American Dad!
American Dad! is an animated television series created, in part, by Seth MacFarlane, the creator of Family Guy. The pilot episode aired in the United States on the FOX broadcast network 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 parody of the United States's treatment of terrorist activity following the September 11, 2001 attacks.
In the United States, the series will also run on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim programming block after the episodes air on FOX.
Characters
Template:Spoiler The show centers around the Smith family and the various creatures that live with them that Stan has encountered during his work for the CIA. The family supposedly lives in the community of "Langley Falls," in Langley, VA. Langley is located in the Washington D.C. metro area, which is also the headquarters of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).
- Stan Smith: Works for the CIA as a weapons expert and is always on the alert for terrorist activity. He has a terror-alert color code on his fridge. He can be quite paranoid and protective as indicated when he shoots the toaster when toast pops up. Stan is also in top physical shape, able to do moves like James Bond. He often put his work at home; for instance, one of his ideas for family game night is "name that gun part". Although he has apparantly long been a part of the CIA (since the 1980s, apparantly, when he met Francine), he has a loathing for Bill Clinton that is somewhat odd for someone serving a such a high government position. Also, he is surprisingly out-of-touch with international events and thinks Japan is part of China.
- Francine Smith: The sweet, loving wife of Stan Smith, who keeps her own opinions and party-hearty personality mostly to herself for the sake of her husband's ultra-conservative views, although she isn't afraid to put him in his place.
- Hayley Smith: The ultra-liberal daughter of Stan and Francine. Because of her views, Stan at times distrusts her and puts her through security measures that you would find before entering the White House.
- Steve Smith: The geeky little brother of Hayley and son of Stan and Francine. He goes to extreme measures to raise his social status and get dates.
- Klaus the Talking Fish: The result of the CIA swapping an East German Olympic skier's brain with that of a goldfish in order to prevent him from winning the gold medal. This libidinous fish is in love with Francine. This follows the same format creator Seth MacFarlane used in his other show, Family Guy. The family pet, Brian Griffin once secretly lusted for his owner's wife, Lois Griffin. An interesting note is that the brain swap was during the 1986 Winter Olympics, an event which did not occur.
- Roger the Alien: The sarcastic space alien who saved Stan's life in Area 51. He spends his time eating (mainly junk foods), smoking, and drinking. Much like ALF, he is not allowed to leave the house, although he has on a few occasions in disguises (particularly that of a Rastafarian). He has a fondness for Hostess snacks. Also every 7 hours a green waste is ejected from his body. Roger's distinct speech pattern is a parody of Paul Lynde. Roger also has the ability to transform his feces into valuable gems after the consumption of certain foods, although he is currently unaware of this.
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/Producer
- Matt Weitzman, Creator/Writer/Producer
- David Zuckerman, Writer/Producer
Show information
- Duration: 30 minute episodes
- Network(s): FOX (United States, Latin America), Global Television (Canada), BBC (United Kingdom), Adult Swim
- Premiered: February 6, 2005 after Super Bowl XXXIX