| "Lottery Fever" | |||
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| Family Guy episode | |||
Peter after discovering that he has won the lottery. |
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| Episode no. | Season 10 Episode 1 |
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| Directed by | Greg Colton | ||
| Written by | Andrew Goldberg | ||
| Production code | 9ACX01 | ||
| Original air date | September 25, 2011 | ||
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| Episode chronology | |||
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| Family Guy (season 10) List of Family Guy episodes |
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"Lottery Fever" is the first episode of the tenth season of the animated comedy series Family Guy. It originally aired on Fox in the United States on September 25, 2011. The episode follows the Griffin family after they win the state lottery, and go on to spend the money with no regard. Peter becomes power hungry, and demands that Quagmire and Joe perform tasks for him when he invests in one of their projects. This ultimately causes the group to end their friendship, however, to the dismay of his wife, Lois, who tells her husband that the money has changed him for the worse. After continually wasting the money on various expenditures, the family discovers that they have gone broke, and reluctantly return to their lives as a middle class family. Peter also goes on to repair his broken friendships, after begging for their forgiveness.
The episode was written by Andrew Goldberg and directed by Greg Colton. The episode received mixed reviews from critics for its storyline, and many cultural references. According to Nielsen ratings, it was viewed in 7.69 million homes in its original airing. The episode featured guest performances by Randy Crenshaw, Judy Greer, Christine Lakin, Chris O'Dowd, Tara Strong and Fred Tatasciore, along with several recurring guest voice actors for the series.
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The Griffin family begin living on a stricter budget. A local news story on the lottery influences Peter to buy a ticket in hopes that he will win and set the family on a better financial platform. Peter reveals to his family that he has bought several thousand lottery tickets, admitting that he has taken out a second mortgage on the house in order to buy them. After watching the results of the lottery that night, they discover that they have indeed won the lottery, and redeem their winnings. The family are unable to decide how they should spend all the money, though Lois states that she does not want it to change their lifestyle. Defiant, Peter decides to begin living lavishly, and quits his job.
After Peter agrees to invest in Quagmire's projects, involving penis enhancement, Peter demands that he and Joe hang out with him in order to pay him back, and perform random tasks (including Joe asking for Stevie Nicks to play three songs for Bonnie). The two become annoyed by Peter's demands and they decide to leave Peter and end their friendship. Peter continues to spend the money with no regard. Eventually Lois warns him that he is changing for the worse, along with the other family members. Peter tells her that they no longer have to worry about expenses, and presents her with a blood diamond, winning her over. After going to a restaurant the next day, however, Peter discovers that his credit card has been declined, and his money has disappeared. The family is distraught over losing their fortune, and Peter returns to the local bar later that day to repair his friendship with Joe and Quagmire. He admits that the money caused him to forget who his real friends are; Quagmire and Joe accept his apology, and offer him money from the investment that he had given them. The family then goes back to living comfortably at their home in Quahog.[1]
The episode was first announced on July 27, 2011, during a "sweepstakes" hosted by 20th Century Fox, in correspondence with Family Guy. The sweepstakes reportedly would provide the winner with $3,000, as well as the announcement of the winner's name during the episode's premiere in the United States.[2] It was directed by series regular Greg Colton,[3] who had previously directed several of the Road to... episodes, including the Emmy Award winning episodes "Road to the Multiverse" and "Road to the North Pole".[4][5] The episode was written by series regular Andrew Goldberg,[3] who joined the show in its sixth season. Series regulars Peter Shin and James Purdum served as supervising director, with Andrew Goldberg, Alex Carter, Spencer Porter, Anthony Blasucci, Mike Desilets and Deepak Sethi serving as staff writers for the episode.[3] Composer Walter Murphy, who has worked on the series since its inception, returned to compose the music for "Lottery Fever".[3] The episode first premiered at an advanced screening in Chicago, Illinois at the Kerasotes Theatre.[6]
In addition to the regular cast, voice actor Randy Crenshaw, actress Judy Greer, actress Christine Lakin, comedian Chris O'Dowd, voice actress Tara Strong and voice actor Fred Tatasciore guest starred in the episode. Recurring guest voice actors Alexandra Breckenridge, voice actor John G. Brennan, writer Danny Smith, writer Alec Sulkin, and writer John Viener made minor appearances. Recurring guest voice actor Adam West reprises his role as an exaggerated version of himself and Lois's brother-in-law, having last done so in season 9's "It's a Trap!".[3][7]
"Lottery Fever" was broadcast on September 25, 2011, as a part of an animated television night on Fox, and was preceded by the season premiere of The Simpsons and Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane's spin-off series The Cleveland Show. It was followed by MacFarlane's other series American Dad!. It was watched by 7.69 million viewers, according to Nielsen ratings, despite airing simultaneously with Desperate Housewives on ABC, The Goodwife on CBS and Sunday Night Football on NBC. The episode also acquired a 4.1/9 rating in the 18–49 demographic, beating all three shows, in addition to significantly edging out The Cleveland Show and American Dad! in total viewership.[8] The episode's ratings decreased significantly from the previous season's premiere episode, "And Then There Were Fewer".[9]
Kevin McFarland of The A.V. Club graded the episode a C, stating "I would have less of a problem with the typically shallow excuse for a plot if there was more funny material, but even by Family Guy standards, there wasn’t a whole lot in this episode".[10]
| Preceded by It's a Trap! |
Family Guy (season 10) | Succeeded by Seahorse Seashell Party |
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