For over 20 years, Family Guy has subverted traditional sitcom tropes, satirizing the archetype of America's nuclear family and uprooting the concept of its stability and functionality. The cast of colorful characters often behave in ways that reflect real life, somehow making an animated series feel more authentic than its live-action counterparts.
On Family Guy, just because friends are dysfunctional doesn't mean they aren't meaningful, and it often characterizes its best relationships by two people's ability to remain close despite each other's continuous screw-ups, blunders, and ill-conceived schemes. Some bonds, like between Brian and Stewie, are among the most enduring on television. Others, like between Herbert and Chris, are among the most disturbing. Whatever the nature of the relationships, they continue to be surprising.
UNHEALTHY: HERBERT AND CHRIS
A longstanding problematic character, the elderly neighbor of the Griffins has a disturbing fixation with Chris that has reared its ugly head for the last fifteen years. Herbert may be a war veteran, but he has a dark secret that no amount of patriotic heroics can absolve.
The very serious issue of pedophilia continues to be a necessary subject to have a serious debate about, not have the topic used for cheap laughs at the expense of victimized children.
SURPRISINGLY WHOLESOME: BRIAN AND STEWIE
Brian and Stewie have one of the most enduring relationships on the series. Thrown together out of sheer necessity, being the two outliers in a family of imbeciles often made to feel the least a part of it, they both bond -and fight- because of their superior intellects.
While they often get on each other's nerves with Stewie's time-machine shenanigans and Brian's egotistical writing career, they are willing to go to the ends of the Earth to keep a promise to one another.
UNHEALTHY: JOE AND BONNIE
Joe is one of the characters most easily sympathized with by fans due to his endearing optimism and his belief in the good of humanity. There's also the fact that he's a paraplegic who hasn't lost any of his altruism.
Unfortunately, his relationship with his wife Bonnie is strained due to his inability to satisfy her in bed. Rather than have some effective communication about their intimacy problems, Bonnie just alternates cheating on him and insulting his disability.
SURPRISINGLY WHOLESOME: PETER AND LOIS
Peter and Lois have a bond that serves as the litmus test for how a marriage can survive when two people are different in every possible way, from intellect to upbringing, and executive functionality.
Peter is depicted as being hopelessly dim-witted, naive, and reckless, while Lois is shown to be smart, capable, and competent. They end up playing to each other's strengths throughout the series, and weathering the sort of expected emotional storms longtime married couples face, from in-laws to teen crisis, and their own personal changes over the decades.
UNHEALTHY: MEG AND HER FAMILY
By far one of the most unhealthy relationships in Family Guy -if not all of network television- exists between Meg and the rest of the Griffins. No matter how she behaves or what she says, she's perpetually branded as the outcast.
Meg is the perpetual whipping post, used as a means to unload aggression from everyone else. When they aren't taking their bad moods and decisions out on her, she's rarely given any episodes that promote personal growth.
SURPRISINGLY WHOLESOME: QUAGMIRE AND IDA
As someone who came out as a trans woman later in life, Quagmire's father became the first trans character on Family Guy, and while there were stumbling blocks in the first few episodes that featured the topic of her transition, they culminated in Quagmire being able to accept and embrace his father.
An insensitive subject that could have been created for laughs turned out to be a meaningful ingress into a positive dialogue. The pair became so close Quagmire even defended his father when Brian wanted to date her.
UNHEALTHY: BRIAN AND LOIS
In the midst of episodes that highlight the friendship between Peter and Brian, there's an undercurrent of romantic tension between Brian and Lois that despite being wrong on an intellectual level, is also repulsive on a physical level.
There are episodes where Brian not only gazes at his best friend's wife with longing abandon, but also fondles her when she's napping on the couch. Though Brian's recently started to behave himself, the fact that it was allowed to go so long without being curtailed is disturbing.
SURPRISINGLY WHOLESOME: JASPER AND BRIAN
Jasper wasn't featured very much in Family Guy on the whole, but his brief appearance as Brian's cousin in "You May Now Kiss The Guy Who..Um...Receives" was memorable and revealed a lot about Brian's character.
Jerome proved very supportive of Brian and his dreams as a struggling writer, and Brian showed just as much involvement in Jerome's aspirations as an artist. It's a shame Jerome hasn't been seen more over the years to continue to help evolve Brian's character.
UNHEALTHY: MEG AND PETER'S FRIENDS
Meg has had the hots for several members of her father's friendship circle. Quagmire and Joe, two of her father's closest pals, became the subject of her strange obsessions just because they were nice to her.
Quagmire actually pursues Meg, texting her late at night and taking her out on repugnant dates. Joe does his best to quell her advances, and discourages her from ruining his friendship with Peter and his relationship with Bonnie. Her fixation with Joe became particularly awkward when she tried to date his son, Kevin.
SURPRISINGLY WHOLESOME: PETER AND BRIAN
While most fans focus on the friendship between Stewie and Brian, originally Brian was intended to be Peter's friend and sidekick, and early seasons demonstrate the close bond they developed after Peter rescued Brian from the side of the road.
Brian often serves as Peter's sounding board, providing necessary feedback on Peter's poor decision making. Though the feeling isn't as reciprocal in later seasons, Peter still considers Brian his best friend.