DVD/TV Series Review: American Dad!: Volume 11

 

Volume 11 of American Dad! continues the crazy episode selection for the DVD releases. As most are likely aware, as has been the case with the Family Guy DVD releases, early on, instead of just releasing Season 1, Season 2,...etc., they released volumes that had episodes from different seasons. It does not help that after the show started airing on Hulu, they tweaked what episodes were a part of particular seasons. What is clear is that this set has the last three episodes that aired on FOX (some places list those as the final three episodes of Season 9, others call them Season 11) and then the first 15 episodes that aired on TBS after the show was moved from FOX to TBS (which in some places are listed as Season 10 episodes and in other places listed as Season 12 episodes). At any rate, this set has 18 total episodes.

As for the episodes themselves, they are pretty much as they have been the past few seasons, self-contained plots within the episodes with occasional callbacks to things that occurred in prior episodes. Different episodes tend to focus on different characters, although pretty much every episode at this point involves Roger and one of his personas. There is less of a focus on Stan's job at the CIA, which is what I liked about the first few seasons, and focuses on the more silly, crazy things that happen in the show (like Jeff being abducted by aliens and the evil Kris Kringle episodes).

The DVD set just has the episodes themselves. There are no extras like commentary tracks, interviews with the cast or writers, or things like that which were included in earlier season releases. You do, however, get uncensored episodes which include uncensored jokes and swearing that gets bleeped out on the broadcast and streaming versions of the show. If you do not care about the uncensored episodes, however, you will not get anything more by getting the discs versus just streaming the show.

Ultimately, you probably know by now if you like the show or not. It has been on the air long enough that some people might be getting tired of it or may fall in the category of they just don't like it as much as they did in the beginning. While I definitely liked the first couple of seasons more than I do the later seasons, I still find the show, on the whole, to be funny and entertaining. It is definitely not a cartoon that is suitable for young kids as it has a lot of raunchy jokes that definitely push the bounds of what the writers could get away with. 

DVD/TV Series Review: American Dad Volume 10

 

Volume 10 of American Dad! is a MOD Amazon Exclusive DVD set that contains all the episodes of season nine of the show spread across three discs. By now, most people are likely aware of what the show is like. But for those who are not, it is a story-of-the-week adult animated show created by Seth McFarlane (who also created Family Guy) who also voices several characters on the show. The main characters are the Smith family, led by Stan Smith who is a CIA agent who also harbors an Alien named Roger, who disguises himself as various "characters" he comes up with. The weekly story usually involves one of those two, but also can involve Stan's wife, Francine, one of their kids, Steve or Hailey, and/or one of the side characters.

The show is definitely not family-friendly, especially the DVD versions which have uncensored episodes which often include the actual swear words (including f-bombs) which are not beeped out. There are no DVD extras, just the episodes themselves, but so the only reason to get the DVDs is to have the uncensored episodes (which are not included when streaming the show). The episodes this season include a spoof on the movie Poltergeist, a parody of the show Breaking Bad, and the first evil Christmas-themed episodes, which would become a running gag throughout the run of the series. The episodes are mostly self-contained, but occasionally there are two-part episodes, and the episodes sometimes refer back to prior episodes.

Overall, the show is still good. It found a formula that works and has stuck with it. It can certainly be argued that it is getting a bit long in the tooth, but I do think they still tell entertaining stories. I would say that there are not as many laugh-out-loud moments as the earlier seasons had, but it is still funny. So, if you are a fan if the show it is still worth watching. If you have never liked the show, however, this season is not likely to change your mind.

DVD/TV Series Review: American Dad: Volume 9

 

American Dad is, of course, the other long-running animated show created by Seth McFarlane. It tells the story of a CIA agent and his quirky family living in Langly Falls Virginia. Like with the Family Guy DVD releases, the American Dad DVD sets are released as "volumes" so it can be confusing which season of the show corresponds to which volume(s). In this case, Volume 9 contains all of the season 8 episodes of the show. The series continues to utilize a story (or stories) of the week format. Usually, the story involves some character or Roger (the alien living with the family) and one or two of the other family members. For example, in the season premiere, Roger hires Haley to sing in his bar after hearing her sing in the shower. Although sometimes, an episode will be more Stan-centric, either involving his CIA co-workers or meddling in the lives of one of the other members of the family (such as trying to break up Steve and Snot's friendship because Snot is not cool).

The DVD release is an Amazon-exclusive MOD release. So, it just has the episodes and no extras. However, the episodes are uncensored, so the jokes are sometimes dirtier, and swear words are not bleeped out as they are in the broadcast and streaming versions. But, if you only get DVD sets when there is a lot of bonus material, then you may just want to stick with streaming the show.

