A key aspect in the appeal of cartoons is that they remain static. Characters dont age and plots may advance throughout one episode, but by next week the situation has reverted back to what it was in last weeks episodes opening moments. American Dad treads away from such aspects, and more so than Family Guy. Both series have shared plots that spread themselves out over several episodes, but American Dad uses a greater shade of subtlety in developing plots than Family Guy does. Think of the storyline where Hayley elopes with Jeff, 100 A.D and Son of Stan. Its presented as a pair of regular episode of American Dad, a bizarre yet balanced mix of nutty humour with genuine emotional punch. Now think of Brian & Stewie. Not the characters, but the episode in which Brian and Stewie get locked in a bank vault. Its presented as decidedly different from much of the rest of Family Guys output, essentially a two-man play. The fact that Family Guy went to such lengths to ensure a dramatic presentation can be seen as putting it below American Dad in terms of emotional impact. Additionally, after this episode, Family Guy carries on as if nothing had happened. American Dad at least offers tales that spin in and out of each other.
Senior editor for the superhero/comic book hub A Place To Hang Your Cape. BA in Creative Writing and Film Studies from Hull Uni. Currently getting lost in the big wide world of freelance writing. And some other stuff.
