Just as The Simpsons and South Park continue to march forth, so too does Family Guy. The animated stalwart has reached season 23, now so old it has a wealth of in-jokes and references to draw from. One particularly deep cut happened in episode 4 of the current season, where a character unseen for 11 years finally came back.
The episode, ‘Lois C.K.,’ centers on Lois becoming a comedian. During one of her sets, a crowd-member stands out among the positive reception, clapping and laughing along. He’s a recurring background gag, simply known as the Fat Laughing Clapping Guy, who’s made extremely sporadic appearances over the direction of the TV series.
His first recorded occurrence was back in season 5, where he showed up in episode 6. He did so again the same season, in episodes 10 and 23. He had similar regularity in seasons 6 and 7, making surprise appearances to, well, laugh and clap.
Then he gradually disappeared, being drawn into scenes in season 8 and 13 without his usual boisterous nature. He’s been absent ever since, relegated to the vault of Family Guy obscurity, the fodder of aficionados and quiz questions on the minutiae of television in the 2000s and 2010s.
Until now, that is. The Fat Laughing Clapping Guy is back where he belongs, jovially providing applause with his signature guffaw to the occasional scene involving the Griffins in some capacity or another. This season was part of Family Guy’s 25th anniversary, perhaps adding to why such a deep-cut got aired out.
Maybe Seth MacFarlane missed him, or maybe someone in the writers room wanted someone in the crowd to add a little heft to the scene, creating the perfect time for this man’s resurgence. Whichever it is, we have one request: Don’t make it another 11 years. Peruse our list of new TV shows for more obscure legends in the making.
