10 Best American Dad! Characters Only In One Episode
6. Michelle
Okay, technically this character has appeared again since their debut episode. But technically she hasn't as well. Just...bear with me.
Michelle is the Ghost of Christmas Past at the time we first see her, and appears to Stan to help him rediscover his Christmas spirit. She takes him back in time to his childhood, and, despite her efforts, he bolts on her to spend time in the 1970s.
It's here that her grandiose personality melts away, and F.R.I.E.N.D.S. fans will immediately recognise her voice actress as Lisa Kudrow, aka Phoebe Buffay. Her deadpan humour in this episode, 'The Best Christmas Story Never', makes every one of Michelle's lines a joy to hear.
Of course, Stan's shenanigans in the past end up mucking up the present, and Michelle is forced to take Francine back to the '70s to help her rein him in. When things eventually work out, she buys Stan a gun for Christmas, explaining that his actions in the past have erased the mandatory year-long wait to legally own a firearm.
The character was so popular that the writers wanted to bring her back in a later season, but as Kudrow declined to return, a new fairy character was created - also called Michelle, confusingly. Perhaps, like the woman she plays, Kudrow burned that bridge by taking a dump on her boss's desk.