American Dad: Top 15 Roger Episodes (According to IMDb)

It’s taken some time for American Dad to get the respect it deserves, but it stands tall as one of the longest-running and most consistent adult-animated comedies ever made. American Dad has produced some of TV’s most surreal and hilarious episodes. However, if there’s anything that separates American Dad from other adult animated shows, it would be its series’ mascot, Roger the alien.

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Roger often defies explanation, but his chaotic demeanor often causes the biggest conflicts in American Dad, some of which are completely avoidable. Many dismiss Roger as a stale and stagnant character, but he exhibits surprising growth. American Dad always has a winner on its hands when Roger is the episode’s focus, whether he’s lost in selfish whims or attempting to right some wrong.

Updated April 2, 2023, by Daniel Kurland: American Dad was initially denigrated by many to be a more politically-minded copycat of Family Guy, yet the radical comedy has firmly established its own voice and properly surpassed its animated predecessor. Each American Dad cast member is charming in their own ways, but Roger is widely-regarded as the comedy’s most entertaining character. Roger’s extraterrestrial status and id-driven attitude often means that anything is possible in his episodes, many of which have become American Dad’s strongest installments.

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15

“Stan-Dan Deliver” (Season 11, Episode 8)

Score: 7.1

American Dad is no stranger to broad movie parodies, but it’s surprising to see Roger take a class of underprivileged inner-city kids under his wing in a reference to Stand and Deliver. As Stan-Dan Deliver, Roger administers unconventional teaching techniques that leave Steve frustrated and eager for expulsion.

Stan and Francine also get caught up in retirement plan woes, but it’s the delicate balancing act that Roger engages in as an educator that makes this episode so much fun. By the end of everything, Steve can’t tell if Roger is a genius or a goof.

14

“Shallow Vows” (Season 5, Episode 6)

Score: 7.2

Stan and Francine’s temperamental relationship has helped fuel some of American Dad’s most emotional episodes. “Shallow Vows” creates stress out of Stan and Francine’s impending 20th wedding anniversary after Francine learns that Stan’s love may only run skin deep.

“Shallow Vows” is notable for introducing Roger’s wedding planner persona, Jeannie Gold, who goes on to become one of his most popular recurring personalities. Stan and Francine suffer real pain while the surprisingly deep life that Jeannie has made for herself feeds into a lot of the episode’s comedy.

13

“A Piñata Named Desire” (Season 6, Episode 11)

Score: 7.3

American Dad is frequently at its finest when it pits Stan and Roger against the other as rivals. “A Piñata Named Desire” seeks to prove who is the better actor between the two. However, Roger’s innocent intention to help Stan’s thespian skills puts them in competition for the same theatrical role.

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Roger is hilarious as both an acting teacher and an actor, but the fiery finale between him and Stan leaves the Smith family speechless. If nothing else, “A Piñata Named Desire” includes the glory that is “Pudding Man.”

12

“American Stepdad” (Season 8, Episode 4)

Score: 7.5

Roger’s versatile nature makes him the perfect character to slot into different roles, which can have seismic consequences for the rest of American Dad’s characters. In “American Stepdad,” Stan must endure a very different side of Roger after he swoops in to woo his mother and becomes his new stepfather.

Stan must show fealty to Roger’s new powerful position, which stresses him out and forces him to retaliate. “American Stepdad” has plenty of Roger’s ego-driven antics, but it also shows off his more empathetic side.

11

“Cops & Roger” (Season 5, Episode 14)

Score: 7.5

“Cops and Roger” is a relatively early episode in American Dad’s run, and it’s infamous for having one of the most absurd visuals in the entirety of the series. “Cops and Roger” has a relatively simple premise: Roger joins the Police Academy, only to quickly become a corrupt and reckless cop. However, that doesn’t diminish the episode’s comedy in the slightest.

Roger’s extreme behavior as he channels Bad Lieutenant and goes off the deep end is both harrowing and hilarious. Fans will also never forget Roger’s legendary elbow drop in the episode.

10

“OreTron Trail” (Season 13, Episode 11)

Score: 7.6

Fans enjoy seeing the typically selfish and arrogant Roger take a more vulnerable and desperate role, especially when it provides more insight into his increasingly exaggerated and retconned backstory. During a fun sleepover with Steve, Roger is traumatized when playing one of Steve’s violent video games: The Oregon Trail.

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This little piece of virtual reality reminded Roger of his old family during America’s early, pioneering expansion and of all the horrific ways they died. He calmly decides to kidnap the entire Smith family and trap them within Steve’s computer so that they may never see the same fate. Lucky for the Smiths, there is apparently a way out through Steve’s video game.

9

“Phantom Of The Telethon” (Season 5, Episode 7)

Score: 7.7

“Phantom of the Telethon” is a revenge story for everyone who’s had their ideas ripped off before. Roger feels betrayed when Stan takes all the credit for coming up with a telethon to save the CIA’s torture division. So, he takes a garish role as the Phantom of the Telethon, haunting and inconveniencing every performance that Stan’s show tries to put on.

