List of American Dad! characters

This article lists characters from the adult animated series American Dad! alongside corresponding descriptions.

Main characters

Stan Smith

Stan Smith (voiced by Seth MacFarlane) is the title character on American Dad! who has an exaggeratedly masculine voice and manner about him. Stan is Francine's husband and Hayley and Steve's father. Hayley may or may not be Stan's biological daughter since Francine revealed to have cheated on Stan at a bachelorette party in the episode "The Kidney Stays in the Picture",[1] but Stan regards Hayley as his daughter.[1] As the Smith family breadwinner, Stan is a CIA agent. Early on in the series, Stan was exaggeratedly patriotic and Conservative.[2] His character, however, has progressed over the course of the series from the originally ultra right-wing bigot it previously was. All the same however, Stan has proven to be drastic and extreme in numerous other ways beyond politics.[3] He's often shown rashly taking extreme measures in ways that are conspicuously destructive, disastrous, offensive, and life-threatening to others.[2] Making his extreme-measure taking worse, Stan is utterly inconsiderate and insensitive, thus he does not stop to think of how others are negatively impacted, nor does he care. As examples of this: in the episode "Dope & Faith" when Stan found out one of his friends was an atheist, he tried getting him to pray by blowing up his home, spreading the bird flu at his restaurant, brainwashing his wife into thinking she was a lesbian, and taking his kids away; in the episode "I Can't Stan You," Stan evicted his entire neighborhood and his own family just for overhearing some of his neighbors gossiping about him behind his back; in the episode "Four Little Words," Stan framed his wife as a murderer all so as not to hear her say the words "I told you so"; etc. Not a stranger to going to any and all lengths to achieve his desired ends—even to the point of shamelessly harming others—Stan is characterized as very dog-eat-dog. Aside from his thoughtlessly drastic and endangering behaviors, he has an endearing and sensitive side as well. It has been revealed that he very much desires fatherly love and attention but has always lacked this. Stan's parents separated when he was very young (later learned because of Stan himself in the episode "Blood Crieth Unto Heaven"); thus he has a father (Jack Smith) who was not around much and mistreated him.

Francine Smith

Main article: Francine Smith

Francine Smith (née Ling) (voiced by Wendy Schaal) is Stan's wife and the mother of Steve and Hayley. Indignant, Francine can usually be seen nagging and scolding her family (particularly Stan) over their wrongdoings. Francine often nags at her family to uphold certain virtues and over any unwholesome or reprehensible behaviors they engage in.[4] Ironically, it's mostly in the midst of all her moralizing and urging others to do the right thing that she demonstrates blatant inappropriateness, indecorum, and inelegance. Sporadically while engaged in moralizing others, Francine will randomly throw in remarks and behaviors that are in bad taste and lack all propriety. Adding to her paradoxical nature, Francine's behaviors have been known to become downright immoral and sometimes even fiendish, all the while trying to get others to live more wholesomely and do what is right. For example, in the episode "The Boring Identity," Francine made efforts to get Stan to be a more civilized and respectable husband. In the process, she deceived him into thinking he was an entirely different person after he got struck with amnesia. Another example, in the episode "Can I Be Frank With You," Francine was disgruntled by the fact that she and Stan were not a closer couple. To achieve this, she encroached in on Stan's guys' night using a male disguise that could fart for extended periods of time.[5] Francine has also been shown to have a randomly wacky and peculiar side. For example, in the episode "The Scarlett Getter," while Francine was engaged in an angry rant about Stan, she stated "Those two are stuck on each other like gum on a hot summer sidewalk on a summer afternoon. I'm sorry, I'm taking a creative writing class."

Hayley Smith

Hayley Dreamsmasher Smith-Fischer (voiced by Rachael MacFarlane) is Stan and Francine's new-age hippie daughter and college-aged oldest and the sister of Steve. As revealed in the episode "The Kidney Stays in the Picture," she may or may not be Stan's biological daughter, Francine revealed to have cheated on Stan at a bachelorette party;[1] nonetheless, Stan regards her as his daughter.[1] One to stand up for her beliefs, Hayley is passionate, insistent and vocal in her convictions. In mentality, she's portrayed as Liberal, what was originally intended to be the antithesis to her father's ultra-conservative mentality. These character traits were particularly emphasized in the show's beginnings back when Hayley was a focal character in the program; however, they were heavily toned down after early seasons. Intuitive and insightful, Hayley is able to instinctively grasp the hidden, inner, and obscure nature of situations. As examples, instantly upon entering the room in the episode "Finger Lenting Good," Hayley realizes what Stan and Steve are up to in trying to get Jeff to hug them so as to lose his finger for engaging in a vice.[4] As another example, in the episode "Da Flippity Flop" when the essence of Klaus has entered Stan's body and taken control over it, he attempts to deceive Hayley and Francine into thinking he's truly Stan; however, Hayley instantaneously and lackadaisically acknowledges that it's Klaus.[6] Hayley can also be casually rude and insulting, particularly towards her brother, Steve. Several story arcs have been used with regards to Hayley's romantic relationship to Jeff. Back when the two were dating, they had several breakups. In one of their breakups, Hayley dated an urban black man in a koala body (Reginald the Koala) across a string of episodes. Since then, Hayley has married Jeff but continues to live under her parents' roof.

