With Stan’s overly masculine and stubborn personality often clashing with his family, Steve’s strange hobbies, and Roger the attic-dwelling alien’s wild disguises, American Dad! is extremely entertaining. Therefore, it is not hard to see why the series has lasted for 19 seasons, especially as its 2D minimalist animation style makes American Dad! easily watchable. However, like with all TV shows, some seasons of American Dad! are better than others. When I recently rewatched the show, I found that despite there being a few memorable episodes, season 1 was one of the worst seasons in American Dad! for a variety of reasons.
American Dad! Season 1 Doesn't Get Stan's Character Right
Stan’s Character Development Really Shows
Season 1 of American Dad! is arguably one of the worst due to Stan Smith’s character. Voiced by Seth MacFarlane himself, Stan was portrayed as a person whose conservative views created humorous interactions with other of the community. While American Dad! was probably trying to follow along the lines of MacFarlane’s other adult animation TV series, Family Guy, in its offensiveness, Stan just feels off in this season. Stan’s personality and the non-standardized animation unfortunately made it one of the worst seasons, which is not uncommon, as many TV shows often have a bad season 1 and then become successful.
Instead of Stan driving the story with strong political leanings, American Dad! becomes driven by the drama caused by universal human nature as opposed to beliefs, providing more comedy in its relatability.
Fortunately, American Dad! employs a technique which makes the show work. Instead of making a complete change to Stan’s character, American Dad! allows Stan to develop his character over the seasons, eventually turning him into the stubborn yet friendly character seen in later seasons. This sets Stan apart from other characters like Peter in Family Guy, as I think it allows him to become a more relatable character. While it could have allowed Stan's strong political leanings to define the story, American Dad! becomes driven by the drama caused by universal human nature as opposed to beliefs, providing more comedy in its relatability.
American Dad! Takes Several Seasons To Find Its Own Voice (After Copying Family Guy)
The Show Changed For The Better After Season 1
When American Dad! aired in 2005, Seth MacFarlane’s Family Guy was already on its fourth successful season, and so it took American Dad! a while to find its own voice. American Dad! originally relied on political comedy in season 1, but this has aged poorly considering politics changes so frequently that a lot of the things commented on are no longer relevant. However, when American Dad! abandoned its original premise, the show flourished, and this can be seen in its Popcornmeter; season 1 has the lowest score with 80%, which gradually climbs to a solid 94% by season 4.
American Dad! seasons 1-4 Popcornmeter |
|
|---|---|
Season 1 |
80% |
Season 2 |
90% |
Season 3 |
93% |
Season 4 |
94% |
Following its change, American Dad! leaned into the weirdness that the animated format can offer, especially in its treatment of Roger. The show also changed its animation style into a standardized aesthetic which has remained consistent over the seasons. Since 2005, American Dad! has become an arguably better adult cartoon than Family Guy, whose Popcornmeter is often 10-20% lower. With 18 seasons under its belt, better characterization and animation style, American Dad! has proved itself as an adult animated show with many hilarious episodes, which is why it’s probably best to skip season 1 and move on to the real substance of the series.
American Dad!
- Release Date
- February 6, 2005
- Network
- FOX
- Showrunner
- Seth MacFarlane
Cast
Seth MacFarlane
Wendy Schaal
WHERE TO WATCH
From the creators of Family Guy comes American Dad!, an animated series that follows the exploits of the Smith family. Stan Smith is the average American father, except his job at the CIA sees him made privy to all manner of national secrets. The Smith family is relatively normal, with Stan's wife Francine, children Haley and Steve, talking pet goldfish Klaus (who has the personality of a German Olympic skier), and the eccentric and sociopathic alien Roger who lives in their attic.
- Seasons
- 21
- Streaming Service(s)
- Hulu
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