American Dad

 



 

Format: Animated Sitcom

Created by: Seth MacFarlane, Mike Barker, and Matt Weitzman

Starring: Seth MacFarlane, Wendy Schaal, Scott Grimes, Rachael MacFarlane, and Dee Bradley Baker

No. of seasons: 4

No. of episodes: 72

Production Company (s): Fuzzy Door Productions, Underdog Productions, 20th Century Fox Television

Original Run: February 6, 2005 to present

American Dad! is a satirical American animated series produced by Underdog Productions and Fuzzy Door Productions for 20th Century Fox Television.
It was created by Seth MacFarlane, the creator of Family Guy, as well as two former Family Guy writers, Mike Barker and Matt Weitzman. The basic character structure is similar in both shows: a family consisting of a husband, wife, daughter, son and two "off" characters. 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 CIA agent Stan Smith and his family.

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Ratings

While the show has succeeded in being renewed for a fifth season, it has not matched Family Guy or The Simpsons in ratings success. On a typical Sunday, American Dad! has slightly more than half the viewers and share of the The Simpsons and Family Guy episodes that follow it on Fox. Its ratings are typically similar to or slightly lower than the King of the Hill episode that precedes it. For the week ending on April 6, 2008, it was Fox's least viewed primetime program.

Opening sequence

Similar to other animated shows' opening sequences, American Dad! features a recurring gag that is changed for every episode, except for "Office Spaceman", which started with the sequence interrupted early. As Stan wakes up singing "Good Morning, U.S.A." and has breakfast with his family, he heads out his front door and picks up the newspaper waiting on his front porch. He then cartwheels into his car and drives to his CIA office. The front page headline on the newspaper is different for each episode, like in The Simpsons (e.g. couch gags, Bart's chalkboard gags or Lisa Simpson's saxophone piece). It is usually a topical joke such as "Child obesity up, pedophilia down" ("Four Little Words"), "Economy turns corner, falls down stairs" ("Roger Codger"), "Bush finally gets joke about last name" ("Deacon Stan, Jesus Man"), "Iran changes flag to middle finger" ("Black Mystery Month"), or "Israel pulls out of Gaza, Gaza not pregnant" ("A Smith in the Hand"). These headlines are satirical in nature, usually directed at the United States Government, the media or current affairs. A notable exception is the episode "Office Spaceman", whose headline, "ALIEN SPOTTED!" (featuring a picture of Roger on the front page), shifts the sequence directly into the episode itself. As of season 4, the opening sequence has been replaced with a new one, starting with the episode "1600 Candles". While featuring the same music, most of the interaction with the family has been changed, and Stan no longer picks up the newspaper. Replacing the newspaper gag used in the first three seasons is Roger who pops up next to Stan in the family's SUV and sings the final "Good Morning, U.S.A.!"; wearing a different costume every time. Roger's sudden appearance causes Stan to end the sequence by crashing into the flagpole at the C.I.A. building. In the episode Tearjerker, the opening sequence was a parody and homage to James Bond movies.

Crossovers with Family Guy

Certain characters and locations have been featured in select episodes of Family Guy, another animated comedy created and produced by Seth MacFarlane.