Reviews & Ratings for
"American Dad!" More at IMDbPro »

Page 1 of 11:

[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11]

134 out of 174 people found the following review useful:

Is to Family Guy what Futurama is to the Simpsons

Author: ExpendableMan from United Kingdom
9 May 2006

On first glance, American Dad looks like a carbon copy of Seth MacFarlane's "other" show Family Guy. The animation is near identical, the lead character Stan Smith's knuckle headed optimism and in-your-face presentation doesn't so much recall Peter Griffin as grab you by the throat and scream in your face and Roger the alien and Klaus the goldfish work in much the same way Stewie and Brian do in the previous show. So far so very familiar, as though MacFarlane dressed up his fourth FG series with different characters when it was initially cancelled so as to stay on the air but stick with it, and American Dad will eventually reveal itself as a superior cartoon to it's predecessor.

Sure, the humour is once again a mixture of insightful witticisms, biting satire and odd bursts into toilet humour but rather than the chaos of Family Guy where the plot seems to revolve round the jokes, here the opposite is true. The flashbacks are almost totally absent and instead each episode features a structure and character development that is normally missing from the first show. Okay some of the episodes fall a bit flat but nevertheless, there are considerably more hits than there are misses and when it's good, it's brilliant. "A Smith In The Hand" for example is in this writer's humble opinion, the funniest thing MacFarlane and his team have ever produced.

What's more, American Dad is considerably more politically-orientated and everything you could conceive about the USA's current state of fear mongering and distrust is put beneath a microscope and parodied mercilessly. Stan Smith is a boorish depiction of all that paranoia rolled into one and some of his outbursts and overreactions are hilarious. Take the scene where he locks up his new Arab neighbours in his back garden for instance in a moment that scarily recalls the nightmarish conditions of Guantanamo bay yet still manages to be side splittingly funny or any of his numerous conceited one-liners ("only women have emotions son, they come from their ovaries").

Only time will tell if American Dad can outlive the shadow of it's far more successful big brother, but like the relationship between Futurama and the Simpsons beforehand, it's often a far funnier and considerably more focused show that deserves a wider audience. Highly recommended.

112 out of 153 people found the following review useful:

When a show has a joke about STAR WARS KID its obviously genius

Author: Johnny Darko (johnny@unfunrecords.com) from United States
25 September 2005

For those who know little about this show, don't believe the ignorant bashers. The sad truth (i really mean sad) is that the jokes, and plot lines in American Dad are much more interesting, humorous, and intelligent than any new Family Guy episode. I loved Family Guy. I say loved because it seems to be the one that has fallen prey to recycled humor and an obvious detachment from its original creator. I don't know if lackluster Stanford grads were picked to write new Family Guy, or its just been watered down for mass consumption, but its return is so stale that MacFarlane needed another outlet source for his genius. It is American Dad. It has the same energy that pre-cancelled Family Guy episodes have. Along with that, it also has the same number of people disliking it for its dry sick humor, and overall intelligence. The fact that the show has generic characters is a joke itself for those who may not have noticed. Its recycled Family Guy lines aren't out of lack of creativity. They too are inside jokes for those who know all the Family Guy lines. If you are a true fan of what made Family Guy great, then American Dad should fill the void of what it now lacks. Another show ahead of its time for MacFarlane, which I hope gets cancelled and becomes rare since its current issues are far too developed for most people with Neilson Ratings boxes in their homes.

68 out of 90 people found the following review useful:

Wasn't expecting too much. I underestimated this show.

Author: Stonedwithoutdope from New Zealand
10 November 2005

I was expecting this to just be a family guy clone with different character, This is more than that, its hilarious. The characters and humor are on the same sort of level as family guy but Seth McFarlane managed to work his magic and create a whole new different level of humor and wit for this show which sets itself apart from family guy.

A secret service FBI agent, prone to overreacting must find a way to use his skills to help his family and their new illegal alien housemate with basic troubles in life. Problem is sometimes it proves too much with hilarious results.

