American Dad: 10 Perfect Episodes Sci-Fi Fans Will Love

After a 12-year break, American Dad! is coming back to FOX with new episodes, and sci-fi fans have a lot to look forward to. The show has been a hit on both FOX and TBS for over 20 years, and as it approaches its 400th episode, it’s clear the creators are willing to explore any story, especially those involving futuristic technology.

10). Virtual In-Stanity

The Season 8 episode “Virtual In-Stanity” is a particularly bizarre example of the show’s use of outlandish CIA technology. Stan discovers a robotic avatar program that could let him spend more time with his son, and in a strange turn of events, chooses to use it to become an attractive woman (voiced by Sarah Michelle Gellar). Things quickly escalate, and Stan almost crosses a major line with his son while in this female form.

The avatar technology is where the show really shines. The robot body isn’t just strong and fast—it perfectly copies Stan’s movements, which leads to hilarious moments. Like when Stan controls it at a school dance with his signature boldness, or when Francine battles the avatar using a power loader, just like in the movie Alien. It’s genuinely a lot of fun to watch.

9). Great Space Roaster

The Alien episode “Great Space Roaster” fully embraces the idea of a family roast. Roger asks his family to roast him for his birthday, but he gets upset by their jokes and decides to get revenge. To escape his wrath, the family joins a year-long space experiment run by the CIA (and a Chia Pet program)—and that’s when the episode gets really wild.

Taking cues from the movie Alien – even having Stan dress like Sigourney Weaver’s character – Roger begins a revenge spree, terrorizing the family aboard a space station. The sequence is cleverly set to Ace of Base music, but ultimately feels too brief to fully satisfy. It’s a well-done sci-fi bit, but it needed to be longer.

8). The Shrink

In Season 10’s “The Shrink,” Stan seeks therapy from a CIA psychologist after a near-death experience, but he quickly becomes overly involved in the process. As part of his treatment, he starts playing with miniature models, finding a sense of control through them. It’s revealed that Stan intends to create an entire miniature city and shrink himself to live inside it. Eventually, the rest of the family is also shrunk down to investigate, leading to complete mayhem.

This episode features a fun and exciting adventure in a small town suddenly overrun by giant ants. It all starts when Roger accidentally spills wine, causing the ants to grow to enormous size! The group has to race against time to find a shrink ray—one Stan previously discarded—and restore everything to normal. It’s a tense but enjoyable story, and the shrink ray provides a clever way for Stan to confront his personal issues.

7). The Unincludeds

I’m a huge American Dad fan, and Season 11’s “The Unincludeds” is seriously one of my favorite episodes! It’s a really clever take on time travel – instead of the family actually doing the traveling, we find out that future Steve and Snot invent a time machine. But here’s the twist: they realize the only reason they’re still friends as adults is because they both peaked as lovable losers in high school! It’s such a funny and unexpected conflict that unfolds as they watch their younger selves.

As Steve becomes more popular, he starts seeing different versions of his future self, and realizes that his friend Snot’s life gets worse with each increase in Steve’s popularity. This leads to a series of possible futures, and Steve ultimately chooses to intentionally ruin his current popularity to make sure he and Snot remain friends. The episode is a fantastic look at the relationship between Steve and Snot, and it’s a humorous take on time travel filled with funny moments.

6). The Two Hundred

Season 11 marked a big celebration for American Dad – its 200th episode! The episode itself is quite an event: when Roger accidentally enters a super collider, he splits into 200 different versions of himself – all the personas we’ve seen throughout the series. This sends Stan to a devastated, post-apocalyptic world created by Roger, where he’s constantly threatened by his 200 alternate selves.

Seeing all the different versions of Rick come together at the end was a really satisfying way to mark 200 episodes of the show. It’s amazing to think it all started with a playful sci-fi concept, inspired by those old fears about the Large Hadron Collider.

5). Fellow Traveler

The Season 18 episode, “Fellow Traveler,” is a standout American Dad! story. It’s a complete, self-contained adventure that takes place before the show’s main timeline, showing Roger’s arrival on Earth. After crash-landing in New Mexico in 1947, Roger encounters a memorable group of people who clearly serve as the inspiration for his many disguises. The episode keeps you guessing as to what Roger will do next, adding to the excitement.

This episode shows a different side of Roger, as he actively tries to stay out of trouble, creating a surprisingly gentle tone for the series. It’s a standalone story, focusing solely on Roger and presenting a much more subdued personality than usual. He unexpectedly forms a connection with a new group of people, and their story develops in a really interesting way. Even though the episode still explores Roger’s alien identity, it’s a highly recommended watch, especially for science fiction enthusiasts.

4). Rabbit Ears

Season 14’s “Rabbit Ears” leans into horror and thriller elements, which really works well for the show. The episode feels reminiscent of The Twilight Zone, as Stan discovers an old television playing a strange program. He’s initially drawn in by the show’s retro 1960s style and its charismatic host, but soon finds himself captivated by a disturbing new reality. Viewers then watch as Stan desperately tries to break free, but his memories begin to fade the longer he’s stuck. It’s a genuinely frightening idea, and the episode culminates in a classic, hopeless sci-fi thriller ending. It’s simply a very enjoyable episode.

3). May the Best Stan Win

One of the most entertaining episodes involving time travel actually begins with a surprisingly simple premise. In this Season 5 installment, we learn that a future Stan – who’s now a half-Mexican cyborg – is desperately trying to win Francine’s affection, because his past self will ultimately drive her away. At the same time, future Stan is actively trying to manipulate his younger self into pushing Francine away even more.

The episode centers around a rivalry between Stan and Francine’s new boyfriend for her affection, culminating in an action-packed showdown reminiscent of The Terminator. A running gag involving Chad Lowe is also cleverly woven throughout, and its payoff is genuinely funny. It’s refreshing to see a unique take on time travel, and American Dad! delivers several entertaining examples.

2). Echoes

The Season 17 episode, “Echoes,” has an odd feel to it. It starts with an intriguing introduction by Avery Bullock (voiced by Patrick Stewart) and then follows Steve as he takes a job at the local weather station. While investigating a strange Doppler radar device, Steve begins experiencing visions of the future and desperately tries to prevent them. He becomes increasingly obsessed with seeing what’s to come, all while a recurring, unexplained humming sound is noticeable throughout the episode, repeatedly drawing the characters’ attention.

This episode feels like a real departure for the show, aiming for something truly unique. It introduces the idea of multiple universes and a powerful, otherworldly being whose actions lead to a dark and unavoidable future for everyone. It’s a bold attempt, and it works brilliantly – exactly as you’d expect from this series.

1). The Jeff in Space Saga

Okay, this is technically multiple episodes, but no sci-fi story beats this one. The show follows Jeff’s space adventures and his attempts to return to Earth over several seasons. It starts with Roger tricking Jeff into going to space in his place (Season 8’s “Naked to the Limit, One More Time”), then shows Jeff’s life on Roger’s planet (“Lost in Space”). Later, the story jumps forward in time as Jeff finally tries to come home (“The Longest Distance Relationship”), and everything wraps up when Jeff swaps brains with an alien (“Holy Sh-, Jeff’s Back!”).

This storyline is an epic, out-of-this-world adventure! Jeff encounters all sorts of aliens and his relationship with Hayley is really put to the test. Plus, Sinbad makes a hilarious and unexpected appearance as himself. You can tell everyone involved was having a blast – even when Jeff transforms into a ghostly Jedi! It’s easily the best science fiction story American Dad has ever created, and it’s a must-watch for fans.

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-songs-ranked/embed/#

2025-11-13 03:14