| "A Ward Show" | |
|---|---|
| American Dad! episode | |
| Episode no. | Season 8 Episode 3 |
| Directed by | Josue Cervantes |
| Written by | Erik Durbin |
| Production code | 6AJN01 |
| Original air date | November 6, 2011 |
| Guest appearances | |
| |
"A Ward Show" is the third episode of the eighth season of the animated comedy series American Dad! It aired on Fox in the United States on November 6, 2011. The episode's plot mainly revolves around Roger becoming Steve's legal guardian, but he gets a little overzealous in the parenting department. Meanwhile, Stan and Francine decide to go on a vacation to Flash Flood Acres, The Largest Water Park in the Universe. But after spending two hours there they go on every ride, so they decide to get a refund from the manager, but fail when they learn he would not be back until Thursday. [1]
This episode was written by Erik Durbin and directed by Josue Cervantes. This episode generally received positive reviews. Rowan Kaiser from The A.V. Club rated this episode a Grade B+. During its initial airing, the episode was viewed by 4.85 million households and achieved a 1.6 rating in the 18-49 demographic, according to the Nielson ratings. It featured a guest appearance from Anjelica Huston and Sally Struthers, as well as several recurring voice actors and actresses for the series. [2]
Steve is friends with Principal Brian Lewis. Steve also helps him with his accounting in return and they belittle the teaching staff. Later, Roger becomes Steve's legal guardian so Stan and Francine can get out of a coffee meeting with Lewis. At the meeting, Roger attacks Principal Lewis for Steve's poor test scores. Not satisfied, Roger later brings in the superintendent and they see that Lewis is taking Steve out of classes for get-togethers in the teacher's lounge and as a result, he is fired. When Steve protests that Principal Lewis was his friend, Roger tries to make up by getting him a new friend named Freddie. Later, the other teachers then unleash their wrath on Steve as payback now that Lewis is not around anymore; Roger responds to this by rigging their cars with explosives, killing them. Steve is extremely angry with Roger for getting Lewis fired and runs away. He meets up with Lewis and the two drive away to Arizona. However, on the way, Lewis reveals that he is driving the car into the Grand Canyon in a murder-suicide and reveals that he only used Steve to be his accountant. Freddie runs into Roger searching for Steve and unleashes an eye-popping scream when Roger panics. Freddie explains that Roger should let Steve make more of his own decisions and stop smothering him as much. Roger catches up with Steve and Lewis before they can drive into the canyon, but it turns out he only came to apologize to Steve. Lewis then drives over the canyon, but Roger's love makes the car fly across the canyon. But then they crash the car in mid-air after a white guy with a black kid also tries to drive into the canyon. Both Steve and Lewis end up in the hospital, with Lewis saying that he was wrong to use Steve as an accountant, and that he now enjoys living as he goes to get a sponge bath from a nurse.
Meanwhile, after making Roger Steve's legal guardian, Stan and Francine decide to go on a vacation to "Flash Flood Acres, The Largest Water Park in the Universe!" But after just two hours there they go on every ride, so they decide to get a refund from the manager, but fail when they learn he would not be back until Thursday. So they try to sell their eight-day passes, but after that fails they decide to get even with the park by having sex in the biggest water slide. But when Stan comes in too fast, he and Francine end up in the same hospital as Steve and Principal Lewis with broken pelvises. When Roger takes away Steve's pain medicine, Steve, Stan and Francine start to argue with him until he brings in Freddie to quiet them down with another eye-popping scream.