Remember this isn't a kid's show and I guess thats what makes this and family guy so special. They can put in all the added toilet humor it needs and the writers seem to know how to do it perfectly. The characters are great but the main character Stan Smith stands out above all the rest (With their alien friend coming in a close second). Anyone who wants a laugh, drop everything and watch this.

68 out of 91 people found the following review useful:

Ahead of its time...

Author: chirsa from United States
27 October 2005

I love this show. It's such a relief to see a show like "American Dad," especially on Fox. It can't be helped that some people are too unconscious to understand the desperately needed, hilarious criticism that it offers. It's "Sullivan's Travels" meets "Dr. Strangelove," rolled up into an animated series. Yeah, it's probably too smart for the masses, but we have to start somewhere. If it's marketed like "The Family Guy," during DVD release, then hopefully it will later be recognized for its absolute brilliance. Speaking of brilliance, airing the first episode immediately after the Super Bowl was unquestionably the most impeccably timed programming in the history of television. Did I mention that I love this show? That I need this show for sustenance?

56 out of 76 people found the following review useful:

American Dad lays out Family Guy? You bet.

Author: Zeke Pliskin from United Kingdom
28 September 2006

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.

58 out of 87 people found the following review useful:

Is To Family Guy What Futurama Is To The Simpsons

Author: kyle-hannah from Canada
25 July 2007

Seth MacFarlane proves he's not a one trick pony with his innovative follow up to the smash hit Family Guy. American Dad! is unfortunately misunderstood as a rip off of it's own predecessor but it is by far not. American Dad! is completely different to Family Guy the only similarities are the art and the amount of characters.

While Family Guy focuses on random humour and pop culture references American Dad! takes satirical aim at politics and has many qualities that make me prefer it over Family Guy. Unlike Family Guy, American Dad! follows one plot line and one sub plot without random things popping in and out. That already makes it extremely different from Family Guy which has lately been following 3 or 4 sub plots per episode with the random pop-ins. This show is great because it throws every stereotype and every exaggeration of a Rebublican and a Democrat and forces them to live in the same house together.

Again for those comparing it to Family Guy I will elaborate on the character differences. Peter Griffin is a pop culture obsessed dim wit while Stan Smith is an overly republican jerk who is racist, homophobic, and overly patriotic. Lois Griffin is a caring wife whose party girl side is always coming out while Francine Smith doesn't enjoy the spotlight and does basically whatever Stan tells her. Chris Griffin is a slow, stupid, lummox while Steve Smith is a sex crazed, nerdy teenager who o thinks he's cool. Meg Griffin is a lonely, near suicidal loser, while Haylie Smith is a pot smoking, liberal, who will save a cat before her father. Stewie Griffin is a possibly homosexual baby bent on world domination while Roger is a fruity, television addicted, alien who doesn't shut up. Brian Griffin is an alcoholic, witty dog while Klaus is a sex crazed, loud, obnoxious, German fish.

American Dad! has been pretty successful for the two seasons it's been on and i look very forward to watching it's third one this fall however due to the return of King Of The Hill and the moronic time-slot for The Sarah Connor Chronicles American Dad! will air Sundays at 7:30 which is dead air time and may face unfair cancellation next year hmmm just like Futurama...weird.

44 out of 66 people found the following review useful:

Incredible

Author: elem_hunter from Romania
31 October 2007

This has to be one of the best adult cartoons ever created. It's hard for me to compare them with Southpark. I think that in many aspects, American Dad is way better than Southpark. Probably because it addresses to a much larger public, while Southpark contains jokes that sometime require some background knowledge, before you can fully understand them. Even for non-Americans, this series are equally funny and enjoying. Great job! I recommend this to anyone who enjoys some good humour. Now we can only hope that the American Dad Seasons will be longer and longer (from what I know a season of American Dad has more episodes than any of its "rival" shows). Once again, outstanding work and I hope to see this continue in the future and become a traditional show (and maybe see it promoted in other countries as well).

