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American Dad! (season 4)
Encyclopedia
American Dad!s fourth season originally aired on the Fox
network from September 28, 2008 to May 27, 2009. The season consisted of twenty episodes and was released as two DVD box sets and in syndication. American Dad!
follows the dysfunctional Smith family—father Stan
, mother Francine
, daughter Hayley
, son Steve
, the pet fish Klaus, and alien Roger, all of whom reside in their hometown of Langley Falls, Virginia. The fourth season, which premiered with the episode "1600 Candles
" and ended with "Stan's Night Out
", was executive produced by David Zuckerman
, Kenny Schwartz, Rick Wiener, Richard Appel
, Matt Weitzman
, Mike Barker, and series creator Seth MacFarlane
. Weitzman and Barker served at the season's showrunners.
Season four satirized various political and social topics, including incest
, the coming out
aspect of homosexuality, and appeal to fear
propaganda
. The season received was met with mixed to positive reception from critics. Some went on to criticize the show for the level of inconsistency. However, the overall development of the show during this season was praised by critics, saying that "the show has grown into its own over the past seasons." The season contains some of the series' most controversial episodes, as the Parents Television Council
, a frequent critic of the show, went on to dub "Pulling Double Booty
", "Stan Time", "One Little Word
", and "Jack's Back" as the "Worst TV Show of the Week". The season also contained some of the series' most acclaimed episodes, including "Choosy Wives Choose Smith", "Live and Let Fry", "Delorean Story-an", and "Stan Time". The season premiere was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program (for Programming Less Than One Hour)
in 2009.
The Volume Four DVD box set was released in Region 1 on April 28, 2009, Region 2 on April 20, 2009 and Region 4 on November 18, 2009. Six of the twenty-one episodes are included in the volume. The remaining fourteen episodes of the season were released on the Volume Five DVD box set, released in Region 1 on June 15, 2010, Region 2 on June 14, 2010 and Region 4 on November 3, 2010.
were delayed from regular broadcast due to the 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike
. Seth MacFarlane
, the creator of the series, publicly sided with the Writers Guild
, and fully participated in the strike and other events pertaining to the issue. The official production of American Dad! started to dwindle as of February 2008, with a delay in production becoming imminent through much of March and April of that same year. The strike ended on February 12, 2008 and the series resumed airing regularly within a few months.
Production for the fourth season began in 2008, during the airing of the third season
. The season was executive produced by series regulars David Zuckerman
, Kenny Schwartz, Rick Wiener, Richard Appel
, Matt Weitzman
, Mike Barker, and series creator Seth MacFarlane
. The showrunners for the season were Weitzman and Barker. As production began Matt Weitzman, Jim Birnstein, Chris and Matt McKenna, Brian Boyle, Laura McCreary, Jonathan Fener, Erik Durbin, David Zuckerman and Kenny Schwartz all stayed on from the previous season. Both Matt Fusfeld and Alex Cuthbertson received their first writing credit for the series. Directors Pam Cooke, Josh Aoshima, Tim Parsons, Rodney Clouden, Albert Calleros, Joe Daniello, and Bob Bowen all stayed with the show from the previous season. David Hemingson left the series, and went on to co-direct for other television shows, notably How I Met Your Mother
, and went on to create a short-lived television series, entitled The Deep End
.
The main cast consisted of Seth MacFarlane (Stan Smith, Roger, Greg Corbin, among others), Wendy Schaal
(Francine Smith), Rachael MacFarlane
(Hayley Smith, among others), Scott Grimes
(Steve Smith) and Dee Bradley Baker
(Klaus Heissler, among others). Several new characters were created and introduced in season four. The character of Sidney—a persona of Roger who escapes to start a life of his own—was introduced in the episode "The One That Got Away
". He was voiced by the series creator Seth MacFarlane. Avery Bullock's wife, Mariam, who was kidnapped and held hostage by terrorists for three years, was also introduced and voiced by Jean Smart
. Amy, one of Lisa Silver's friends and a frequent bully of Steve, was introduced during this season. Amanda Seyfried
provided the voice for the character. J.K. Simmons provided the voice of Mr. McCreary, the founder and chairman of a local Bible
print shop, and Reginald the Koala, another "volunteer" from the CIA's secret brain-swap program. He is voiced by Donald Fullilove
until midway through next season, where writer Erik Durbin provides the voice. Other guest stars who made multiple appearances as recurring characters from previous seasons were Patrick Stewart
as Avery Bullock, the boss of Stan at the CIA and Mike Barker as Terry Bates, who briefly returned in the episode "Daddy Queerest".
