Customer Reviews

American Dad!, Vol. 1

5 star:		(25)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

I love the show and i watch it when ever it's on but i won't buy it because American Dad did something that many of my favorate show do that pisses me off. They sell the show in Volumes instead of in seasons, this show was even worse then the others because they charged the same price as if they would sell by the season. Instead of wasting the fans money, take a little more time and put all 23 episodes on the dvd instead of 13.

When this show first aired I, like many, assumed it was going to just be a lesser version of "Family Guy", and indeed the first few episodes seemed to bear this out.

I think it was somewhere around "Homeland Insecurity" and "A Smith in the Hand" that I began to change my mind on the show. That was when it began to show some real potential and begin to shine on its own, regardless of what was going on in "Family Guy".

"American Dad!" contains some of the sharpest political satire this side of Steven Colbert and John Stewart. Like Colbert is mocks the state of affairs in the nation today with an "everything is rosy!" attitude, and that's something I always enjoy. It also helps that this show can go even more over-the-top than "Family Guy" can.

Really there's not too much more I can say about this show. If you like funny, sharp, intelligent political satire, you'll get a big kick out of it. If you don't, well... you're doomed, so there. :P

From the twisted mind of Seth MacFarlane (Family Guy), come the misadventures of a man who will stop at nothing to protect his family and country in the hilarious animated comedy series "American Dad!". Stan Smith is an overprotective and high-strung CIA agent who loves his family and is constantly on the look-out for terrorist activity. In addition to his sympathetic trophy wife Francine, his ultra-liberal daughter Haley and his awkward pre-teen son Steve, the Smith household also includes a freeloading alcoholic space alien named Roger and a perverted German-talking goldfish named Klaus. "American Dad!" is the latest animated sitcom in Fox's Sunday Night lineup. The animated series shares numerous similarities with "Family Guy". "American Dad!" follows a more plot-driven storyline without the heavy use of cutaways and flashbacks. Its cutting-edge humor and outrageous characters are great. The 3-disc box set features such memorable episodes as "Francine's Flashback", "Bullocks to Stan", "A Smith in the Hand" and "Stan of Arabia", and guest voice stars like Carmen Electra, Stephen Root, Eddie Kaye Thomas, Gina Gershon, Matthew Lillard, Molly Shannon, Seth Green and Patrick Stewart.

If you're looking for riotous humor and fine extras, then check out "American Dad!: Volume One". All 13 episodes of the uproariously funny animated series are presented in standard full screen format. Its picture quality is quite good with solid colors. Its 5.1 Dolby Digital sound is crisp and clear. Among special features, the 3-disc set includes in-depth audio commentaries by series writers and voice cast on 12 episodes, "All in the Family" and "Secrets of the Glass Booth" behind-the-scenes featurettes, numerous deleted scenes, animated comparisons and promo spots. Overall, "American Dad! Volume One" scores a "B+".

Not since the days of Caroll O' Connor's `Archie Bunker' has a character so expertly satirized current events---all while making all audiences feel like he promoted their side of things.

When it looked like the show was about to be cancelled the creators of `Family Guy' came up with another series. Critiquing `post 9-11' America, `American Dad!' updates `All in the Family's' formula through a cartoon format. The animation style and some of the voices are similar to 'Family Guy', but this series has much more in common with those inherently political sitcoms of the 1970's.

CIA Agent Stan Smith wants to protect his country-but he also
wants to maintain his own little sheltered world view. Despite his job Stan ultimately has a very limited grasp of international affairs. However he does know that he loves his family and is only trying to do what he thinks is best for them---by any means necessary!

In the pilot episode, Stan attempts to get his son Steve a dog so he will then be popular with the ladies-never mind the fact that this particular dog had been selected only because it was alive during the Reagan administration-making the poor thing older than dirt in people years! After it is accidentally killed during a `home invasion' false alarm, he again tries to help his son out by rigging the school elections so Steve is elected the school president!

