The 10 Funniest ‘Family Guy’ Cutaway Scenes
One critical piece of Family Guy’s DNA is the frequent, incisive use of cutaways. Sometimes the scenes add an extra layer of nuance or context to the joke at hand; other times they’re non sequiturs that often poke fun at celebrities or whatever else is hot in the zeitgeist. While there are literally hundreds to choose from out of the series’ 21 seasons, here are some of the best of the best when it comes to the Griffins cutting away…
Cutaway Within a Cutaway
If you’ve ever wondered what happens to the Griffins after they’ve introduced a cutaway, look no further than Season 10’s “Back to the Pilot.” When Stewie and Brian travel back in time to the series premiere, they see everyone standing around awkwardly in the time that would be allotted for a cutaway. In meta fashion, the episode then cuts away to a more recent example of the family checking their phones and messages during the cutaway pause.
Hunting With Dick Cheney
No amount of war criming could obfuscate former Vice President Dick Cheney’s infamous hunting accident. The writers at Family Guy know that, too, and made the mishap the butt of a cutaway in Season Four’s “Petergeist,” where Cheney shoots Peter at point-blank range “thinking he was a deer.”
Watching Paint Dry
Very little is beneath the Family Guy writers, including a good pun. In Season 10’s “Killer Queen,” Peter laments having to watch children’s shows with his son Stewie, stating that he would much rather be watching paint dry. And so, a cutaway shows Peter doing just that while ogling an oddly sexy anthropomorphic can of paint.
Alan Rickman’s Lonely Answering Machine
What’s lonelier than an untouched beer at The Clam? Apparently, Alan Rickman’s answering machine. Season Seven’s “Peter’s Progress” has a spot-on impersonation of the late Rickman’s voice where we hear the “actor” leaving himself messages to remind himself to do things, otherwise he’ll be disappointed.
Popeye’s Tumors
Quahog’s resident medical professional Dr. Elmer Hartman isn’t necessarily known for his medical prowess, but like a broken clock, he’s sometimes right. A prime example is in Season Four’s “You May Now Kiss the... Uh... Guy Who Receives,” when Hartman broke the news to a clueless Popeye about his cancerous biceps in a cutaway.
Buttscratcher!
Poking fun at the hot dog vendors at baseball games, Peter reminisced about the time he and Lois received a hefty tuition bill from Chris’ new school, Morningwood Academy, while selling buttscratchers at the ball park. Though the gag first premiered in Season Six’s “No Chris Left Behind,” the cutaway quickly became a recurring one because “buttscratcher” really is just that fun to shout out.
Cookie Monster Goes to Rehab
Everyone has their vices, but some are more dangerous than others. Family Guy had a field day making fun of Cookie Monster’s “need” for cookies, even going so far as to send him to rehab in this cutaway from Season Four’s “Model Misbehavior.”
Will Smith’s Nice Clean Rap
Will Smith famously turned down the role of Django in Quentin Tarantino’s 2012 slave thriller due in part to its violent nature and not wanting to bring that kind of energy back home to his family. The cutaway in Season Six’s “McStroke” takes Smith’s commitment to being family-friendly to an extreme level with some of the most comically tame bars ever laid to a track.
Peter Griffin’s Acrylic Nails
If there’s one person who can successfully compare grieving the reality of an aging dog to getting used to having long acrylic nails, it’s Peter Griffin. The cutaway from Season Seven’s “The Man with Two Brians” is a little unsavory in hindsight, but the image of Peter at his desk with his long, pink acrylic nails has long been codified into meme law.
Conway Twitty
Love it or hate it, chart-topping country legend Conway Twitty has been a staple resident in Family Guy’s lengthy cutaway repertoire. Within the show, Twitty is typically introduced as a means to defuse an off-color joke or uncomfortable situation. Seth MacFarlane has gone on the record to say that they enjoy using the singer as a gag because “he’s just the most astonishingly uncharismatic performer in the history of the business,” and the writers love to get a rise out of the network, advertisers and the audience. Ladies and gentlemen: Mr. Conway Twitty.