The opening sequence of the series was revamped. Instead of Stan picking up a newspaper with a different headline on it, there is now a recurring gag of Roger appearing in different disguises from under the dashboard
. Stan's interaction with the family and his commute from his house to the CIA
have also been modified.
, which was viewed by 6.07 million viewers upon its original airing. In the weeks following "1600 Candles", the total viewership ratings hovered right under 7 million. The fourth episode of the season, "Choosy Wives Choose Smith", garnered the highest ratings of the season, having been watched by 7.09 million viewers. This would be the highest rated American Dad! episode since the season three episode "Tearjerker
", as this episode received 8.62 million viewers upon its initial airing. The ninth episode of the season, "Stan Time", gained the lowest amount of viewers of the season with 4.60 million viewers. The average total viewership for the season per episode was 5.5 million viewers, and the season average for ratings in the 18-49 demographic per episode was a 2.9 rating. The average rating increased by 20% from the previous season. However, the average total viewership would decrease by 16% from the previous season.
Reviews for the episodes, as well as the season as a whole, were met with mixed reception from critics. In his review for the season, Hunter Daniels of Collider gave it a mixed review. He opined: "American Dad is not a great show. However, it’s pretty funny on occasion. This set is about on par with the other seasons and might well be worth a purchase for hardcore fans and completeists. If you think you will like it, you will. If you’re on the fence [...] it’s probably only a rental." R.L. Shaffer of IGN
said that "American Dad comes from the weird and wicked mind of Seth MacFarlane, who brought us the irreverent and often puerile powerhouse Family Guy [...], and like the show[s], American Dad offers a supreme dose of silly mockery that's occasionally offensive [...] and outrageously wacky through-and-through." However, he criticized the show for having similar problem that he thought existed in Family Guy. Shaffer opined: "American Dad suffers from many of the same problems as Family Guy. The show quite often stumbles into territory it's simply not mature enough to handle. And because the show already plays like Family Guy 2.0, the characters and settings aren't quite original enough to keep the material fresh." He gave the release a 6 out of 10, signifying a "passable" score.
Kevin Stanley of Cinema.com gave the season a very positive review, writing, "Overall American Dad is consistently funny and amusing, it’s certainly in my opinion, currently the best animated comedy
and has been for some time. It is literally laugh-a-minute stuff, which can’t be said for all TV shows, even the one’s that do bill themselves as comedy. The moments of perfect pitch-black humour
, that pop up every so often, are worth the cost of the boxset alone." From the selection of season four episode of the Volume Four DVD box set, he called "1600 Candles" and "The One That Got Away
" as the highlights. Steve Heisler of The A.V. Club
generally reacted positively to the majority of American Dad! episodes of the fourth season. He gave the highest grades to the episodes "Delorean Story-an" and "Choosy Wives Choose Smith", which was an 'A'.
The Parents Television Council
, a frequent critic of American Dad! and other television programs created by Seth MacFarlane
, called "Pulling Double Booty", "Stan Time", "One Little Word", and "Jack's Back", as the "Worst TV Show of the Week," a title frequently given to the series by the group. In several of their reviews for the episode, the writers of the Parents Television Council went on to react negatively to the series as a whole, describing it as "cringe-worthy", "vile", and "one of the most offensive programs on television today."
in 2009. It competed against Robot Chicken
, The Simpsons
and South Park
at the 61st Primetime Emmy Awards
, which was held September 12, 2009. The South Park episode "Margaritaville
" ultimately won the award.
in the United States and Canada on April 28, 2009, nearly a year after the production of the third season was finished. The "Volume Four" DVD release features bonus material including deleted scene
s, animatics
, and commentaries for every episode.
