Welp, the most functional, dysfunctional American family is back. At their panel at this year’s Comic-Con, the cast and crew of American Dad gave the attendees a glimpse into the upcoming 20th season of the show and what exciting new episodes will transpire. As someone who sang the praises of this show a while back, I am very happy it is still going. Even though it isn’t the most trendy animated sitcom, it is one of the most consistent, and the fact that it is still funny and interesting at this point is amazing.
The biggest news to hit the show was the announcement that TBS would not continue supporting the show. After Fox initially canceled the show, TBS saved it and allowed it even more room to breathe away from the shadow of Family Guy. Being on a network, not on broadcast television, allowed more freedom in the content presented and less censorship. Going back to FOX now that TBS is no longer interested in the show is good in terms of giving the show a more stable home, given the current state of TBS (telling you it is owned by Warner Discovery explains everything). However, this change does mean that more censorship and restrictions will be placed on the show. While that is a bummer, I do feel that this is still a show that is creative and funny enough in diverse ways that the show’s team can overcome any sort of changes.
As for what’s to come in season 20, the show’s 400th episode will air. Given that these types of milestones get a special or large-scale episode on most shows, this one will be no different. It will involve Stan taking his 400th CIA mission, is assumed dead, and is replaced with a clone. Another episode will be a non-canonical space-themed anthology. American Dad always does fun non-canonical episodes that can’t be contained even within the bizarre world of the show, such as the James Bond parodies or the one where Stan and Francine have to survive the rapture. Family Guy has been making similar efforts with anthology episodes, too, but they just don’t work as well as American Dad, given that this show is more malleable and driven by its characters’ personalities rather than reference and shock humor. Regarding the space anthology, I expect at least one insane shenanigan from Roger here since that’s expected by this point. A few guest stars were mentioned as well, such as RuPaul, Kyle MacLachlan, and Ming Na Wen. Chris Pine and Ted Danson were also mentioned, although, since they have been on the show before, it is unknown if they will be playing the characters they did before or completely new ones.
A funny thing to mention is that during the panel, the co-creator Matt Weitzman was asked why the show doesn’t get more merchandise. He responded by saying that he wants more, but that the studio and suits tell him there isn’t a market. The moderator of the panel told him that the large audience is proof that there is a demand. On some level, I do get that American Dad is a more underground show compared to the rest of adult animation at the moment, but if Adult Swim’s success tells us anything, a devoted fan base will still show up to support what they love. The fact that this show is still living prosperously now tells me that it has a lot of support, and if the creative team keeps doing what they do best, that won’t go away anytime soon.
I feel that having a show like this that has continued to evolve and develop itself rather than sticking to a formula has been great. Even if shows like The Simpsons or SpongeBob have improved in areas, either through some experimentation or a focus on consistency, American Dad is just more exciting in the sense that it doesn’t have to conform to the expectations of supporting a larger brand. It’s far freer than any other long-running animated show in its position, and it continues to take advantage of that. Even if it never becomes a mainstream hit, it’s probably better that it has a lower profile to maintain its distinctive charm and energy. Here’s to more of this wonderful and hilarious show going forward.
