Family Guy is not usually the first animated series you think of when it comes to great Christmas classics for the holidays as they are usually as far from heartwarming as someone might hope. But there’s one that has stood the test of time as one that should be added to any holiday rotation as “Road to the North Pole,” is not only the best Christmas episode that the series has ever produced but it’s also one of the best episodes of the long running animated series overall. And with the holiday season now underway, it’s truly the best time to go back and revisit this modern classic.
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Family Guy has had a number of Christmas inspired episodes over the years (with its latest being a Hulu exclusive released earlier this Fall), but most of them all kind of fall within the same kind of scope. They’ll take apart an aspect of one of the holiday’s traditions and skewer with it with their irreverent characters. But “Road to North Pole” is an example of getting the best of both worlds. You get what makes Family Guy so great, but it all wraps up with a genuine and heartwarming message for the holiday season.
Family Guy’s Road to… Episodes Are the Best
“Road to the North Pole” is already set for greatness right off the bat by being in line with one of Family Guy’s best running stories, the “Road to” adventures with Brian and Stewie. Starting all the way back in the second season with “Road to Rhode Island,” these Brian and Stewie focused episodes take the two out of the Griffin household and send them off on adventures around the world. Inspired by Bing Crosby and Bob Hope’s own Road to… films of the 1940s, these episodes often have musical numbers and jokes between Stewie and Brian that fans don’t get anywhere else.
There have only been eight “Road to…” episodes released across Family Guy’s 22 seasons thus far, and each one has been special in its own way. The later ones poke fun at the musical inclinations of some of the others, and some have more brutal consequences, but each one is a guaranteed good time. That’s especially true for “Road to the North Pole,” as Brian and Stewie head to the North Pole as Stewie tries to prove their is a real Santa Claus.
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Road to the North Pole Is a Perfect Twist on Christmas
“Road to the North Pole” is a special adventure that takes Brian and Stewie through to the North Pole, and expands the usual “Road to…” formula to a double episode length musical. There are big musical numbers throughout that start right from the jump, and that helps it cement itself as a Christmas classic. The composition of each of the songs feels unique, and that’s been one of Family Guy‘s best aspects over the course of its run over the years. But here with the special Christmas twist, and “Road to the North Pole” is taken to the next level as a result.
“Road to the North Pole” is not just its music, however, it’s how well it blends its humor together with it all. The cynical flavor that Family Guy is so good at is a perfect twist for its take on Santa Claus. Brian and Stewie soon discover he’s the real deal, but the materialistic nature of the world has since warped the once good icon into a distressed, angry, tired, and aged person. He literally sings a song about how the holiday is killing him (the best song in the episode overall too), and the Elves has since become incestuous cannibals.
But even with all of this, Family Guy still finds a way to bring it all home with a heartwarming message for the true meaning of the Christmas holiday. After Brian and Stewie have a terrible first attempt on doing Santa’s job (with hilariously tragic results), the two of them realize that the world really has made Christmas a more materialistic holiday. So at the end of the day, the two of them plead to the rest of the world to really only ask for one gift from Santa, and it leads to a great ending for the holiday.
It’s the kind of perfect Family Guy experience that at times feels nostalgic towards the more family centric episodes of the early seasons, but carries the harder and more cynical edge of the later seasons. If you’re looking for the right Family Guy episode to jump into for the holiday season, there’s no better choice than with “Road to the North Pole.”
