Top Ten American Dad Episodes

When Seth Macfarlane witnessed George W Bush’s presidential victory in the 2000 elections he was upset and disappointed. But it was in this disappointment that the seeds of a show about a conservative family started to take root. When his hit show, Family Guy , got cancelled in 2002, he was finally able to concentrate on fleshing out this idea. With the help of two former Family Guy writers, he conceived a pilot that would eventually become American Dad. The show centers on Stan Smith, CIA agent and staunch Republican. He lives in West Virginia with his wife Francine, his kids, Steve and Hayley, man in a fish’s body, Klaus and alcoholic alien, Roger. Since its launch in 2005, American Dad has become a roaring success in its own right, rivalling the success of Family Guy and becoming a fixture on Fox’s Sunday Animated lineup with The Simpsons and Bob's Burgers . Although its earlier seasons were mostly about satirizing the American political climate, the show has evolved into a laugh a minute program that skewers pop culture, media and social issues while constantly building extra layers to both primary and secondary characters.

Ten

Roger ‘n’ Me

(Season 1 Episode 20)

It’s fair to say that Stan and Roger have the most interesting dynamic on the show based on how different the two characters are. Although Stan is a lot less forthcoming about his feelings, he clearly enjoys Roger’s company and even finds some of his more eccentric ways entertaining. In this episode, Roger and Stan reach a new level in their friendship – involving a finger probe - after a night of drunken escapades in Atlantic City. By the time the duo awaken, they both discover Roger now knows all of Stan’s secrets and fears. This development excites Roger as much as it makes Stan extremely uncomfortable. That one action not only threatens the dynamic of their friendship but also puts Francine in the way of danger. By the end of the episode, Stan learns to appreciate Roger as one of his best friends.

Nine

Wife Insurance

(S4E15)

When Stan lets it slip that he has a back-up spouse in case of Francine’s death, she is understandably upset. She considers Stan the love of her life and as such she cannot even envisage marrying anyone else if he died. Even worse, Stan’s backup spouse is the family dentist and she’s in on it too. When Francine retaliates by making Stan’s office buddy, Jim, her back-up husband, things take a dangerous turn for the Smiths. The subplot sees Roger and Steve team up to play fictional detective duo, “Wheels and the Legman” and solve the mystery of Hayley’s missing iPod. Their over-the-top hijinks see them spoof popular cop shows while failing their very simple task.

Eight

Stan of Arabia (Parts 1&2)

(S1E12; S1E13)

Over the years, the characters have evolved to a point where they are almost unrecognizable from where they were in the show’s first couple of seasons. Episodes like the two-parter, “Stan of Arabia”, emphasize this fact. When Stan’s boss gets offended by a roast gone wrong in an event in the latter’s honor, he reassigns Stan and by extension, the whole Smith family to Saudi Arabia. Despite Stan’s initial resistance, he comes to bask in the country’s chauvinist culture. On the other hand, Francine and Hayley have to endure the repressive nature of their new home and Roger has to deal with the lack of alcohol. Released in the middle of Bush’s second tenure as president, this episode makes the point that despite the many imperfections in the American culture, there is still a lot to be grateful for.

Seven

Rapture’s Delight

(S5E9)

Beyond his devotion to his conservative politics and his job at the CIA, Stan is incredibly dedicated to his religion. His zealot-like dedication to his Christian faith would even embarrass Ned Flanders. In this special Christmas themed episode, when the Smiths get to church late, Stan and Francine find themselves without a seat. After she sees how stressed this situation makes Stan, Francine invites Stan to a quick tryst in the broom closet. It couldn’t be worse timing on her part as the rapture happens in the middle of their sex session. Although Steve and Hayley make it to heaven, Francine, Stan and Roger get left behind. This episode plays like an epic sci-fi Hollywood blockbuster as Stan and Roger team up with Jesus to save Francine from the clutches of the anti-Christ. It’s not just action packed and incredibly funny, it also features some of the best animation the show has ever done.

Six

Phantom of the Telethon

(S4E7)

Some of American Dad’s strongest episodes are the ones where the writers experiment with the format a little bit. As the title suggests, this episode has occasional references to the hit opera, The Phantom of the Opera. But the episode is mostly inspired by televised fundraisers made popular on networks like PBS and Comedy Central. The episode also plays a little like a bottle episode as practically the entire episode happens in real time at a CIA telethon Stan is hosting. Even though Stan gets the idea from Roger, he takes all the credit for it and refuses to acknowledge his friend’s contribution. Roger then decides to haunt the telethon in order to sabotage the success of the event. Like the best American Dad episodes, the jokes fly at a rapid pace as the writing skewers politics, operas and televised specials.

