Road to the North Pole

"Road to the North Pole" is the seventh episode of the ninth season of the animated comedy series Family Guy. Directed by Greg Colton and co-written by Chris Sheridan and Danny Smith, the episode originally aired on Fox in the United States on December 12, 2010. In "Road to the North Pole", Stewie and Brian go on an adventure to the North Pole so that Stewie can kill Santa Claus. They discover a dreary, polluting factory full of inbred elves and carnivorous, feral reindeer, along with a sickly, exhausted and suicidal Santa. Stewie and Brian take pity on him and decide to fulfill Christmas by delivering gifts to the entire globe, albeit unsuccessfully. The "Road to" episodes which have aired throughout various seasons of Family Guy were inspired by the Road to... comedy films starring Bing Crosby, Bob Hope and Dorothy Lamour, though this episode was not originally conceived as a "Road to" show. The episode is the second Family Guy Christmas special after the season three episode, "A Very Special Family Guy Freakin' Christmas", also written by Danny Smith. It was first announced at the 2010 San Diego Comic-Con International. Critical responses to the episode were mostly positive; critics praised its storyline and its numerous cultural references, although it also received criticism from the Parents Television Council. According to Nielsen ratings, it was viewed in 8.03 million homes during its original airing in the United States. The episode featured guest performances by Drew Barrymore, H. Jon Benjamin, David Boreanaz, Carrie Fisher, and Karley Scott Collins, along with several recurring guest voice actors for the series. It is narrated by Ron MacFarlane, Seth MacFarlane's father. It was nominated for 3 Emmy Awards: Outstanding Music Composition for a Series, Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics and Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Comedy or Drama Series (Half-Hour) and Animation. It later won for Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Comedy or Drama Series (Half-Hour) and Animation. The song "Christmastime Is Killing Us" was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Song Written for Visual Media. Plot On Christmas Eve, Brian takes Stewie to the mall, only to get a rude brush-off from the Santa who works there when he leaves for the night. As a result, Stewie vows to kill Santa for blowing him off and forces Brian to take him to the North Pole. Attempting to trick Stewie, Brian brings him to a Santa's Village amusement park.