The remaining fourteen episodes of the fourth season were released under the title "Volume Five" by 20th Century Fox in the United States and Canada on June 15, 2010, a month after they had completed broadcast on television. The DVD release also features bonus material including deleted scenes, commentaries, and two mini-games.
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
network from September 28, 2008 to May 27, 2009. The season consisted of twenty episodes and was released as two DVD box sets and in syndication. American Dad!
American Dad!
American Dad! is an American animated television series created by Seth MacFarlane and owned by Underdog Productions and Fuzzy Door Productions. It is produced in association with 20th Century Fox Television...
follows the dysfunctional Smith family—father Stan
Stan Smith (American Dad!)
Stan Smith is a character from the animated television series American Dad!. Stan is a Central Intelligence Agency officer. Although once a case officer, he is now a weapons expert. Stan is voiced by the series' creator and executive producer, Seth MacFarlane.-Summary:Stan Smith born 12 February,...
, mother Francine
Francine Smith
Francine Smith is a fictional character on the animated television series American Dad!. She is the wife of Stan Smith and the mother of Steve and Hayley. Francine is voiced by Wendy Schaal.-Fictional character biography:...
, daughter Hayley
Hayley Smith (American Dad!)
Hayley Dreamsmasher Smith Fischer is a character from the animated television series American Dad!. She is voiced by Rachael MacFarlane, the younger sister of one of the series co-creators, Seth MacFarlane....
, son Steve
Steve Smith (American Dad!)
Steven Anita “Steve” Smith is a character from the animated television series American Dad!. He is Stan and Francine Smith's only son and Hayley's younger brother as well as the youngest of the series' 6 main characters. Steve is voiced by Scott Grimes.According to TVTDB.com, Steve's original...
, the pet fish Klaus, and alien Roger, all of whom reside in their hometown of Langley Falls, Virginia. The fourth season, which premiered with the episode "1600 Candles
1600 Candles
"1600 Candles" is the fourth season episode premiere of the animated series American Dad!. It premiered on September 28, 2008, and is the first episode to feature the new opening sequence...
" and ended with "Stan's Night Out
Stan's Night Out
Stan's Night Out is the twentieth episode of the fourth season of the animated series American Dad! and the fourth season finale. The episode aired on May 17, 2009 on Fox.-Plot:...
", was executive produced by David Zuckerman
David Zuckerman
David Zuckerman is a farmer and a Progressive member of the Vermont House of Representatives, representing Chittenden-3-4 district. He grew up in Brookline, Massachusetts where he attended Brookline High School.-Career:...
, Kenny Schwartz, Rick Wiener, Richard Appel
Richard Appel
Richard "Rich" Appel is an American writer, producer and former attorney. Growing up in Wilmette, Illinois, Appel developed a love of comedy and dreamt of a career as a comedy writer; he attended Harvard University and wrote for the Harvard Lampoon. Following in his mother's footsteps Appel...
, Matt Weitzman
Matt Weitzman
Matt Weitzman is one of the creators of American Dad!, and one of the original writers of Family Guy. Matt has written on twelve television shows including Daddy Dearest, Off Centre and Damon. He has also written several films including Freebie.Matt Weitzman was born in Los Angeles, California...
, Mike Barker, and series creator Seth MacFarlane
Seth MacFarlane
Seth Woodbury MacFarlane is an American animator, writer, comedian, producer, actor, singer, voice actor, and director best known for creating the animated sitcoms Family Guy, American Dad! and The Cleveland Show, for which he also voices many of the shows' various characters.A native of Kent,...
. Weitzman and Barker served at the season's showrunners.
