American Dad! (season 1)

American Dad! Season 1
DVD box set for Volume 1; the remainder of the season was released in Volume 2.
Country of origin	United States
No. of episodes	23
Broadcast
Original channel	Fox
Original run	February 6, 2005 – May 14, 2006
Home video release
DVD release
Region 1	Volume 1: April 25, 2006 Volume 2: May 15, 2007
Season chronology
← Previous — Next → Season 2
List of American Dad! episodes

American Dad!'s first season aired from February 6, 2005 to May 14, 2006. The season consisted of twenty three episodes. The first half of the season is included within the Volume One DVD box set, which was released on April 25, 2006 and the second half is included within the Volume Two DVD box set, which was released on May 15, 2007. 19 episodes were produced during the first production cycle with production numbers 1AJxx. However, to continue running episodes for the full season (23 episodes) that began earlier than normal (May versus September) four episodes from the second production cycle (2AJNxx episodes).

Reception

The season and series premiere; Pilot, premiered after Super Bowl XXXIX. The premiere episode was broadcast as part of an animated television night on Fox, following an episode of The Simpsons. The episode was watched by 15.1 million viewers,^[1] In addition, the season was nominated for a Golden Reel Award for the episode "Homeland Insecurity".^[2]

Season one was met with mixed reviews. Certain critics commented positively on the season, such as DVD Fanatic, who graded the season a "B" rating.^[3] The website stated "the series may not be fully there yet, but it shows more promise than Futurama did in its first season", and listed "Homeland Insecurity", "Deacon Stan, Jesus Man", and "Stan of Arabia" as the "best episodes" of the season.^[3] IGN wrote a mixed review stating, "At its worst, American Dad! proves critics right - it is a lot like Family Guy. Stan is an idiot, Roger and Klaus are very similar to Stewie and Brian, and Francine acts as the voice of reason. Sure, there are differences, but there are plenty of moments when the characterizations are exactly the same. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but if you're not a fan of Family Guy you might not be a huge fan of this show, either."^[4] However, the website believed the series showed improvement towards the end of the season, saying "once you get into the season, the show becomes downright hilarious, and the humor really detaches from Family Guy. It feels like it took some time for the writers to get used to not having the cutaways of Family Guy, and finally came to grips with the new format.", citing "Deacon Stan, Jesus Man" and "Bullocks to Stan" as the "best episodes" of the season.^[4]

Pilot

#	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	Production code
Pilot	"Inside the CIA"	Ron Hughart	Mike Barker & Matt Weitzman	2005	1AJN00
Stan's video is ruined by constant interruption by his family, including Roger, whom Stan passes off as a kid who smoked a "marijuana cigarette", thus explaining his strange physical appearance. Hayley gets in front of the camera and starts complaining about the government. In desperation, Stan shoots at the camera, which dies with the second bullet and goes to static.

