--- title: "I Never Met the Dead Man (S01E02) | familyguy.co.uk" canonical: "https://familyguy.co.uk/episodes/s01e02-i-never-met-the-dead-man/" updatedDate: 2026-09-06 author: Alex Moss description: "I Never Met the Dead Man: Family Guy season 1 episode 2 (S01E02), first aired 11 April 1999. Writer and director credits." --- # I Never Met the Dead Man Episode 2 of Family Guy season 1 (S01E02), the 2nd Family Guy episode overall. Written by Chris Sheridan and directed by Michael Dante DiMartino. First broadcast on 11 April 1999. ## Story Lois, tired of Peter watching television all day, has him teach Meg to drive. His advice is poor and Meg fails her test. Driving her home, Peter spots a programme on a set in a nearby house and crashes into Quahog's cable transmitter, knocking out reception for the whole town. He persuades Meg to take the blame in exchange for a car. Stewie, forced to eat broccoli, takes the dish to build a weather machine that will destroy the vegetable. Meg eventually confesses and Lois urges the town to enjoy life without television. Peter throws himself into outdoor activities, exhausting the family, then leaves for a festival with William Shatner. Stewie's machine brings a storm; during a driving lesson Meg hits both men, killing Shatner. Peter recovers in a full body cast in front of a television and is hooked once more. ## Production and reception - This was the first Family Guy episode written by Chris Sheridan and the first directed by Michael Dante DiMartino. ([Wikipedia: I Never Met the Dead Man](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Never_Met_the_Dead_Man)) - The title follows the show's early habit of borrowing from 1930s and 1940s radio thrillers such as Suspense, a convention dropped after the first few episodes. ([Wikipedia: I Never Met the Dead Man](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Never_Met_the_Dead_Man)) - Guest voices included Erik Estrada, Butch Hartman, Aaron Lustig, Joey Slotnick and Frank Welker, who played Fred Jones from Scooby-Doo. ([Wikipedia: I Never Met the Dead Man](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Never_Met_the_Dead_Man)) - Ahsan Haque of IGN gave the episode 10 out of 10 in 2008, and Robin Pierson of The TV Critic rated it 70 out of 100, the site's highest score for the series. ([Wikipedia: I Never Met the Dead Man](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Never_Met_the_Dead_Man)) - In 2008 Haque ranked Stewie's plan to freeze the broccoli crop first on an IGN list of the character's most diabolical plans. ([Wikipedia: I Never Met the Dead Man](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Never_Met_the_Dead_Man)) ## Facts | Fact | Detail | | --- | --- | | Season | 1 | | Episode | 2 of 7 | | Overall | No. 2 | | Code | S01E02 | | First aired | 11 April 1999 | | Directed by | Michael Dante DiMartino | | Written by | Chris Sheridan | | Production code | 1ACX02 | | Source | Wikipedia: Family Guy season 1 | | Wikidata | Q253099 | | IMDb | tt0576942 | | Verification | Checked against Wikidata and IMDb: title, date, numbering and credits agree | | US viewers | 14.50 million | ## Voices | Voice | Characters | | --- | --- | | Seth MacFarlane | Peter Griffin, Brian Griffin, Stewie Griffin | | Alex Borstein | Lois Griffin, Gorgeous Woman | | Seth Green | Chris Griffin, Stage Manager | | Lori Alan | Diane Simmons, Velma Dinkley | | Butch Hartman | Townsperson, Teacher, Mike | | Aaron Lustig | Andy Sipowicz | | Joey Slotnick | Slow Child, Suspect, Meg Griffin's Conscious | | Frank Welker | Fred Jones, Witnesser #2 | | Lacey Chabert | Meg Griffin, Meg Griffin | | Erik Estrada | Ponch, Ponch | Principal voice credits as recorded by IMDb, which lists up to ten credits per episode, so recurring characters can be missing here. Guest voices below come from Wikipedia and TVmaze. ### Guest voices - Butch Hartman - Aaron Lustig - Joey Slotnick - Frank Welker as Fred Jones, Freddy - Erik Estrada as Officer Ponch - Lori Alan as Diane Simmons ## Links - Season: [1](https://familyguy.co.uk/episodes/season-1/) - Source: [Wikipedia: Family Guy season 1](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Family_Guy_season_1) - Wikidata: [Q253099](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q253099) - IMDb: [tt0576942](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0576942/) - US viewers: [14.50 million](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Family_Guy_season_1) ## Navigation - Previous: [S01E01 Death Has a Shadow](https://familyguy.co.uk/episodes/s01e01-death-has-a-shadow/) - Next: [S01E03 Chitty Chitty Death Bang](https://familyguy.co.uk/episodes/s01e03-chitty-chitty-death-bang/) - Season hub: [Season 1](https://familyguy.co.uk/episodes/season-1/) - All episodes: [Family Guy episode guide](https://familyguy.co.uk/episodes/) ## Season 1: episode 2 of 7 - S01E01 [Death Has a Shadow](https://familyguy.co.uk/episodes/s01e01-death-has-a-shadow/) - S01E02 I Never Met the Dead Man (this entry) - S01E03 [Chitty Chitty Death Bang](https://familyguy.co.uk/episodes/s01e03-chitty-chitty-death-bang/) - S01E04 [Mind Over Murder](https://familyguy.co.uk/episodes/s01e04-mind-over-murder/) - S01E05 [A Hero Sits Next Door](https://familyguy.co.uk/episodes/s01e05-a-hero-sits-next-door/) - S01E06 [The Son Also Draws](https://familyguy.co.uk/episodes/s01e06-the-son-also-draws/) - S01E07 [Brian: Portrait of a Dog](https://familyguy.co.uk/episodes/s01e07-brian-portrait-of-a-dog/) --- Unofficial fan resource. 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