"Threat Levels" exposes the realities of public sector vs. private sector pay. When the formerly homemaking Francine enters the real-estate business and then quickly becomes a success Stan feels emasculated. He loves his wife, but her new career cuts away at his fantasy of the `male-breadwinner head of household' myth he had constructed and maintained for himself. Even having her boss arrested and the agency she worked with shut down does not resolve this situation-Francine simply becomes an independent agent! Hayley sees an opportunity of her own using one of the homes which mom is trying to sell as a homeless shelter. Somehow, dad ultimately muscles little brother away from the cockfighting business he had established at that same shelter and takes over it himself. The episode wryly explored anxieties being felt over shifting economic realities and gender.

13 episodes make up the first half of this 2005-2006season release. Episodes you and your own `family' will love include "Bullocks to Stan" because he learns that his boss is sleeping with his ultra-liberal daughter Haley. Because Stan and Haley were close when she was younger but drifted apart because of their divergent political views, he wants to recreate that earlier relationship. Stan has difficulty processing that his daughter is both grownup and sleeping with the boss (voiced by none other than Patrick Stewart).

Another good episode mixing sex and politics together for laughs is "A Smith in the Hand". Concerned that Steve is receiving sex education at school, Stan volunteers to give his own demonstration to that class. During that demonstration, Stan attacks masturbation and sex as inherently evil. Resultant crotch injuries then require Stan to apply ointment to his own crotch, and he discovers masturbation for the first time. Steve then discovers what dad is now hooked on and they hypocritically go around promote the idea on television that masturbation is bad all while doing it themselves. Finally, Francine steps in and tells them that she has had enough and sexual feelings are perfectly normal.

Francine usually keeps her own opinions to herself, but she really is a closet liberal underneath it all.
This is apparent when Stan attempts to erase her mind so she will not remember that he forgot their anniversary or that it is their anniversary ("Francine's Flashback"). Instead of only taking off 20 hours however, the CIA scientist erases 20 years and she is now unable to remember anything about her current life-including that she is married to Stan himself. Despite what he had CIA colleagues do, Stan becomes panicked by this development-he had not wanted things to go this far and fears loosing Francine forever. Her memory is miraculously recovered at a concert though and another crisis is temporarily averted in the Smith household.

Francine's quick thinking saves the day when Stan panics about the Iranian new neighbors ("Homeland Insecurity"). Suspecting that they are `terrorists', Stan then decides they will be detained in his home-attempting to publicly justify this through the Patriot Act. Contrasting, Francine takes the more sophisticated approach-she sells the whole thing as a neighborhood block party which just happens to have a "Terrorist Detention Camp" theme. She is the one who really has the people skills needed to conduct covert operation!

I'm honestly not that crazy about the ending two-parter "Stan of Arabia", where the Smith family temporarily lives in Saudi Arabia. Okay yes, the CIA does travel internationally but the series creators themselves obviously did not have knowledge of the Middle East before writing these episodes. `American Dad' usually works (and very well) because they could show Stan being a well-intentioned dofus without complete knowledge of the America which everybody else around him does know about. This plot device doesn't work as well when the writers themselves lack in knowledge of the same thing they attempt to critique.

Extras include Commentary on 12 episodes by Creators & Producers Mike Barker, Matt Weitzman, Seth MacFarlane and others, a featurette called "All in the Family: Creating American Dad, a " featurette called "Secrets of the Glass Booth: Behind the Voices of American Dad , a Animatic-to-Episode comparison, and 42 deleted scenes

This show is absolutely brilliant and it is going to be huge. If you missed the first season, as I did, get this DVD collection.

The real star of the show is Roger the Alien, a wicked twist on the saintly ET character: "I know this is a cliche but I mean you no harm!". Roger the Alien is a dead ringer for Paul Lynde at the height of his career when he was issuing withering one liners on the Hollywood Squares. As in Paul Lynde's own life, Roger the Alien is at his most hilarious when he has had a bit too much to drink.

The advent of the show is very well timed as it is a very real and sometimes uncomfortable satire on the CIA and the National Security state. The ultimate effect of the show, however, is healthy in that it encourages us not to take ourselves too seriously.

Roger the Alien for President!

Closet Monster ????????? - I think this guy must be talking about a different show. Seth Mcfarlene has taken the Family Guy formula into a new domain of superb american satire. American Dad is fast establishing itself as a show to equal the genius of Family Guy. Seriously funny can't wait for the DVD release!!

