While earlier episodes ofFamily Guyseason 23 made some strides when it came to retiring one tired gag, episode 15 brought this lame joke back with a vengeance.The Simpsonsis still the longest-running scripted primetime American TV show in history, but Seth MacFarlane’s darker, edgier animated sitcomFamily Guyis starting to catch up.Family Guy’s season 24 renewalproves that the show is still going strong, despite some fans and critics complaining of repetitive plots and over-familiar character dynamics online.
As of June 2025,Family Guyhas aired over 440 episodes. WhileFamily Guy’s best jokes provethat the series still has its moments, the show’s recent seasons have garnered criticism online for the stagnant character dynamics. Peter remains as irresponsible as ever, Brian is still a sardonic presence, and Meg is still the butt of the family’s jokes. This particularly stale gag was almost ameliorated early in season 23, but episode 15, “Martian Meg,” undid the show’s progress on this front.
Family Guy Season 23 Episode 15 Reverted To Treating Meg’s Mistreatment As A Joke (Again)
In “Martian Meg,” Meg is dismayed when no one is willing to attend a Dua Lipa concert with her. Her hurt is worsened when, to add insult to injury, she finds out her mother went to the concert but attended separately with Joe and Cleveland’s love interests, Bonnie and Donna. Meg ends up joining a Quahog space program that has the lofty goal of sending a local loser to Mars, and she is soon chosen as the fortunate candidate.
Lois’s delayed reaction to the prospect of losing her daughter plays into a plot thatFamily Guyhas explored countless times now.
Although Lois does save Meg from blasting off to Mars at the end of the episode, her delayed reaction to the prospect of losing her daughter plays into a plot thatFamily Guyhas explored countless times now.Meg’s status as the black sheep of the Griffin family is a played-out joke, butFamily Guycontinues to return to this gag repeatedly over 13 years after season 10, episode 2, “Seahorse Seashell Party,” saw Meg confront the family about her mistreatment.
An Earlier Family Guy Season 23 Outing Improved Meg’s Repetitive Role
“The Chicken and the Meg” Gave Meg A More Meaningful Role In The Series
Since the events of “Seahorse Seashell Party” were effectively ignored after the episode ended, Meg’s mistreatment continued apace as the series went on. However,Family Guyseason 23’s best Meg plot directly addressed thiswhen she began dating Nugget, the son of the Giant Chicken with whom Peter has a longstanding feud.
Meg dating Nugget led to her moving out of the family home, resulting in Peter admitting that he missed his daughter and didn’t really despise her.Meg’s bestFamily Guyseason 23 plot seemingly promised more substantial character growthand storylines for her going forward, but “Martian Meg” proves that this was an empty promise. This is particularly frustrating as it is caused primarily by the show’s writing style.
“Martian Meg” Highlights A Late-Season Family Guy Problem
Family Guy’s Character Dynamics Have Largely Grown Stale and Rote
Even whenFamily Guydoes switch things up and give Meg some more substantial agency in a storyline, as happened in “The Chicken and the Meg,” the return to the status quo undoes this in the next episode. WhileFamily Guy’s Halloween episodesmight not abandon the show’s canon entirely likeThe Simpsons’ annual Treehouse of Horror Halloween specials, the show does borrow the earlier hit’s tendency to reset the show’s status quo at the beginning of every new episode.
Family Guyis available to stream on Hulu.
This meansFamily Guy can get away with a lot of absurd gags, but it also means that the show has little character development and often gets trapped in repetitive character dynamics. The fact that Meg called out her family’s treatment of her years ago should have indicated thatFamily Guyneeds to move on and find a new story for Mila Kunis’s character. However, the show’s structure makes this impossible, resulting in redundant storylines likeFamily Guyseason 23, episode 15, “Martian Meg.”
