That Best American Dad Episodes that Made Audiences Howl | Wealth of Geeks

After almost twenty years and a jump from Fox to TBS, American Dad still makes fans want to jump out of bed and say, “Good morning, USA!”

With so many episodes, finding the best of the best can stump even the most incredible American heroes. So try not to crash into the flag pole whiling giving a big salute to the all-time greatest American Dad episodes.

1. Independent Movie

The show’s crew flexes their directing ability in this episode by making a perfect parody of the stereotypical indie movie style. They nail everything from the visual style to the story structure. Snot gets some much-appreciated depth to his character, while a B-plot involving Stan, Roger, and Toshi’s dad fits snugly into the margins.

2. Irregarding Steve

With the illusion that Stan knows everything shattered, Steve and Roger run away to New York to make it rich off of their “genius” minds. It’s satisfying to see their overconfidence shattered, but in the end, fans will cheer that they made it back home and learned to appreciate their family again.

3. Not Particularly Deadly Housewives

This episode gives viewers one of Linda Memari’s few major episode roles before the show drops her from the cast. She has excellent chemistry with Francine, and fans will always remember how she saved Francine’s life with a well-timed kiss.

4. Tears of a Clooney

Celebrity-based American Dad episodes have a rough reputation, but the show rocked it with this one. Stan uses his CIA knowledge and resources to help Francine plot her revenge against actor George Clooney. The main plot works as a great spy story with an action-packed crescendo while still having the signature American Dad heart. The episode also features a spectacular B-plot involving Hayley fighting cancer while Roger uses orphan labor to start a vineyard.

5. Stan & Francine & Connie & Ted

After years of hearing about Barry’s terrible parents, fans finally see them in this episode. Stan and Francine immediately hit it off with them, triggering a series of events that culminates with the return of Evil Barry. The chaotic sequence when Steve “goes bananas” will have fans on the floor with laugher.

6. Dope & Faith

Stan meets a friend named Brett, perfect for him in every way except one: his new bud doesn’t believe in God. Stan sets in motion a plot to make his friend’s life as miserable as possible to drive Brett to religion. What a shame that Brett got killed off in a later episode because the resolution at the end gave him so much potential. The B-plot, where Steve creates illicit substances as a “Hogwarts student,” elevates this episode even further.

7. Black Mystery Month

Steve uncovers a conspiracy to hide the true origin of peanut butter. He goes on a National Treasure-style adventure to spread the truth before the “Illuminuti” can stop him. The absurd plot brings in plenty of laughs plus another great father/son bonding story with Stan and Steve.

8. The One That Got Away

Roger’s personas have made themselves such an indispensable part of American Dad, and the show digging deep into them provides even more enjoyment. Roger’s persona, Sidney Huffman, goes rogue, and the two personalities battle it out.

9. Escape From Pearl Bailey

Steve’s girlfriend, Debbie, added a lot to his character. But unfortunately, the show discarded her far too soon. That makes her major inclusion in this episode extra special. Adding on a The Warriors-inspired escape plot with Steve’s friend’s group makes this episode hold a prime spot in our hearts.

10. CIAPOW

It can sometimes feel like the show forgets about Stan’s CIA career, so getting to see a whole episode dedicated to a mission reminds audiences of what his job can add to the show. The episode contains some top-notch action and comedy with Stan’s work buddies, who rarely get much screentime.

11. Cops and Roger

Stan whips Roger into shape so he can join the police force to make up for an embarrassing show of cowardice at the mall. Roger never misses an opportunity to take things too far, so he goes crooked almost immediately. This episode has great chemistry between Roger and Stan, showing a rare mutual respect between the two that.

12. F-rt-Break Hotel

Getting a surprise vacation thanks to Roger’s toxic flatulence ruining the house, Francine decides to try on a new life for size. It provides a great character study as Francine steals the identity of a concrete industry businesswoman. She even sees what it would be like to abandon her family for this new identity. The episode also includes a great B-plot where Steve falls in love with a Patrick Nagel painting and travels back in time to find the model.

13. Home Wrecker

American Dad took the cliché plot of two feuding characters splitting their living space in two and dialed it up to the extreme. Stan and Francine’s design tastes almost tear their relationship in two as they divide their home between the two styles with a brick wall separating them.

Who doesn’t love the montage of them speedrunning through the major holidays? But the heart of the episode lies with the love between Stan and Francine winning in the end.

14. Less Money, Mo’ Problems

Everyone who thinks poor people should simply pull themselves up from their bootstraps should watch this episode. Stan and Francine try to live off of a single minimum wage income to prove that Hayley and Jeff can move out. The two quickly get humbled as they crater into poverty, and Stan turns to addiction and crime.

