The Prodigal Dad Returns: American Dad’s Surreal Homecoming to FOX

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After a decade-long odyssey that saw it leap from its birthplace to the cable landscape of TBS, American Dad! is officially coming home. This Sunday, February 22nd, the Smith family returns to FOX for its 22nd season which will feature guest stars like Chris Pine, RuPaul, and Ted Danson. marking a full-circle moment for a series that has outlasted its critics and evolved from a political satire into one of the most delightfully surreal comedies on television.

In a recent sit-down, co-creator and showrunner Matt Weitzman (MW) shared his thoughts on the show’s legacy, the move back to network TV, and the road to the 400th episode.

On Returning to FOX and Acknowledging the Past

The move back to FOX isn’t happening without a wink to the audience. The premiere features a meta-joke about the “disaster” of getting back together after so many years, complete with a lingering look at the FOX logo.

MW: “It was a point of conversation on whether to deal with that. ‘Let’s just own it!'”

Beyond the meta-commentary, the return to Fox also signals a return of fan-favorite side characters like Debbie and Gwen.

MW: “I just like bringing characters back, it wasn’t necessarily about Fox in particular but more about acknowledging our past… We have a pretty semi-rich history, so we might as well use them as much as we can. We have lots of new characters coming as well but I like the idea of doing this for our loyal audience. There’s some satisfaction in going ‘oh, I know that character.’ In the end, you make this for the people who love it as much as we do.”

On the Evolution of the Show’s Voice

While many fans wondered if the jump from cable (TBS) back to network (FOX) would mean stricter censorship or a change in tone, Weitzman remains unconcerned.

MW: “Probably not many [lessons from TBS], since there wasn’t much difference in making it there. There’s maybe some words we were able to get away with on TBS that we couldn’t before on Fox, but so far we haven’t gotten much pushback coming back. The show’s been successful for so long and they know what they paid for.”

The show has also famously shifted away from the heavy political satire of its early years—a move Weitzman attributes to the current social climate and the realities of animation production.

MW: “We haven’t really done politics stories in a long time, and the country seems so divided right now that we kind of just want to focus on stories that more people like and will bring them together than just showing the side of Trump’s butt or saying ‘the other side’s wrong’. We’re not like South Park where we can put out an episode in three weeks, so we have to do jokes and plots that feel more evergreen.”

On Crossovers and the Ghost of Family Guy

With American Dad! and Family Guy sharing a network home once again, the inevitable question of a crossover arises. While the two shows are now housed in the same building, Weitzman isn’t rushing to merge the universes.

MW: “Well, we are in the same building now. They’re right below us and…that’s kind of where I’d like them to stay. (laughs) No one’s really talked about doing it, the network hasn’t asked us to make one, so it’s not something we’re focused on. But if it did come up, I would take it as an interesting challenge!”

He also reflected on how much more distinct the two shows have become since American Dad! first launched.

MW: “Yeah, and the shows are so much more different now. Like take the pilot, where we had some cutaways and Roger was stuck in the house, but now we have no cutaways and we found a lot more stories having Roger out [in disguise].”

Looking Toward the 400th Episode

As the show enters its 22nd season, Weitzman adopts a “Simpsons-esque” optimism regarding the show’s longevity, refusing to write a series finale in hopes that the “business” will simply keep staying open.

MW: “I’ve just been so used to us getting renewed that writing one to be the end…and then finding out that we were back and open for business? I don’t know if I could do that over and over… I like to just keep my rose colored glasses and assume we’ll keep making the show until I’m proven wrong. Basically Stan is thought dead on a mission and comes home to find a clone in his place, and we take it from there “

AMERICAN DAD! SERIES 20 PREMIERES SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 22 (9:00-9:30)

 

 Synopsis:

Seth MacFarlane’s American Dad! returns to FOX and the iconic “Animation Domination” lineup on Sunday, February 15th, with its Season 20 premiere (9:00-9:30 PM ET/PT).

American Dad! centers on super patriotic CIA agent Stan Smith (voiced by MacFarlane) and the misadventures of his unconventional family in Langley Falls, VA. Stan applies the same drastic measures used in his job at the CIA to his home life, where Stan’s blissfully unaware wife, Francine (Wendy Schaal), has an unfaltering loyalty that makes her blind to his unabashed arrogance. His left-wing activist daughter Hayley (Rachael MacFarlane), however, doesn’t let him off so easily and knows just how to push her father’s buttons, unlike her dopey, well-intentioned husband Jeff (Jeff Fischer) who doesn’t know much of anything.  Son Steve (Scott Grimes) is a geeky-yet-confident kid who spends his time playing video games and obsessing about the opposite sex. The Smith cabinet is rounded out by two rather unconventional members: Roger (MacFarlane), a sassy, sarcastic and routinely inappropriate space alien, and Klaus (Dee Bradley Baker), an attention-starved goldfish with the brain of a German Olympic skier.

The animated comedy from 20th Television Animation was created by Seth MacFarlane, Mike Barker and Matt Weitzman, and is executive-produced by co-showrunner Brian Boyle, along with MacFarlane and Weitzman.