This episode was written by Erik Durbin and directed by Josue Cervantes. Seth MacFarlane, the creator and executive producer of American Dad!, as well as its sister shows Family Guy and The Cleveland Show , served as the executive producer for the episode, along with series veterans Mike Barker, Rick Wiener, Matt Weitzman, and Kenny Schwartz. In addition to the regular cast, Anjelica Huston guest starred in this episode. Also appearing in this episode was Sally Struthers. [3]
Rowan Kaiser of The A.V. Club gave the episode a B+, saying "What makes this episode work is that it has a reasonably coherent storyline combined with a consistent level of humor. The jokes land. I can't really go in-depth more than that, which is always a problem with reviews, but I'll do my best. For example, after Roger presents his plan to become Steve's guardian with a "La-la!", Francine replies "Roger, couple things. I think you meant to say 'voila!' instead of 'la-la!'" which garners a quick, subtle "I did." It's an odd little joke, relying almost entirely on the effectiveness of the sound editing, but it, like a high level of jokes in the episode, manages to work." [4]
Dyanamaria Leifsson of TV Equals gave the episode a positive review, saying "Roger is not likely to have the desire to be a father again soon, but I loved seeing him in that overprotective, overbearing parental role with Steve who is normally his partner in crime. The two of them were the source of a ton of great lines and little laugh out loud moments and as a result I thoroughly enjoyed tonight’s episode of American Dad." [5] The episode was watched by a total of 4.85 million people, this made it the third most watched show on Animation Domination that night, beating Allen Gregory but losing to Family Guy and The Simpsons with 8.00 million. [2]
American Dad! is an American animated sitcom created by Seth MacFarlane, Mike Barker and Matt Weitzman for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series was moved to TBS in 2014 and continues to air new episodes to this day. American Dad! is the first television series made to premiere on Fox's Animation Domination block. The series premiered on February 6, 2005, following Super Bowl XXXIX, with the rest of the first season airing three months later beginning May 1, 2005.
Steven Anita "Steve" Smith is a fictional character in the animated television series American Dad!, voiced by Scott Grimes. He is Stan and Francine Smith's 14-year-old son and Hayley's younger brother as well as the youngest of the series' six main characters.
"The Vacation Goo" is the first episode of the fourth season of the animated series American Dad!, an episode produced for Season 3. It originally aired on September 30, 2007. This episode centers around the Smiths, whom start to develop communication issues with each other. Francine becomes aggravated that the family cannot congregate with each other during dinner. Stan later plans for a vacation in Hawaii, only to be interrupted by Roger. The family subsequently go on several virtual vacations, only to have Francine go into an emotional breakdown. The Smith family go onto a cruise, but Francine's suspicions get the best of her and the Smiths are stranded on an island.
"Pulling Double Booty" is the sixth episode of the fifth season of the animated comedy series American Dad!. The episode was originally produced for Season 3. It first aired in the United States on Fox on November 16, 2008. This story centers around Hayley, who goes on a rampage shortly after Jeff breaks up with her. Stan and Francine try to help their daughter get through the grief, and Hayley begins dating Bill, Stan's body-double and doppelgänger.
Meanwhile, Roger and Steve get summer jobs determining the sex of baby chicks in a factory, but Steve steals several specimens to rear in safety after learning their fate. Angered at their ruined summer, Roger steals the chickens to make money off of chicken fights.
"In Country...Club" is the first episode of the sixth season and the seventy ninth overall episode of the animated comedy series American Dad!. It aired on Fox in the United States on September 27, 2009, and is written by Judah Miller and Murray Miller and directed by Albert Calleros and Josue Cervantes.
"Bully for Steve" is the sixteenth episode of the fifth season of the animated comedy series American Dad!
"Fart-Break Hotel" is the ninth episode of the seventh season of American Dad!. It originally aired on Fox in the United States on January 16, 2011. The episode follows housewife Francine as she becomes frustrated and bored with her daily routine of taking care of her family. But when Roger accidentally passes lethal gas in the house, the family moves into a luxury hotel for a week. While there, Francine decides to assume the identity and life of a familyless career woman, the CEO of a concrete company.
"Stanny Boy and Frantastic" is the tenth episode of the seventh season of American Dad!. It aired on Fox in the United States on January 23, 2011. This episode centers around the couple of Stan and Francine, who are bored with their lives. In a desperate attempt to get out of the house, Stan and Francine take Hayley's tickets to a circus in order to invite and bond with a couple. While at the show, they both meet Tom and Cami, a young couple. All four go out on various outings, and Stan and Francine begin to have trouble keeping up with the fast-paced lifestyle of Cami and Tom.
"A Piñata Named Desire" is the eleventh episode of the seventh season of the animated comedy series American Dad!. It first aired on Fox in the United States on February 13, 2011. This episode mainly centers on Roger and Stan, who begin to experience tensions growing against each other for the dominant figure in the house. Roger becomes tired of Stan's stance as the authoritarian figure of the house, and he challenges Stan's leadership qualities. Stan insists that he is better than Roger at everything, and he tells him that he has a mission that involves acting. Unknown to Stan, Roger spies on him, only to find out that Stan is a terrible actor. Roger later boasts to the house that he is a better actor than Stan, but he eventually teaches him to improve his acting skills. Meanwhile, Steve and his friends plan to throw their last slumber party together.
