This Halloween, Family Guy is turning its playful sense of mischief toward one of its own network neighbors.
In Hulu’s upcoming spooky special “A Little Fright Music,” streaming Monday, Oct. 6, the Griffins celebrate the holiday in true Family Guy fashion — with a few unexpected costumes, a darkly funny twist or two, and a jab at another member of Fox’s Animation Domination lineup.
As seen in TVLine’s exclusive sneak peek, Chris decides to dress up as Jon Hamm’s detective character from Fox’s Grimsburg. The costume itself is impressively accurate — complete with the signature trench coat and a five o’clock shadow worthy of prime-time noir — but there’s one small snag: no one has any idea who he’s supposed to be.
A Halloween Roast, Griffin-Style
Teasing other animated shows isn’t new territory for Family Guy, which has been taking aim at pop culture (and sometimes itself) for more than two decades. Executive producer Richard Appel says the show’s team isn’t worried about any bruised egos at Fox — the inter-show humor is all part of the fun.
“When you have a shared studio, we have the same studio executives, so if they think something is truly a problem, they’ll get clearance,” Appel told TVLine. “We’re often asked [for clearance] when another animated show has a joke about Family Guy, but Seth MacFarlane set the rule here. The heavy presumption is that you can say what you want. I can’t remember a time that we’ve said, ‘no, you can’t do it,’ or even, ‘you can’t use a clip of our show.’”
That open-door policy, he added, comes down to one principle: “The First Amendment, as we’ve been reminded lately, matters.”
Why Family Guy Rarely Does Halloween
While the Griffins have tackled just about every holiday imaginable, Halloween hasn’t been a regular fixture for the long-running series. Before Hulu’s recent push for themed specials, Family Guy had produced only three Halloween-centric episodes in its 20-plus years on air.
Appel says that was a conscious choice out of respect for another Fox mainstay: The Simpsons, whose Treehouse of Horror episodes have become a fall TV tradition.
“I’m sure you know we wouldn’t exactly be the first to do a Halloween special,” Appel said with a laugh. “The Simpsons really carved that out as their thing.”
But Hulu — now home to exclusive Family Guy content — wanted something seasonal to add to its “Huluween” lineup. That challenge inspired the writers to approach the idea differently.
“The challenge was to do something new in format,” Appel explained. “We wanted a full episode with an original story — not just a parody or satire — something that could stand on its own.”
Trick-or-Treat Trouble and a Musical Mission
According to Hulu’s official logline, “Brian and Stewie realize there’s a shortage of great Halloween songs, so they set out to write a hit, while Peter and the guys discover that lying about trick-or-treating can have deadly consequences.”
Between Brian and Stewie’s creative quest and Peter’s predictably disastrous holiday antics, fans can expect a mix of music, mayhem, and just enough fright to earn the “Hulu-ween” title.
With its signature blend of satire, slapstick, and self-awareness, Family Guy’s Halloween outing promises a few good scares — and more than a few laughs — as the Griffins join the spooky season at last.