This episode features some of Roger’s classic slapstick, crude pranks. Roger truly comes into his own when he begins to use a toy keyboard as an organ substitute, as well as his own ingenious take on how to turn such a tool into a torture device.

8

“Vision: Impossible” (Season 10, Episode 9)

Score: 7.7

If being a drug-addicted, flamboyant alien weren’t enough, American Dad’s creators decide to also give Roger the ability to see into people’s futures. After trying to get the Smiths to enjoy the more spontaneous elements of life, a sudden accident leaves Roger with temporary clairvoyance whenever he makes contact with someone.

The Smiths are such sticklers that they inevitably abuse Roger’s power to guarantee their constant safety, which results in constantly pestering Roger over whether they’re at death’s door. However, things start to heat up when Roger loses his psychic powers and the family is left to actually deal with the unknown.

7

“Office Spaceman” (Season 4, Episode 14)

Score: 7.7

American Dad often reminds fans that, as an alien, Roger shouldn’t be seen undisguised in public. At the very least, he shouldn’t appear without a costume in front of any CIA agents. However, this doesn’t stop Roger from taking part in one of his best money-making schemes, which involves him selling pictures of a real-life alien: himself.

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These are the perfect ingredients for sitcom silliness. Roger’s tenuous scheme grows even more ridiculous when the CIA hires Roger’s investigative persona to ostensibly hunt down himself. It’s a complicated problem that even Roger struggles to negotiate.

6

“Ricky Spanish” (Season 7, Episode 17)

Score: 7.7

Ricky Spanish is perhaps Roger’s most iconic and infamous persona in all of American Dad. Ricky Spanish is perhaps his worst persona, and he’s accrued quite a vile reputation. Whenever Roger becomes Ricky Spanish, he’s prone to do terrible, ever-increasingly reprehensible things.

Steve, ever the youthful optimist, still believes that Ricky Spanish isn’t beyond redemption. Steve’s crusade develops into a powerful story about hope, betrayal, and lost innocence, all while Steve learns just how wrong he’s been.

5

“The One That Got Away” (Season 4, Episode 2)

Score: 7.8

Roger’s personas only get stranger and more varied since the concept’s introduction. Before being defined by his “personas,” Roger was simply stuck in the Smith’s house. However, ever since he’s adorned a wig, Roger has let loose more.

“The One That Got Away” features Roger going up against Roger, only he doesn’t initially realize that he’s his own worst enemy. Roger discovers that the man whose life he’s been trying to ruin has actually just been one of his other personas that’s assumed a life of their own. It’s an amazing twist that acts as the stopping point for an increasingly absurd episode.

4

“Persona Assistant” (Season 13, Episode 13)

Score: 8.1

American Dad’s big 250th episode delivers a fitting love letter to Roger and the important role that his many personas play within society. Roger stresses over all of his personas’ different activities, so it’s up to Stan to assume his roles when Roger needs a vacation.

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Stan has good intentions, but he fails to see the point of performing all of Roger’s seemingly-useless character work. Stan shirks Roger’s responsibilities, and it’s not long before Langley falls into utter chaos. When push comes to shove, Stan embraces some of Roger’s most incendiary personas to save the day.

3

“The Great Space Roaster” (Season 5, Episode 18)

Score: 8.1

Roger is a fan-favorite character, even before American Dad decides to put him to task through a comedic roast that hits a little too close to home. “The Great Space Roaster” is a classic American Dad installment because it’s so well-tuned into Roger’s recklessness. The Smiths’ roast of Roger is one of the best scenes, and everyone gets in some great jabs at Roger’s expense. The big twist, however, is that Roger is too thin-skinned to tolerate this abuse.

“The Great Space Roaster” takes quite the turn as Roger turns homicidal against the Smiths. This rampage eventually drives the Smith family to hideout in space, only for Roger to facilitate a few, fun Alien homages.

2

“Tearjerker” (Season 4, Episode 10)

Score: 8.4

Family Guy really made a bundle when it did its Star Wars parodies. Following that formula, American Dad did its own take with the only franchise that would make sense with the CIA agent Stan Smith: the iconic spy franchise James Bond.

While most of the family do decent jobs with their Bond-esque characters, and Stan pretty much just plays himself, Roger stands out as the sinister and ever-eccentric Bond villain. Relishing in the genre’s gaudy and convoluted design sensibilities for its villains, Roger is in his element as he berates his henchmen, harasses Stan, and falls prey to his own clumsy hubris.

1

“The Two Hundred” (Season 11, Episode 10)

Score: 8.6

American Dad knows how to celebrate a seminal moment. Having reached its 200th episode, American Dad decides to just have fun with its consistency and world-building through the powers of an apocalypse. Stan alienates his family in the days leading up to the world’s end, which leaves him in a lonely, vulnerable place.

The world is in disarray and humanity is terrified over a mysterious force that’s known only as “The Two Hundred.” Seasoned American Dad fans will suspect that this prophecy applies to none other than Roger. Roger is accidentally responsible for the apocalypse, and all 200 of his personalities take up physical form and wreak havoc upon the world. It’s a fun way to celebrate American Dad’s long history while honoring Roger.

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