Season four satirized various political and social topics, including incest
Incest
Incest is sexual intercourse between close relatives that is usually illegal in the jurisdiction where it takes place and/or is conventionally considered a taboo. The term may apply to sexual activities between: individuals of close "blood relationship"; members of the same household; step...
, the coming out
Coming out
Coming out is a figure of speech for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people's disclosure of their sexual orientation and/or gender identity....
aspect of homosexuality, and appeal to fear
Appeal to fear
An appeal to fear is a fallacy in which a person attempts to create support for an idea by using deception and propaganda in attempts to increase fear and prejudice toward a competitor. The appeal to fear is common in marketing and politics...
propaganda
Propaganda
Propaganda is a form of communication that is aimed at influencing the attitude of a community toward some cause or position so as to benefit oneself or one's group....
. The season received was met with mixed to positive reception from critics. Some went on to criticize the show for the level of inconsistency. However, the overall development of the show during this season was praised by critics, saying that "the show has grown into its own over the past seasons." The season contains some of the series' most controversial episodes, as the Parents Television Council
Parents Television Council
The Parents Television Council is a U.S. based advocacy group founded by conservative activist L. Brent Bozell III in 1995 using the National Legion of Decency as a model...
, a frequent critic of the show, went on to dub "Pulling Double Booty
Pulling Double Booty
"Pulling Double Booty" is the sixth episode of the fourth season of the animated comedy series American Dad!. It first aired in the United States on Fox on November 16, 2008. This story centers around Hayley, who goes on a rampage shortly after Jeff breaks up with her...
", "Stan Time", "One Little Word
One Little Word (American Dad!)
"One Little Word" is the third episode of the fourth season of American Dad!, it aired on Fox in the United States on October 19, 2008. The episode plot mainly revolves around Stan not being able to say NO as he tries to become and stay Bullock's "Number One".-Plot:Stan wishes to become Bullock's...
", and "Jack's Back" as the "Worst TV Show of the Week". The season also contained some of the series' most acclaimed episodes, including "Choosy Wives Choose Smith", "Live and Let Fry", "Delorean Story-an", and "Stan Time". The season premiere was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program (for Programming Less Than One Hour)
Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program (For Programming less than One Hour)
The Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program is a Creative Arts Emmy Award which is given annually to an animated series which is judged to have been the best...
in 2009.
The Volume Four DVD box set was released in Region 1 on April 28, 2009, Region 2 on April 20, 2009 and Region 4 on November 18, 2009. Six of the twenty-one episodes are included in the volume. The remaining fourteen episodes of the season were released on the Volume Five DVD box set, released in Region 1 on June 15, 2010, Region 2 on June 14, 2010 and Region 4 on November 3, 2010.
Production
During the third season, episodes of American Dad! and its sister show, Family GuyFamily Guy
Family Guy is an American animated television series created by Seth MacFarlane for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series centers on the Griffins, a dysfunctional family consisting of parents Peter and Lois; their children Meg, Chris, and Stewie; and their anthropomorphic pet dog Brian...
were delayed from regular broadcast due to the 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike
2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike
The 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike, more commonly referred to as simply the Writers' Strike, was a strike by the Writers Guild of America, East and the Writers Guild of America, West ....
. Seth MacFarlane
Seth MacFarlane
Seth Woodbury MacFarlane is an American animator, writer, comedian, producer, actor, singer, voice actor, and director best known for creating the animated sitcoms Family Guy, American Dad! and The Cleveland Show, for which he also voices many of the shows' various characters.A native of Kent,...
, the creator of the series, publicly sided with the Writers Guild
Writers Guild of America
The Writers Guild of America is a generic term referring to the joint efforts of two different US labor unions:* The Writers Guild of America, East , representing TV and film writers East of the Mississippi....
, and fully participated in the strike and other events pertaining to the issue. The official production of American Dad! started to dwindle as of February 2008, with a delay in production becoming imminent through much of March and April of that same year. The strike ended on February 12, 2008 and the series resumed airing regularly within a few months.
