overview
American Dad! is an American animated sitcom created by Seth MacFarlane, Mike Barker and Matt Weitzman for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series centers on the Smiths, a dysfunctional family consisting of parents Stan and Francine and their children, budding adolescent Steve and new-age hippie Hayley. Other main characters include Hayley's stoner husband Jeff Fischer; the family's pet, Klaus, a man in a fish's body; and Roger, an alien who Stan has rescued from government capture and harbors in the family's attic.
The show is set in the fictional town of Langley Falls, Virginia in the Washington, D.C. metro area, which is a gesture of parody of the actual town of Langley, Virginia, home to the headquarters of the CIA. Unlike its sister show Family Guy, American Dad! does not use cutaway gags, but rather focuses more on situational humor and non sequiturs.
Since its debut on February 6, 2005, the show has broadcast 136 episodes and began airing season 8 on September 30, 2012.[1]
American Dad! has been nominated for awards, most prominently two Primetime Emmy Awards and two Annie Awards.[2] American Dad! has also received mixed reviews, mirroring the reception of Family Guy, and has been criticized by watchdog groups such as the Parents Television Council.[3] It holds a TV-14 rating for suggestive dialogue (D), offensive language (L), moderate to strong sexual content (S), and graphic violence (V).