Overall, the series continues to be funny even though, like Family Guy, it is getting a bit long in the tooth. As the years have gone on, the series has changed the focus being Stan's job, which in some ways has been good and in other ways (e.g., with some of the crazy apocalyptic episodes) has not been so good. By this time into the show's run, however, you pretty much know what you are getting. If you like it, you will probably enjoy this season. If you don't then this season is probably not going to make you a fan.

DVD/TV Series Review: American Dad! Volume Eight

 

American Dad! volume 8 actually contains the season seven episodes. This is because, like with the releases of the early seasons of Family Guy, Fox released partial seasons in the volumes, and then after a ton of harsh feedback from fans and the showrunners, started releasing full seasons. So, just be aware of that if you are looking to purchase the DVD sets. Anyone who is looking at getting this likely knows what the show is by now, a story (or stories) of the week show, usually involving some shenanigans of Roger (playing a character) or one of the other characters. Roger tends to get the heavy focus throughout any particular season, but the show does kind of rotate storylines in which the other characters get featured. By this time the show had started to move away from the CIA story arcs that focused mostly on Stan and started intertwining more off-the-wall episodes, like one involving a killer Hot Tub.

The DVD extras include audio commentaries on a few episodes, deleted scenes, and Stan's dance from one of the episodes. So, it is not quite a MOD disc when it comes to little or no extras, but this is really the season where the DVD releases started trending that way. Of course, the show (as of this writing in 2022) is still on the air but no longer being released on DVD in either a "regular" release or a MOD release. So, it is kind of a take-what-you-can-get scenario if you want the physical discs. The DVD releases do contain uncensored jokes that do get bleeped out in the streaming version, which is part of the appeal for some fans. While I generally do not think that the show is as good in this season as it was in the first couple of seasons, I do think it is still entertaining and the stories are not stale (as they have become in later seasons). So, if you are a fan of the show, this is a good pickup.

DVD/TV Series Review: American Dad!: Volume Seven

 

By now, anyone reading this very likely knows what American Dad! is a show and has already formed an opinion of it, good or bad. The show continues to have the same format, basically, individual storylines each week (sometimes there are two-part episodes, and the show does refer back to previous episodes from time to time) that get resolved in that episode and the show moves on. By this season the focus of the show has shifted away from Stan's CIA job (although it is still an element in the show) and to the more character-themed story of the week (usually involving Roger and/or Stan, but not exclusively). And, the episodes that involve things like time travel, battling Santa, etc., which become the norm for the show in later seasons start popping up this season.

The show continues to include a lot of good guest stars, some of whom are easy to recognize and others, no so much. This season, the guest lineup included Jason Alexander, Sarah Chalke, Anthony Michael Hall, Hector Elizondo, Lucy Lawless, Hayden Panettiere, Lou Diamond Phillips, Burt Reynolds, Edward Asner, and Carl Reiner.

For those who get the DVD set, the extras include commentary tracks on selected episodes, deleted scenes, a feature on Patrick Stewart, who voices Stan's boss at the CIA, and a portion of the 2010 comic-con panel. So, a good amount of material if you like watching the extras.

Overall, the show is good. While not every show is great, most of them are clever and there are a lot of funny moments. It is much different from Family Guy, which in the long run is good, but it definitely has a similar brand of humor. So, if you like the prior seasons, this is definitely worth picking up.

DVD/TV Series Review: American Dad Volume 6

 

Because of the way the early DVD releases were set, Volume Six of American Dad actually contains the episodes from Season Five. The DVD has all 18 of the season five episodes, which continue the story (or stories) of the week format, while occasionally referring back to events from prior episodes. This is really the season where the focus of the show shifted from mainly being about Stan's CIA job to putting more of a focus on the other characters and having some of the apocalyptic episodes (like one involving the Rapture) that the show has featured in later seasons. The standout episodes from this season for me were "My Morning Straightjacket" in which Stan decides to follow a band across the country and Francine has to channel her inner groupie to get him back, "May the Best Stan Win" in which Stan has to battle a cyborg version of himself for Francine's affection, and "Great Space Roaster" in which the family roats Roger for his birthday, and he decides to kill them all for making fun of him.

For those who get the DVD set, there are commentary tracks on selected episodes that include the writers of the particular episode and usually the director. There are deleted scenes for most of the episodes, a making-of feature for the episode Rapture's Delight, and uncensored audio (although some audio does get bleeped out).

The show continues to be clever and funny. I do think the shift away from Stan's job being the focus of the show did hurt it a bit, but not so much that it was unwatchable. As most people are aware, even though it is animated, it is still very much an adult show and not suitable for young kids. The show makes fun of pretty much anything and everything, and there are a lot of off-color jokes. But, if you like the brand of humor, it is still worth watching.

DVD/TV Series Review: American Dad Volume 5

 

Volume five of American Dad actually has some of the season four episodes on it. Volume 4 had the first six episodes of season four and this one has the remaining fourteen episodes. The highlights of the season, for me, are the episodes Bar Mitzvah hustle, in which Steve steals the Bar Mitzvah gifts of a kid who steals the girl he likes, and Stan's Night Out, which is a total play on the movie The Hangover, when a "boy's night" for Stan with his CIA coworkers goes awry.

