American Dad Volume 4

Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane's second child, American Dad, has never gotten its due. It's one thing to consistently trail your big brother in the ratings but it's another to be looked at like some kind of lesser version entirely and dismissed. Being so eclipsed by Family Guy, you may not even know what American Dad is about. For four seasons, Stan Smith, a C.I.A. operator, has bumbled his missions both at work and at home, where he plays dad to pothead slacker Haley and perpetual nerd Steve. He also finds time to either ignore or misunderstand his wife, Francine, and quarrel as often as possible with the alien (Roger) he's harbouring in his attic. They're just your average American family. The fourth season starts with a hysterical and surprisingly authentic James Bond spoof called "Tearjerker," complete with theme song and a Bond girl named "Sexpun T'come"; and the season ends with Haley dating Stan's body double from the C.I.A., because her father can't tell her he loves her. They make out a lot; it's weird to look at. All 14 episodes on this three-disc set contain audio commentaries by some of the key animators and writers on the program, with the notable exception of MacFarlane. Each episode also comes with plenty of deleted scenes that are much more like extra lines that weren't working as well, or just had to be cut for time, but they're still pretty chuckle-worthy. Other features include a live table reading and a tribute to Roger's mastery of disguise. I forgot to mention, there is even a talking fish named Klaus. Okay, so there are some resemblances to Family Guy but it's still hilarious.