Top 20 Family Guy Characters
Mia Russell updates
#20: Ernie the Giant Chicken
Peter Griffin gets into conflict with a lot of people over the years, but arguably his biggest rival is Ernie, a giant chicken. The duo first come into conflict over an expired coupon. This prompts an extended, and highly destructive fistfight between the two. And from then on, Ernie often shows up out of nowhere to get into long fight scenes with Peter, which show off some surprisingly great action sequences. The fact that Ernie seems like a perfectly nice guy otherwise only adds to his appeal, though his simple and memorable design is also a plus. He makes for a fun and entertaining rival for the show’s protagonist.#19: Jillian Russell-Wilcox
Brian Griffin has dated a lot of bimbos, but easily the most recurring of these women is Jillian Russell, later Russell-Wilcox. Dumber than a bag of hammers and a billion times prettier, Jillian is played to dopey, wide-eyed perfection by Drew Barrymore. Her sweet, yet hilariously dumb attitude makes a great contrast with Brian’s cynical attitude, and her friendships with Stewie and Peter are great as well. Jillian does eventually leave Brian and move on, but we’ve always secretly hoped they’d get back together, if only to see more of her.#18: Dr. Elmer Hartman
When looking for a doctor, you generally want them to be competent and personable, as a baseline. Dr. Hartman has the second one down, not so much the first. The Griffin family doctor is often revealed to barely know what he’s doing. Dr. Hartman is also prone to making misleading statements when revealing diagnoses, which lead his patients to assume the worst. While it can be frustrating for them, it’s extremely entertaining for us! His gruff, dry voice also bears a striking resemblance to another “Family Guy” character we’ll be discussing soon.
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#17: Mort Goldman
Quahog’s local pharmacist, Mort Goldman is an occasional friend of Peter and his buddies. A widower, Mort isn’t exactly broken up about his wife’s death. Mort is neurotic, nervous, and cheap - he’s basically a walking Jewish stereotype. These can range from everyone in Israel looking like him, to being unable to understand the concept of “buy one, get one free.” Mort may be the subject of a lot of easy jokes, but he still provides a lot of laughs, usually because of how outlandish some of the humor surrounding him is.
#16: Bonnie Swanson
Joe Swanson’s wife Bonnie is generally more relaxed than her boisterous husband. She also might have a record for the longest pregnancy ever, since she spends the first seven seasons pregnant. However, her calm demeanor and raspy voice mask some underlying anger issues, particularly directed towards Joe. While generally supportive of Joe, her constant care for her wheelchair-using husband leads her to act out in aggressive ways towards him, both passively and overtly. Bonnie isn’t exactly faithful either, as she has had several affairs or attempted affairs over the years. The gradual unveiling of Bonnie’s true nature makes for a fascinating side character.
#15: Carter Pewterschmidt
Lois Griffin’s dad is a real piece of work! Carter Pewterschmidt is an elderly billionaire, whose disapproval of Peter is matched only by his consistently grumpy demeanor. As much as he hates Peter, the duo often hang out together, and if not for Peter being “low class” and married to Lois, they’d probably be friends. Although Carter comes off as the stereotypical conservative old man, he sometimes deviates from his usual image, leading to some great comedic moments. His vast wealth also helps set up plenty of plotlines that would otherwise be impossible.#14: Death
The Grim Reaper is usually an intimidating figure, but in “Family Guy,” he’s just… a dude. Voiced primarily by the dry-voiced Adam Carolla, Death seems really down-to-earth for being the skeletal specter of his namesake. He lives with his mother, often drinks too much, and seems to treat taking souls as just a job. While main characters rarely die permanently in “Family Guy,” Death interacting with them can lead to some wild supernatural storylines that give them new perspectives on their lives. These can involve anything from time travel to Superdeath.
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#13: Consuela
Consuela is a Hispanic maid cliché, and while we do feel bad about how funny we find her, does that stop us from laughing? We’ll let Consuela answer for us. Her love of answering negatively aside, Consuela has an unnatural love of cleaning and will ply her trade wherever or whenever. Consuela has even been employed in places as far-flung as Superman’s Fortress of Solitude and the Death Star. And while she may have a loose grasp of the English language, Consuela’s comedic moments are appreciated by many, native-speakers or not.
#12: Bruce Straight
The mustachioed man is soft-spoken and excitable. He’s held many jobs over the years, from lawyer to spirit medium. Bruce has even appeared as different animals, or at least a few share his voice. However, his distinct, soothing voice and adorable nature shine through regardless of his species. Bruce is probably one of the nicest characters in the show, and always seems ready to help out, whether it’s at a school board meeting or acting as a couple’s counselor.
#11: Tom Tucker
As tempted as we were to discuss Tom Tucker’s fellow Channel 5 news anchor Ollie Williams, Ollie’s brevity is his strength. Tom, on the other hand, is much more of a talker. The lead anchor on Quahog’s local news channel, Tom often injects his own dry, sarcastic comments into his news reports and other announcing gigs, often clashing with his co-anchors. While rarely politically correct, Tom is still entertaining. The mustachioed newsman is rather full of himself, and while he’s had trouble holding onto his job sometimes, the station always seems to hire him back.
