What’s better than watching just one of Fox’s most recognizable animated patriarchs at the center of his own show? That’s right: money. But also: seeing all three of the network’s most seasoned dysfunctional dads sharing the screen, which will be the case when Family Guy’s newest ep welcomes Homer Simpson and Bob’s Burgers’ titular meat master. And what’s more, fans don’t even have to wait until the episode airs to see it, with Fox already sharing the footage ahead of time. (It's like they know everybody will be watching The Last of Us' finale or the 2023 Oscars.)
Check out the clip below, and make sure to stay seated and watching, instead of instinctively backing away from the screen as soon as you hear Lois start talking about her dream.
The scene doesn’t appear as if it’s setting up a crossover moment when things start out in a usual manner, set within the Griffin family’s kitchen, with a deadened glaze overtaking Peter’s face as Lois talks. And for all the greatness of the actual crossover moment, props deserve to be showered onto Alex Borstein for making Lois sound so genuinely tickled by the concept of giant sunglasses. It’s a gift.
Rather than one of its signature cutaway gags, Family Guy opted for the far more rare “walk-away-backwards-into-a-whole-other-fictional-universe” jokes that allows for easier crossovers. Anybody who didn’t know this was a show-mashing clip no doubt recognized something was amiss as soon as Peter stepped in front of Bob’s Burgers’ central lime-green establishment with its big windows that don’t seem to be clear the way that glass usually is. Which is obviously to maintain the surprise, but to change the properties of glass for a joke is pretty audacious, amirite?
Family Guy's take on Bob's daily specials was a hyper-timely jab at Kevin Bacon after the Axel Foley star's admission in Oct. 2022 that he lost "most" of his money investing in Bernie Madoff's notorious Ponzi scheme.
While it is indeed the unmistakable voice of H. Jon Benjamin bringing Bob to life on Family Guy, it’s not entirely clear if Dan Castelanetta was newly responsible for supplying each of Homer’s slurps, or if those were archived. (Note to self: copyright Archived Slurps for future smart plans.) As it's been noted, these kinds of moments aren't the easiest to bring together, and we're just thankful for any schlorping sounds we can get from Homer, you know?
What started off as Peter trying to avoid misery cycles back around to a joke where he isn't eligible for a discount that's meant just for those who've won Emmys. Bob's Burgers won for Best Animated Program in 2014 and in 2017, while The Simpsons took home that top prize 11 times in its 30+ year span. Family Guy, meanwhile, has been nominated three times in that category (and once in Outstanding Comedy Series), but hasn't won out. That said, Seth MacFarlane himself has won five Emmys for his voiceover work as various characters within and beyond the Griffin family, and the show is a streaming staple for Netflix subscribers and Hulu users. That kind of success doesn't require Emmy wins for the renewals to keep coming, with Fox issuing two-seasons orders for all four of its animated Sunday night offerings.
Showrunner Rich Appel invoked thoughts of NBC's One Chicago universe, though without those two words put together, in describing the fun of getting to bring beloved characters together for even the briefest of scenes, telling EW:
Bob and Homer are justifiably two of the most popular and recognizable faces of animated comedy, and even folks as jaded as Hollywood sitcom writers get a thrill seeing them together in the same scene. It's the same sort of excitement you feel when a Chicago policeman and a Chicago fireman are in the same scene on a Chicago-themed program.
It's wild to think that it's been nearly ten years since that monumental Simpsons / Family Guy crossover, as well as Futurama's crossover with the Simpsons gang. The most recent "Treehouse of Horrors" episode did pay tribute to all three of the above shows and more with its Westworld parody, which was fun. But Appel says fans shouldn't expect to see any world-combining moments in the nearest of futures, but there's always the future...ama.
While it’s unfortunate that Family Guy won’t be delivering a full-length crossover episode this Sunday, tis better to have Bobbed and Homered temporarily, than never to have… Well, whatever. Be sure to watch when the episode “Adoptation” airs Sunday, March 12, at 9:30 p.m. ET.