For those who get the DVD set, there are commentary tracks on every episode, deleted scenes, and an option to play the uncensored version of the episodes. There are also trivia and drinking game featurettes. So, there is a lot of bonus material if you like going through it.

Overall, the show continues to be very strong. It is a story (or stories) of the week format, but it does sometimes refer back to events from prior episodes. It is most definitely not a show for kids despite being animated as there are a ton of adult jokes and swearing. So, if you are a fan of the show, this is a good pickup.

DVD/TV Series Review: American Dad: Volumes 1-4

 

American Dad is a now long-running adult animated comedy that was created by the creator of Family Guy, Seth McFarlane, who also voices multiple characters on the show, including the lead character Stan Smith. The show is set in Langly Falls Virginia and focuses on Stan's life as a CIA agent, and his family which includes his wife Francine, his son Steve, his daughter Haley, an alien named Roger, and a talking fish named Klaus. Stan saved Roger from the CIA and Klaus was a German olympian whose consciousness was transferred into a fish. So, the show does get a bit silly under the guise of the CIA covering tons of things up. In the early seasons, the show really focused on Stan's job and then tied in "side stories" that involved the other characters. Over the course of time the show gets more off the wall and usually involves Roger and his various characters (people he dresses up as to hide the fact he is an alien).

This set has the first five DVD volumes. They are not really seasons, as when the show was released on DVD in the early years, much like family guy, they did not put all the season episodes in one DVD set. For example, Volume 1 has the first 13 episodes from season one, and then Volume 2 has the rest of the season one episodes and the first nine episodes from season 2. In the early releases, the sets included a lot of extras including commentary tracks on some episodes, featurettes, deleted scenes, animatics, and the ability to watch the episodes with uncensored or censored audio. In later releases, they just released the DVDs with uncensored audio.

Overall, the show is a story-of-the-week type of show that occasionally refers back to prior episodes or events. But mostly, you don't have to have seen prior episodes to in order to get what is going on. It has a very similar comedy style as Family Guy, but it does not do as many cutaways or include as many pop culture references as Family Guy does. It is definitely not a show for kids as there is swearing and a lot of adult jokes, including many that it is surprising made it past censors when the show was on Fox. Chances are, most people reading this have an idea of what the show is and is not, but if you are just trying to figure out whether to watch the show if you like more adult humor and are not offended easily, it is worth watching, especially the early seasons which were, in my opinion, better than the later seasons are.

DVD Review: American Dad Volume 13

 

As most die-hard fans of the show know, the quality of the DVD releases has gone way down over the course of time. However, the one saving grace is that the episodes on the DVD were uncensored, so you would get the unedited jokes, f-bombs, and all. Now the MOD sets are just releasing the broadcast versions of the show, with the edits. And, they are not even captioning the sets as they have done in past years. So, really, the only reason to get this is if you already have the prior seasons on DVD and you want to keep your collection complete.

As far as the show goes, it pretty much follows the story-of-the-week format it always has. Some of the episodes they just plain make as weird as they possibly can. Of course, because it is a cartoon it is easy for the writers and showrunners to do so. I still think the best episodes are the ones that somehow involve Stan's job at the CIA, which the show has really removed as a focus. The show is definitely getting a bit long in the tooth but, like Family Guy, it seems that this one is going to go on as long as Seth McFarlane wants to continue making it. So, I cannot say that everyone, even people who have been fans of the show are going to like this season. Certainly, die-hard fans will probably still like it, even if not as much as in prior seasons, but if you have never liked the show, this season is not going to do anything to change your mind.

DVD Review: American Dad Volume 12

 

American Dad, much like Family Guy (which was also created by Seth McFarlane) is a show that people tend to love or hate. By now, I think most people know what the show is, but for those who do not, it is an adult animated series that basically tells a story-of-the-week (sometimes stories-of-the-week) set around the character Stan Smith who works at the CIA and his family, which includes an alien named Roger and a talking fish named Klaus. Over the years the CIA part of the story has taken a large backseat to the quirky family life, which I think has taken away from the strength of the show. There are still episodes set around Stan's job, but not as many as there were in the early seasons.

For those who get the DVD set, it is a straight MOD release. Just the episodes. For some weird reason, it appears that Volume 12 was only released as a Region 2 set (the UK and Europe) and not in Region 1, so if you are in the US or Canada you need a Region free (or Region 2) player to watch this. The episodes are uncensored, so you do get some f-bombs being dropped that were bleeped out of the broadcast and streaming versions of the episodes.

Overall, I would say if you have liked the show up to this point you will still probably like this season (unless the shift from the CIA storylines really bugs you). On the other hand, if you have never liked the show, this is probably not going to do anything to change your mind.