#10: Chris Griffin
The middle child in the Griffin family, Chris is dim, overweight, excitable, and naïve - all traits he shares with his father. Yet, Chris is not quite as maliciously stupid, and is generally nicer and more easygoing than most of his family members, which can cause him to fade into the background sometimes. Given how easily influenced he is, Chris frequently gets roped into tagging along on the adventures of others, where he often provides some great laughs. Of course, Chris has also had a number of notable storylines of his own, usually dealing with issues common among teenage boys, as well as some less common ones, such as the Evil Monkey in his closet.
#9: Cleveland Brown
One of Peter’s friends and neighbors, as well as a the tongue-in-cheek token black guy, Cleveland Brown is arguably one of the nicest and level headed characters on the show - though he’s not without his angry moments. Possessing a distinctive drawl and a silly laugh, Cleveland often acts as the straight man among his group of friends. Cleveland even had his own spin-off show for a little while, though its success was decidedly mixed. Even so, whether he’s worrying about his foot odor or falling out of his house, Cleveland has delivered plenty of hilarious moments.
#8: Meg Griffin
The oldest Griffin child, Meg is an insecure high school girl, a mindset that’s hardly helped by the fact that she’s the butt of many a joke and the victim of constant tormenting from basically everyone she interacts with - her family included. Although harassment in real life is no joke, the sheer volume, consistency, and absurdity of the abuse she receives still manages to be kind of hilarious. Plus, who doesn’t love an underdog? All that being said, Meg occasionally manages to get in licks of her own, displaying a dry, bleak sense of humor and has even been known to take her family to task for what they put her through.
#7: Joe Swanson
Another of the Griffins’ neighbors and a good friend of Peter’s, Joe is a paraplegic cop. Despite his handicap being the source of many jokes among his friends and the show, Joe is still quite the tough guy, often acting as the group’s muscle. While generally pretty level headed and even rather sensitive, like many characters voiced by Patrick Warburton, Joe vacillates between speaking in a calm dry monotone and over-the-top, gung-ho yelling. It’s a contrast that makes for some very funny comedy and a great character to boot.#6: Lois Griffin
Lois is Peter’s nasally-voiced wife and primarily a stay-at-home mother, though she does take on several jobs for brief periods. Frequently exasperated by her husband’s antics and immaturity, Lois regularly acts as one of the few voices of reason whenever he does something stupid or gets himself into trouble. However, while she is much more reasonable than Peter, she still has a dark side to her personality, often neglecting or disparaging her children, enjoying kinky sexual fetishes, and displaying a lot of suppressed rage. Whether she’s trying to keep the peace or getting crazy herself, Lois is a great part of “Family Guy.”
#5: Mayor Adam West
Based on and voiced by the famous “Batman” actor of the same name, Adam West was Quahog’s mayor. If his leadership is anything to judge the town by, it’s no wonder things get so weird there, considering how kooky the man in charge is. Mayor West engages in a wide variety of strange and nonsensical behaviors, that range from launching cats at pizza delivery men, to singing a song with his own name as the only lyrics. Mayor West’s goofy oddities are among the most charming parts of the show and a fitting legacy for the late actor.
#4: Glenn Quagmire
In a word: giggity. Yet another one of Peter’s buddies, Quagmire works as a pilot, though he’s also seemingly a full-time pervert. Quagmire’s extreme enthusiasm for sex has gotten him into trouble numerous times as he’s repeatedly crossed the line. Despite his garrulous and sex-crazed personality, Quagmire still has other facets to his characters; he sometimes displays a softer side, has been shown to have a great singing voice, and apparently also has a strong dislike for the Griffins’ dog, Brian. While his many kinks and even criminal acts would make him reprehensible in real life, the big-chinned charismatic sex fiend makes for a great addition to the crazy, fictitious town of Quahog.#3: Peter Griffin
“Family Guy’s” titular protagonist and the father of the Griffin family, Peter is an excitable man child, whose lack of intelligence and low attention span regularly drives the plot of many episodes. While he may not be the sharpest crayon in the box, a half decent father, an acceptably considerate husband, nor competent at even the most basic tasks, Peter’s propensity for wacky, imaginative antics and adventures is tremendously entertaining, if not for his family and friends, then at least for us as viewers. It’s fair to say that “Family Guy” wouldn’t be nearly as great or iconic as it is with any other man at its central figure.#2: Brian Griffin
Despite being the Griffin family dog, Brian is arguably one of the most intelligent and normal members of the household, even if, as Quagmire would argue, he does come across as a bit of a poser sometimes. Able to speak, drive, sing, and pursue relationships with women, Brian is usually human in all but shape, which makes the occasions when he does act like a dog all the more funny. Possessing a dry sense of humor, Brian’s wit and repartee with Stewie have helped make him a fan favorite, and a close second to our number one choice too.
#1: Stewie Griffin
Like Brian, Stewie is surprisingly intelligent given the fact that he’s an infant. Although few people besides his canine friend can understand him, Stewie is seemingly a genius, able to construct complex devices, such as time machines. He does have moments when he lapses back to the level of intelligence common to children his age though. In keeping with his inexplicable English accent, Stewie is more refined than the rest of the Griffins, though he’s not above throwing shade whenever he gets the chance. With his clever dialogue, smarts, and memorable design, Stewie had to be our pick for the best character in “Family Guy.”
