People often set comparisons between American Dad and Family Guy, simply because these two series share Seth MacFarlane’s signature humor. For me, I think American Dad overweight the latter. Its comedy mostly comes from story-centric and contextual humor instead of nonsensical cutaways, and I highly value that.
However, the show has been on-air since 2005. It is almost impossible for long-running series not to go through fluctuations in pace and quality. Even the most loyal fans of American Dad have to wonder if it could maintain the steam. Today we will take a look at American Dad Season 16 to see if the series can still hold up after many years.
Table of Contents
What’s Wrong With American Dad’s Season Count?
If you are new to American Dad, you might be confused about the season count. While Wikipedia claimed that the sixteenth season was premiered on TBS on April 15, 2019, and concluded on April 27, 2020, the American Dad fandom on Reddit and Wikia said otherwise. According to them, the newest season which was premiered on April 19, 2021, was actually season 16.
So, what leads to these discrepancies? That’s because FOX and TBS changed their counting method from time to time:
- As announced on the American Dad! Page on Fox.com, there were initially two separate seasons under their watch: One followed the traditional broadcast season, and the other extended the first season over 18 months. To further complicate the issue, Fox advertised the last three episodes as another season unto themselves.
- In 2014, TBS originally adopted the FOX PR model, featuring the first season and last three episodes as the 11th season.
- However, on October 20th, 2015, TBS adopted another counting method that followed the making seasons closely, but completely messed up the broadcast order. As far as I know, the system is not currently in use.
- As of October 2016, TBS sorted out the broadcast order, mostly counting episodes by making seasons. There were two exceptions in writing the 7th season’s episodes, though: “Ricky Spanish” and “Toy Whorey” were counted in the writing season 6.
- On July 1, 2017, TBS once again renewed the counting method to calendar-based. Using this method, “100 A.D” became season 6’s first episode.
Come TBS, I clap for you – Source: Giphy
Since TBS struggled to find out a reasonable season count and have ambiguous treatments of some episodes, the American Dad fanbase decided to follow the seasons established systematically by Fox and Hulu. In this article, I also apply Fox’s counting method, meaning season 16 would be the latest one which was released on April 19, 2021, and scheduled to conclude on September 13, 2021. IMDb has also adopted this counting method.
All About American Dad Season 16
Season 16 of American Dad mainly surrounds Jeff, who is afraid that he is not intelligent enough to be with Hayley. Therefore, he made a decision to undergo an experimental intelligence enhancement procedure. Meanwhile, Roger hires Steve to assist him with snake venom collecting.
As announced, American Dad season 16 consists of 21 episodes. So far, 19 out of 21 were officially aired on TBS:
| Title | Original Airdate | Season Episode |
| “Who’s Smarted?” | April 19, 2021 | 01 |
| “Russian Doll” | April 26, 2021 | 02 |
| “Stan Moves To Chicago” | May 3, 2021 | 03 |
| “Shakedown Steve” | May 10, 2021 | 04 |
| “Klaus and Rogu in “Thank God for Loose Rocks”: An American Dad! Adventure” | May 17, 2021 | 05 |
| “The Wondercabinet” | May 24, 2021 | 06 |
| “Little Bonnie Ramirez” | May 31, 2021 | 07 |
| “Dancin’ A With My Cell!” | June 7, 2021 | 08 |
| “Mused And Abused” | June 14, 2021 | 09 |
| “Henderson” | June 21, 2021 | 10 |
| “Hot Scoomp” | June 28, 2021 | 11 |
| “Lumberjerk” | July 5, 2021 | 12 |
| “Stan & Francine & Stan & Francine & Radika” | July 12, 2021 | 13 |
| “Comb Over: A Hair Piece” | July 26, 2021 | 14 |
| “Plot Heavy” | August 2, 2021 | 15 |
| “The Sinister Fate!” | August 9, 2021 | 16 |
| “Dr. Sunderson’s SunSuckers” | August 16, 2021 | 17 |
| “Family Time” | August 23, 2021 | 18 |
| “Crybaby” | August 30, 2021 | 19 |
The last two episodes, “Crystal Clear” and “Steve’s Franken Out” are scheduled to be on-air on September 6, 2021, and September 13, 2021, respectively.