Production for the fourth season began in 2008, during the airing of the third season
American Dad! (season 3)
American Dad!'s third season aired from September 23, 2007 to May 18, 2008.The season consisted of sixteen episodes. The first half of the season is included within the Volume Three DVD box set, which was released on April 15, 2008 and the second half is included within the Volume Four DVD box set,...
. The season was executive produced by series regulars David Zuckerman
David Zuckerman
David Zuckerman is a farmer and a Progressive member of the Vermont House of Representatives, representing Chittenden-3-4 district. He grew up in Brookline, Massachusetts where he attended Brookline High School.-Career:...
, Kenny Schwartz, Rick Wiener, Richard Appel
Richard Appel
Richard "Rich" Appel is an American writer, producer and former attorney. Growing up in Wilmette, Illinois, Appel developed a love of comedy and dreamt of a career as a comedy writer; he attended Harvard University and wrote for the Harvard Lampoon. Following in his mother's footsteps Appel...
, Matt Weitzman
Matt Weitzman
Matt Weitzman is one of the creators of American Dad!, and one of the original writers of Family Guy. Matt has written on twelve television shows including Daddy Dearest, Off Centre and Damon. He has also written several films including Freebie.Matt Weitzman was born in Los Angeles, California...
, Mike Barker, and series creator Seth MacFarlane
Seth MacFarlane
Seth Woodbury MacFarlane is an American animator, writer, comedian, producer, actor, singer, voice actor, and director best known for creating the animated sitcoms Family Guy, American Dad! and The Cleveland Show, for which he also voices many of the shows' various characters.A native of Kent,...
. The showrunners for the season were Weitzman and Barker. As production began Matt Weitzman, Jim Birnstein, Chris and Matt McKenna, Brian Boyle, Laura McCreary, Jonathan Fener, Erik Durbin, David Zuckerman and Kenny Schwartz all stayed on from the previous season. Both Matt Fusfeld and Alex Cuthbertson received their first writing credit for the series. Directors Pam Cooke, Josh Aoshima, Tim Parsons, Rodney Clouden, Albert Calleros, Joe Daniello, and Bob Bowen all stayed with the show from the previous season. David Hemingson left the series, and went on to co-direct for other television shows, notably How I Met Your Mother
How I Met Your Mother
How I Met Your Mother is an American sitcom that premiered on CBS on September 19, 2005, created by Craig Thomas and Carter Bays.As a framing device, the main character, Ted Mosby with narration by Bob Saget, in the year 2030 recounts to his son and daughter the events that led to his meeting...
, and went on to create a short-lived television series, entitled The Deep End
The Deep End (TV series)
The Deep End is an American television series created by David Hemingson and produced by 20th Century Fox Television for the ABC television network...
.
The main cast consisted of Seth MacFarlane (Stan Smith, Roger, Greg Corbin, among others), Wendy Schaal
Wendy Schaal
Wendy Schaal is an American actress and voice actress. She is best known as the voice of Francine Smith in the TV series American Dad!.-Personal life:...
(Francine Smith), Rachael MacFarlane
Rachael MacFarlane
Rachael Ann MacFarlane is an American voice actress best known for her appearances in Codename: Kids Next Door as supreme leader Numbuh 362 and the FOX animated series Family Guy and American Dad!, both created and executive-produced by her older brother Seth MacFarlane.Aside from voice acting,...
(Hayley Smith, among others), Scott Grimes
Scott Grimes
Scott Richard Grimes is an American actor, voice artist and singer. Some of his most prominent roles are his appearances in ER as Dr. Archie Morris, Party of Five as Will McCorkle, Band of Brothers as Technical Sergeant Donald Malarkey, and the popular animated sitcom American Dad!, voicing Steve...
(Steve Smith) and Dee Bradley Baker
Dee Bradley Baker
Dee Bradley Baker is an American voice actor. He is noted as his long-running-role as Klaus Heissler in American Dad! and other various characters including Squilliam Fancyson in the hit TV series SpongeBob SquarePants, Nightcrawler in X-Men: Legends and Marvel: Ultimate Alliance...