37 out of 55 people found the following review useful:

This is much better than family Guy

Author: treysama from United States
4 July 2011

American dad is amazing. All the whimsical and creative lines they write all following the story line makes it great. Hate to compare it to family guy but it's jokes stay on track to what is happening and doesn't go off on random rants like family guy. Not sure how people are rating this lower but it just goes to show IMDb's scores tend to base on popularity. If you didn't notice big actor movies on here tend to score higher even if they are not very good. And a movie with unknown actors that may be a great movie but won't be scored as high based on popularity. Anywho off the subject American Dad is great. The Alien is outstanding and so is Stan. The only downfall, like all shows as the season progress it usually loses its greatness, the later seasons Stan isn't so CIA crazed pulling his gun out all the time and stuff. He's more office CIA then Crazy CIA Agent. Overall its great though. My favorite

20 out of 30 people found the following review useful:

American Dad is to Family Guy as Futurama is to The Simpsons

Author: walken_on_sunshine
26 May 2007

When The Simpsons got slow and started losing it's spark Matt Groening decided to focus ideas elsewhere and partnered up with David X Cohen to create Futurama which was expected by many just to be a lame rip off of The Simpsons however it was a smash hit and in my personal opinion is better than The Simpsons.American Dad! went through the exact same thing as everyone expected it to be Seth MacFarlane's Family Guy 2 but once again American Dad! is a huge hit and in my opinion better than Family Guy.We have the basic formulaic family set up the father,mother,brother, an sister but with the addition of an alien and a talking fish were talking a new spin on an old idea.The characters are absolutely amazing and original even better than Stewie or Peter Griffin.We have Stan the overprotective father who works for the CIA and is demeaning,racist,fascist,violent,overbearing,stubborn, and close minded basically a Republican exaggerated and blown way out of proportion.Francine is the semi ditsy mother who keeps to herself and is 100% comfortable being a housewife, she's soft and mothering but with an extremely psychotic side as well.Steve is the geeky teenage son who cares about nothing but boobs and Star Trek his father is ashamed of him as Steve is extremely nerdy.Hayley is liberal hippie daughter who is constantly doing weed,rebelling, protesting, and giving hypocritical speeches during the show basically your exaggerated Liberal blown out of proportion.Roger steals the show as the effeminate alien whom the family found at Area 51 and have been secretly keeping secretly in the attic, Roger is outrageously funny he' whiny, b*tchy, and addicted to TV basically a woman going through a middle aged crisis but in n alien body.Klaus has basically served more as a supporting character the family pet a German talking fish he serves his purpose with some good one liners but he for the most part just gets in the way and it's evident as he is more and more excluded in each episode.The show is nothing like Family Guy this is like Seth MacFarlanes South Park his show to voice his political and social commentary in an extreme over the top and offensive way.This show constantly makes fun of liberals and republicans and carries some of the wittiest and most laugh out loud hilarious lines in TV history not to mention Patrick Stewart as a lovable supporting character named Bullock.American Dad! is amazing political satire without the flashbacks, character similarities, and random humour of Family Guy.

11 out of 15 people found the following review useful:

American dad

Author: joekabye from United Kingdom
2 March 2008

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

this show is actually as good as family guy it has unique comedy and everything it is one of the best shows ever made and it is good the first episode was quite funny then the second then the third i loved it i know its not a popular show but i like it is better than family guy and its one of the greatest show in the world and another thing i like the alien he is genius Seth mcflarine is genius i love his shows especially American dad of course better funnier and bigger than family guy it is one of the funniest show and it will always crack me up and all my friends like it too they think its funny when i show them it and klaws the fish he fancies Francine i mean a fish fancing a human that is unique!

Page 1 of 11:

[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11]

Add another review

Related Links