 Upon completion of the pilot , the series went on the air . " Death Has a Shadow " was the first episode of Family Guy to be aired . It was written by creator MacFarlane , and was the first episode to be directed by Peter Shin . The episode guest starred Lori Alan as Diane Simmons , Carlos Alazraqui as Mr. Weed , Mike Henry as Cleveland Brown , Billy West , Fred Tatasciore , Joey Slotnick , Phil LaMarr , Wally Wingert , and fellow cartoonist Butch Hartman as various characters . The episode aired after Super Bowl XXXIII on January 31 , 1999 . 
