Family Guy: Jerome Is the New Black

"Jerome Is the New Black" is the seventh episode of the eighth season of the animated comedy series Family Guy. It originally aired on Fox in the United States on November 22, 2009. The episode follows Peter, Joe and Quagmire as they go on a search for a new friend, in the absence of Cleveland. The group eventually decides on Jerome, a hip bar patron, which Peter goes on to regret when he eventually finds out that Jerome and Lois used to date. Meanwhile, Brian attempts to discover the source of Quagmire's personal dislike of him, only to become upset once Quagmire scolds him during a dinner date. The episode served as a follow-up to the exit of the main character Cleveland Brown, who left Family Guy in order to star in his own Fox spin-off, entitled The Cleveland Show. Voice actor Kevin Michael Richardson, who also stars as Cleveland Brown, Jr. on The Cleveland Show, guest starred as Cleveland's replacement, Jerome. He would not appear again until the Season 11 episode, "Save the Clam", but he has appeared more regularly since then. It was first announced at the 2009 San Diego Comic-Con International. The episode was written by series regular John Viener and directed by Brian Iles. It received mixed reviews from critics for its storyline and cultural references. According to Nielsen ratings, it was viewed in 7.38 million homes in its original airing. The episode featured guest performances by Kevin Michael Richardson and Nana Visitor, along with several recurring guest voice actors for the series. "Jerome Is the New Black" was released on DVD along with seven other episodes from the season on June 15, 2010.