15. For Black Eyes Only

This episode follows up on the incredible James Bond-parody world shown in “Tearjerker.” This time, Agent Smith teams up with Tearjerker (Roger) to take on the world’s new biggest threat: Black Villain (Principal Lewis). Audiences love this episode so much that hopefully the show will revisit this alternate universe once again.

16. Why Can’t We Be Friends?

There’s no such thing as a bad Steve and Snot episode. Stan secretly whisks Snot away into the witness protection program in hopes that Steve will find a cooler friend. But soon, Stan becomes enamored with Snot and tries to make the boy his best friend. This ranks high on the list of Stan’s hilarious schemes. In the end, the air guitar reaffirmation of the boys’ friendship makes this an all-time great.

17. Finger Lenting Good

Everyone loves a plot that gets the whole family involved. The Smith family tries to break their bad habits by giving up their behavioral vices for Lent. Deputy Director Bullock steps in to keep them honest with the threat of cutting off the finger of the first person to surrender.

The episode cracks everyone up by showing the crazy lengths the family members go to sabotage each other so the ritual can end. Don’t forget the funny Cinderella parody where Roger searches for his true Mardi Gras love.

18. Steve & Snot’s Test-Tubular Adventure

In one of the show’s most outrageous plots, Steve and Snot raise rapidly aging clones to grow prom dates for themselves. If that doesn’t sound complicated enough, they run into trouble when they start to see the clones as their daughters. Even worse, Stan embarks on a mission to destroy the girls. The episode rapidly shifts between absurd comedy, heartbreaking emotion, and gritty sci-fi action.

19. Buck, Wild

Stan and Steve’s clashing ideas of what it means to become a man consistently make for great stories. Steve accompanies his dad on a hunting trip and proves himself a hero in his father’s eyes by killing a deer. Wracked with guilt, Steve returns to the forest to raise the orphan deer. The final battle between Steve and the forest animals against Stan and his hunting buddies has endless rewatch potential.

20. Familyland

This episode reveals Francine as the glue that keeps the Smith family together. Their trip to the amusement park becomes a struggle between warring factions as the Walt Disney-inspired founder thaws out and decides to take back his park. Steve, Hayley, Roger, and Stan all become leaders of their own fiefdoms based on their favorite sections of the park with hilarious results.

21. I Ain’t No Holodeck Boy

Once again, Stan tries to toughen Steve up with a taste of his old-school wisdom. He uses the CIA’s Holodeck to test Steve’s and his friends’ survival skills. The show’s decision to make the holodeck’s data based on stored memories makes for a very creative touch that lets viewers get some emotional moments from Stan’s childhood. Keep an eye out for the Star Trek reference with Deputy Director Bullock, voiced by Captain Picard himself, Sir Patrick Stewart.

22. The Two Hundred

This episode ranks at the top of American Dad’s post-apocalyptic future settings. Roger causes a society-destroying explosion by sneaking into a supercollider that splits all his personas into their own separate bodies. Roger fans can’t miss this one, as it features a spectacular scene at the end where all his previous selves charge the screen all at once.

23. The Unincludeds

Steve and his friends decide that if they can’t get invited to hang out with the popular kids, they’ll throw their own party. The party’s unexpected success puts a strain on Steve and Snot as their future selves travel back in time to warn them of the consequences. The episode gets really creative with the time travel shenanigans as Steve and Snot try to work for the party in a way that will preserve their future lives.

24. Criss-Cross Applesauce: The Ballad of Billy Jesusworth

The American Dad episodes where Roger gets really into his personas consistently deliver the laughs. Roger’s ankle injury takes him from a young baller to an oldhead. This culminates in a hilarious two-on-two game of Roger and Stan vs. Shaq and Yao Ming.

The B-plot of the episode features Steve in a parody of R. Kelly’s Trapped in the Closet. Steve’s singing always elevates an episode, so his doing it through the entire plot pleases fans greatly.

25. The Witches of Langley

This may not officially be a Halloween episode, but its spooky plot makes it fit right in with our annual October viewings. Steve and his friends become witches to raise their social standing at school. “The Witches of Langley” makes for an amazing tribute to the 1996 film The Craft while still having its own unique elements.

26. A White Porche Christmas

American Dad loves getting creative with its Christmas specials. This one takes a unique twist on the It’s a Wonderful Life formula by sending Stan to a world where he never married Francine and instead lives it up as a bachelor. It gets even more interesting when it’s revealed that the characters known as the Smith family may not have been the “real” family this entire time.