American Dad Season 16 – Source: Amazon
If you are a long-term fan of American Dad, you might be glad to know that all the original voice actors and actresses are returning this season. The co-creator of the series, Seth MacFarlane, voices some members of the Smith, including Stan and our endearing alien Roger. We also expect the return of Wendy Schaal as Francine Smith, Rachael MacFarlane as Hayley, and Dee Bradley Baker as Klaus.
American Dad season 16 is available for streaming on TBS and ITV Hub. Aside from those, you can enjoy it on Disney+, Youtube TV, or Amazon Prime.
So, What Are The Best Episodes In Seasons 15 And 16?
Based on actual reviews, I’ve sorted out the best American Dad episodes in the latest two seasons:
- Exquisite Course (Season 15, Episode 9)
- Yule. Tide. Repeat (Season 15, Episode 24)
- 300 (Season 15, Episode 23)
- The Sinister Fate (Season 16, Episode 17)
- Dr.Sunderson’s SunSucker (Season 16, Episode 18)
Exquisite Corpse ( American Dad Season 15, Episode 9)
Exquisite Corpse – Source: TBS.com
Being the third-highest rating episode of American Dad season 15, Exquisite Corpse scored a 7.5 out of 10 on IMDb. User klorenzen commented that unlike other episodes of this season, Roger, Francine, and Jeff set up an intriguing dynamic. Personally, I found the whole episode amusing and laughable, but there were still some hit-or-miss jokes here and there.
Looking for more comedy? Check out The Best ‘Bob’s Burgers’ Episodes: A Curated List
Yule. Tide. Repeat. (American Dad Season 15, Episode 24)
Yule. Tide. Repeat – Source: Transcripts Wiki
“Yule. Tide. Repeat” scored 7.7/10 on IMDb. The second-highest rating episode is also the final one of the season. I like the fact that Yule. Tide. Repeat referred to Groundhog Day in a smart and charming way. Although Christmas episodes are nothing new, this one is still interesting and creative with the sci-fi concept. The only minus point is some dirty and inappropriate jokes regarding Steve.
300 (Season 15, Episode 23)
Season 15, Episode 23 – 300 – Source: American Dad Wikia
“300” is the highest rating episode of the season, with a score of 8.2/10 on IMDb. It is funny, engaging, and turns out to be very emotional in the end. I cannot spoil more, but keep in mind that “300” is not an episode for the faint-hearted fans.
The Sinister Fate (Season 16, Episode 17)
Sinister Fate – Source: American Dad Wikia
Released on August 9, 2021, The Sinister Fate quickly scored 7.7/10 on IMDb, marking it as the second-highest rating episode of season 16 by far. Finally, fans get to watch a decent Francine episode this season, and it is definitely a fun little ride. The only problem is Roger’s stand-up trope’s storyline. All of the jokes regarding them were lame.
Dr.Sunderson’s SunSucker (Season 16, Episode 18)
Dr.Sunderson’s SunSucker – Source: Transcript Wiki
Judging by a 7.8/10 on IMDb, this is so far the best episode of season 16. Normally, American Dad tends to offer viewers a strong and creative A-plot, followed by a pointless B-plot that messed up the whole episode. The Sinister Fate is no different, but the A-plot about Roger is too strong and amusing so I can pardon the weak B-plot.
American Dad Season 16 – Final Thoughts
Season 16 is only two episodes left and with the current highest rating of 7.8, we can say that it is slightly weaker than previous seasons. However, the heart of the show remains with plenty of smart jokes. American Dad fans have a reason to believe that the show will soon be back to its peak, especially when season 19 is being scheduled.
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