Extra Large Medium
Directed by John Holmquist and written by Steve Callaghan, the episode originally aired on Fox in the United States on February 14, 2010.
In "Extra Large Medium", Peter discovers that he has supposedly developed "extrasensory perception" (ESP) after his two sons, Chris and Stewie, go missing during a family hike in the woods.
Meanwhile, Peter begins performing psychic readings, but is eventually discovered to be faking his ability once he is approached by the town's police force.
Eventually the boys are found and rescued by Bruce, and returned to their home in Quahog which only furthers Lois' psychic obsession to the annoyance of a skeptical Brian.
However, Peter is struck by his success as a medium, convincing himself that he actually has extrasensory perception, and decides to capitalize on it by opening his own psychic readings business and performing in front of a live audience.
Soon after, Peter's bluff is finally called when Joe requests his help in a frantic search for a missing person who has been strapped to a bomb.
Series regulars Peter Shin and James Purdum served as supervising directors, with Seth MacFarlane and David Zuckerman working as staff writers for the episode.
[5] Actress Andrea Fay Friedman, who was diagnosed with Down syndrome at birth,[2] and who has appeared on several television shows, including Saving Grace and Life Goes On, voiced the character Ellen.
[7] "Extra Large Medium", along with the eleven other episodes from the first half of Family Guy's eighth season, was released on a three-disc DVD set in the United States on December 13, 2011.
The sets include brief audio commentaries by various crew and cast members for several episodes, a collection of deleted scenes and animatics, a special mini-feature which discussed the process behind animating "And Then There Were Fewer", a mini-feature entitled "The Comical Adventures of Family Guy – Brian & Stewie: The Lost Phone Call", and footage of the Family Guy panel at the 2010 San Diego Comic-Con.
It was preceded by an episode of The Simpsons, and Family Guy creator and executive producer Seth MacFarlane's spin-off, The Cleveland Show.
The episode was viewed by an estimated 6.42 million viewers, according to the Nielsen ratings, despite airing simultaneously with the 2010 Winter Olympics on NBC, Undercover Boss on CBS and Extreme Makeover: Home Edition on ABC.
"[14] Television critic Jason Hughes of the TV Squad called the Abbott and Costello joke "hilariously appropriate", and stated that the episode's portrayal of a person with Down syndrome was "refreshing.
"[20] Sarah Palin also criticized the episode in an appearance on The O'Reilly Factor, calling those who made the show "cruel, cold-hearted people.
"[22] In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, Seth MacFarlane responded to Palin's criticism, saying that the series always uses satire as the basis of its humor, and that the show is an "equal-opportunity offender.
[25] Family Guy cast member Patrick Warburton stated that he objected to the joke, saying, "I know that you have to be an equal-opportunity offender, but there are some things that I just don't think are funny.