Steve Smith

Steven Anita KevinSteveSmith (voiced by Scott Grimes) is the baby of the family who is Stan and Francine's high-school aged son and the brother of Hayley. He attends Pearl Bailey High School. There have been three versions of the "Steve" character over the course of American Dad! The first version was a one-off execution limited to the unaired precursory pilot (not to be confused with the season premiere episode entitled "Pilot"). This original version of Steve stood out as most contrasting and atypical, particularly in appearance and voice. In this precursor pilot, he was voiced by Ricky Blitt. Here, he was much nerdier, gawkier, and scrawnier than his later versions. By the series premiere, Scott Grimes began voicing the character. Also by the series premiere, Steve became taller, thicker, manlier and more mature than before, though still nerdy. By Steve's third design, he was made softer, more emotional, cuter, and more endearing than before. As part of his emotional and sensitive character, Steve is combined with a screechy wail. Despite his wimpy and nerdy characteristics, Steve is particularly conceited and obnoxious. Along with this, he often proves to be a showman, always ready to put on a performance and show off his abilities, often singing-wise. Steve shows great ambition and enthusiasm for his various interests and pursuits. He possesses a keen interest in the opposite sex and has had an obese girlfriend, Debbie, to which Stan disapproved of. Steve's relationship with his father is strained with Stan often behaving judgmentally and intolerantly over Steve's nerdiness, immaturity, and sensitivity. Steve has been known to cop attitude, sometimes rightfully so at Stan over his offensive acts. Steve has three best friends: Snot (with whom he shares a bromance), Toshi, and Barry.

Roger

Main article: Roger (American Dad!)

Roger (voiced by Seth MacFarlane impersonating Paul Lynde) is the very zany alien who lives in the Smith family's attic. Blithely so, Roger is depraved, devious, and cruel. He typically exhibits a lighthearted, carefree temperament but while also engaged in his freakish grossness, outrageously malice, and rascally shenanigans. Having no limits on his shocking and brazen ways, Roger typically says and does anything and everything that comes to his mind. He was tricked into coming to Earth in 1947, led to believe he was "The Decider" in which the fate of mankind rested in his hands. In the episode "Naked to the Limit, One More Time" however, it is evidenced that Roger remains on Earth by will, the episode revealing that he can simply call for his aliens' spaceship to return him to his birth planet if he so desires. Details on Roger's actual family and pre-Earth life have yet to be shown on the series. Although in the episode "Lost in Space," a brief clip revealed that prior to Roger's life on Earth, he was involved in a homosexual romantic relationship with another member of his alien race, Zing; however, Roger cheated on Zing, making out with a human male blatantly in front of him and flippantly so. It's also been revealed that Roger has lived on Earth for many years prior to his life spent with the Smith family. Roger came into contact with the Smith family when he saved Stan's life back when he [Roger] was a fugitive of Area 51 (four years prior to the show's beginnings). Feeling he owed Roger a life debt because of this, Stan rescued him from government capture and allowed him to live in his home. Stan has allowed this in defiance of his employer. Roger now covertly lives in the Smith home. The Smiths use their attic as a hideout/bedroom for Roger. Stan feels that it would endanger him and the rest of his family if it were to be discovered that Roger is an alien and living with them; however, Roger is able to skillfully use disguises to exist on the outside world. Adding to this, he's created countless alter egos to go along with them. Roger has, however, far and away abused this practice, leading numerous lives and deceiving numerous people and outrageously so. In fact, some of Roger's characters are to be in prison, while others are widely despised, and others somehow have full-fledged human families, etc.

Klaus Heissler

Main article: Klaus Heissler

Klaus Heissler (voiced by Dee Bradley Baker in a German accent) is the Smith family's hapless and saturnine goldfish. He's consultative and full of sage advice, sometimes even wearing glasses and taking on a scholarly appearance. Klaus was once an East German Olympic ski-jumper until his mind was transferred into the body of a goldfish during the 1986 Winter Olympics by the CIA to prevent him from winning the gold medal, leaving him permanently trapped in the goldfish's body. Klaus still hasn't come to terms with what happened, at times malcontent and gloomy. Not confined to his fishbowl, Klaus is often seen uniquely scooting himself about the Smith residence, reclined in a glass of water. In these moments, it's only his very lower back that's actually in the water. In the early going, Klaus had an obsessive crush on Francine and often made sexual advances at her.[2] For much of the series discounting its beginnings, the Smith family and particularly Roger have been shown to treat Klaus with disdain, take him for granted, and even mistreat him. Ironically, Klaus started out on the series as a bully, known for his ridicule and cruel teasing of all the show's main characters, particularly Roger.

