--- description: The Simpsons Family Guy Smashtacular crossover airs Sunday night title: Everything You Need to Know About the Simpsons-Family Guy Crossover image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt40982e572eed98a5/6986a58dcd804d4453ccd001/family-guy-simpsons2.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Entertainment](/section/entertainment/) ## Entertainment Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Everything You Need to Know About the _Simpsons_\-_Family Guy_ Crossover by [Dan Hirschhorn](/author/dan-hirschhorn/) ## Dan Hirschhorn Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Sep 26, 2014 1:11 PM CUT  FAMILY GUY: Peter and Homer share a moment in the season premiere “The Simpsons Guy” episode of FAMILY GUY airing Sunday, September 28 (9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX. FAMILY GUY/THE SIMPSONS ™ and © 2014 TCFFC ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. FAMILY GUY: Peter and Homer share a moment in the season premiere “The Simpsons Guy” episode of FAMILY GUY airing Sunday, September 28 (9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX. FAMILY GUY/THE SIMPSONS ™ and © 2014 TCFFC ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.Fox by [Dan Hirschhorn](/author/dan-hirschhorn/) ## Dan Hirschhorn Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Sep 26, 2014 1:11 PM CUT Homer Simpson, meet Peter Griffin. That’s right — this Sunday night will bring another entry in a time-honored (if often lowbrow) tradition of American television: [the cartoon crossover](http://popwatch.ew.com/2014/09/03/this-weeks-cover-inside-the-simpsons-family-guy-crossover/ "undefined"). When the 13th season of _Family Guy_ premieres on Fox, it will do so in the form of a one-hour “Smashtacular” crossover with _The Simpsons_, an episode titled simply, “The Simpsons Guy.” This episode has everything fans are likely to expect, from self-referential humor to a fight between the two shows’ oafish patriarchs. When Fox Entertainment Chairman Kevin Reilly confirmed the air date a few months back, [he boasted that “generations of fans will be talking about this one.”](http://mashable.com/2014/05/12/simpsons-family-guy-crossover-episode-september-fox-upfront/ "undefined") That’s a _little_ over-ambitious (sort of like [Homer trying to spell the word “smart”](http://youtu.be/DhrfhjLd9e4 "undefined")), especially since, as [any self-respecting _Simpsons_ purist](http://time.com/3154567/simpsons-marathon-quiz/ "undefined") knows, the show that redefined animated TV [hasn’t actually been _good_ for well over a decade](http://www.theverge.com/2014/8/22/6056915/frank-grimes-the-simpsons-jump-the-shark "undefined"). Still, the [wall-to-wall marathon on FXX](http://time.com/3154224/simpsons-marathon-fxx/ "undefined") of [every _Simpsons_ episode ever](http://time.com/3018428/hello-simpsons-world-goodbye-the-rest-of-your-life/ "undefined") gave even fans who moved on long ago an excuse to rekindle their love of the once-great show. _Family Guy_ took the same never-aging, family-of-five (not counting [Brian Griffin](http://entertainment.time.com/2013/11/25/family-guy-brian-griffin-14-best-moments/ "undefined")) cartoon-sitcom format and infused it with a raunchiness and unparalleled use of random-cutaway humor. So an unholy mix of both shows means _more_ than enough reason to watch Sunday night. Before you tune in at 9 p.m. E.T., here’s everything you need to know about the crossover to end all crossovers. **Sure, I’ll bite. What’s the premise?** Based on the trailers Fox has released and the morsels of information the show’s producers have doled out to a hungry fan base, we know that the Griffins of _Family Guy_ fame are forced to leave their Rhode Island town of Quahog and find themselves in the Simpson family’s hometown of Springfield, [State](http://www.usmagazine.com/entertainment/news/the-simpsons-matt-groening-reveals-springfields-state-oregon-2012114 "undefined") [Unknown](http://screenrant.com/the-simpsons-springfield-location-aco-164712/ "undefined"). After the [relatively more normal-looking](http://youtu.be/1qgKDN7f7Vc "undefined") Peter Griffin observes that the yellowish characters of Springfield look “like they have hepatitis,” they strike up a relationship with the Simpson family. **Sounds promising. Tell me more!** Well, Homer and Peter bond over their love of donuts, Marge Simpson and Lois Griffin connect over their slothful husbands, and Bart Simpson and little Stewie Griffin find common cause in their taste for trouble. “It’s really about the character interaction,” [_Family Guy_ creator Seth MacFarlane recently told Entertainment Weekly](http://popwatch.ew.com/2014/09/03/this-weeks-cover-inside-the-simpsons-family-guy-crossover/ "undefined"). “People want to see Peter interact with Homer. They want to see Bart interact with Stewie. In a way, the story in a crossover episode, while it has to be there, is never quite as important as how the characters interact with each other.” **Will there be playful cartoon violence?