About “American Dad!” in a few words:

American Dad! is an American animated sitcom that premiered in 2005 and has been entertaining audiences ever since. The show centers around the Smith family, which includes the father, CIA agent Stan Smith, his wife Francine, and their two children, the socially awkward Steve and the rebellious Hayley. They also have a talking goldfish named Klaus and a gray alien named Roger, who live with them. The show is known for its satirical humor and witty commentary on American culture and politics, making it a must-watch for fans of animated comedies.

Meet the characters from American Dad!

Stan Smith

Stan is the kind of hyper-patriotic, CIA-obsessed dad who treats patriotism like a religion and a home renovation project at the same time. He’s blustery and macho, loves suits and guns and mystery steaks (yes, he judges your steak), but also has this ridiculous soft spot for his family that sneaks out at the worst times. He’s a control freak with a giant moral compass that sometimes points due-north and sometimes straight into a ridiculous scheme—like, he’ll build a bunker for moral reasons one week and audition for a boy band the next. Honestly, he’s loud, a little delusional, and somehow deeply earnest, and you can’t help but laugh when he gets earnest about his sock drawer.

Francine Smith

Francine is domestic-chaos energy with a fringe of wild-girl past—former model/secret spy/acrobat? (I swear one of those is true). She can bake a pie that will solve your problems and stab you with a knitting needle if provoked, which is both terrifying and comforting. Soft-spoken but with steel underneath, she’s the glue who actually runs the house and occasionally goes on a very unexpected rampage for fun. There’s this whole vibe where she’s sweet and loves PTA but will also challenge you to a brawl over the best casserole recipe.

Steve Smith

Steve is such a classic awkward teen — lovable, nerdy, always scheming with his buddies and wearing shirts about obscure bands. He’s sensitive in a way that makes him punchlines and also the emotional center (yes, I know that sounds cheesy, but it’s true). A little vain, very enthusiastic about magic tricks and romance novels, and he falls hard for the weirdest crushes, but he’s also surprisingly brave when his friends need him. He’s the kid who keeps a pocketful of weird mementos and insists he’s fine even when he’s definitely not.

Hayley Smith

Hayley is full-on activist vibes: loud, uncompromising, with an instantly-read scarf and a protest sign for breakfast. She’s got that fierce moral streak—always angry at injustice—and yet she’s also weirdly prone to hypocrisy in adorable ways (like driving her SUV to a demo, oops). Soft-hearted beneath the rants, she cares fiercely for her family and friends even while publicly roasting them. She’s the kind of person who will chain herself to something and then make you vegan cookies afterwards.

Klaus

Klaus is a goldfish who is somehow 100% bitter German ski champion soul trapped in aquarium form and he will tell you all about it — loudly, at 3 a.m. He’s petty, jealous, and yet weirdly charming if you’re into passive-aggressive fish with a classical music obsession. He alternates between plotting revenge and offering surprisingly sound advice (mostly about love, or pastries, or how to sabotage a date). Also he hoards crackers like they’re precious gems and will judge your taste in opera without mercy.

Jeff Fischer

Jeff is the quintessential chill stoner boyfriend: laid-back, dreamy, very into music and hiking and being kind of aimless in the best possible way. He says “dude” with deep sincerity and manages to accidentally be the voice of reason more than once, which I still can’t explain. He’s flaky, adorable, and suspiciously wise about feelings—also he has a startling ability to fall asleep literally anywhere. He’s like a human hammock who sometimes offers life-changing advice while yawning.

Snot Lonstein

Snot is the awkward, slightly gross, totally loyal friend who lives for comics, weird crushes, and trying too hard to look cool (which usually fails, hilariously). He’s full of gross little habits (I don’t want to mention the specific one, but you know the type), and yet he’ll stick by his pals through dumb plans and worse. Brave in small, surprising moments; insecure in a very loud and squirmy way in others. Basically the kid who keeps a notebook of terrible pickup lines and occasionally uses one with stunning results.

Avery Bullock

Avery Bullock is the over-the-top, stone-faced CIA boss who treats office memos like national security and will scream into a file cabinet if provoked. He’s officious, militaristic, and delightfully terrifying, with a weirdly ornate sense of drama (C-suite opera, anyone?). He has this mix of ruthless professionalism and flashes of bizarre personal quirks—collects obscure statues? cries during briefings?—so you never fully trust whether he’s going to fire you or hug you. He’s the kind of boss who runs a tight ship and then gives a surprisingly heartfelt speech about pens.

Barry Robinson

Barry is this awkward, oft-overlooked guy with a huge, goofy grin and a weirdly good heart, also kind of painfully social-clubby and maybe obsessed with getting things to go “right.” He’s at once uncomfortably enthusiastic about small talk and shockingly deep when the moment hits, which makes him endearing and occasionally alarming. He can be that friend who shows up uninvited and brings casserole like an offering to human decency. I’m not entirely sure if he’s permanently poor at boundaries or just oddly generous—probably both.

Principal Lewis

Principal Lewis is the blunt, no-nonsense school principal who is simultaneously exasperated and somehow entertainingly dramatic about hall passes. He’s got a razor-sharp tongue, a dry sense of humor, and this uncanny ability to ruin a scheme with one perfectly timed look. Part disciplinarian, part weary sage, he’ll give you detention and then a life lesson that makes you sort of respect him (after you sulk, of course). Also he sometimes bursts into random philosophical rants about school spirit, which is wildly inconsistent but kind of iconic.

Toshi Yoshida

Toshi is the stoic, ultra-cool kid who mostly communicates via inscrutable looks and occasional, highly effective explosions of karate (or intense video game focus). He’s quiet but fierce, secretly an anime nerd (don’t tell anyone), and totally reliable in a crisis — the silent type who does the heroic thing without a word. Funny thing: he seems totally unreadable until he’s not, and then suddenly you learn he has the cutest obsession with plushies or something contradictory like that. He’s basically the mysterious friend who probably has a spreadsheet for his feelings.