Directed by Mike Kim and written by Brian Scully, the title of the episode refers to the television series I Dream of Jeannie.

The episode guest starred Chris Cox, Ike Barinholtz, Amanda MacDonald, Niecy Nash, Sulkin and Paris and Perez Hilton.

The family goes to Nifty Fifties Diner, a 1950s-themed restaurant where the waiters dress up as celebrities from the 1950s, including James Dean, Marilyn Monroe, and Elvis Presley.

The usually skeptical Brian asks for proof that Jesus is who he claims to be, so he turns everyone's dinner into hot-fudge sundaes, and on Peter's request makes Lois' breasts grow bigger.

Consequently, he becomes famous and makes celebrity appearances on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and the MTV Movie Awards, and his growing popularity leads him to neglect his friendship with Peter.

The next day, Peter watches the news, where Tom Tucker reports that a disoriented Jesus has been arrested after being found in Mary-Kate Olsen's apartment that morning.

[2] "I Dream of Jesus", along with the first eight episodes of the seventh season were released on DVD by 20th Century Fox in the United States and Canada on June 16, 2009, one month after it had completed broadcast on television.

[2] In the record store where Peter meets Jesus, some of the posters featured on the wall include the cover artwork for Pink Floyd's The Dark Side of the Moon, Nirvana's In Utero, R.E.M.

Club praised the "Surfin' Bird" plot but stated that the Jesus story was abrupt, adding, "There was a lot of ground Family Guy didn't tread that they wanted to".

"[12] Seth MacFarlane was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Voice-Over Performance for his role as Peter Griffin in this episode,[13] MacFarlane was also nominated for the Annie Award for Voice Acting in an Animated Television Production or Short Form for his work in I Dream of Jesus, but lost to Ahmed Best for his role as Jar Jar Binks in Robot Chicken: Star Wars Episode II.

[14] According to Seth MacFarlane, "I Dream of Jesus" was one of three episodes (along with "Road to Germany" and "Family Gay") submitted for consideration for "Outstanding Comedy Series" in the 61st Primetime Emmy Awards in 2009.