American Dad!
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American Dad! is an American animated television series produced by Underdog Productions and Fuzzy Door Productions for 20th Century Fox. It was created, in part, by Seth MacFarlane, the creator of Family Guy. The pilot episode aired in the United States on Fox on February 6, 2005, thirty minutes after the end of Super Bowl XXXIX; the regular series began May 1, 2005, after the season premiere of Family Guy. American Dad! follows the events of Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) agent Stan Smith and his family and is, to an extent, a satire of the United States' treatment of terrorist activity following the September 11, 2001 attacks.
The show has recently been renewed for a third season, meaning at least 63 episodes will air.
Contents
Characters
The show centers on the Smith family and the various creatures that Stan has encountered during his work for the CIA and has brought home to live with them. The family lives in the fictional community of "Langley Falls, Virginia" in the Washington, D.C. metro area. The town is a composite of Langley, Virginia and Great Falls, Virginia. Langley is the real-life location of CIA headquarters.
Smith Family
- Stan Smith: Has worked for the CIA since the 1980s as a weapons expert and is always on the alert for terrorist activity. As of the first episode of Season 2, he seems to be the "Deputy Deputy Director," which makes him the #3 guy in the CIA, although the official announcement of his promotion was not shown to viewers. He can be quite paranoid and protective: he has a terror-alert color code on his fridge, and is so high-strung as to shoot the toaster when the toast pops up. Stan is in almost top physical shape (though he has a bit of a gut) and is able to do moves like James Bond. He has no qualms about kidnapping, drugging, or tasering anybody, even family members, for his own selfish reasons. He is also not above insulting any friends of his family members. He called Steve's friend, Barry, "Fatty fat fat pants". In one episode, in which Steve cannot get a date, he kidnaps American actress and singer, Hilary Duff. He worships Ronald Reagan, quoting his speeches and even going as far as choosing a dog because it was alive during Reagan's administration. He is startlingly out-of-touch with international events. Stan seems to genuinely love his family, however often it would appear that he does not. He also has a very itchy trigger finger.
- Francine Smith: The sweet, loving, stereotypical model housewife of Stan Smith. She keeps her own opinions and party-hearty personality mostly to herself for the sake of her husband's ultra-conservative views, although she is not afraid to put him in his place. She rarely has any friends except for one closet bisexual (she has no career and Stan always scares the neighbors). However, in the 1980s, she slept with Adam Ant, Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top, and Dexy's Midnight Runners. She is more sympathetic to Hayley's ideas and Steve's geekiness than Stan is. Her housework is her life, although she has occasional longing for grander things. Francine is not a natural blonde and is in fact a brunette, which explains where Steve got his hair color. She once owned a muffin-selling kiosk at the mall, but it was destroyed in an explosion caused by extremist hippies. She also has a deep resentment of actor George Clooney because she blames Clooney for costing her an acting career. Francine's brain has been repeatedly damaged by her husband in acts of foolishness (Francine's Flashback, Roger 'n Me), which is considered a form of Diane Szalinskiism.
- Hayley Smith: The ultra-liberal daughter of Stan and Francine. Because of her views, Stan distrusts her more than her brother. She is eighteen and goes to community college. She partakes in recreational marijuana, usually with her boyfriend, Jeff, and goes hiking with him. They are both vegetarians. In the episode "Bullocks To Stan", she dropped Jeff to sleep with her father's boss, CIA Deputy Director Bullock, because she was looking for a guy who "can stand up to her." After Stan's intervention, she dumped Bullock and went back to her hippie boyfriend Jeff. In Saudi Arabia she slept with a Shawarma King guy because she was impressed by his (false) claim about being a tormented, conflicted member of Al Qaeda, but did not tell Jeff of her infidelity.
- Steve Smith: Geeky little brother of Hayley and son of Stan and Francine. Roger seems to be his best friend. He goes to extreme measures to raise his social status and get dates, yet he actually knows very little about sex. Although he was stereotypically whiny in the pilot episode, in the regular series he is confident and smart, but still a dork. He plays Dungeons & Dragons with his three best human friends. He's fourteen years old, reads Elvish, and believes that like raisins, women should have wrinkles.
