Writer:	Seth MacFarlane
Director:	Peter Shin
Star:	Seth MacFarlane (Peter / Stewie / Brian / Quagmire / Tom Tucker (and various)),  Lacey Chabert (Meg (season 1) [uncredited]),  Alex Borstein (Lois (and various)),  Seth Green (Chris (and various))
Guest Star:	Lori Alan (Diane),  Phil LaMarr (Various),  Carlos Alazraqui (Mr. Weed),  Butch Hartman (Various),  Wally Wingert (Various),  Joey Slotnick (Various),  Fred Tatasciore (Various),  Billy West (Various)

The fifteen minute version of this episode that Seth pitched to the network is available on the Family Guy: Volume 2 DVD. Seth animated it entirely by himself at home, being paid only $50,000 from the network, where a pilot pitch normally runs around $1,000,000. (edit) The transitional music heard in this episode is not heard again throughout the series. (edit) Death Has a Shadow and the next 3 episodes are from a time when Seth McFarlane wanted to do all the episodes like old Radio shows. Most of the old radio mysteries were stuff like Death Has a Shadow, Death Knocks Twice, Driver Death, and so on.

However this proved unmanageable as the writers and producers found it hard to talk about the episodes unless they alluded to actions, not the titles such as The One Where Peter is Under House Arrest. (edit) Based on Seth's student film The Life of Larry. (edit) This episode originally aired following Superbowl XXXIII. (edit)

Peter: How the hell am I going to break this to Lois? If she finds out I got fired for drinking, she's going to blame me! (edit) (on TV: The Brady Bunch)
Jan: Mom, Dad, I found cigarettes in Greg's jacket.
Mike: Greg were you smoking cigarettes?
Greg: No Dad.
Mike: Well he's lying. There's no doubt about that. Greg I'm afraid your punishment will be 4 hours in the snake pit. Maybe that'll give you some time to think about what you've done.
Greg: Aw man.
Jan: That'll teach him.
Mike: And Jan I'm afraid you've earned a day in the Chamber of Fire for tattling on your brother. (edit) Stewie: You know mother, life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're going to get. Your life, however, is more like a box of active grenades! (edit) Mr. Weed: Peter, I like you. But I need you to be more than just eye candy around here. (edit) Peter: (To the kids) Not a word to your mother about my getting canned.
Lois: What?
Peter: Nothing. Ooh, the lost-my-job smells great!
Lois: Excuse me?
Peter: Uh...Meg, honey, could you please pass the fired-my-ass-for-negligence?
Lois: Peter, are you feeling okay?
Peter: What are you talking about, Lois? I feel great. I haven't got a job in the world! (edit)

When Peter is having ice cream in a flashback, his eyes constantly change size. (edit) The sign outside of the Institute of Cosmetic Surgery says Because You're No Prize. (edit) In one of the courtroom scenes, Stewie is missing his overalls. (edit) The Black Knight looks different than he later does in "Mr. Saturday Knight". The main difference is that his helmet is not beaked. (edit) When Peter is being questioned by the judge, a microphone in front of him is shown in some scenes, but in others, there is no microphone. (edit)

Tienanmen Square

When Peter says "I didn't really hold up that tank in Tienanmen square." it is a reference to the incident in Beijing China on June 4th 1989, where a single protest referred to as the unknown rebel stood in front of an oncoming tank to halt is progress. (edit) G.I. Joe

The G.I. Jew is a parody of the popular American hero. (edit) Forrest Gump

Stewie: You know, Mother, life is like a box of chocolates... you never know what you're going to get. Your life, however, is more like a box of active grenades!

The first part of the quote comes from the movie Forrest Gump. (edit) Cocoa Puffs

Peter does a commercial for CooCoo Puffs, which sounds amazingly like the popular American cereal. (edit) Black Knight

The Black Knight - often seen as a powerful and scary figure from the middle ages - is kept at bay by the Griffins' new moat. (edit)