American Dad American Dad! is a satirical American cartoon series owned by Underdog Productions and Fuzzy Door Productions and produced in association with 20th Century Fox Television. It was created by Seth MacFarlane, the creator of Family Guy, as well as two former Family Guy writers, Mike Barker and Matt Weitzman. The pilot episode aired in the United States on Fox on February 6, 2005, thirty minutes after the end of Super Bowl XXXIX; the regular series began May 1, 2005, after the season premiere of Family Guy. American Dad follows the events of CIA agent Stan Smith and his family. The series is currently in its fifth season, which premiered on September 27, 2009. It has been officially renewed for a sixth season; renewals are made ahead of time in order to facilitate the extensive production line of animated shows.[1] The show was briefly put on hiatus in March 2010 to make way for the premiering live-action situation comedy Sons of Tucson. However, American Dad returned to Fox a month later after Sons of Tucson was put in hiatus.[2][3] Since January 2008, Cartoon Network's Adult Swim program block reaired the show's syndication. The show centers around the domestic life of its nominal title character, Stan Smith, a staunchly conservative Republican CIA agent, and self-proclaimed patriot. He is married to Francine Smith, a fairly ditzy housewife who is trying to make up for a wild youth. Their two children are Hayley Smith, a passionately left-wing college-aged activist, and Steve, an awkward teenage nerd. The Smith family is also in possession of two bizarre nonhumans — Roger, an escaped alien from Area 51 who Stan is covertly housing in defiance of his employer, and Klaus, a goldfish whom the CIA implanted with the brain of an East German Olympic skier. Plots generally center around the misadventures of various family members in their respective realms. Recurring themes include Stan's desire to see Steve mature "properly", Roger's desires to establish a life outside of the house, and Hayley's desire to rebel against her father's politics. [edit] Opening sequence Similar to other animated shows' opening sequences, American Dad! features a recurring gag that is changed for every episode, like The Simpsons' couch gag and Bart Simpson's chalkboard punishments. This originally took the form of a newspaper headline, usually a topical, satirical joke directed at the United States Government, the media, or current affairs. Examples include "Child obesity up, pedophilia down" ("Four Little Words"), "Economy turns corner, falls down stairs" ("Roger Codger"), or "Bush finally gets joke about last name" ("Deacon Stan, Jesus Man"). A notable exception is the episode "Office Spaceman", which has the headline, "ALIEN SPOTTED!" (featuring a picture of Roger on the front page) that shifts the sequence directly into the episode itself. As of season 4, the opening sequence has been replaced, starting with the episode "1600 Candles". While featuring the same music, most of the interaction with the family has been changed. Replacing the newspaper gag used in the first three seasons is Roger popping up next to Stan in the family's SUV to sing the final "Good Morning, U.S.A.!", wearing a different costume each time. Roger's sudden appearance causes Stan to end the sequence by crashing into the flagpole at the C.I.A. building. [edit] Crossovers with Family Guy Certain characters and locations have been featured in some episodes of Family Guy, another animated comedy created and produced by Seth MacFarlane. * "Meet the Quagmires" – Roger makes a last-minute cameo asking the Griffins, "Who ate all the Pecan Sandies?" His line is a reference to a line he said early in the American Dad! pilot episode, asking Francine if she bought Pecan Sandies while she was out shopping. * "Blue Harvest" – Roger appears in the cantina scene socializing and sipping red wine with a glass in each hand. * "Lois Kills Stewie" – Brian and Stewie are confronted by Stan and Bullock at the CIA where Stewie takes control of the Earth's power grid in his latest plan for world domination. Stewie even mistakes Stan for Joe, then explains that he looks like someone he knows. * "The Man With Two Brians" – Carol Alt is told she was mocked in an episode of The Family Man, alluding to Family Guy, which she enquires "the one with the fish?", she is then informed "no that's American Boy", alluding to American Dad! and the similarities between both Family Guy and American Dad! * "Return of the Bling" – In the beginning of the episode Klaus comes in wearing a cap with Brian Griffin on it, a T-shirt with the initials "FG" and a lunch box with the logo of Family Guy. * "We Have a Bad Feeling About This" – The characters of American Dad! will appear along with the characters of The Cleveland Show.