American Dad!

Because he too has standards.

Three months minimum.

Rodger is Steve's father.

Care to elaborate on that theory?

Rodger has already shown that he can impregnate a human, and Steve differs from Stan in all the areas where he is more like Rodger.

I have to say, of the Seth Mcfarlane shows, I think American Dad is the best. My only issue though is, ironically, they tend to fall into Strawman Has a Point sometimes when they go into an Author Tract. The one that stood out to most is the Minimum Wage episode. I agree, minimum wage is not something people can live off of with this Country's cost of living, but Jeff and Haley were being freeloaders.

I have to say, i'm in constant contradiction with this show, meaning that i see POV and agree with it, but then I see the other POV and agree with that.

Stan is a horrible, overbearing, overly-controlling, insensitive jerk who represents nearly all of the bad aspects that the USA has been pegged with. Every time he does his "thing", i just wish someone would beat him up. But at the same time, i do see some of the points he makes at times; in one episode, it's implied that everyone else in the family thinks that Roger is worth the risk of going to prison for harboring him just to honor him if he died, but i think that Stan was right to try and cover up he ever existed.

On one hand, i feel sorry for Steve whenever Stan is too hard on him or when his friends desert him or when girls turn him down. But at the same time, i also see that Steve is a complete disappointment and embarrassment in almost every single way; he's a wimp and a pervert, who has no respect for women at all.

On one hand, I feel that Hayley makes some good points against Stan, but on the other, she's almost exactly like him. She always thinks that her POV is right and everyone else's is wrong and she cares nothing for anyone else's feelings or opinions.

Francine comes off as nicer and more accepting than Stan, but at the same time, i find her to be a bit too demanding at times.

The key is that the show does not forget the humanity of its own characters, or if it does, not nearly as often, unlike Family Guy. Less reliance on cutaway gags also forces the humor to be more character-driven, which is always better.

"Joint Custody" will still be the crowner episode for the series.

I think the problem stems more from the fact it makes a two way argument...and then still makes Stan completely in the wrong and the only one to apologize in pretty much every single episode.

Hayley could have made an interesting concept and subversion of the Liberal preference Seth has been accused of, but the problem is they make her Not So Different, and then still let her win and get her way every time, which not only derives from the point, but makes an insufferable Designated Hero since she's always enabled. I can kinda see why she ended up Demoted to Extra (even if it seems odd they'd revert to that over just...you know... letting her be wrong sometimes).

It also suffers as much from The Unfair Sex as Family Guy, and at least that show has took it to such a level it's started deconstructing it or plays it tongue in cheek enough to pass.

edited 18th Feb '14 5:00:14 PM by Psi001

The devil doesn't already have it a dozen times over?

It must be a bureaucratic mixup.

I'll never understand why the Smith family likes Roger, he's a complete jerk who deserves the consequences of whatever mess he gets himself into

Because they're too busy making sure Stan gets his Aesop instead.

Say what you want about their reasons for these Aesops but they just send the wrong message from where i stand.

In the "Ricky Spanish" episode, Steve was sticking to the ideal that people can change if given the chance, which is a good lesson to go by. It teaches that redemption is not lost on anyone, but Roger ends up sending the message that people never change, which is a terrible lesson. As bad as his "if you're likable, it doesn't matter what terrible things you do" lesson, which again is a terrible message.

In the Gorilla episode, they make a valid point about being a father to your child, but make it send the wrong message. Being a parent means setting boundaries for your child so that they don't end up as failures and crooks, that much is true. But that doesn't mean you have to be an authority figure 24/7, you can still be a friend to your son/daughter too. Be a person that they'd feel comfortable talking to, be a person that'd enjoy hanging around, be a person that they would genuinely trust and respect instead of just fear. Stan has proven time and again that he can't be trusted, he shouldn't be respected and that no one is safe around him.

I never understood why people are always harping on about bad messages sent by certain shows. This is a comedy aimed at adults. There doesn't NEED to be a message or an Aesop. Providing laughs should be the number one priority and if playing a warped Aesop for laughs is the way to achieve that, so be it. I want to laugh, not learn a lesson that I learned years ago anyways.

edited 9th May '14 10:42:17 AM by redhed311

Not to mention that Roger will literally die if he ever learns a lesson about his behavior.

Would serve him right is all i'm saying

Thank you.

I think it's more the problem it's not always Played For Laughs. It garners the same problem Family Guy and South Park suffer in that it plays things sadistically and tongue in cheek and still tries to play an earnest message after all of it.

You have to admit it's getting monotonous making Stan wrong about everything. There's even episodes that meticulously twist things around in fear someone else might fall victim instead of keeping to the formula.

edited 9th May '14 1:49:22 PM by Psi001

Like that guy said, to be fair these shows are aimed at "Adults" individuals who are too old to be learning Aesops and should be intelligent and mature enough to be able to handle this humor and type of story telling without being warped. It seems a lot of you are thinking it in terms of how you watched shows like this as young and the type of lessons they give when you have to remember these shows aren't for children.

Once again you people are blaming the shows and not the poor parenting of the adults/guardians monitoring what their children watch. Stop blaming the TV and blame the people who don't know how to be parents nowadays.

edited 10th May '14 10:51:48 AM by qtjinla15

Exactly. I couldn't have said it better myself.

I think the age of a lot of posters here is a major factor too. They don't remember a time in which kids shows didn't shove morals down the viewer's throats. Personally, I don't think that even kids shows need morals all of the time. It's not TV's job to educate.

edited 10th May '14 11:00:29 AM by redhed311

To be honest, a LOT of the shows I grew up with didn't shove morals down your throats either. Look at, say, The Grim Adventures Of Billy And Mandy, which was an excellent dark comedy. Rarely, if ever, were there morals, and the show was all the better for it. And, to be honest, when a lot of the shows I loved did do morals they didn't shove them down your throat either.

I think there's too many Bronies on this here site. That may be why everyone's so concerned about morals.

Regardless, though, if you let the TV educate your kids... you're a terrible parent.

edited 10th May '14 4:19:38 PM by Aldo930

As said though the problem is that it still shoves Aesops in there anyway, and they're broken in a manner that isn't part of the joke, and just makes the show more formulaic and the characters more unlikable, again in a manner that's NOT a punchline. I wouldn't mind if the whole point of them delivering bad messages played part into the humor and charm, it would hardly be the first, but it just seems to be shoddy writing and Hypocritical Humor without the humor. Adult show or not, it's still a mistake and something that bogs it down.

People didn't get sick of Wheeler because him being wrong gave a bad message to little kiddies, it was because skewing the rules of universe just to make this poor loser always wrong (even if it meant enabling some other asswipe) made the story insufferable.

I mean most of fans of Family Guy despise Lois and even for her they have odd times they admit "okay Peter was right and Lois was just being an ass". Peter Griffin is allowed to have a point more than Stan.

edited 10th May '14 6:05:39 PM by Psi001

Honestly, I don't really care about all that "morality" bullcrap. I still really enjoy this show.

Why are you guys watching comedy shows for morality? Comedy is built on suffering.

I'm not big fan of suffering comedy but even I know that morality is the least thing that comes to mind when regarding comedy. Also I like this show alot too. I do argree the character's are jerks but I don't care because they make me laugh and if the show itself doesn't take itself seriously at all why should I?.

edited 10th May '14 6:52:34 PM by danjo

I blame the Bronies. Damn show has the moral spelled out at the end of each episode. Given that so many people are calling it one of the best shows out today...

But in seriousness, you've at least said the truth. If the coming generation doesn't find slapstick funny, there is no reason to continue history.

edited 10th May '14 6:53:39 PM by Aldo930