Of course, no show can go on for 350 episodes without some low points, and American Dad! is no exception. I’m just going with what Wikipedia uses for the sake of convenience, but I realize their numbering is Hulu’s, where the show is currently streaming if it gets confusing, just go by the episode title! with over 350 episodes to date.

This is a difficult task, as the show is still airing and in its 20th season 1 Or 19, or maybe 18? It depends on who you ask.

To that effect, I wanted to give it a fair shake, admit my appreciation, and attempt to catalog it once more. It’s a half-mindless, half-brilliant kind of show I’ve rewatched so many times because, much like Futurama’s relationship to The Simpsons, American Dad! maintained a higher, more sophisticated, and more sentimental quality than Family Guy, the show that put MacFarlane on the map. Instead, it is a true sitcom focused on the Smith family’s dynamics and their more relatable problems, which is inarguably why it has aged better and stayed watchable past my teens. Unlike Family Guy, which began airing in 1999 (and to a lesser extent, The Cleveland Show, MacFarlane’s Family Guy spinoff which premiered in 2009 and was eventually canceled), American Dad! does not lean on runaway bits or cutaway gags. It first aired in 2005 and is colored with the post-9/11 Bush era zeitgeist of its time, which allows for more politically sophisticated and interesting episodes, with more enjoyable conceits than MacFarlane’s other work. The show revolves around Stan and his family – wife Francine, nerdy son Steve, hippie daughter Hayley, German “pet” fish Klaus, and Roger the alien (the show’s breakout star) – who reside in the fictional town of Langley Falls, Virginia. That said, MacFarlane’s true work of art is American Dad!, the more mature cousin of Family Guy centered on CIA Agent Stan Smith (voiced by Seth MacFarlane, who I can only assume is contractually obligated to voice the protagonist(s) in everything he creates). But in general the limit to MacFarlane’s sense of humor is that it is well-tuned to the 12-year-old edgelord we all once thought we were when we learned how to curse. Yes, there are funny moments in Ted and Family Guy has some good jokes hidden beneath the “bits” so ingrained in American pop culture that I fear we may never shake them. Although Macfarlane's performance of him sounds a lot like an effeminate version of Peter Griffin, you eventually get invested in his crazy schemes and sharp sarcasm, making him a one of a kind character.At some point after age 14, I grew out of Seth MacFarlane’s typical shtick, as everyone should. Without Roger, American Dad would be missing that zany spark. Although Stan often seems very arrogant and shallow minded, he is deep down a loving, caring father with a surprising sensitivity to him.Īnd then there's Roger - the self-absorbed, eccentric alien with a whole load of personas to keep himself entertained. The first is Stan Smith - the patriarch of the family, he is a confident, passionate republican who likes to assert his masculinity and strong opinions onto his family.

Seth portrays the show's two most important characters. He's not only the co-creator behind American Dad (amongst many other television shows), he's also a talented voice actor with an incredible range, lending his vocals to several characters for the series, and singlehandedly performing the show's theme song with panache and vibrancy. You really don't need us to tell you about Seth Macfarlane.

Seth macfarlane roger american dad