Four​

Widowmaker

(S3E12)

In the first three seasons, plotlines that didn’t involve Stan’s work tended to involve Stan’s relationship with Francine. Their marriage has always been ripe for great stories as they are so different on paper. Just like Homer and Marge (The Simpsons), Fred and Wilma (The Flintstones) or Peter and Lois (Family Guy), the Smiths are so different that at a certain level their union doesn’t make much sense. In this episode, Francine has to comfort her friend – a fellow C.I.A wife – whose husband hasn’t returned home after a mission. When Francine realizes that her friend and her husband share everything (i.e. feelings, secrets) she pushes Stan to share more of his life with her. Seeing as the two cannot agree, Roger (in the guise of licensed therapist, Dr. Penguin) agrees to help the couple. After a one-on-one session between Stan and Roger, Francine finds out to her delight that Stan is now willing to share all his feelings with her. That is until he confides that her friend’s husband is missing because Stan had to kill him for work. Now Francine finds herself in a bind. Does she tell her friend she knows where her husband is or does she carry this terrible secret to the grave?

Three

Bar Mitzvah Hustle

(S4E14)

What do you do when a stuck up Jewish punk tries to steal your girl? Well if you’re Steve Smith, you hatch a scheme to steal his bar mitzvah gifts. When the intolerable Etan makes a move on Debbie, Steve’s girlfriend, it sets Steve’s alarms going. Etan seems to be mature beyond his years and this clearly plays a part in Debbie’s decision to accept his invitation to his bar mitzvah. In a bid to prove Etan is not as mature as he seems, Steve partners with Roger, and best friends Toshi and Barry to steal his presents Oceans 11 style. Admittedly, parodying the movies isn’t exactly a fresh concept in animated comedies. Fortunately the writers don’t lean too hard on the references and manage to keep track of the plot.

Two

Great Space Roaster

(S5E18)

One of the reasons why Roger the alien became the breakout character and a favorite of the American Dad fanbase is his flexibility. It’s more than his penchant for disguises, Roger easily dips in and out of personas every episode and consistently delivers laughs. In that sense, he’s to American Dad what Bender is to Futurama – a wildcard character that isn’t bound by the rules of morality that constrain your typical human character. In this episode, Roger decides he wants the family to roast him for his upcoming birthday celebration. Although this fits into Roger’s narcissistic tendencies the family isn’t sure this is the right idea. But after he insists persistently, they give him a no holds barred roast on his special day. Roger unsurprisingly gets upset and attempts to kill the family as revenge. After a few close calls, Stan manages to get him and his family room in a space shuttle to ensure their safety. Unfortunately for the Smiths, Roger managed to cling onto the shuttle before launch! It’s not often fans of the show get an episode with a plot that concerns all the principal characters working together and it’s no surprise that it makes for one of the best episodes of the series.

One

A Piñata named Desire

(S6E11)

An interesting bit of trivia about this episode. This is the only American Dad episode with an abbreviated credit sequence at the beginning of the episode. In as much as it was a practical, creative choice done to squeeze in every last bit of the McKenna brothers’ script, this decision marks the episode as special right from the start. In the main story, Stan and Roger compete for the same role in a local play for different reasons. Partly because Stan wants to prove to Roger that acting is a key part of his job at the CIA. Partly because Roger wants to prove that he’s superior to Stan at something he’s passionate about. But to let Hayley hilariously tell it, it’s mostly because they have repressed feelings for each other that they’re fighting. In the subplot, Steve and his best friends come to the realization that they might be getting too old for sleepovers. In recognition of this, Steve suggests they have an ultimate sleepover to end all sleepovers. Unfortunately, they find out that planning one last sleepover causes frictions in their friendships with each other. While the subplot isn’t really a fresh idea, it does come with plenty of laughs and American Dad’s unique brand of risqué humor. But the main plot is clearly the reason for this episode’s high ranking. Stan and Roger are quite clearly the show’s strongest pairing and when they butt heads as much as they do here it’s a guarantee for a classic episode.

#comedy #animation #americandad #sethmacfarlane