--- title: "The Splendid Source (S08E19) | familyguy.co.uk" canonical: "https://familyguy.co.uk/episodes/s08e19-the-splendid-source/" updatedDate: 2026-09-06 author: Alex Moss description: "The Splendid Source: Family Guy season 8 episode 19 (S08E19), first aired 16 May 2010. Writer and director credits." --- # The Splendid Source Episode 19 of Family Guy season 8 (S08E19), the 145th Family Guy episode overall. Written by Mark Hentemann and directed by Brian Iles. First broadcast on 16 May 2010. ## Story Chris is suspended from school for repeating a dirty joke he heard from Quagmire. Peter hears it, soils himself, and is caught out again and again by Joe and Quagmire until he takes to wearing Quagmire's trousers. He sets out to find where the joke began, tracing it back through Bruce and a long chain of tellers to a bar in Stoolbend, Virginia, where Cleveland points them to a bellhop in Washington. Gunmen attack the group on the road, and they are knocked out and flown to a remote island where the Secret Order of Dirty Joke Writers keeps some of the world's great minds at work. Refused permission to leave, they escape by plane with a joke written by a dying member, and the compound burns behind them. ## Production and reception - Nielsen figures put the first broadcast at 7.59 million homes, with a 3.8 rating among viewers aged 18 to 49, ahead of American Dad!, The Simpsons and The Cleveland Show. ([Wikipedia: The Splendid Source](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Splendid_Source)) - The plot is based on a Richard Matheson short story of the same name, first published in Playboy in May 1956. ([Wikipedia: The Splendid Source](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Splendid_Source)) - Mike Henry returned to voice Cleveland Brown, having left the main cast to lead the spin off series. This was the first crossover between the two programmes. ([Wikipedia: The Splendid Source](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Splendid_Source)) - Mark Hentemann announced the episode at Comic-Con in San Diego on 25 July 2009. ([Wikipedia: The Splendid Source](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Splendid_Source)) - A cutaway set during the trip to Washington drew complaints that it insulted Vietnam veterans. ([Wikipedia: The Splendid Source](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Splendid_Source)) ## Facts | Fact | Detail | | --- | --- | | Season | 8 | | Episode | 19 of 21 | | Overall | No. 145 | | Code | S08E19 | | First aired | 16 May 2010 | | Directed by | Brian Iles | | Written by | Mark Hentemann | | Writing credit | Based on a short story by Richard Matheson; teleplay by Mark Hentemann | | Production code | 7ACX17 | | Source | Wikipedia: Family Guy season 8 | | Wikidata | Q4051308 | | IMDb | tt1610749 | | Verification | Checked against Wikidata and IMDb: title, date, numbering and credits agree | | US viewers | 7.59 million | ## Voices | Voice | Characters | | --- | --- | | Seth MacFarlane | Peter Griffin, Glenn Quagmire, Old Writer | | Alex Borstein | Lois Griffin, Mom | | Seth Green | Chris Griffin | | Mila Kunis | Meg Griffin, Meg Griffin | | Mike Henry | Cleveland Brown, Rallo Tubbs, Bruce the Performance Artist | | Marc Alaimo | Dean of the Secret Order of Dirty Joke Writers | | Gary Cole | Principal Shepherd | | Chris Cox | Facility Worker, Best Man | | Ralph Garman | Vietnamese Civilian | | Ioan Gruffudd | Man | 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 - Marc Alaimo as the Dean of the Secret Order of Dirty Joke Writers - Gary Cole as Principal Shepherd - Ioan Gruffudd as John Payne - Sanaa Lathan as Donna Tubbs, Donna Tubbs-Brown - David Lynch as Gus the Bartender, Gus - Kevin Michael Richardson as Cleveland Brown, Jr. - Wally Wingert as Wally - Patrick Warburton as Joe Swanson - Jennifer Tilly as Bonnie Swanson ## Links - Season: [8](https://familyguy.co.uk/episodes/season-8/) - Source: [Wikipedia: Family Guy season 8](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Family_Guy_season_8) - Wikidata: [Q4051308](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q4051308) - IMDb: [tt1610749](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1610749/) - US viewers: [7.59 million](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Splendid_Source) ## Navigation - Previous: [S08E18 Quagmire's Dad](https://familyguy.co.uk/episodes/s08e18-quagmires-dad/) - Next: [S08E20 Something, Something, Something, Dark Side](https://familyguy.co.uk/episodes/s08e20-something-something-something-dark-side/) - Season hub: [Season 8](https://familyguy.co.uk/episodes/season-8/) - All episodes: [Family Guy episode guide](https://familyguy.co.uk/episodes/) ## Season 8: episode 19 of 21 - S08E01 [Road to the Multiverse](https://familyguy.co.uk/episodes/s08e01-road-to-the-multiverse/) - S08E02 [Family Goy](https://familyguy.co.uk/episodes/s08e02-family-goy/) - S08E03 [Spies Reminiscent of Us](https://familyguy.co.uk/episodes/s08e03-spies-reminiscent-of-us/) - S08E04 [Brian's Got a Brand New Bag](https://familyguy.co.uk/episodes/s08e04-brians-got-a-brand-new-bag/) - S08E05 [Hannah Banana](https://familyguy.co.uk/episodes/s08e05-hannah-banana/) - S08E06 [Quagmire's Baby](https://familyguy.co.uk/episodes/s08e06-quagmires-baby/) - S08E07 [Jerome Is the New Black](https://familyguy.co.uk/episodes/s08e07-jerome-is-the-new-black/) - S08E08 [Dog Gone](https://familyguy.co.uk/episodes/s08e08-dog-gone/) - S08E09 [Business Guy](https://familyguy.co.uk/episodes/s08e09-business-guy/) - S08E10 [Big Man on Hippocampus](https://familyguy.co.uk/episodes/s08e10-big-man-on-hippocampus/) - S08E11 [Dial Meg for Murder](https://familyguy.co.uk/episodes/s08e11-dial-meg-for-murder/) - S08E12 [Extra Large Medium](https://familyguy.co.uk/episodes/s08e12-extra-large-medium/) - S08E13 [Go, Stewie, Go!](https://familyguy.co.uk/episodes/s08e13-go-stewie-go/) - S08E14 [Peter-assment](https://familyguy.co.uk/episodes/s08e14-peter-assment/) - S08E15 [Brian Griffin's House of Payne](https://familyguy.co.uk/episodes/s08e15-brian-griffins-house-of-payne/) - S08E16 [April in Quahog](https://familyguy.co.uk/episodes/s08e16-april-in-quahog/) - S08E17 [Brian & Stewie](https://familyguy.co.uk/episodes/s08e17-brian-and-stewie/) - S08E18 [Quagmire's Dad](https://familyguy.co.uk/episodes/s08e18-quagmires-dad/) - S08E19 The Splendid Source (this entry) - S08E20 [Something, Something, Something, Dark Side](https://familyguy.co.uk/episodes/s08e20-something-something-something-dark-side/) - S08E21 [Partial Terms of Endearment](https://familyguy.co.uk/episodes/s08e21-partial-terms-of-endearment/) --- Unofficial fan resource. 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