Road to ... (Family Guy)

The "Road to ..." episodes, also known as the Family Guy Road shows, are a series of episodes in the animated series Family Guy. They are a parody of the seven Road to ... comedy films, starring Bing Crosby, Bob Hope, and Dorothy Lamour.

These episodes revolve around Stewie and Brian on a road trip in a foreign, supernatural or science fiction setting outside the show's normal location in Quahog, Rhode Island. The first, titled "Road to Rhode Island", aired on May 30, 2000, as a part of the second season. The episodes are known for featuring elaborate musical numbers, similar to the original films. As of 2025, there are eight "Road to" episodes.

The "Road to" episodes contain several signature elements, including a special version of the opening sequence, custom musical cues and musical numbers, and parodies of science fiction and fantasy films. Many of the episodes are popular among television critics, and have been nominated for several awards. In 2000, "Road to Rhode Island" was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award in the "Outstanding Animated Program (for Programming Less Than One Hour)" category. In 2009, "Road to Germany", along with two other episodes from the seventh season, were nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award in the "Outstanding Comedy Series" category, the first time in 48 years multiple episodes of one animated series were nominated for the same award.

"Road to" episodes typically consist of three parts following a series of theatrical or cultural-themed credits, and beginning with a segment at the Griffin family home in Quahog, Rhode Island. This segment usually establishes a conflict that Stewie and Brian must overcome by leaving Quahog and the rest of the Griffin family. For the second segment, Stewie and Brian obtain the established goal, which differs in each episode, and have included Brian reuniting with his mother in "Road to Rhode Island", Stewie finding his lost teddy bear in "Road to Rupert", or rescuing Mort Goldman, the town's pharmacist, in "Road to Germany".

"[Road to the Multiverse] is a "Road" show, and traditionally, Dan Povenmire directed the "Road" episodes. He did "Road to Rhode Island", "Road to Europe", "Road to Rupert", and the "Road" episodes were always kind of a special situation. Brian and Stewie go on an adventure, kind of like Hope and Crosby, and it has special title cards, they sing songs.[...] This felt like a "Road" show.

The "Road to" episodes are a parody of the seven Road to ... comedy films released between 1940 and 1962, which starred actors Bing Crosby, Bob Hope and Dorothy Lamour. Family Guy creator and executive producer Seth MacFarlane came up with the idea to create the episodes, being a fan of the original film series.

The first "Road to" episode, titled "Road to Rhode Island", aired in 2000 as a part of the second season of Family Guy, and featured Brian and Stewie attempting to find Brian's mother. The episode was the first Family Guy contribution by director Dan Povenmire, and it was written by Gary Janetti, who had previously written for the show during its first and second seasons. MacFarlane granted Povenmire substantial creative freedom. Povenmire recalled that MacFarlane would tell him, "We've got two minutes to fill. Give me some visual gags. Do whatever you want. I trust you." Povenmire praised MacFarlane's management style for letting him "have [...] fun".

After the episode's success, including its nomination for a Primetime Emmy Award, a second episode in the "Road to" series was produced for the third season, titled "Road to Europe". The episode was inspired by the 1942 film Road to Morocco, including its musical number "(We're Off on the) Road to Morocco", which was previously parodied by the two characters, with new lyrics, in "Rhode Island". Povenmire returned to direct the episode but this time it was written by Daniel Palladino, who was a guest-writer.