Yes, we are all fully aware by now that Family Guy and American Dad! have numerous comparisons that can be drawn from each show, and that most people take sides for each show, defending their choice to the death. Personally, I like both shows, and feel that even though the shows may be similar, who cares? Thats just double the fun! Plus, American Dad! has a much more story-based plotline, with a linear pattern, whereas Family Guy is just a random jokefest. Each is strong in its own right.

While the quality of the show is debatable between each human being (like any good show on television), the DVD package certainly is not, as its perfect, and thats a FACT. The 13 episodes here are some of the best the show has done so far, and are really something special. As for the special features, what else could you want? There are commentaries on almost every show (except Threat Levels), and unlike the Family Guy commentaries that are just "hey, we're making money on this!", the people on these commentaries sound like they actually like the show they've made, and laugh heartily with each other and at the episode. The commentaries are much more enjoyable on this set than on Family Guy, and show that the cast and crew alike really are working their damndest to provide the best show possible.

As for other extras, I was astonished at just how much there was. To make up for the lack of the one commentary, a table read for Threat Levels is avaible in three audio modes: table read, animatic, finished episode. Truly awesome to witness the change in the process, and the table read itself is hysterical. The deleted scenes (42!! wow!) are amazing, and some should have been kept in the show, and were only cut for being "edgy". Then there's a "How's your aspen?" table read of A Smith In The Hand in front of a live studio audience- great stuff. American Animatics! offers the same type of stuff from Family Guy dvds, with animatics demonstrating the process of creation. Then there's the Inside The CIA promo from theaters, a promo from the Superbowl, a Behind-The-Scenes look at the people who do the voices...and much, much more!

Truly, if you even remotely enjoy this show, this dvd is a must- the special features are worth the price alone, and the episodes are amazing! I can't wait for future releases!

And for all of those who don't like this show, three words: Don't Buy It. Or, even better, Don't Watch It. Its a free country, you don't have to watch it, no one is forcing you- and if someone IS forcing you, Stan Smith should be there shortly to save you! :)

I have been really pleased with American Dad so far and am really looking forward to the DVD release. The humor is fun and irreverent. If you like Family Guy, I think you'll like American Dad as well.

first of all, remember that the product that Amazon is selling is THE DVD BOX SET THAT CONTAINS THE SERIES, not the series so this rating and review is FOR THE DVD BOXED SET, not the series.

so, with that clear, I feel really cheated because I bought this box set waiting to see all the first season complete and in order, because in my country, FX put it in the unregular schedule, normally between 12 midnight and 5 a.m. and without continuity so, I really want to enjoy the series in order and COMPLETE.

but when I get this I could see that the season is incomplete and I feel scammed because I want the first season not this.

of course I used to have in the wish list ready to order the other boxed sets, but then I delete them and get the episodes for another sources. because these boxed sets are a fiasco, so sad that the series be so good. =(

American Dad debuted to mixed reviews at first, but has picked up steam since and never turned back. The show begins as what is essentially Family Guy with new characters. The pilot episode has everything from a stupid father figure to nonsensical cutaways. But then the show found its own identity and took off running, to the point where it now far exceeds its coutnerpart Family Guy in terms of humor and quality.

American Dad is another in a long line of sitcoms with a stupid, ignorant dad and his adventures with the family. The twist here is that Stan Smith is a CIA agent and extreme supporter of the then-current conservative Bush government. It's notable, though, that while Stan comes across as stupid, he's not a jerk. It's refreshing to see that Seth McFarlane, who couldn't keep his political views out of Family Guy, takes a fairly balanced view here. Stan is offset by his extremely liberal daughter Haley, and each is wrong about as many times as they're right - very much like political extremists in real life. Most importantly, there is still a caring core to the family, so Stan becomes a guy that you like. Unlike Peter Griffin or Homer Simpson, whose stupidity has risen to epic levels in later years of their respective shows, Stan Smith remains a guy with a ten-cent head but a million-dollar heart.

American Dad is at its best when it keeps that last point in mind, channeling Archie Bunker instead of Peter Griffin. It takes the show a few episodes to find its footing, but once it does you'll see that Stan and his family, including surrogate additions such as an alcoholic alien and a talking fish, present a perfect balance of comedy. While future DVD sets eclipse the quality here, it's worth checking this set out because of the evolution you get to see in the show. Here you'll be able to watch American Dad go from poor cousin to comic gold.