(Klaus Heissler, among others). Several new characters were created and introduced in season four. The character of Sidney—a persona of Roger who escapes to start a life of his own—was introduced in the episode "The One That Got Away
The One That Got Away (American Dad!)
"The One That Got Away" is the second episode of the fourth season of the animated television series American Dad! It originally aired on Fox in the United States on October 5, 2008. In the episode, Roger's credit card is maxed out and he is certain it is identity theft. He vows revenge and...
". He was voiced by the series creator Seth MacFarlane. Avery Bullock's wife, Mariam, who was kidnapped and held hostage by terrorists for three years, was also introduced and voiced by Jean Smart
Jean Smart
Jean E. Smart is an American film, television, and stage actress. She is known for her comedic roles, one of the best known being her role as Charlene Frazier Stillfield on the CBS sitcom Designing Women. She later gained critical acclaim for dramatic work, with her portrayal of Martha Logan on 24...
. Amy, one of Lisa Silver's friends and a frequent bully of Steve, was introduced during this season. Amanda Seyfried
Amanda Seyfried
Amanda Michelle Seyfried is an American actress, singer-songwriter and former child model. She began her career as a child model when she was 11, and at 15 began her career as an actress, starting off with uncredited roles and moving on to recurring roles on As the World Turns and All My...
provided the voice for the character. J.K. Simmons provided the voice of Mr. McCreary, the founder and chairman of a local Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
print shop, and Reginald the Koala, another "volunteer" from the CIA's secret brain-swap program. He is voiced by Donald Fullilove
Donald Fullilove
Donald "Don" Fullilove is an American film and voice actor who has had a role in numerous projects over the course of his forty-year plus career in both films and television...
until midway through next season, where writer Erik Durbin provides the voice. Other guest stars who made multiple appearances as recurring characters from previous seasons were Patrick Stewart
Patrick Stewart
Sir Patrick Hewes Stewart, OBE is an English film, television and stage actor, who has had a distinguished career in theatre and television for around half a century...
as Avery Bullock, the boss of Stan at the CIA and Mike Barker as Terry Bates, who briefly returned in the episode "Daddy Queerest".
The opening sequence of the series was revamped. Instead of Stan picking up a newspaper with a different headline on it, there is now a recurring gag of Roger appearing in different disguises from under the dashboard
Dashboard
A dashboard is a control panel placed in front of the driver of an automobile, housing instrumentation and controls for operation of the vehicle....
. Stan's interaction with the family and his commute from his house to the CIA
Central Intelligence Agency
The Central Intelligence Agency is a civilian intelligence agency of the United States government. It is an executive agency and reports directly to the Director of National Intelligence, responsible for providing national security intelligence assessment to senior United States policymakers...
have also been modified.
Reception
The season premiere for the fourth season of American Dad! received 6.89 million viewers upon its initial airing, the second highest viewed episode of the season. The total viewership for the episode significantly increased from the third season premiereThe Vacation Goo
"The Vacation Goo" is the eleventh episode of the third season of the animated series American Dad!. It originally aired on September 30, 2007. This episode centers around the Smiths, whom start to develop communication issues with each other. Francine becomes aggravated that the family cannot...
, which was viewed by 6.07 million viewers upon its original airing. In the weeks following "1600 Candles", the total viewership ratings hovered right under 7 million. The fourth episode of the season, "Choosy Wives Choose Smith", garnered the highest ratings of the season, having been watched by 7.09 million viewers. This would be the highest rated American Dad! episode since the season three episode "Tearjerker
Tearjerker (American Dad!)
"Tearjerker" is the tenth episode of the third season of the animated comedy series American Dad!. It originally aired on Fox in the United States on January 13, 2008...
