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As most of you who watch television are probably well aware, the FOX network has recently come up with a new TV show from the creators of Family Guy. The new show is called American Dad, and its pilot episode ran after the Super Bowl a couple weeks ago. I've heard varying reviews from people who saw the episode. Some think it's funny, some think it has potential, others think it's fucking stupid and should be pulled immediately. However, one thing I've heard from almost everyone I've talked to about the show seem to be of the opinion that American Dad is almost exactly the same show as Family Guy. Granted, it was written by the creators of Family Guy, so some similarities are to be expected. But many people seem to think the two shows are almost identical. I disagree and I think you're all being unfair. I myself saw the pilot and I think the two shows are vastly different. In fact, if I didn't know it was created by the Family Guy team, I never would have guessed in a million years. So due to all the grumblings of people thinking this show is just another Family Guy, I feel compelled to stand up for the writers of American Dad. I'm going to explain to all of you chowder heads just how different these two shows are.

First, let's look at the titles of the two shows. Family Guy and American Dad. Completely different. Whereas Family Guy only alludes to one cultural value (family), American Dad, not only has the family association, but also throws in a healthy dose of patriotism as well. It's like they've given American Dad an entirely different cultural dimension absent from Family Guy. Just seeing the opening credits with the theme music makes me want to stand up and say the Pledge of Allegiance.

Then, we have the two main characters. Family Guy's main character is Peter Griffin. American Dad's main character is Stan Smith. Notice the two very different names, and the differences don't end there. While Peter is a fat, loud, bumbling idiot who worked in a factory, then became a fisherman, Stan is a muscular, loud, bumbling idiot who works for the CIA. Also, while Family Guy makes fun of President Bush by having Peter poke fun at the President, American Dad makes fun of the President by having Smith's unwavering support of the President and overzealous and unrealistic beliefs and actions make the entire Republican Party look like idiots.

Then, we have each show's supporting cast. Family Guy features an attractive redheaded housewife, while American Dad features an attractive blond housewife. The differences don't stop there. While the Griffins' oldest child is a daughter in high school who is unpopular because she is ugly and boring, the Smiths' oldest child is a daughter in community college who is unpopular because she is a hippie, and everyone hates hippies because they're useless and they stink. On Family Guy, the Griffins' second child is a boy who is unpopular with the girls because he is fat and slightly retarded, the Smiths' second child is unpopular with the girls because he is a douch bag. One of the most striking differences between the two shows is that the Griffins on Family Guy have a talking dog who is in love with the attractive redheaded housewife, whereas the Smiths on American Dad have a talking fish who is in love with the attractive blond housewife. These are two very different animals. A dog is a mammal, whose defining character traits are hair and giving birth to live young, whereas fish have scales and lay eggs. You see, no similarities there. The final family members are Stewie, the eccentric baby on Family Guy who speaks with a somewhat gay accent, and the eccentric alien on American Dad who speaks with a somewhat gay accent. Again, no similarities whatsoever.

Finally, I'll highlight a few plot differences in the two shows. First, on Family Guy, there was an episode where Chris, the teenage son, needed to lose weight so the family tried to stop him from eating junk food. On the American Dad pilot, it was the alien who needed to lose weight whom the family tried to stop from eating junk food. So you see, a fat kid and a fat alien are entirely different. You could even say that having a fat alien opens up a whole new world of comedic possibilities. There have been several Family Guy episodes devoted to Meg, the teenage daughter, being depressed at her inability to fit in and be popular. In contrast, in the American Dad pilot, it was the teenage son who was depressed at his inability to fit in and be popular. And as we all know, boys and girls are very different.

Finally, the biggest differences between Family Guy and American Dad are the merits of the shows themselves. Family Guy is funny (most of the time), while American Dad, is retarded. Most Family Guy episodes are at least moderately funny, with one or two jokes per episode being borderline hilarious, while American Dad didn't get so much of a chuckle out of me. Secondly, Family Guy has funny, interesting characters (with the exception of Meg who is fucking stupid and who I'm pretty sure is a dyke), while American Dad is full of stupid, uninteresting, and unfunny characters. The only one who even had potential was the daughter, but then they made her a hippie so that killed off any chance of her being interesting. In conclusion, I'm confident that I have shown beyond a shadow of a doubt that American Dad and Family Guy are two very different shows. Family Guy is funny, and American Dad is the biggest waste of a half hour on TV.

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