- Klaus: The result of the CIA swapping an East German Olympic ski-jumper's brain (actually his brainwaves) with that of a goldfish in order to prevent him from winning the gold medal. This libidinous fish manifests some sadistic tendencies ("I'm German!" is the explanation he offers) and lusts after Francine. In the "Finances With Wolves" episode, Klaus switched his goldfish body for that of a black man's, and almost ran off with Francine, but the body was destroyed in the aftermath of an explosion at the mall and his brain was placed in another goldfish's body. He is extremely tolerant of water conditions; while the average goldfish will die even in tapwater, Klaus has swum in a washing machine and a Thermos of coffee, and frequently perches himself out of the water. Klaus's brain swap was said to be during the 1988 Winter Olympics. His voice is modeled after Peter Lorre's. In the German dubbed version of American Dad!, Klaus speaks in a Saxon dialect, which is seen as a stereotype for East Germans in general and is considered funny among German native speakers outside of Saxony. His behaviour in the German version very much reminds you of an ex-Stasi agent and he gives you here and there a few hints that he was attached to the Stasi agency, back in the days.
- Roger: The sarcastic, surly, lonely, and effeminate space alien who saved Stan's life in Area 51. He spends his time eating (mainly junk foods), smoking, and drinking. He is not allowed to leave the house and the family has to conceal his existence, although he has left on a few occasions in various disguises including a frilly dress, gloves and hat which caused him to be mistaken for a senior citizen. His voice is modeled after Paul Lynde's. Roger is in many ways, a Family Guy-esque version of ALF. It has been said that Roger is a parody of the character Spewey on the short-lived sitcom,Get a Life. Roger is often humorous and aloof and in many episodes his often flamboyant remarks lead to believe he has questionable sexuality.
Smith Relatives
- Jack Smith: Stan's father. For most of his life, Stan believed his father to be a top secret agent in "The Scarlet Alliance". In reality, he was a jewel thief. After the man Stan paid to pretend to be his father died, the real Jack dropped in on the family. Roger developed a "boy crush" on Jack but the other family members remained wary of him. Jack has grey hair and is missing an eye, based on the traditional look of Marvel Comics' super-spy Nick Fury of S.H.I.E.L.D., but resembles Stan. He was voiced by Daran Norris.
Other characters
In addition to the Smith family, there are numerous minor characters which have appeared, or have plans to appear, in multiple episodes.- Avery Bullock: Deputy Director of the CIA, and Stan's 58-year-old-boss. He is as high-strung as Stan, but considerably less paranoid and usually more competent. He is voiced by (and resembles) Patrick Stewart. He once had an intimate relationship with Hayley. He is married, but his wife is handcuffed to a radiator in Fallujah, as he does "not negotiate with terrorists".
- Greg Corbin: local News Anchor, Terry's co-anchor and domestic partner. Also Stan's neighbor. Afraid to tell his father he's gay. He and Terry had a penchant for minor bickering, however, they are a complete antithesis of Tom Tucker and Diane Simmons of Family Guy.
- Terry Bates: Local News Anchor, Greg's co-anchor and domestic partner. Also Stan's neighbor. Stan is completely unaware of the fact that his neighbors are homosexual, and, while initially being prejudiced against them for their practise of liberal journalism, now merely considers them nice young men that just happen to live together.
- Jeff Fischer: Hayley's stoner boyfriend. Hayley dumped him in the 1st season, because he agreed with people very easily, until Stan taught him to "stand up for himself" (by beating, electrocuting, and entombing him). He and Hayley got back together. Loves events like Burning Man. In one episode, he was bleeding and twitching on the floor of a diner after being thrown head-first into a wall by Bullock. Jeff appears to have made a full recovery since then.
- Snot: Steve's acne covered friend (voiced by Curtis Armstrong. Snot is a parody of Armstrong's role of "Booger" in Revenge of the Nerds). He speaks Klingon, and seems to read Elvish. Like Steve, he has a fetish for older (octogenarian) women.