", as this episode received 8.62 million viewers upon its initial airing. The ninth episode of the season, "Stan Time", gained the lowest amount of viewers of the season with 4.60 million viewers. The average total viewership for the season per episode was 5.5 million viewers, and the season average for ratings in the 18-49 demographic per episode was a 2.9 rating. The average rating increased by 20% from the previous season. However, the average total viewership would decrease by 16% from the previous season.
Reviews for the episodes, as well as the season as a whole, were met with mixed reception from critics. In his review for the season, Hunter Daniels of Collider gave it a mixed review. He opined: "American Dad is not a great show. However, it’s pretty funny on occasion. This set is about on par with the other seasons and might well be worth a purchase for hardcore fans and completeists. If you think you will like it, you will. If you’re on the fence [...] it’s probably only a rental." R.L. Shaffer of IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
said that "American Dad comes from the weird and wicked mind of Seth MacFarlane, who brought us the irreverent and often puerile powerhouse Family Guy [...], and like the show[s], American Dad offers a supreme dose of silly mockery that's occasionally offensive [...] and outrageously wacky through-and-through." However, he criticized the show for having similar problem that he thought existed in Family Guy. Shaffer opined: "American Dad suffers from many of the same problems as Family Guy. The show quite often stumbles into territory it's simply not mature enough to handle. And because the show already plays like Family Guy 2.0, the characters and settings aren't quite original enough to keep the material fresh." He gave the release a 6 out of 10, signifying a "passable" score.
Kevin Stanley of Cinema.com gave the season a very positive review, writing, "Overall American Dad is consistently funny and amusing, it’s certainly in my opinion, currently the best animated comedy
Comedy
Comedy , as a popular meaning, is any humorous discourse or work generally intended to amuse by creating laughter, especially in television, film, and stand-up comedy. This must be carefully distinguished from its academic definition, namely the comic theatre, whose Western origins are found in...
and has been for some time. It is literally laugh-a-minute stuff, which can’t be said for all TV shows, even the one’s that do bill themselves as comedy. The moments of perfect pitch-black humour
Black comedy
A black comedy, or dark comedy, is a comic work that employs black humor or gallows humor. The definition of black humor is problematic; it has been argued that it corresponds to the earlier concept of gallows humor; and that, as humor has been defined since Freud as a comedic act that anesthetizes...
, that pop up every so often, are worth the cost of the boxset alone." From the selection of season four episode of the Volume Four DVD box set, he called "1600 Candles" and "The One That Got Away
The One That Got Away (American Dad!)
"The One That Got Away" is the second episode of the fourth season of the animated television series American Dad! It originally aired on Fox in the United States on October 5, 2008. In the episode, Roger's credit card is maxed out and he is certain it is identity theft. He vows revenge and...
" as the highlights. Steve Heisler of The A.V. Club
The A.V. Club
The A.V. Club is an entertainment newspaper and website published by The Onion. Its features include reviews of new films, music, television, books, games and DVDs, as well as interviews and other regular offerings examining both new and classic media and other elements of pop culture. Unlike its...
generally reacted positively to the majority of American Dad! episodes of the fourth season. He gave the highest grades to the episodes "Delorean Story-an" and "Choosy Wives Choose Smith", which was an 'A'.
The Parents Television Council
Parents Television Council
The Parents Television Council is a U.S. based advocacy group founded by conservative activist L. Brent Bozell III in 1995 using the National Legion of Decency as a model...
, a frequent critic of American Dad! and other television programs created by Seth MacFarlane
Seth MacFarlane
Seth Woodbury MacFarlane is an American animator, writer, comedian, producer, actor, singer, voice actor, and director best known for creating the animated sitcoms Family Guy, American Dad! and The Cleveland Show, for which he also voices many of the shows' various characters.A native of Kent,...
, called "Pulling Double Booty", "Stan Time", "One Little Word", and "Jack's Back", as the "Worst TV Show of the Week," a title frequently given to the series by the group. In several of their reviews for the episode, the writers of the Parents Television Council went on to react negatively to the series as a whole, describing it as "cringe-worthy", "vile", and "one of the most offensive programs on television today."
