American Dad (season 4) 480p - (2007 Lang: English)

AMERICAN DAD SEASON 4 (2008) - Good Morning, U.S.A.!!!!

Stan and Francine are upset when Steve reaches puberty. However, Francine wants him to stay young, and Stan wants him to skip puberty and go straight to 21. And both of them use top-secret CIA technology to make sure it happens...

Seth MacFarlane follows up the success of "Family Guy" with this backhanded slap at bright-eyed,jingoistic NeoConservatism. I was a little skeptical at first,but I've come to be quite fond of this show!

The Smith family is,at once,odd and painfully familiar:dad Stan(voiced by MacFArlane)is a CIA Counter-terrorism agent who is Conservative to the teeth;his wife Francine,pretty,overwrought and ready to snap;daughter Hayley,a left-wing college(well,community college)student who constantly clashes with her dad;son Steve,a painfully naive dweeb for whom Stan's help seems to make matters worse;Roger,the waddling,wise-cracking extra-terrestrial who has Paul Lynde's voice;and Klaus,the goldfish with a brain from a German spy.

Featuring extra voice talent from Wendy Schaal,Scott Grimes and Dee Baker(among others),this show lacks the cutaway refs that "Family Guy" practically runs on. Instead,it actually pushes plot over jokes,which I actually appreciate a little bit more. Don't get me wrong,I like both shows quite a bit,but "American Dad!" seems to reign it in better IMO. Whether or not you think it's Morning in Amercia(where I suspect some of the inspiration for the theme song,hence the title of my comment),a healthy sense of topical political humor should make you appreciate this show.

I first heard about American Dad back when the pilot was first aired during the super bowl half time. I heard it was great and when I finally saw the cartoon I instantly fell in love with the show. I have heard a few people say that this is a straight up rip off of Family Guy (mostly because it is made by the same people and has a similar title). Let me be one of many who tell you, this is almost NOTHING like Family Guy. Don't get me wrong Family Guy is awesome, but American Dad has its own unique formula. While most people would complain that Family Guy is random and insensitive (although I tend to disagree with that point of view), American Dad is the complete opposite. American Dad makes really good social, political, and worldly observations. Not only that but it does a way better job at it than South Park is doing these days. Plus it doesn't ever get in-your-face preachy about the messages it tries to convey. Thank you Seth MacFarlane for making American Dad and God bless America!

I always liked Family Guy. What it lacked in plot it made up for in outrageous non-sequitur humour and Peter Griffin's ubiquitous laugh. The juxtaposition of random jokes and standard plots made for some hilarious moments. But after season four it got old. It was a great one-dimensional concept while it lasted, but the appeal of a show with wafer-thin plots just to produce set-pieces can't last forever. Enter American Dad and his huge chin.

It started off pretty good. The thirteen episodes on the first DVD (technically not the whole first season if the production numbers are anything to go by) get stronger and more likable as they go by. 'A Smith In The Hand' which satirises the supposed taboo of masturbation and 'All About Steve' which demystifies geek culture are personal favourites.

Then it got better - MUCH better. Around the time of the episode 'It's Good To Be The Queen' things really started to come together. Seth knows how to draw his characters in ways that suit the initial ideas he had when he started the show and leaves plenty of opportunity for comedy as he fleshes them out. He's really got a feel for how to pace his episodes and how to write great stories, still retaining his trademark for outlandish humour. Certainly there are a few episodes in the whole run so far that are weak, but they are more than made up for by the best ones. Family Guy has more consistency but it doesn't have the sheer brilliance of American Dad when it's at it's best.

What we have here is an animated show that is nearly as strong as my personal favourite, Futurama. In other words, Seth MacFarlene's best work to date.