"Lottery Fever" | |
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Family Guy episode | |
Episode no. | Season 10 Episode 1 |
Directed by | Greg Colton |
Written by | Andrew Goldberg |
Production code | 9ACX01 |
Original air date | September 25, 2011 |
Guest appearance(s) | |
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"Lottery Fever" is the first episode of the tenth season of the American animated television series Family Guy. The 166th episode of the series overall, it originally aired on the Fox network 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, to the dismay of Peter's 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 return to their lives as a lower middle class family. Peter also apologizes to Quagmire and Joe, repairing his broken friendships.
The episode was written by Andrew Goldberg and directed by Greg Colton. "Lottery Fever" received mixed reviews from television critics for its storyline and 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.
The Griffin family must 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 spend three days searching for the lottery tickets, only to discover that the lottery tickets were, in fact, printed by Peter. When the real batch arrives, they discover that they have indeed won it. 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.