American Dad! “The Legend of Mike Madonia, the Rototiller Man” (TBS, Monday, January 13, 2025)

American Dad! Key Art

Suburban life, as viewed through the warped lens of “American Dad!”, is rarely peaceful. This week’s episode offers two contrasting storylines, one grounded in the mundane (relatively speaking) and the other veering into the realm of the utterly absurd.

Francine, in her endless quest for self-improvement (or perhaps just something to do), decides to join Tuttle’s gardening club. Tuttle, however, is not thrilled. Given his penchant for the dramatic and Francine’s…let’s just say “unique” approach to social interactions, their shared horticultural pursuits will undoubtedly lead to chaos.

Meanwhile, the rest of the Smith family embarks on a social experiment of sorts, deciding to say “yes” to absolutely everything. This will almost certainly result in a cascade of increasingly ridiculous situations. Stan, always prone to extreme reactions, will probably find himself in some particularly compromising positions. And Steve? Well, Steve being Steve, who knows what kind of trouble he’ll get into.

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“American Dad!” excels at this kind of comedic juxtaposition. The episode offers the potential for some truly inspired moments of absurdity, particularly with the Smith family’s embrace of unfettered affirmation. Will they say yes to a bank robbery? A trip to Mars? Only time will tell, but it’s a safe bet that things will get weird. This episode looks like a solid return to form for the long-running animated series, playing to its strengths of outlandish humor and satirical social commentary, however subtle it might be.

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“American Dad!” airs Mondays at 10/9c on TBS.

Andrew Martins, reviewer, recapper, deep diver, scifi specialist. Thinks Blakes 7 is better than Star Trek. Yes I do go to fan conventions and no I don't dress up. Well okay maybe I do a bit.