Family Guy has been a staple for Fox since it began over two decades ago, but what would have happened if the show had actually stayed cancelled after season 2?
Despite improving on their freshman season in number of episodes, viewership, and ratings, the obscene animated-comedy got cut after it's sophomore outing - and then returned from the dead to give fans another twenty years of laughter.
Peter, Peter, Caviar Eater, Episode 1 (7.7)
In the first episode of the season, fans found out that Lois came from a wealthy family and had apparently "settled" for Peter, a common man. When Lois' great aunt comes to visit and drops dead on their doorstep, The Griffins find out that she left Lois her seaside mansion in her will. The family checks the house out, but Peter reveals that he's already sold their home in Quahog and that they're officially moving in. Matters get worse when Peter's sloppy manners don't fit in with the high-brow society they've moved into and Brian is forced to brainwash Peter into behaving like a rich-snob. Peter's new attitude gets him in hot water (and high debt) but in sitcom fashion he finds a way out at the last minute and they move back to their home in Quahog.
Love Thy Trophy, Episode 5 (7.7)
There's no "I" in team and there isn't one in "Spooner Street" either, but that didn't matter to the residents who spent this episode fighting over ownership of a trophy. The entire street contributes toward building a float for a parade and they end up winning the coveted Golden Clam Trophy - only for the four men to immediately start bickering over who it truly belongs too. They decide on a neutral spot in the road, but it obviously gets stolen and everybody begins accusing each other. Through a string of events (and still no trophy turning up) the street decides that they simply have to move on and forget it about it - but it's then revealed that Brian was the one who took the trophy all along.
He's Too Sexy for His Fat, Episode 7 (7.8)
Peter Griffin isn't known for being the slimmest guy around, but he certainly was for this episode. Chris (who also isn't the skinniest) comes to his Dad and asks if he can help him lose weight and Peter immediately agrees. But Peter turns his back on his son when he decides to get liposuction and implants, essentially turning himself into a Ken doll, while Chris continues to workout and stick to a diet. Peter, now "beautiful", is given all sorts of special treatment, but ends up getting into an accident involving a tank of lard that turns him back into his normal, chubby self.
Let'a Go to the Hop, Episode 14 (7.9)
Drugs are bad and licking toads are bad so it's not hard to see that licking drugs off of toads would be especially bad. But apparently nobody gave that memo to the children at Buddy Cianci Jr High because the kids were (surprise, surprise) licking drugs off toads that would cause hallucinations.
Peter and Lois decide that something needs to be done to protect their children from drugs - so, naturally, Peter goes undercover posing as a student, becomes one of the popular kids, convinces everyone that drugs are bad, and then rides off into the night on a motorcycle during the middle of the school dance.
I Am Peter, Hear Me Roar, Episode 8 (8.1)
While Peter was never the most progressive person in the world, the writer's really jacked-up his anti-feminism in this episode where he makes a distasteful sexist joke to a female coworker and ends up being forced to go on a retreat that will help him embrace his own femininity. Once returning, Peter is beyond sensitive and his family quickly becomes tired of the drama-queen that has replaced their usual father/husband. Unfortunately, it seems as though nothing can break Peter from his stupor - until his wife gets into a "girl-fight" and it turns him on so much that the two have to rush home, whereupon Peter is revealed to be back to normal.
E. Peterbus Unum, Episode 18 (8.2)
Everybody dreams of getting to run their own country, and Peter Griffin got to live out that dream. When Peter goes to City Hall to discuss putting in a pool, it's revealed on a map of the city that Peter's plot of land on Spooner Street isn't actually a part of the country at all and is it's own independent nation. Peter then declares his new country "Petoria", invades America by taking over his neighbors pool, and gets himself into a 3 day war that ends with Peter surrendering before getting blown to smithereens by a nuke.
Wasted Talent, Episode 20 (8.20
No, not that kind of wasted talent - a very inappropriate kind of wasted talent. Lois wants desperately to produce just one piano student good enough to beat a rival piano teacher, but just can't seem to find anybody good enough. Then it's discovered that Peter is a phenomenal pianist when he stumbles in drunk and starts eloquently playing the instrument, only for his talent to fade by morning when he's no longer wasted.
They realize he's only good when he's hammered so they get him blitzed before the big rehearsal, he wins the trophy for Lois, and the end result is Peter only has one brain cell left from all of the alcohol he consumed.
Da Boom, Episode 3 (8.3)
The episode that introduced the running-gag of the "Chicken Fights" also centered around the premise of Y2K, the conspiracy that every computer in the world was going to fail at the turn of the millennium, resulting in an apocalyptic wasteland. Peter prepares his family for the worst while the rest of the world is out partying and ringing in the new year, only for Peter to be correct and have the world get blown to bits. The Griffins are a few of the survivors who make it out unscathed, but they're forced to move to Natick where they find a Twinkie's factory and start a new community called "New Quahog". Then the episode ends revealing that it was all just a dream.
Death is a B***h, Episode 6 (8.3)
When Peter can't pay for a hospital bill that he racks up, he puts down on his file that he's "deceased" so that he won't have to pay it. Lo and behold, Death himself shows up at The Griffins door in order to take Peter away since he's legally qualified as dead now. Peter tries to run away and Death ends up rolling his ankle as he chases him, resulting in Death himself being incapacitated and unable to "kill people" which means that nobody in the world can die. Peter goes out into the world and tests this new ability in front of thousands of people, prompting Death to make Peter repair the natural course of things by killing a group of celebrities to show the world that people can still die.
Road to Rhode Island, Episode 13 (8.3)
Every fan of Family Guy loves the "Road To" episodes that star Brian and Stewie and center around an adventure that the two get themselves into, and this was the one that started them all. It's revealed that Brian was born in a puppy mill in Texas during a flashback, and then Brian decides to fly down to Florida to pick Stewie up from his grandparents house. However, Brian gets drunk and they end up losing their plane tickets home, forcing them to try and hitchhike back to Rhode Island. The writers of Family Guy must not have ever seen a map of the United States because somehow the two end up in Texas and they go to the puppy mill Brian was born in so he can see his mother... but they discover that she's passed away and that her owners had her stuffed. Brian and Stewie bury the stuffing-filled remains and finally hop on a train to head home.