"You Debt Your Life" is the twelfth episode of the seventh season of American Dad!. It aired on Fox in the United States on February 20, 2011. The episode focuses on two of the show's main characters, Roger the Alien and Stan Smith. After he saves Roger from being run over by a bus, Stan has repaid what Hayley calls his "life debt", which forces Roger to moving out of the household, and Stan replaces him with Andy Dick. Roger intuitively figures out he can get reaccepted by Stan and move back in by forcing him into a new life debt, by getting him attacked by a polar bear at a zoo and then saving his life at Area 51. Meanwhile, Steve and his friends abuse the power of being public announcers at Pearl Bailey High School.
"I Am the Walrus" is the thirteenth episode of the Seventh season of American Dad!, first airing on Fox in the United States on March 27, 2011. It mainly centers around Stan and his son Steve, who are both competing for the dominant role of the house. Steve is the first person to finish his meal, much to Stan's dismay. Stan becomes intimidated by his son, and he is afraid that he will lose his status of alpha male. Meanwhile, Hayley and Jeff are suffering marital relationship problems, so they seek marriage counseling.
"Jenny Fromdabloc" is the sixteenth episode of the sixth season of the animated comedy series American Dad!. It first aired on Fox in the United States on April 17, 2011. This episode mainly centers around Steve, who tries to comfort his friend, Snot, after facing rejection from Hayley. Snot goes into a deep state of depression after realizing that Hayley does not have any feelings for him. Steve devises a plan that requires Roger to impersonate a teenage girl from New Jersey. Roger ends up developing a deeper relationship with Snot, much to the frustration of Steve. He begins to feel threatened, as Snot develops into a charismatic and arrogant individual that Steve's friends look up to. Meanwhile, Stan wishes to live a more urbane lifestyle and starts drinking martinis, but his low alcohol tolerance causes him to pass out on several occasions and run around Langley Falls in a drunk tangent.
"Hurricane!" is the second episode of the eighth season of the animated comedy series American Dad!. It first aired on Fox in the United States on October 2, 2011. The episode's plot mainly revolves around the Smith family, who prepare for evacuation in response to an oncoming hurricane. Reluctant to leave his home, Stan encourages his family to ride out the storm in their house with him. The hurricane sends a flood to the city of Langley Falls, which puts the entire family in danger.
"Home Wrecker" is the seventeenth episode of the sixth season American Dad!. It aired on Fox in the United States on May 8, 2011. This episode mainly centers around the couple of Stan and Francine, whom become divided over the architectural style wanted for the renovation of their kitchen. Greg and Terry, the Smiths' gay neighbors, intervene in the situation. Greg and Terry criticize the strength of Stan and Francine's marriage, much to their frustration. A bet is made in regard to the Smiths' rocky relationship: if Terry and Greg were to win the bet, they would receive the marriage license of Stan and Francine. Meanwhile, Steve, his friends, and Principal Lewis take advantage of Barry's proficient ability to count cards; however things become awry when they try to remove Lewis of his cut.
"Flirting with Disaster" is the eighteenth episode of the seventh season and the 114th overall episode of the animated comedy series American Dad!. It aired on Fox in the United States on May 15, 2011, and is written by Keith Heisler and directed by Pam Cooke.
"Hot Water" is the eighth season premiere of the animated comedy series American Dad!. It aired on Fox on September 25, 2011, and is written by Judah Miller and Murray Miller and directed by Chris Bennett. It was nominated for the Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program.
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"The Scarlett Getter" is the sixth episode of the eighth season of the animated comedy series American Dad!. It aired on Fox in the United States on November 27, 2011. The episode plot mainly revolves around Francine, who accidentally leads Roger to a dangerous alien hunter while trying to get revenge on Stan.
"The Missing Kink" is the fifteenth episode of the ninth season and the 148th overall episode of the animated comedy series American Dad!. It aired on Fox in the United States on April 14, 2013, and is written by Jeff Chiang and Eric Ziobrowski and directed by Pam Cooke and Valerie Fletcher.
