His family eventually locates and rescues him, but rehabilitating the wild Peter proves challenging until an encounter with Meg's voice restores his humanity by reigniting his disdain for her. The episode opens with a unique crossover cold open featuring characters from American Dad!—such as Roger and Stan Smith—interacting in a Family Guy-style scenario, followed by a King of the Hill-themed credit sequence with Hank Hill, marking a rare multi-show integration produced by Fox Animation. Directed by Dominic Bianchi, James Purdum, and Julius Wu, and written by Brian Scully, "Bigfat" runs for approximately 22 minutes and includes numerous cutaway gags, a hallmark of the series, such as one depicting Quagmire in France. It received a TV-14 rating for its comedic content involving language, suggestive themes, and violence. Critically, the episode earned an IMDb user rating of 6.8 out of 10 based on over 1,500 reviews. It was praised for its humorous crossovers and character-driven antics but critiqued for relying on familiar tropes like Meg-bashing and uneven plotting. As part of 's eleventh season, which aired from 2012 to 2013, "Bigfat" exemplifies the show's blend of absurd humor, pop culture references, and satirical takes on family dynamics.

Overview

Episode information

"Bigfat" is the seventeenth episode of the eleventh season of the Family Guy, created by , and the 205th in the series overall. The episode originally premiered on the on April 14, 2013. It carries the production code AACX15, was written by Brian Scully, and directed by Julius Wu. Like other episodes in the series, "Bigfat" has an approximate runtime of 22 minutes.

Production background

The episode features a crossover cold open incorporating elements from American Dad! and King of the Hill, tying into Fox's Sunday animation block. Family Guy's production for "Bigfat" aligned with the series' typical workflow, which involves scripting in the writers' room. No major controversies or significant changes during production are noted in available records.

Plot

Crossover cold opening

The crossover cold opening in "Bigfat" serves as a humorous prelude, uniquely blending characters from American Dad!, King of the Hill, and Family Guy in a chaotic sequence that exemplifies the shows' shared Animation Domination block on Fox. The action begins in Quahog, where Peter Griffin and his neighbors greet the Smith family—new occupants of Cleveland Brown's former home—as they unpack. Peter immediately mistakes Stan Smith for Joe Swanson, sparking confusion, while Roger the alien's presence prompts Stan to shoot at Peter in panic, creating absurd inter-show tension filled with non-sequiturs like Roger's disguise mishaps and references to alien secrecy. This escalating mayhem highlights the comedic clash of universes, with quick cuts and exaggerated reactions amplifying the humor. The sequence reveals itself as a dream when , guest-voiced by , abruptly enters the Griffins' bedroom and comments on the surrounding chaos with his characteristic dry wit, such as questioning the bizarre neighborly intrusion. A -style opening credits parody follows, reimagining the ensemble in that show's rustic animation aesthetic, complete with propane-selling gags and folksy narration. This transitions seamlessly into the group's scheme: Peter, Quagmire, and Joe charter a private plane to for a hockey game, lying to their wives about the trip's purpose, which sets up the ensuing plane crash through further referential jokes and escalating absurdity.

Main plot

Following the plane crash that strands , , and Joe Swanson in the Canadian wilderness, the trio struggles to survive for two months. While Quagmire and Joe are eventually rescued by a local search party, Peter wanders off alone in search of food and becomes separated from the group. During his time lost, Peter devolves into a state, scavenging for berries and small animals while avoiding contact. He communicates only through grunts and animalistic behaviors, fully embracing a primitive existence amid the harsh forest environment. This transformation leaves him unrecognizable when a search party finally locates him after weeks of extensive efforts. Upon his return to Quahog, Peter's habits immediately disrupt the Griffin household. He rummages through trash for meals, climbs furniture like a wild beast, and fails to recognize or interact meaningfully with , , , or Stewie. The family attempts various interventions, including sessions and attempts to teach him basic speech, but Peter's grunts and aggressive posturing only escalate tensions, straining daily life and prompting concerns about his permanent condition. The climax occurs during a family confrontation when Meg, in a moment of frustration, pleads with Peter to acknowledge her. Overwhelmed, Peter suddenly yells ""—his first coherent words in months—triggering a rapid return to his personality and speech. This outburst, rooted in his longstanding disdain for Meg, shocks the but signals his psychological recovery. In the resolution, Peter readjusts to normalcy with the 's support, resuming his typical antics. The episode concludes with a cutaway where Peter humorously reflects on his wilderness ordeal through an absurd , underscoring the show's signature comedic style.