- Barry: Steve's obese friend. Stan hates him, but doesn't know why. He also speaks Klingon, and seems to read Elvish. It is later revealed that his normally quiet and innocent personality is the result of powerful antipsychotic "vitamins." After temporarily stopping his medication regimen, Barry turns into a dangerously deranged mastermind, brilliantly framing Steve for the destruction of Stan's beloved commemorative plates, in an attempt to replace Steve. His madness gets worse over time, with him trying to eliminate everyone that might get between himself and Stan. Finally Steve saves the day by tricking Barry into taking his medication, reverting him back to his usual self. Barry is voiced by Eddie Kaye Thomas - better known as 'Finch' from American Pie
- Toshi: Steve's Japanese friend. He only speaks Japanese (his dialogue appears in subtitles), which his friends usually misunderstand, though he understands English perfectly. He believes that Japan (or possibly Asian people in general) will rule the world in the next century. He also seems to read Elvish (which incidentally appeared as nonsensical Japanese text in that particular episode).
- Bob Memari: Born in Cleveland, Ohio and the Iranian neighbour of Stan. Stan initially distrusts Bob because of his ethnic background. He has a wife, Linda, and it is later revealed that he is a racist.
- Linda Memari: Is the wife of Bob and close friend to Francine. In season one Linda saves Francine from the Lady Bugs, a social group for women who cheat on their husbands, by kissing her. Linda is a bisexual, which her husband knows, and one must wonder about the circumstances of their marriage of convenience. In an attempt to hit on Francine, she rearranged her clothes to make her bust more prominent and knocked on the Smith Family door (prompting a drunk Stan to comment "Where did those come from"). After thinking that Stan was beating Fran, she makes an awkward excuse to leave. Fran then says, "She's a weird chick". Her husband is apparently resigned to her preferences, and asks if he can at least watch "this time", in a defeated voice, when he sees Linda eyeing Francine.
- Jackson: One of Stan's co-workers at the CIA. He was once a real estate agent, and was also once gay. However, once he stopped selling houses, his sodomy cleared up. He still appears to have some remnant of homosexuality in him, and he also wishes he had a vagina. Also, when he was asked if he had ever did it with a dead mermaid, he said "Mermaid, no." Jackson is voiced by Mike Henry, the voice of Cleveland Brown from Family Guy.
- Dick: Dick is another of Stan's co-workers at the CIA. His wife eventually got a job, by which she earned more money than him. He didn't mind, but she kept earning more, and eventually, his genitals disappeared. He also has a son, who has a freakishly large hand that he uses to beat his father with. He's voiced by Stephen Root, who plays Bill Dautrieve and Buck Strickland in King of the Hill.
- Chuck White: Stan's gloating arch-enemy, who has stuff so much better than him. However, he is over-protective of his daughter, forcing her to do gymnastics and keeping her away from boys because he believes they will get her pregnant. He ends each sentence with a mocking laugh, e.g. "Looks like you're parking in the sun again, ha-ha!"
- Principal Lewis: Principal of Pearl Bailey High School, which Steve attends. When Steve was Student Body President, he commandered Principal Lewis' office, as the SB president was entitled to secure any school grounds he needed. Lewis didn't mind, though, as Steve had merely proved that he could read, and that the system worked. He later allowed Stan to teach a "morally upright" sex-ed class, but only Steve was signed up for it.
- Lt. Nathan Goldberg: Police officer whose father was killed during the Holocaust. His last wish to him was to go to America and become a prominent police officer.
- Duper: CIA Agent and rival of Stan Smith who apparently beat Stan's time on a "Regime Change" testing simulation (he had a better snappy line than Stan's as well). When Stan placed a bomb in Bullock's office to make himself look good by saving the day, Duper disabled it when Stan couldn't see the manual.
