'Family Guy's Griffin Family Tree Explained (2024)

Debuting on January 31, 1999, FOX's Family Guy was initially seen by many as a crude ripoff of The Simpsons. Sure, there were similarities between the animated series, most notably a buffoon of a husband and father front and center, but Seth MacFarlane's show was so much more than a copycat. It stood on its own two feet as something raunchy and shocking, but also an accurate satire that poked fun at American culture. To tell those stories, Family Guy needed a large cast of characters. While Peter Griffin (MacFarlane) and his family are who we follow the most, Family Guy doesn't work without all the crazy characters that make up the extended family of Peter and his wife Lois (Alex Borstein). Here is a look at the wider family tree of our Family Guy.

Family Guy

Comedy

Animation

In a wacky Rhode Island town, a dysfunctional family strives to cope with everyday life as they are thrown from one crazy scenario to another.

Release Date

January 31, 1999

Creator

Seth MacFarlane, David Zuckerman

Cast

Seth MacFarlane , Alex Borstein , Mila Kunis , Seth Green

See Also

Family Guy: 10 Things You Didn't Know About Lois Griffin'Family Guy' Characters‘They saved their whole lives for this’: American woman’s heartbreak as parents die on Hajj | CNN

Seasons

23

Peter Griffin Has a Wife, Three Kids, and a Talking Dog on 'Family Guy'

Peter Griffin and Lois Peterschmidt met in high school. Peter's had several jobs, most notably at the Happy-Go-Lucky Toy Factory and Pawtucket Brewery in Quahog, Rhode Island. Meanwhile, Lois is a stay-at-home mom. They live in a typical two-storied house in a nice middle-class neighborhood, with the typical three kids and a dog, but the Griffins are anything but typical.

The oldest Griffin child is Meg (Mila Kunis), a very unpopular teenage girl in high school. She is the butt of all jokes, with no one in her family respecting her. "Shut up, Meg" is her father's usual greeting. Chris Griffin (Seth Green), also a teenager, is the middle child. The less you know about Chris the better, as he's often alone in his room doing things we shall not speak of. He is his father's son, a heavyweight kid lacking in the brains department.

The youngest child, baby Stewie (MacFarlane), is the opposite of his older siblings. He is genius levels of smart, but that's not always a good thing, as in the early seasons he's often trying to kill his own mother, and his schemes and inventions, including a time machine, cause more harm than good. While family dog and Stewie's best friend, Brian (MacFarlane), is not technically a blood member of the family, he might as well be, as he talks and is included in the family shenanigans.

Peter Griffin Has a Long Line of Ancestors on 'Family Guy'

Peter Griffin has a long list of crazy ancestors. Mostly, they are used for one-off Family Guy gags or single episodes. If you can imagine it, they exist. Peter's great-great-grandfather was John Wilkes Griffin, who just so happened to shoot Abraham Lincoln. He had a Black cousin named Rufus who was an actor. His grandfather, Josiah, created Bugs Bunny with an original name we won't repeat here. He's had relatives who were slaves and explorers, and the Family Guy history even goes back to show a caveman Griffin.

Peter's mother is Thelma Griffin. She raised Peter mostly as a single mother, as his dad, Francis, was verbally abusive and not around much. Thelma, a heavy smoker, wasn't the greatest mom, but she was there for her son. She passed away in the episode "Mom's the Word." As it turns out, Francis isn't Peter's real father. That distinction goes to an Irishman named Mickey McFinnigan, who slept with Thelma in a one-night stand. In "Peter's Sister" we meet his long lost sister, Karen (Kate McKinnon), a bully of a woman, which explains why he treats Meg the same way. Peter also has an evil brother named Thaddeus. While mostly used as a joke, in "Vestigal Peter," another sibling is revealed in a tumorous twin growing on Peter's neck named Chip. Only in Family Guy!

Lois Griffin's Parents Are a Big Part of 'Family Guy'

Peter Griffin grew up poor, but his future wife, Lois Pewterschmidt, grew up very rich. Her father, Carter (MacFarlane), is the billionaire owner of U.S. Steel and Pewterschmidt Industries. While he has some better moments, for the most part, he is not a good man. He is a cruel old man who sees everyone as beneath him and has some abhorrent political views. On top of that, he has never respected Peter and treats him like garbage. He once even offered his future son-in-law a million dollars to not marry his daughter.

Carter Pewterschmidt's wife on Family Guy is Barbara, or Babs (Borstein). Comparatively speaking, she's not a horrible person. She pays attention to her grandkids and accepts Peter, though one time a little too much, as the two almost had an affair in "Bill and Peter's Bogus Journey". She and Carter don't have a great relationship. In "Carter and Tricia," he has Babs sent to a mental institution when he begins an affair with news reporter Tricia Takanawa.

Lois Griffin has two siblings on Family Guy. The oldest is long-lost brother Patrick (voiced by several actors, including Robert Downey Jr.). After walking in on his mom getting it on with Jackie Gleason as a kid (yeah, really), Patrick went crazy and ended up in a mental hospital for several decades. He later becomes a serial killer, before being locked back up. Lois' sister is a little less crazy. Carol Pewterschmidt (voiced by Carol Kane and Julie Hagerty) looks like a longer-haired Lois, and she adores her brother-in-law, Peter. She ends up married to Quahog mayor Adam West (voiced, of course, by the late great Batman actor Adam West).

Family Guy's family tree spreads far and wide over multiple generations. While many branches of that tree are just one scene gags, the heart of the show will always be the dysfunction of the Griffins. Peter, Lois, Meg, Chris, Stewie, and even Brian can barely stand each other most of the time, but without each other they'd be lost. We would be too.

Starting on March 24, 2024, Family Guy will be moving from Sundays to Wednesdays at 9:30 on FOX.

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