Cast

Main voice cast

The main voice cast for the "Bigfat" episode features the core ensemble of recurring Family Guy performers, delivering the voices for the Griffin family and key supporting characters central to the plot. provides the voice for , who serves as the lead in his feral wilderness state, along with , , and . MacFarlane's portrayal encompasses Peter's animalistic grunts and yells during the character's reversion to a primal mode. Alex Borstein voices and supplies additional character voices as needed. voices , contributing to the family's dynamics upon Peter's return. voices , whose pivotal interaction with the Peter—marked by her persistent talking—triggers his recovery of speech when he snaps at her to shut up. Patrick Warburton voices Joe Swanson, who accompanies Peter and Quagmire on the road trip. Mike Henry voices other recurring roles, including Consuela in this episode; Henry continued voicing until announcing his departure from the character in 2020 to allow persons of color to portray such roles. This setup reflects 's established ensemble format, where a small group of actors handle multiple parts to maintain the show's comedic rhythm.

Guest appearances

In the episode "Bigfat," guest appearances include , who reprises his role as from during the crossover . This cameo highlights Judge's distinctive deadpan vocal style, which stands in contrast to 's typically frenetic and satirical humor, creating a humorous in the sequence. Judge's participation serves as a nod to Fox's interconnected animated programming lineup from the late and early , bridging the two shows through shared network heritage and stylistic homage. The cold open also features voices from American Dad!, including as . Additional guest voices include as himself in a cutaway gag, and as in Peter's wilderness hallucination.

Reception

Viewership

The "Bigfat" episode of , which aired on April 14, 2013, as the 17th episode of season 11, drew 5.02 million total viewers according to final Nielsen ratings. In the key adults 18-49 demographic, it achieved a 2.5 rating. This performance placed it slightly below the season 11 average of 5.44 million total viewers and a 2.7 rating in the 18-49 demographic across its 22 episodes. The episode's numbers reflected broader trends in the 2012-2013 television season, during which linear TV viewership for animated comedies experienced declines, particularly among younger adults, amid rising competition from streaming and other media.

Critical response

The episode "Bigfat" received mixed reviews from critics, who praised its comedic elements and animation while criticizing its lack of originality and overreliance on familiar tropes. In a review for The A.V. Club, Kevin McFarland noted that it was "one of those consistently funny episodes brought down by too much Meg-bashing," particularly highlighting the cold open's enjoyable King of the Hill-style credits sequence as a "nice reminder" of the source material's enduring appeal, though disconnected from the main plot. McFarland critiqued the feral Peter storyline for covering "territory the show has already worn down," arguing that Peter's transformation failed to inspire sympathy or elicit substantial laughs, and faulted the heavy reliance on Meg punchlines as "ugly and useless." TV Fanatic's Carter Dotson gave "Bigfat" a 2.8 out of 5 stars, commending the physical comedy in random cutaways and the entertaining crossovers, such as the American Dad! segment that evolved into a Newhart homage with Hank Hill, which he said "justified the whole half-hour." However, Dotson found the resolution predictable and underdeveloped, stating that "Peter going feral didn’t really last long enough, nor had any great comic consequences," with most jokes feeling like "lazy references" and plot threads lacking room to develop beyond surface-level humor. Critics commonly viewed the episode as a middling entry in the series, appreciating the strong in sequences like the wilderness survival and crossover animations but lamenting weak character development that prioritized gags over meaningful progression. Overreliance on crossovers and repetitive Meg-targeted humor emerged as recurring complaints, contributing to perceptions of formulaic storytelling despite flashes of inventive comedy.

Release and distribution

Broadcast history

"Bigfat" premiered in the United States on the on April 14, 2013, airing from 9:00 to 9:30 PM ET/PT as part of the network's programming block, which followed an episode of . The episode, assigned production code AACX15, was scheduled within the eleventh season's run on the block. In , season 11 of , including "Bigfat," premiered on the in fall 2013, approximately five months after the U.S. debut, with minor edits applied to comply with regional broadcast standards, such as reductions in explicit language. The episode has aired in syndication reruns on Cartoon Network's block since April 20, 2003, as part of the channel's late-night animation lineup, with a return to primetime episodes airing every weekday starting January 2025. Beyond the typical TV-14 content warnings for mature themes and language inherent to episodes, "Bigfat" encountered no significant controversies during its broadcast history.

Home media

The episode "Bigfat" was released on home media as part of the Family Guy: Volume 12 DVD set on December 17, 2013, which contains all 22 episodes from season 11. This three-disc collection also includes the complete season 11 on DVD, with no separate Blu-ray edition for the season at the time. Special features on the Volume 12 DVD encompass tracks for select episodes. Additional extras include deleted scenes and animatics for various episodes in the set. For digital and streaming access, "Bigfat" has been available on since at least 2011 alongside other episodes. Full seasons, including season 11, were added to Disney+ in 2020. As of November 2025, the episode remains available on and Disney+ (including via the Hulu on Disney+ bundle). The episode has no standalone physical or digital release and remains bundled with season 11 content across platforms.
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