Despite being one of the longest-running animated series on television, the worst Family Guy episodes show that it is far from perfect. Competing with the likes of The Simpsons and South Park, Family Guy has created its own loyal fanbase which has allowed it to remain on the air for 21 seasons and counting. With so many episodes under its belt, not all of them are winners. The worst Family Guy episodes seem to highlight the type of humor and storytelling the series just isn't especially good at delivering.

At the end of the day, this animated series is not taking itself seriously at all with its stereotypical characters put in ridiculous situations while pop culture references fly by at a million miles a minute. That is what people love about Family Guy, though. However, certain episodes show that some of those jokes can get very tiresome. Even worse is when the show takes on a subject matter they are clearly not equipped to handle, or when they try to do something inventive just for the sake of it. Though there are plenty of laughs to be had over the years, the worst Family Guy episodes are hard to watch.

12 Send In Stewie, Please

Season 16, Episode 12

The episode was not a typical Family Guy episode and is a clear sign of the writers trying to dig deeper into the show and its most famous character. It lasted for 28 minutes, with no commercials and no cutaway jokes, like fans have grown to expect. There is also no one from the Griffin family other than Stewie until Brian shows up at the end. Stewie goes to see a therapist (voiced by Ian McKellen) where he goes through a series of self-reflective revelations. Such an episode could be interesting on another series, but it missed the marked here. The animation style, voice acting, and writing felt too mundane to warrant such a divergence from the norm.

11 The 2,000-Year-Old Virgin

Season 13, Episode 6

Released in season 13, "The 2,000-Year Old Virgin" is an episode focusing on Jesus who is something of a recurring character on Family Guy. He was hanging out in Quahog, claiming he wanted to lose his virginity. Jesus offers Peter a massage chair if he allows him to lose his virginity to Lois. The episode is a perfect example of how Family Guy is clearly not afraid of controversy and tends to embrace the kind of shock humor they have become known for. While this has resulted in some hilarious episodes, in this instance, it feels as though they went for the shock but forgot the humor. The jokes feel less like punchlines and more like forced attempts to be edgy with a reference to Heath Ledger's death feeling especially ugly.

10 Trump Guy

Season 17, Episode 11

It makes sense for the President of the United States to be the subject of ridicule on this show and Donald Trump is certainly no stranger to being lampooned. It is not surprising then that Family Guy dedicates an episode to Trump but it is surprising the show has so little to add to the conversation. Peter takes a job working for President Trump in Washington, D.C.only for their friendly relationship to turn ugly. Once again, the show seems to be looking to shock the audience while also failing to be original. There are no new jokes on the subject here and the last-minute attempt to add in a political message is unearned due to the lazy satire that preceded it.

9 Con Heiress

Season 17, Episode 8

This episode of Family Guy has the main story being Stewie and Brian trying to run a con on a widowed, very wealthy heiress only to learn Quagmire is doing the same thing. Meanwhile, Peter shows Chris how to mow lawns and attracts the attention of Herbert. The biggest complaints in this episode come from the running jokes. The one people seemed to hate the most is the "long name gag." This gag sees them spend almost two minutes saying one name -- and then repeating the joke four more times in the episode. That is eight minutes of a 20+ minute episode on one gag. There are also long song-and-dance numbers that seemed like filler as well.

8 Herpe, The Love Sore

Season 12, Episode 16

"Herpe, the Love Sore," is a Stewie and Brian-centric Family Guy episode. While these are usually the best episodes of the series, this one ranks as one of the most disgusting things the show has done in its run. Stewie and Brian decided to become blood brothers, but there was one problem. Brian was embarrassed to tell Stewie that he had herpes until after the fact and gave it to Stewie. Just the premise alone is enough to raise eyebrows and the episode itself is hard to watch for any viewers that are squeamish. Clearly, the show wants that reaction, but it makes it an episode many people will have no interest in rewatching.

7 Stewie Is Enceinte

Season 13, Episode 12

Another episode focusing on Brian and Stewie while being as disgusting as possible is "Stewie is Enceinte." Brian doesn't want to hang out with Stewie anymore, so Stewie uses the dog's DNA to impregnate himself to try to force him back. As great a duo as Brian and Stewie can be, sometimes the show seems eager to ruin that relationship for fans by taking it into areas like this. There was a subplot with Peter trying to make a viral video, offering the only respite from the horrific Brian and Stewie plot, yet it delivers uninspired cultural commentary and no laughs.

6 Seahorse Seashell Party

Season 10, Episode 2

The hatred for Meg on Family Guy has been one of the longest-running gags in the series and it gets fully addressed in "Seahorse Seashell Party." When the family is stuck inside during a hurricane with no television, tensions rise to the point of Meg finally confronting the family about how they mistreat her. The episode is another example of the show trying something new and missing. There are purposely no jokes as most of the episode is dedicated to intense and emotional arguments. However, nothing insightful is really said making it all feel tiresome to watch. Worst of all, the show comes to a conclusion in the end that allows the jokes at Meg's expense to continue.

5 You Can't Handle The Booth

Season 17, Episode 16

This episode had the Griffin family record a DVD commentary track for a fictional episode of Family Guy. The Griffins even meet the people who voice them. In the commentary, Lois claims Peter used to be married to Sarah Paulson, and Chris might be Philip Seymour Hoffman's son. It is an interesting idea for an episode but the execution is a total misfire. It turns out that the Griffin family is not very interesting to simply listen to and it doesn't help that the jokes weren't very strong. While such a format could have made for inventive comedies moments, the result here is a deeply unengaging episode.

4 Vestigial Peter

Season 12, Episode 2

This episode has Peter notice a lump on his neck that turns out to be his vestigial twin Chip, who develops a winning personality and wins over Peter's family. Unfortunately, the audience has a much harder time warming up to Chip. From his voice to his overly positive demeanor to the ridiculous storyline he is involved in, he is a newly introduced character who immediately derails the entire episode.

3 Screams Of Silence: The Story Of Brenda Q

Season 10, Episode 3

One of the darkest Family Guy episodes is also one of its worst. "Screams of Silence: The Story of Brenda Q" introduces Quagmire's sister Brenda who comes to stay with him along with her abusive boyfriend. After becoming tired of seeing the harm this man does to his sister, Quagmire and his friends decide to kill him. Unfortunately, Family Guy clumsily tries to strike a balance with the tones and never comes close to succeeding, leaving it an uncomfortable episode to watch.

2 Fresh Heir

Season 12, Episode 14

Fans seem to love that Family Guy is so willing to push the boundaries of its humor and take the characters to some dark places. However, this episode is one example of how it can be hard to follow the show down certain paths. When Chris forms a bond with his rich grandfather, it causes Peter to want to spend time with his son, after neglecting him for most of his life. Peter tricks Lois into divorcing him so he can marry Chris for his future inheritance. Though Peter Griffin has always been a hilariously flawed character, this episode makes the mistake of making him truly unlikable.

1 Life Of Brian

Season 12, Episode 6

One of the most controversial and hated decisions in the show is when Family Guy killed off Brian Griffin. The beloved family dog and one of the show's best characters is hit by a car and killed, leading to the family getting a new dog named Vinny. It all seems like a terrible idea and one that made for an unpleasant episode to watch. However, despite the best efforts of the show to convince fans otherwise, it is also painfully obvious this is not a permanent thing. Sure enough, Brian was brought back a few episodes later, making this episode feel like a mean spirited way to boost ratings. In many ways, the show's reputation has never recovered from this.