Episodes

See also: List of American Dad! episodes

№	#	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	Production code	U.S. viewers (million)
1	1	"Pilot"	Ron Hughart	Seth MacFarlane & Mike Barker & Matt Weitzman	February 6, 2005	1AJN01	15.10[5]
Steve finds himself unable to score with Lisa Silver, a sexy cheerleader, so Stan helps him by rigging the school election to name him student body president. Meanwhile, Francine cuts off Roger's junk food supply, and Roger uses Hayley to get his fix by writing her term papers.
2	2	"Threat Levels"	Brent Woods	David Zuckerman	May 1, 2005	1AJN02	9.47[6]
After a deadly virus scare, Francine wishes to do more with her life and becomes a realtor, making Stan feel insecure. Meanwhile, Hayley uses one of the houses in her mother's portfolio to set up a homeless shelter, though Steve wants to stage fights between the homeless.
3	3	"Stan Knows Best"	Pam Cooke	Mike Barker & Matt Weitzman	May 8, 2005	1AJN03	8.23[7]
Hayley takes a job as a stripper after moving into her boyfriend's van and being financially cut off by Stan. Meanwhile, Steve claims that Roger is his horribly disfigured burn-victim sister in order to gain sympathy from and ask out a girl to the school dance.
4	4	"Francine's Flashback"	Caleb Meurer & Brent Woods	Rick Wiener & Kenny Schwartz	May 15, 2005	1AJN05	7.84[8]
After forgetting their anniversary, Stan arranges to have the last 20 hours of Francine's memory erased, but a bungling technician accidentally erases 20 years, making Francine think she's a wild and carefree teenager from 1985.
5	5	"Roger Codger"	Albert Calleros	Dan Vebber	June 5, 2005	1AJN04	6.09[9]
When Roger slips into a coma after being excoriated by Stan, the Smiths think he is dead and dispose of his body. While the family copes with their "loss," Roger awakens in a landfill and journeys home, finding himself being pursued by the CIA.
6	6	"Homeland Insecurity"	Rodney Clouden	Neal Boushell & Sam O'Neal	June 12, 2005	1AJN06	6.85[10]
Stan learns his new neighbors are Iranian and immediately suspects that they are terrorists. Meanwhile, Roger tries to discover any hidden alien powers he may have while Steve is left at the mercy of the Scout Rangers.
7	7	"Deacon Stan, Jesus Man"	John Aoshima	Nahnatchka Khan	June 19, 2005	1AJN07	6.55[11]
Stan, wanting to beat his rival at something, volunteers to become a replacement deacon against him after the previous deacon died. Meanwhile, Roger is going through his reproductive cycle and, in the process, accidentally impregnates Steve.
8	8	"Bullocks to Stan"	Brent Woods	Alison McDonald	September 11, 2005	1AJN09	7.83[12]
Stan finds Deputy Director Bullock, his supervisor, starting a relationship with Hayley. However, he can't risk saying or doing anything about it because he's up for a promotion at the CIA. Meanwhile, Steve finds Dick Cheney's BlackBerry and uses the contact numbers to play pranks on political figures.
9	9	"A Smith in the Hand"	Pam Cooke	David Hemingson	September 18, 2005	1AJN10	8.60[13]
Stan decides to teach Steve sex ed himself, teaching him the "evils" of masturbation. However, Stan suffers an embarrassing accident, and his ointment use turns into an addiction to masturbation. Meanwhile, Roger becomes a bartender after Hayley insults him about doing nothing but watch sleazy reality shows on TV.
10	10	"All About Steve"	Mike Kim	Chris McKenna & Matt McKenna	September 25, 2005	1AJN08	7.63[14]
Stan discovers and is ashamed of Steve's geekiness and disowns him, but the stress of this causes damage to Stan's body, causing him to physically revert into a nerd. When Steve accidentally breaks the code of a cyber-terrorist, the two must unite to save the world. Meanwhile, Roger tries to find a suitable job that will allow him to interact with humans.
11	11	"Con Heir"	Albert Calleros	Steve Hely	October 2, 2005	1AJN11	7.43[15]
After his father's death, Stan reveals to his family that he was not his father at all; his real father is a master spy...or is he? Francine is willing to find out. Meanwhile, Steve goes out with his pseudo-grandfather's elderly friend.
12	12	"Stan of Arabia: Part 1"	Rodney Clouden	Nahnatchka Khan	November 6, 2005	1AJN12	7.30[16]
After doing a terrible job standing in for Jay Leno at Bullock's anniversary roast, Stan is reassigned to Saudi Arabia. While his family begins to go through hell, Stan discovers all of his greatest fantasies come true under the male-dominated society.
