Editing American Dad! (section)

===Development of ''American Dad!''{{'}}s individuality===
In ''American Dad!''{{'}}s initial seasons MacFarlane was described as focusing more attention on his coexisting obligation of ''Family Guy.'' This was to the extent that ''American Dad!'' was completely secondary to him, and he did not understand the show. Because he was not getting the show at the time, he was described as "just going along for the ride". Likewise, the rest of the show's creators Mike Barker and Matt Weitzman were also trying to figure out the show and where it was going.<ref name="avclub4" /><ref name="autogenerated8" /> [[File:Seth MacFarlane at Fox Fall Eco-Casino Party - 8 September 2008 crop.jpg|150px|left|thumb|Co-creator [[Seth MacFarlane]]]]

After ''American Dad!''{{'}}s initial couple of seasons and as it progressed, the show began to increasingly develop its very own distinct approach and identity, becoming more and more distinguished from all other programs on the air. Standing out from its counterparts increasingly with each passing season, the series has been described as eventually becoming the weirdest show in network [[prime time]]. It has been characterized as serving up distinguishing blasts of surrealism.<ref name="avclub4" /> As the series progressed, MacFarlane realized that Mike Barker and Matt Weitzman were on to something uniquely appealing; moreover, he realized they were on to something that sharply contrasted from ''Family Guy'', which audiences appreciated.<ref name="avclub4" /><ref name="autogenerated8" />

After the show's first several seasons, MacFarlane not only came to fully understand and appreciate ''American Dad!''{{'}}s value but also came to consider himself a huge fan of the series. Taking note of his [[Twitter]] followers' increased [[fanaticism]] and excitement over ''American Dad!'' and the "Roger" character, MacFarlane began putting considerable amounts of his time and efforts into the series, more so in the last several seasons than ever before (this observation made in fall 2012).<ref name="avclub4" /> In describing ''American Dad!'' comedy styles, Barker noted that it is not as reference-laden as ''Family Guy'' or ''[[South Park]]''. He added that ''American Dad!''{{'}}s humor more frequently derives from "the human condition and emotions that everyone can relate to: ego, the feds, etc. And for that reason, I think our humor is a little more [[evergreen#Metaphorical use|evergreen]]."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Mushy |date=April 24, 2006 |title=EXCLUSIVE: Mike Barker and Matt Weitzman Talk American Dad |url=http://www.movieweb.com/news/exclusive-mike-barker-and-matt-weitzman-talk-american-dad/lists |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130930171528/http://www.movieweb.com/news/exclusive-mike-barker-and-matt-weitzman-talk-american-dad/lists |archive-date=September 30, 2013 |access-date=May 4, 2013 |website=MovieWeb |publisher=MovieWeb.com}}</ref>