When Seth MacFarlane’s second adult-oriented animated series premiered on Fox, critics instantly compared it to his first. On the surface, it’s easy to see why Family Guy. They both share the nuclear family setup and MacFarlane’s pop culture reference-heavy humor. But on closer inspection, they’re very different shows.
With an even weirder comedic sensibility and completely unique characters like an alien who can effortlessly slip in and out of human personas, American Dad! has done a lot to set itself apart from its predecessor.
American Dad! Has No Cutaways
One of the hallmarks of Family Guy is its cutaway gags: little non-sequitur sketches with no relation to the episode’s plot set up with lines like, “This is even worse than the time...” Some fans enjoy the cutaways, as they make the show feel like as much of a sketch show as a narrative sitcom, while others feel they weaken Family Guy’s storytelling.
Unlike Family Guy, American Dad! doesn’t rely on cutaways. Instead, the jokes come from the characters and the absurd situations they find themselves in.
American Dad! Is Far Less Derivative Of The Simpsons
Much like The Simpsons. But Family Guy borrows a lot more from The Simpsons than American Dad! (and all those other shows).
Like The Simpsons, Family Guy is about a working-class family with a blue-collar dad, a stay-at-home mom, and three kids. Even some of Family Guy’s ing characters, like Seamus and Dr. Hartman, are derivative of ing characters from The Simpsons. With Stan’s government job and Roger’s extra-terrestrial antics, American Dad! has carved out its own niche separate from The Simpsons.
American Dad!'s Political Premise
While the political overtones of American Dad! have been phased out over the years, it was conceived way back in 2005 as a satire of the conservative policies of the Bush istration.
Early episodes dealt with issues like abortion, gay rights, and gun control. The storylines usually involved Hayley bringing her father around to a more liberal perspective. Family Guy has tackled politics in a handful of episodes, but its premise isn’t specifically based on political division.
American Dad!'s Characters Are More Consistent
The writers of Family Guy will change the flimsy characterizations of the Griffins to suit the needs of a given storyline. Stewie was originally a diabolical, matricidal genius, but he’s since been recharacterized as camp and harmless. Brian was originally the voice of reason opposite Peter’s anarchy, but he’s since been recharacterized as an extreme left-winger and failed writer.
In American Dad!, the characters are a lot more consistent. Stan has always been a well-meaning sociopath, Francine has always had a hidden wild side, Steve has always been unpopular and nerdy – the writers of American Dad! have a much firmer grasp on the Smiths’ personalities.
American Dad!'s Writers Build On The Running Gags
The running gags in Family Guy rarely evolve. Every fight between Peter and Ernie the Giant Chicken is as dull and redundant and dragged-out as the last. Every Conway Twitty appearance since the first one has been an unwelcome distraction padding out the episode’s runtime.
In American Dad!, the writers actually build on the running gags. Take “The Golden Turd” saga, for instance. That was an ongoing, episodic narrative in its own right that came to an explosive conclusion in season 15’s “300.”
Roger’s Personas
The breakout star of American Dad! – and the show’s most unique character – is Roger, the alien who saved Stan’s life at Area 51 and lives in the Smiths’ attic. The early episodes kept Roger confined to the house, but his character was significantly expanded when the writers came up with the concept of his personas. Some of the show’s most interesting storylines revolve around Roger’s uncanny disguises and the characters attached to them.
While Peter has enjoyed a wide variety of careers and Stewie has an arsenal of sci-fi gadgets, Family Guy has no character that can seamlessly embody a different alter ego every week.
American Dad! Has Stronger Female Characters
One of the main criticisms of Family Guy is that its female characters are poorly written. Lois is a collection of outdated housewife stereotypes, while Meg has been on the receiving end of insults throughout the series’ entire run.
The female characters in American Dad! are much stronger. Francine is a party animal with a biting personality and Hayley is an outspoken liberal and political activist.
The Smith Family Mocks The Pet, Not The Daughter
The families in both Family Guy and American Dad! have a member that everybody else mocks relentlessly. The Griffins bully Meg, the teenage daughter, whereas the Smiths bully Klaus, their talking goldfish.
Meg and Klaus essentially have the same role in their shows — it’s just that one of them is a human and the other is a pet. Ironically, the daughter in American Dad!, Hayley, and the talking pet in Family Guy, Brian, are often the ones doling out wry insults instead of receiving them.
American Dad! Is More Story-Driven
The writers of Family Guy rarely tell traditionally structured stories. Instead, they’ll set up a premise and come up with a series of gags relating to that premise without developing a real plot. In one episode, Peter patches over a plot hole by claiming it was explained in a deleted scene. At the end of a recent episode, Peter tells the audience, “We don’t know how to end these shows anymore, so we just do nonsense.”
The writing in American Dad! is a lot stronger. The writers tell real stories and wring humor out of plot points instead of random jokes out of the left field. Season 7’s “The Worst Stan,” for example, establishes Stan’s goal — to be the best man at a wedding — and throws in countless obstacles, like the return of the groom’s “prison wife” and the bride revealing that she isn’t marrying out of love.
American Dad! Has Gotten Better Over Time
Over the years, as with most popular TV shows, Family Guy’s quality has declined. The show itself has even made self-aware references to its own downfall. American Dad! has followed the opposite trajectory – it’s actually gotten better over time as the series keeps moving from strength to strength.
The watershed moment was when MacFarlane left the show in the hands of co-creators Mike Barker and Matt Weitzman, who dropped the political angle and focused on the weirder elements that make American Dad! so unique.