13	13	"Stan of Arabia: Part 2"	Anthony Lioi	Craig Thomas & Carter Bays	November 13, 2005	1AJN13	7.74[17]
Stan has renounced his American citizenship to live in Saudi Arabia, though his family finds themselves in their own awkward situations that lead them to getting sentenced to death by stoning. Meanwhile, Roger is wooed by an Arab prince.
14	14	"Stannie Get Your Gun"	John Aoshima	Brian Boyle	November 20, 2005	1AJN14	8.19[18]
Stan and Hayley attempt to bond, but things are difficult due to Stan's obsession with guns. In the process, Hayley herself accidentally shoots Stan and paralyzes him. Meanwhile, Roger takes revenge on Steve for eating his cookie by convincing him he's adopted.
15	15	"Star Trek"	Mike Kim	Chris McKenna & Matt McKenna	November 27, 2005	1AJN15	8.80[19]
Steve writes a novel based on Roger and becomes famous. His parents try to exploit his fame and wealth for personal gain, leading to Steve divorcing himself from them. Meanwhile, Roger tries to kill Steve after realizing how unflattering his books are.
16	16	"Not Particularly Desperate Housewife"	Brent Woods	Dan Vebber	December 18, 2005	1AJN16	7.84[20]
Francine tries to join an organization to feel accepted, only to discover she must cheat on Stan to become a member. Meanwhile, Stan and Roger fight over the attention of an adorable little dog, and Hayley locks Steve and Klaus in her closet.
17	17	"Rough Trade"	Pam Cooke	David Zuckerman	January 8, 2006	1AJN17
Stan and Roger experience life in each other's shoes after Stan is arrested for a DUI and is put on house arrest. As a result, Roger becomes a car salesman while Stan stays around at home all day, both realizing these lives are not all they are cracked up to be.
18	18	"Finances with Wolves"	Albert Calleros	Neal Boushell & Sam O'Neal	January 29, 2006	1AJN18	8.23[21]
Stan gets a hefty bonus at work and uses it on himself while Francine opens a muffin shop without Stan's approval. Now without a housewife at home, Stan puts Klaus's brain back into a human body. Klaus's brain in the human body flushes dead Klaus down the toilet and kidnaps Stan. Stan, still tied up, is expected to stop the human body from stealing Francine. Meanwhile, Steve is convinced he's becoming a werewolf.
19	19	"It's Good to Be Queen"	Rodney Clouden	Alison McDonald	February 26, 2006	1AJN19	7.70[22]
Stan seeks revenge for being the focus of a prank during his high school years by showing off that he married Francine, who is the homecoming queen. However, when her title is revealed to be a mistake, Stan's pride gets the best of him and goes out with the real queen.
20	20	"Roger 'n' Me"	Anthony Lioi	Rick Wiener & Kenny Schwartz	April 23, 2006	2AJN01	7.34[23]
Stan and Roger become best friends in Atlantic City, taking their friendship to a whole new, unexpected level, when Roger absorbs all of Stan's memories. Meanwhile, Hayley and Steve conspire to break up a good-looking couple so that they can date the two.
21	21	"Helping Handis"	Caleb Meurer	Nahnatchka Khan	April 30, 2006	2AJN02	6.51[24]
Stan wants Steve to be popular and goes to desperate measures by giving him steroids. However, things don't turn out as he expects when Steve grows breasts. Meanwhile, Francine is determined to start a new career as a surgeon, to gain respect from Hayley and ends up working for a group of disabled criminals.
22	22	"With Friends Like Steve's"	John Aoshima	Erik Durbin	May 7, 2006	2AJN03	6.60[25]
After Steve shows a lack of interest in Stan's job, Stan replaces him with Barry, Steve's obese friend, who is in fact malicious (without his medication) and plots to replace him completely. Meanwhile, Roger does an impressive keg stand and becomes a fraternity brother.
23	23	"Tears of a Clooney"	Brent Woods	Chris McKenna & Matt McKenna	May 14, 2006	2AJN04	6.86[26]
Haunted by resentment towards George Clooney (who Francine blames for her failure to become an actress), Francine resolves to win his heart with the intention of breaking it. However, her plan is sabotaged by Stan, who becomes close friends with Clooney as part of his wife's scheme. Meanwhile, Roger builds a vineyard and starts up a private sweat shop using foster children and Hayley, the only one who can save the children, is incapacitated with cancer.

