Fox, the king of animated comedies, offers a new series from the creator of "Family Guy."
Once again, Seth MacFarlane bases his show on an American family, although "American Dad" includes more than quirky kids and a bombastic dad. The Smith family shares its home with Roger, a space alien rescued from Area 51, and Klaus, a perverted talking goldfish.
The existence of Roger and Klaus make more sense when it's known that Stan Smith works for the CIA. Stan (MacFarlane) is a stereotypical agent, with a large block jaw and a happy trigger finger. Stan will fire his gun at anything suspicious, whether it's the family dog or the toaster. He keeps a close eye on the nation's terror alert, maintaining a warning chart on the refrigerator.
"We are at terror alert orange," Stan warns his family before breakfast. "Which means that something might go down somewhere in someway at sometime."
Stan's wife, Francine (Wendy Schaal), suffers through his obnoxious suspicions with a somewhat ditzy naivete. She simply wants to keep her family happy, while spurning the lascivious remarks from the goldfish.
Klaus (Dee Bradley) is the result of a CIA experiment that went horribly wrong. He speaks with a thick German accent and constantly ogles Francine.
Roger is a sarcastic homebody with an obsession for junk food. His weight gain prompts Francine to put him on a diet. The lack of available Twinkies motivates Roger to work for the kids for his junk food fix. He'll write research papers, lie to the parents or do anything necessary to get his cookies.
The kids are another area for stress for Stan. Daughter Hayley (Rachel MacFarlane) is an 18-year-old liberal attending the local community college. Her peace symbol necklace and hatred of guns infuriate her father.
Thirteen-year-old Steve (Scott Grimes) also poses some annoyances. Stan can't fathom how his son has such a slight build, despises physical activity, and can't get a girlfriend.
"You're a Smith and a Smith always gets his girl," Stan tells Steve.
Stan loves his children and will do anything to help them. Thanks to his job, he has the ability to fix student president elections or have a rival's family deported. He'll even hold singer Hillary Duff at gunpoint to force her to have dinner with Steve.
"Dad, you can't go around abducting people just because you're CIA," Hayley reminds him.
"American Dad" offers some interesting political jokes and satire, but it fails to be consistent. The premiere is so busy languishing in vulgarity that it misses the opportunity to be a witty commentary on society. Like most sitcoms, the writers wrongly believe that viewers only appreciate juvenile sex humor. The most offensive, and worthless, part of the show is Klaus. Why does a fish need to keep spouting offensive comments to the mother⢠Get rid of the fish. The alien makes an interesting counterpoint to the high-strung Stan, as does the liberal daughter. The show will do better if it focuses more on societal issues such as the terror warnings and government policies, and less on whether the fish will get to look down Francine's sweater. Additional Information:
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'American Dad'Sneak preview: 10:30 p.m. Sunday, Fox
The series will debut in its regular time slot, 9:30 p.m. Sundays, on May 1.
