After a brief pause, American Dad! is coming back to Fox this weekend! The show originally continued on TBS for over a decade after its initial run, and some fans may have missed those episodes. Unlike Family Guy, which was cancelled, American Dad! found a new home on TBS during its eleventh season and continued to air new content. Now, as it returns to Fox, there’s a lot of great material for viewers to rediscover or enjoy for the first time.
While American Dad! originally aired on Fox, it spent a significant amount of time on TBS. Now that the show is returning to Fox with new episodes, it’s a perfect time to revisit any seasons you may have missed. Some of the episodes from its TBS run are considered highlights of the series, and many featured creative and successful experimentation with the show’s format. Here are ten great American Dad! episodes from its time on TBS.
10). Persona Assistant
If you’re starting with Season 13 and haven’t watched the TBS episodes, it’s helpful to watch “Persona Assistant” first. This episode introduces Rogu, a memorable side character who unexpectedly grows out of Roger’s head when he’s overwhelmed. Rogu has become a fan favorite over time, so it’s good to understand his origin story before he appears in the new episodes on Fox. Otherwise, his sudden appearance might be confusing!
9). Rabbit Ears
While previous seasons on Fox had tried out different ideas, Season 14’s “Rabbit Ears” was the first major departure for the show on TBS. The episode centers around Stan discovering an old television and becoming fixated on a strange program that appears on it. Unable to find any information about the show online, Stan’s obsession leads him into the television itself, where he must escape a dangerous monster determined to keep him trapped. The episode has a notably dark and unsettling ending, reminiscent of The Twilight Zone, and is a standout installment of the series.
8). No Weddings and a Funeral
The Season 14 episode “No Weddings and a Funeral” directly addresses Klaus’s place in the family dynamic. Feeling increasingly targeted by everyone, he decides to move out. The episode jumps ahead in time to show the family struggling without a target for their teasing, creating a funny, albeit bleak, potential future. This is just one of many possible futures explored in later episodes, and it cleverly manages to make Klaus the punchline once again. It’s an enjoyable episode, particularly if you’re not a fan of Klaus!
7). 300
Similar to the 100th and 200th episodes, the 300th episode of Season 15 is a grand celebration. The long-running ‘Golden Turd’ storyline, which began during the show’s run on Fox, finally reached its climax in this episode. While previously a minor plot point, it takes center stage here, dramatically altering the established timeline. Seeing the family crumble because of its power is incredibly satisfying, and the payoff was well worth the years of anticipation – it was a truly unexpected and delightful surprise.
6). The Last Ride of the Dodge City Rambler
I’m a huge fan of how American Dad! isn’t afraid to get weird, and you don’t even need a huge timeline shake-up for some of their best episodes. Take Season 15’s “The Last Ride of the Dodge City Rambler” – the whole family hops on this train to meet Aunt Karen, who we’d never heard of before, and naturally, it gets hijacked! It leans into all the classic hijacking tropes, but cranks them up to eleven with hilarious character work. Steve, for example, is portrayed as a total train fanatic, which is just brilliant. And the episode throws in some wonderfully random stuff, like Roger and Hayley meeting Prince! It’s just a really fun, wacky ride.
5). A Roger Story
Despite being called “A Roger Story,” this episode of American Dad! is really about Steve and Snot and their friendship. We’ve seen their bond tested before, but this is the first time the episode focuses on their mothers. When the moms try to end Steve and Snot’s friendship, things go terribly wrong: the boys accidentally die and their mothers have to find them in Hell.
It’s an incredible story of mothers making huge sacrifices to support their sons’ friendship. Ultimately, Stan is the only one who remembers what happened, and he ensures he doesn’t forget by getting tattoos as reminders.
4). You Are Here
The start of Season 17’s “You Are Here” is unusual for American Dad – it begins like a documentary about Roger working at a struggling mall. When Steve takes a job there, the episode reveals a hidden danger: an ancient vampire is trying to steal the souls of anyone who enters. The episode playfully suggests many of Steve’s coworkers are ghosts, and eventually reveals their true identities. It’s a thoroughly enjoyable and funny episode.
3). Echoes
The season 17 episode of American Dad, titled “Echoes,” takes a different turn from typical episodes. It explores the idea of multiple universes and alternate realities as Steve begins an internship at the local news station, where he becomes fascinated with the weather equipment. The weather machine, designed to forecast the weather, unexpectedly shows Steve visions of the future each time he uses it. These visions ultimately lead to the appearance of a creature that destroys the world—but, like many American Dad episodes, everything is ultimately reset.
2). Fellow Traveler
The eighteenth season of American Dad! finally showed us how Roger first came to Earth. While the show has hinted at his backstory before, this episode, “Fellow Traveler,” truly explored it. We see Roger crash-land in Roswell in the 1960s and meet the quirky characters who inspired all his different disguises. It’s a fantastic episode that explains why Roger chooses his outfits (and cleverly revisits earlier explanations), and it’s a must-see for any fan of the character.
1). What Great Advancements!
“What Great Advancements!” is a fantastic episode to end both Season 19 and TBS’s run of American Dad!. The episode takes place in a unique, silent, black and white world where Stan is a simple farmer hoping to become a successful inventor in the city. He eventually creates a device that allows people to talk, and this invention helps him achieve his dream.
Honestly, things get completely wild when Stan creates a machine that literally brings color to the world! Of course, everyone comes after him – competitors, enemies, the whole nine yards – and his life spirals out of control. He ends up losing everything he’s built, but he does learn a really valuable lesson. It’s a beautifully crafted episode, and it felt like the perfect ending to a fantastic run of American Dad.
What do you think? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!
https://comicbook.com/anime/news/american-dad-best-roger-personas-ranked/embed/#
Read More
- Best Controller Settings for ARC Raiders
- Stephen Colbert Jokes This Could Be Next Job After Late Show Canceled
- DCU Nightwing Contender Addresses Casting Rumors & Reveals His Other Dream DC Role [Exclusive]
- Is XRP ETF the New Stock Market Rockstar? Find Out Why Everyone’s Obsessed!
- 7 Home Alone Moments That Still Make No Sense (And #2 Is a Plot Hole)
- 10 X-Men Batman Could Beat (Ranked By How Hard It’d Be)
- Embracer Group is Divesting Ownership of Arc Games, Cryptic Studios to Project Golden Arc
- XRP’s Cosmic Dance: $2.46 and Counting 🌌📉
- JRR Tolkien Once Confirmed Lord of the Rings’ 2 Best Scenes (& He’s Right)
- Ashes of Creation Rogue Guide for Beginners
2026-02-11 01:12