** Indeed, there will be. The highlight of [the official trailer](http://youtu.be/TnhcbZmmB0U "undefined") shows Peter offering up Homer his hometown beer, Pawtucket Patriot Ale. Homer tries it, disses it as a rip-off of his favorite beer Duff, and a bit of clever self-reference about both shows — always something each show has done well — and their shared lineage ensues. --- > “” --- Long story short, it comes to blows — scroll to the 2:11-mark of the trailer at top to see it. Hey, at least Peter isn’t [fighting](http://youtu.be/Jpoki4wBwtA "undefined") [a](http://youtu.be/ewR0V4-HSyA "undefined") [chicken](http://youtu.be/4pYW60o8YxM "undefined") this time. **What else should I know?** Well, there’s already some controversy over a rape joke depicted in the trailer. Stewie, witnessing [Bart’s penchant for crank-calling Moe’s Tavern](http://youtu.be/3jgBD3mjBTQ "undefined"), wants to give it a try himself. But he goes, well, in a slightly different route when Moe picks up the phone: “Hello, Moe? Your sister’s being raped!” That joke has drawn headlines, especially at a moment of heightened awareness of sexual violence. Tim Winter, president of the Parents Television Council, [told CBS News](http://www.cbsnews.com/news/simpsons-family-guy-crossover-under-fire-for-rape-joke/ "undefined") that he wrote to Fox, MacFarlane and _Simpsons_ creator Matt Groening to try to get the joke taken out of the episode but got no response. “I was blown out of my shoes when I saw the scene with the rape joke in it,” Winter said. “It really troubled me.” In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, MacFarlane both anticipated and dismissed the criticism. “But in context it’s pretty funny,” he said. Scroll to the 48-second mark in the trailer to see the controversial moment. **Sounds like pretty standard fare for** **_Family Guy._** Right you are, and in fact, one could find more explicit sexual violence in a strange on-screen promo appeared during a different _Family Guy_ episode. Watch it below. **Any promising cameos?** Not that we know of, unless you’re into a show called [_Bob’s Burgers_](http://www.fox.com/bobsburgers/ "undefined"). **Wasn’t there a** **_Simpsons_** **crossover before?** Yes, and since it came _before_ the show’s downward slide, it was quite good. It featured Jay Sherman (voiced by Jon Lovitz) of the short-lived Fox show [_The Critic_](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0108734/ "undefined"). **Thanks for all this, but I think I’ll just stick with the first nine seasons of** **_The Simpsons._** You can’t be faulted for bad taste — it is, after all, the height of American TV comedy. Test your knowledge with [this quiz](http://time.com/3154567/simpsons-marathon-quiz/ "undefined") and enjoy the video below. ### Meet the Voices of The Simpsons  Dan Castellaneta is the voice of Homer, the bumbling patriarch of the Simpson family. He also voices other adult males such as Grampa Simpson, Groundskeeper Willie and Krusty the Clown. Michael Tran—FilmMagic/Getty Images; Fox  Julie Kavner voices Marge Simpson as well as her twin sisters Patty and Selma and their estranged mother Jacqueline. Michael N. Todaro—Getty Images; Fox  Nancy Cartwright voices many of the male children in The Simpsons. She primarily voices Bart, but also gives life to Nelson Muntz, Todd Flanders and Ralph Wiggum, amongst others. Amanda Edwards—WireImage/Getty Images; Fox  Yeardley Smith is the voice of Lisa, the brains of the Simpson clan. Imeh Akpanudosen—Getty Images; Fox  Hank Azaria plays the town barkeep, Moe Szyslak, as well as a wide cast of male characters ranging from Chief Wiggum and Apu to Duffman (can't breathe! oh no!). Brad Barket—Getty Images; Fox  The other everyman of the series, Harry Shearer gives voice to Ned Flanders, Mr. Burns, Principal Skinner and a host of other Springfield residents. Dave J. Hogan—Getty Images; Fox  Pamela Hayden voices Milhouse, Bart's sidekick, as well as some other male children in Springfield like Jimbo Jones and Rod Flanders. Frazer Harrison—Getty Images; Fox  The late Marcia Wallace was the voice of elementary school teacher Edna Krabappel. Angela Weiss—Getty Images; Fox  Russi Taylor voiced some of the kids at Springfield Elementary such as Martin Prince, Terri and Sherri, and German exchange student Üter Zörker. 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