Jeff Fischer

Jeff Fischer (voiced by Jeff Fischer) is Hayley's mellow, stoner, hippie boyfriend, and later whipped husband, who's shown to be infatuated with Hayley's mom, Francine, often making subtle passes at her. An unemployed high school drop out with no apparent skills, he is emasculated, weak-willed, and frequently behaves naively and irritates the other characters. Jeff's mother abandoned him early on, giving birth to him in a van, within which he lives ("Stan Knows Best") until Season 6. His relationship with his father, Henry, is negative, as his father views him as a failure. Throughout the series, Hayley repeatedly dumps him for being needy, clingy and overly agreeable, leaving Jeff crushed until their inevitable reconciliations, though Jeff also dumps Hayley once in the episode "Pulling Double Booty". However, he marries Hayley in the show's one-hundredth episode after swindling Stan out of $50,000. He then moves into the house with Hayley in the episode "There Will Be Bad Blood." In "For Whom the Sleigh Bell Tolls", Stan ends up accepting Jeff when Jeff demonstrates his loyalty toward Hayley by saving Stan's life despite him disliking Jeff. In season 9 episode "Naked to the Limit, One More Time" (February 17, 2013), Jeff learned that Roger is an alien. Stan threatens to kill either of them to protect the family, until Roger comes up with a plan to call his people to leave the Smiths, so no one would have to die. At the last minute, he throws Jeff into the ship as it departs while he stays on Earth. Jeff's status for future episodes is currently unknown. This storyline is ongoing through multiple episodes: in the episode "Spelling Bee My Baby" Roger casually speculated that his fellow alien species have probably dissected him by now; in "Lost in Space," Jeff escapes from the alien spaceship and starts to make his way back to Earth accompanied by the Ghost of Sinbad (who sacrificed his life so that Jeff can escape from the alien spaceship). However, there are over 47,000 planets by that name and as of completion of the show's 10th season, he has still yet to return to his Earth. In "The Longest Distance Relationship", Jeff is able to communicate with Hayley though a CB radio and discovers a way to return to earth through a wormhole. Jeff and Sinbad's Ghost arrive 60 years in the future and learns that he cost her a chance to have a great life with Millionaire Matt Davis. Unhappy with having upset the family and giving the elderly Hayley a heart attack, he and Sinbad's Ghost return through the wormhole. Jeff tells the again-young Hayley to move on with her life as he sadly gives up on her unaware that Matt is killed by Roger very shortly after. Jeff appears to return from space in "Holy Shit, Jeff's Back!", but he acts strange causing Hayley some doubts. Although his new attitude soon wins over Stan. In reality, he is an alien named Zebleer from a species that "collects" and he has come to sample more Earth items where his race has dissected Jeff in order to find out more about him. Hayley and Roger board the alien mothership and find that the real Jeff has been killed previously and when they are captured, they are due to be next. Having bonded with Stan over froyo, Zebleer confesses what is going on and escorts Stan to the ship to save Hayley noting that the froyo makes mankind worth protecting. When Hayley rejects his direct offer to replace Jeff, he instead elects to have Jeff's brain put in his body trading his life. As they return to Earth, Roger informs them that they will have their memories erased when they depart the spaceship leaving them unaware that Jeff is no longer entirely human.

Smith family relatives

Stan's relatives

Francine's relatives

Fischer family

CIA

Corbin-Bates family

Greg Corbin and Terry Bates are a gay couple who move to Stan's neighborhood in the second episode. Stan was completely unaware of the fact that his neighbors are a gay couple and while initially prejudiced against them for their practice of liberal journalism, he merely considered them nice young men that just happen to live together. He later discovers that they are gay and is initially prejudiced against them until he realizes that being straight (and therefore, by extension, being gay) is not a choice and accepts them both, sometimes referring to gay love as something even more exquisite than heterosexual love.

Pearl Bailey High School

Around the neighborhood

Other recurring characters

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Watch American Dad - Season 7 Episode 16: The Kidney Stays In The Picture". Tvmuse.eu. Retrieved 2013-06-07.
  2. 1 2 3 'American Dad' Touchdown | Animation World Network
  3. McFarland, Kevin (2013-04-15). ""The Missing Kink" | American Dad | TV Club | TV". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 2013-04-21.
  4. 1 2 McFarland, Kevin (2013-01-07). ""Finger Lenting Good" | American Dad | TV Club | TV". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 2013-05-30.
  5. McFarland, Kevin (2012-11-05). ""Can I Be Frank With You?" | American Dad | TV Club | TV". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 2013-06-03.
  6. McFarland, Kevin (2013-05-13). ""Da Flippity Flop" | American Dad | TV Club | TV". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 2013-05-30.
  7. American Dad Finishes Out Fox Run And Moves To TBS With Uma Thurman - Bleeding Cool Comic Book, Movie, TV News
  8. McFarland, Kevin (2012-12-03). ""Why Can’t We Be Friends?" | American Dad | TV Club | TV". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 2013-04-25.


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