Family Guy comparisons
American Dad was created soon after producer Seth MacFarlane's original series Family Guy had been cancelled by Fox (it has since been restored). Compared to Family Guy, which makes heavy use of non sequitur cutaways and nonsensical (nearly dadaist) humor, parodying celebrities and other pop culture icons, American Dad generally follows a more coherent, linearly plot-driven storyline, and is easier to grasp without as much background information. Fans and critics alike have noted the similarities between the two. Even Seth MacFarlane himself (when questioned on The Late Show with David Letterman about how American Dad differed from Family Guy) joked, "It's the same show." The nuclear family concept in both series is strongly conceived.
| Comparisons between characters from Family Guy and American Dad! | |
|---|---|
| Family Guy | American Dad! |
| Peter - Head of the house, physically largest, rude, sexist, stupid, entirely unaware of his own stupidity. Obese. | Stan - Head of the house, physically largest, rude, sexist, stupid, entirely unaware of his own stupidity. Muscular |
| Lois - mother - voice of reason - opposite background from husband | Francine - mother - voice of reason - opposite background from husband |
| Chris - son - tries to follow in father's footsteps | Steve - son - tries to follow in father's footsteps, considered a nerd by family and general public |
| Meg - daughter - social outcast | Hayley - daughter - political outcast |
| Stewie - smaller than the rest with witty wisecracks. Has a foreign accent, loathes mother character. | Klaus - smaller than the rest with witty wisecracks. Also has a foreign accent, and lusts after mother character. Pet/ family member. |
| Brian - Spends time eating, smoking and drinking alcohol, lusts after mother character. Pet/ family member. | Roger - Spends time eating, smoking and drinking alcohol. Pet/ family member. |
Since Family Guy is frequently regarded as rather derivative of The Simpsons, it follows that American Dad is similarly derivative of The Simpsons. This was referenced in The Simpsons episode "The Italian Bob", in which a picture of Peter Griffin was shown below the charge "PLAGIARISMO," and Stan Smith then shown beneath the legend "PLAGIARISMO DI PLAGIARISMO." This whole "controversy" can be considered amusing in that The Simpsons was at times cited as being nothing more than just superficially derivative of The Flintstones which was, in turn, itself thought to merely be a cartoon version of The Honeymooners.
Cast (Voices)
- Seth MacFarlane as Stan, Roger
- Wendy Schaal as Francine
- Rachael MacFarlane as Hayley
- Scott Grimes as Steve
- Dee Bradley Baker as Klaus
Crew
- Seth MacFarlane, Creator/Writer/Producer
- Mike Barker, Creator/Writer/Executive Producer
- Matt Weitzman, Creator/Writer/Executive Producer
- David Zuckerman, Writer/Co-Executive Producer
- Rick Wiener, Writer/Co-Executive Producer
- Kenny Schwartz, Writer/Co-Executive Producer
- Nahnatchka Khan, Writer/Producer
- Mike Shipley, Writer/Co-Executive Producer
- Jim Bernstein, Writer/Co-Executive Producer
- Steve Hely, Writer/Story Editor
- Brian Boyle, Writer/Producer
- Chris McKenna, Writer/Story Editor
- Matt McKenna, Writer/Story Editor
- Dan Vebber, Writer/Supervising Producer
- Jon Fener, Writer/Supervising Producer
- Josh Bycel, Writer/Supervising Producer
Show information
- Duration: Approximately 21-minute episodes
- Network(s):
- */ FOX (also in Latin America)
- * Global Television (Canada)
- * Viasat (Denmark)
- * BBC Two (United Kingdom)
- * Adult Swim
- * Seven Network/FOX 8 (Australia)
- * TV3 (New Zealand)
- *// MTV Central (Germany, Austria and Switzerland)
- * Xtra Hot (Israel)
- * Viasat (Sweden)
- * Viasat (Norway)
- * Jack TV (Philippines)
- Premiered: February 6, 2005 after Super Bowl XXXIX
DVD Releases
| DVD Name | Release dates | Ep # | Additional Information | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Region 1 | Region 2 | Region 4 | |||
| Volume 1 | April 25, 2006 | April 24, 2006 | May 24, 2006 | 13 | This 3 disc boxset contains the first 13 episodes from Season 1 (Pilot-Stan of Arabia: Part 2). Special features include 12 commentaries, featurettes, and animatics. |
See also
External links
- [Official American Dad! website at FOX]
- [American Dad! site on Adult Swim]
- [] at TV.com
- [Official American Dad vs Family Guy web game]
- [Langley Falls Post Newspaper Headlines]
- [American Dad!] at EpisodeWorld.com
- [American Dad! Defined]
- [American Dad! Reviewed By HeadlinePlanet]
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