References

General

• American Dad: Volume 1 and 2 episode commentaries. 2006-7. 

Specific

1. ^ http://www.redorbit.com/news/general/125559/super_bowl_ratings_down_4_percent_from_04/index.html
2. ^ Awards for American Dad at the Internet Movie Database
3. ^ ^{a b} http://www.dvdfanatic.com/review.php?id=americandad
4. ^ ^{a b} http://dvd.ign.com/articles/699/699832p1.html
5. ^ "FOX Salutes 'American Dad' by Moving Up Its Timeslot Beginning Sunday, May 1, on Fox". The Futon Critic. February 9, 2005. http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news/2005/02/09/fox-salutes-american-dad-by-moving-up-its-timeslot-beginning-sunday-may-1-on-fox-17815/20050209fox01/. Retrieved March 25, 2011. 
6. ^ Arthur, Kate (May 3, 2005). "Arts, Briefly; A Sweeping Weekend". The New York Times. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9507EED71F31F930A35756C0A9639C8B63. Retrieved March 24, 2011. 
7. ^ Arthur, Kate (May 10, 2005). "Arts, Briefly; Is 'Elvis' Really Dead?". The New York Times. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9904E3D81230F933A25756C0A9639C8B63. Retrieved March 24, 2011. 
8. ^ "Weekly Program Rankings". ABC. May 17, 2005. http://abcmedianet.com/web/dnr/dispDNR.aspx?id=051705_04. Retrieved March 24, 2011. 
9. ^ "Weekly Program Rankings". ABC. June 7, 2005. http://abcmedianet.com/web/dnr/dispDNR.aspx?id=060705_10. Retrieved March 24, 2011. 
10. ^ "Weekly Program Rankings". ABC. June 14, 2005. http://abcmedianet.com/web/dnr/dispDNR.aspx?id=061405_03. Retrieved March 24, 2011. 
11. ^ "Weekly Program Rankings". ABC. June 14, 2005. http://abcmedianet.com/web/dnr/dispDNR.aspx?id=062105_05. Retrieved March 24, 2011. 
12. ^ "Weekly Program Rankings". ABC. September 13, 2005. http://abcmedianet.com/web/dnr/dispDNR.aspx?id=091305_04. Retrieved March 24, 2011. 
13. ^ "Weekly Program Rankings". ABC. September 20, 2005. http://abcmedianet.com/web/dnr/dispDNR.aspx?id=092005_04. Retrieved March 24, 2011. 
14. ^ "Weekly Program Rankings". ABC. September 27, 2005. http://abcmedianet.com/web/dnr/dispDNR.aspx?id=092705_03. Retrieved March 24, 2011. 
15. ^ "Weekly Program Rankings". ABC. October 7, 2005. http://abcmedianet.com/web/dnr/dispDNR.aspx?id=100405_07. Retrieved March 24, 2011. 
16. ^ "Weekly Program Rankings". ABC. November 8, 2005. http://abcmedianet.com/web/dnr/dispDNR.aspx?id=110805_04. Retrieved March 24, 2011. 
17. ^ "Weekly Program Rankings". ABC. http://abcmedianet.com/web/dnr/dispDNR.aspx?id=111505_03. Retrieved March 24, 2011. 
18. ^ "Weekly Program Rankings". ABC. November 22, 2005. http://abcmedianet.com/web/dnr/dispDNR.aspx?id=112205_09. Retrieved March 24, 2011. 
19. ^ "Weekly Program Rankings". ABC. November 29, 2005. http://abcmedianet.com/web/dnr/dispDNR.aspx?id=112905_02. Retrieved March 24, 2011. 
20. ^ "Weekly Program Rankings". ABC. December 20, 2005. http://abcmedianet.com/web/dnr/dispDNR.aspx?id=122005_04. Retrieved March 24, 2011. 
21. ^ "Weekly Program Rankings". ABC. January 31, 2006. http://abcmedianet.com/web/dnr/dispDNR.aspx?id=013106_07. Retrieved March 24, 2011. 
22. ^ "Weekly Program Rankings". ABC. February 28, 2006. http://abcmedianet.com/web/dnr/dispDNR.aspx?id=022806_05. Retrieved March 24, 2011. 
23. ^ "Weekly Program Rankings". ABC. April 25, 2006. http://abcmedianet.com/web/dnr/dispDNR.aspx?id=042506_04. Retrieved March 24, 2011. 
24. ^ "Weekly Program Rankings". ABC. May 2, 2005. http://abcmedianet.com/web/dnr/dispDNR.aspx?id=050206_05. Retrieved March 24, 2011. 
25. ^ "Weekly Program Rankings". ABC. May 9, 2006. http://abcmedianet.com/web/dnr/dispDNR.aspx?id=050906_02. Retrieved March 24, 2011. 
26. ^ "Weekly Program Rankings". ABC. May 16, 2006. http://abcmedianet.com/web/dnr/dispDNR.aspx?id=051606_06. Retrieved March 24, 2011. 

External links

• Season 1 at TV.com