American Dad! - Summary

Summary

American Dad! centers on the domestic life of its nominal title character, Stan Smith, a staunchly neoconservative Republican CIA agent and self-proclaimed American patriot. His conservatism is deliberately treated in the show as severe intolerance and self-abnegating. He is married to Francine Smith, a ditzy housewife who is trying to make up for her wild past. Their two children are Hayley, a passionately liberal, environmentalist college-aged activist with whom neoconservative Stan almost always butt heads and Steve, a nerdy, wimpy high schooler who is always trying to be popular with the girls, but never can. He constantly attempts to live up to Stan's expectations but can never really measure up to the high standards in place for him. The Smith family is also in possession of two bizarre nonhumans — Roger, a fugitive alien from Area 51 whom Stan is covertly housing in defiance of his employer because Stan owes Roger a "life debt"; and Klaus, a goldfish whom the CIA implanted with the brain of an East German Olympic ski jumper.

The Smith family resides on 43 Cherry Street, in the fictional community of Langley Falls, Virginia. The town name is a composite of Langley and Great Falls, two unincorporated communities located in Fairfax County.

Plots generally center on the misadventures of various family members in their respective realms, as well as raucous interactions between the characters. Recurring themes include Stan's desire to see Steve mature properly (e.g. "The Magnificent Steven"), Roger's desires to establish a life outside of the house (e.g. "A.T. the Abusive Terrestrial"), Francine's desire of breaking out of an overly structured lifestyle (e.g. "Dungeons and Wagons"), Hayley's desire to rebel against her father's politics (e.g. "Stan Knows Best"), and Steve's desire to finally become one of the cool kids and lose his virginity, or at least "get some boob" (e.g. "Big Trouble in Little Langley").