10. The Splendid Source (2010) - TV
It may surprise you that an episode of Family Guy was actually based on a short story that was written by Matheson. The Splendid Source is a story about uncovering the origins of where dirty jokes come from and how they are preserved. The story was originally published in 1956 by Playboy magazine and was adapted in season 8 of Family Guy. Quagmire tells Peter a dirty joke (which makes Peter go number two in his pants on more than one occasion) that sets the gang off on a journey to discover who told who the joke and it's origin. After inquires to residents of Quahog they find that Bender from Futurama heard it from Kevin Cronin of REO Speedwagon who heard it from a bartender in Virgina. (Heard it from a friend who....") Later it's revealed that it was Cleveland who told the bartender and they eventually find the Secret Order of Dirty Joke Writers were the ones responsible for the joke and all dirty jokes ever written. The episode received a few mixed reviews. Some said the comedy fell flat because of it being derived from Matheson's material. The subtle humor from the story fits well with under-appreciated cleverness of Family Guy's writing. If you are not a fan of Richard Matheson then you might not get where they are going with this episode.