Awards and nominations
The fourth season premiere, "1600 Candles", was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program (for Programming Less Than One Hour)Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program (For Programming less than One Hour)
The Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program is a Creative Arts Emmy Award which is given annually to an animated series which is judged to have been the best...
in 2009. It competed against Robot Chicken
Robot Chicken
Robot Chicken is an American stop motion animated television series created and executive produced by Seth Green and Matthew Senreich along with co-head writers Douglas Goldstein and Tom Root. Green provides many voices for the show...
, The Simpsons
The Simpsons
The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...
and South Park
South Park
South Park is an American animated television series created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone for the Comedy Central television network. Intended for mature audiences, the show has become famous for its crude language, surreal, satirical, and dark humor that lampoons a wide range of topics...
at the 61st Primetime Emmy Awards
61st Primetime Emmy Awards
The 61st Annual Primetime Emmy Awards took place on September 20, 2009. CBS broadcast the Primetime event and E! the Creative Arts event; both take place at Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles, California. The nominations for the Awards were announced on July 16....
, which was held September 12, 2009. The South Park episode "Margaritaville
Margaritaville (South Park)
"Margaritaville" is the third episode of the thirteenth season of the American animated television series South Park, and the 184th overall episode of the series. It originally aired on Comedy Central in the United States on March 25, 2009. The episode is a satire and commentary on the global...
" ultimately won the award.
Episodes
| No. in series |
No. in season |
Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | Production code |
U.S. viewers (million) |
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DVD release
The first six episodes of the fourth season and the last eight episode of the third season were released on DVD by 20th Century Fox20th Century Fox
Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation — also known as 20th Century Fox, or simply 20th or Fox — is one of the six major American film studios...
in the United States and Canada on April 28, 2009, nearly a year after the production of the third season was finished. The "Volume Four" DVD release features bonus material including deleted scene
Deleted scene
In Entertainment, especially the film and television industry, Deleted scenes are parts of a film removed or censored from or replaced by another scene in the final "cut", or version, of a film...
s, animatics
Traditional animation
Traditional animation, is an animation technique where each frame is drawn by hand...
, and commentaries for every episode.
The remaining fourteen episodes of the fourth season were released under the title "Volume Five" by 20th Century Fox in the United States and Canada on June 15, 2010, a month after they had completed broadcast on television. The DVD release also features bonus material including deleted scenes, commentaries, and two mini-games.
| American Dad Volume Four | ||||
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Comic-Con International San Diego Comic-Con International, also known as Comic-Con International: San Diego , and commonly known as Comic-Con or the San Diego Comic-Con, was founded as the Golden State Comic Book Convention and later the San Diego Comic Book Convention in 1970 by Shel Dorf and a group of San Diegans... |
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| Region 1 DVD region code DVD region codes are a digital-rights management technique designed to allow film distributors to control aspects of a release, including content, release date, and price, according to the region... |
Region 2 DVD region code DVD region codes are a digital-rights management technique designed to allow film distributors to control aspects of a release, including content, release date, and price, according to the region... |
Region 4 DVD region code DVD region codes are a digital-rights management technique designed to allow film distributors to control aspects of a release, including content, release date, and price, according to the region... |
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| American Dad Volume Five | ||||
| Set details | Special features | |||
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| Release dates | ||||
| Region 1 DVD region code DVD region codes are a digital-rights management technique designed to allow film distributors to control aspects of a release, including content, release date, and price, according to the region... |
Region 2 DVD region code DVD region codes are a digital-rights management technique designed to allow film distributors to control aspects of a release, including content, release date, and price, according to the region... |
Region 4 DVD region code DVD region codes are a digital-rights management technique designed to allow film distributors to control aspects of a release, including content, release date, and price, according to the region... |
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See also
- List of American Dad! episodes
- American Dad!American Dad!American Dad! is an American animated television series created by Seth MacFarlane and owned by Underdog Productions and Fuzzy Door Productions. It is produced in association with 20th Century Fox Television...