You’ve probably spent twenty minutes scrolling through Hulu or Disney+ trying to find it. The "big" one. The massive, hour-long American Dad Family Guy crossover episode where Stan Smith and Peter Griffin finally trade blows or share a beer at the Drunken Clam.
It doesn't exist.
Seriously. Despite both shows being the brainchild of Seth MacFarlane, and despite Family Guy crossing over with The Simpsons in a massive marketing event, the Smith family has never had a dedicated, full-episode storyline with the Griffins. It’s a Mandela Effect masterpiece. People swear they’ve seen it because the characters pop up in each other’s intro sequences or cutaway gags so often that the brain just fills in the gaps.
The Crossover That Wasn’t
Back in 2011, Fox actually teased a "Night of the Hurricane" event. This was the closest we ever got to a true American Dad Family Guy crossover episode experience. It was a three-way crossover between Family Guy, American Dad!, and the now-cancelled The Cleveland Show.
But here’s the catch: they weren't in the same room.
The "crossover" was a thematic one. A hurricane rips through Stoolbend, then Quahog, then Langley Falls. You watch the same storm affect three different households in three different ways. It’s clever, sure, but it’s not exactly the Avengers-level team-up fans were salivating for. The only real "crossover" moment happens at the very end of the American Dad! episode ("Hurricane!"), where Stan, Peter, and Cleveland all stand on the front lawn with guns drawn on each other.
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It lasts about thirty seconds.
Stan shoots Cleveland’s hair off. Peter makes a joke. That’s it. If you were looking for a deep dive into how a CIA agent would handle a bumbling idiot from Rhode Island, you got cheated.
Why Seth MacFarlane Keeps Them Separate
Seth MacFarlane is a busy guy, but that's not why these shows stay in their own lanes. He hasn't even been the primary creative voice on American Dad! for years; that show shifted into the hands of Matt Weitzman and Mike Barker early on, which is why the vibes are so different.
Family Guy is a joke machine. It relies on non-sequiturs, cutaways, and breaking the fourth wall until there’s no wall left. American Dad! is different. It’s weirder. It’s more character-driven. Roger the Alien is a chaotic force of nature that doesn't really fit into the grounded (relatively speaking) world of Quahog.
When you look at the DNA of an American Dad Family Guy crossover episode, the tones clash. American Dad! fans often pride themselves on the show being "smarter" or at least more cohesive than modern Family Guy. Smashing them together for 22 minutes risks diluting what makes the Smith family special.
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The Small Cameos You Probably Missed
Just because there isn't a "The Simpsons Guy" equivalent for Stan and Peter doesn't mean they haven't met. They have. A lot. But it’s usually for a five-second punchline.
Take the Family Guy episode "Lois Kills Stewart." Stan Smith and Avery Bullock (voiced by Patrick Stewart) show up in a CIA-related gag. It’s a brief nod to the fact that they inhabit the same corporate universe. Then there’s the time Roger the Alien appeared in a Family Guy cutaway, or when Peter Griffin showed up in the American Dad! intro during a special anniversary bit.
Notable "Blink and You'll Miss It" Moments:
- The 100th Episode of American Dad!: There’s a brief glimpse of the Griffin family during a sequence.
- Ratings Guy: In this Family Guy episode, Peter ruins television, and we see the cast of American Dad! reacting to the chaos.
- The Simpsons Guy: Even in the massive Simpsons crossover, Roger the Alien makes a cameo on Kang and Kodos’s spaceship. It suggests that Roger might be the only character who truly transcends show boundaries.
The Logistics of a Real Crossover
Creating a genuine American Dad Family Guy crossover episode is a logistical nightmare. While both shows are produced under the 20th Television banner (now Disney), the writing staffs are entirely separate. They work in different buildings. They have different schedules.
When The Simpsons crossed over with Family Guy, it took years of negotiation and a very specific script that respected both legacies. American Dad! moved to TBS years ago, while Family Guy stayed on Fox. That network jump made things even messier. While Disney now owns both, the "brand" identity of each show is handled by different executives with different goals.
Why Fans Still Want It
We want to see Roger and Stewie interact. That’s the real draw. You have two of the most sociopathic, flamboyant, and unpredictable characters in animation history. Watching them try to out-manipulate each other would be comedy gold.
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Then you have the Stan vs. Peter dynamic. Stan is a hyper-competent (yet delusional) government assassin. Peter is... Peter. The comedy writes itself. But maybe the fact that it hasn't happened is a good thing. Look at the Family Guy / Simpsons crossover—it was polarizing. Some loved the novelty; others felt it was a desperate ratings grab that didn't feel true to the characters.
How to Watch the "Crossover" Night
If you want to recreate the experience, you have to watch the "Night of the Hurricane" block in order. Most streaming platforms don't group them together, so you'll have to jump between shows manually.
- The Cleveland Show: "The Hurricane!" (Season 3, Episode 2)
- Family Guy: "Seahorse Seashell Party" (Season 10, Episode 2)
- American Dad!: "Hurricane!" (Season 7, Episode 2)
Watching them back-to-back is the closest you'll get to a unified storyline. It’s actually a fascinating look at how three different writing rooms tackle the exact same premise. The Family Guy episode is mostly a bottle episode about Brian tripping on mushrooms, while the American Dad! episode is an action-packed disaster flick where Stan’s arrogance almost kills everyone.
Moving Forward: Will It Ever Happen?
Honestly? Probably not in the way you want.
Animation is expensive. Voice actors are expensive. Coordinating a crossover between two long-running shows that have already established their own distinct universes is a lot of work for a payoff that might not satisfy everyone.
Instead of a full American Dad Family Guy crossover episode, expect more of the "meta" humor we've been getting. Expect Peter to mention Stan in a cutaway. Expect Roger to be wearing a disguise that looks suspiciously like Meg Griffin.
What you can do next:
- Check out the "Night of the Hurricane" block: Use the episode list above to see the only time these shows truly shared a timeline.
- Look for the DVD commentaries: The writers often talk about why they chose not to do a full crossover, citing the difficulty of blending the two animation styles perfectly.
- Watch for "Easter Eggs": Modern episodes of American Dad! on TBS still occasionally throw shade at Family Guy, proving the rivalry/friendship is still very much alive in the writers' room.
The "crossover" exists in bits and pieces, scattered across two decades of television. It’s a scavenger hunt, not a single episode. And in a way, that’s much more fitting for the chaotic world Seth MacFarlane built.