Meet the Characters in 'American Dad!'

Get to Know the Characters and Their Personalities

The characters on American Dad! represent a fun, exaggerated version of the diverse personalities you can find within a family. Each has his or her own quirks, charms, and personal style. Which is the ultra conservative? Which is the bleeding heart liberal? Which episode should you watch to see the best of each character? The Smith family members run the gamut of political parties, from Stan Smith, the super conservative father, to Hayley Smith, the bleeding heart liberal. Meet the main characters of American Dad!.

Stan Smith

Stan Smith on 'American Dad'

Twentieth Century Fox

Stan Smith is the CIA agent who sees a shooter on the grassy knoll in even the most innocent of situations. He's got a shoot-first-ask-later attitude that gets him into trouble in just about every episode. Stan Smith is voiced by Seth MacFarlane (Family Guy).

Best episode: "Hot Water," when Stan buys a hot tub to relax in at the end of the day. But the hot tub (voiced by Cee Lo Green), has plans of its own. Pretty soon Stan is the life of the party, and his family isn't happy.

Francine Smith

Francine Smith on 'American Dad'
Twentieth Century Fox

Francine Smith is Stan's sweet wife. She's a modern woman caught in the role of a traditional wife. She loves Stan, but she spends most of her time trying to talk him out of crazy schemes. She's tried careers of her own, including real estate and her own bakery, but they didn't pan out. Francine Smith is voiced by Wendy Schaal (Small Soldiers, Six Feet Under).

Best episode: "Not Particularly Desperate Housewife," when Francine wants to join an exclusive ladies' club so she can feel accepted. But she finds out that in order to be a member, she has to cheat on Stan. We see the Stepford Wives side of being a bored housewife.

Hayley Smith

Hayley Smith on 'American Dad'

Twentieth Century Fox

Hayley is Stan's very liberal feminist daughter. The two of them are always at odds, with Stan usually meddling in her affairs with dire consequences. To Hayley's credit, she never gives up her values, regardless of how much grief it causes her at home. Hayley Smith is voiced by Rachael MacFarlane (Family Guy, Johnny Bravo).

Best episode: "Haylias," in which Stan "activates" Hayley, who is a sleeper agent, to keep her from tearing off to France to sow her wild oats. While he tries to marry her off to a Senator's son, she wigs out and tries to kill Stan. This episode is a hilarious look at the father-daughter rivalry that exists on American Dad!.

Steve Smith

'American Dad' - Steve Smith
Twentieth Century Fox

Steve is Stan's nerdy teenage son. He's not terribly popular, but very smart. He even published his own book! He and their alien Roger (see below) embark on disastrous adventures frequently. Steve Smith is voiced by Scott Grimes (Party of Five, Band of Brothers).

Best episode: "1600 Candles," when Stan and Francine use top secret CIA methods of messing with Steve's age. Steve's hilarious announcement that he's hit puberty kicks off a crazy string of events, showing us Steve as a toddler, to Steve as a 21-year-old man (who's still in school).

Roger

Roger - 'American Dad'

Twentieth Century Fox

Roger is the alien Stan rescued from Area 51. Speaking like Paul Lynde, he spends his days drinking martinis and watching bad television. Though Roger has ambitions and needs, he's stuck in the attic of the house, forbidden to reveal himself to the outside world. Roger is also is voiced by Seth MacFarlane (Family Guy).

Best episode: "Brains, Brains and Automobiles," when Steven and Hayley leave for the summer, Francine tries to spend quality time with Stan. Roger's antics to win back her attention are hilarious, including his Disney princess get-up.

Klaus

Klaus on 'American Dad'
Twentieth Century Fox

Klaus is the family's German goldfish, who harbors strong desires for Francine. Lecherous Klaus is the weakest link in an otherwise stellar cast of characters. If Klaus got flushed in the next episode, I wouldn't miss him. Klaus is voiced by Dee Bradley Baker (Star Wars: The Clone Wars, ).

Best episode: "Dr. Klaustus," when Klaus and his devious ways take center stage. Klaus schemes to get Roger shipped off to Iraq so he can take over for Dr. Penguin (one of Roger's alter egos), the family therapist. But he does more harm than good.

Jeff Fischer

"The Longest Distance Relationship"
A year after his abduction, Jeff still hopes to reunite with Hayley in the all-new "The Longest Distance Relationship" Season Finale episode of AMERICAN DAD.

Twentieth Century Fox

Jeff started out as Hayley's hippie-like boyfriend, but later became her husband after they eloped in "100 A.D." Then, in "Season's Beatings," Hayley and Jeff adopt a child who turns out to be evil. In "Naked to the Limit One More Time," Roger sends Jeff into space when Jeff discovers he's an alien. Finally, in "Holy, Sh*t, Jeff's Back!," Jeff's brain is implanted into an alien, so he can, sort of, stay with Hayley. Jeff is voiced by Jeff Fischer.

Best episode: "Longest Distance Relationship," when Jeff tries to get back to Hayley through a wormhole, but winds up leaving her alone when he finds out how miserable her life would have been like waiting for him.

Deputy Director Avery Bullock

"The Full Cognitive Redaction of Avery Bullock by the Coward Stan Smith"
"The Full Cognitive Redaction of Avery Bullock by the Coward Stan Smith".

Twentieth Century Fox

Avery (pictured, right) is Stan's boss at the CIA. He's just as high-strung as Stan, and sometimes, just as eccentric. He once had a fling with Hayley, until she went back to her old boyfriend. He sometimes breaks into iambic pentameter or rhyming dialogue, because he's voiced by classical trained actor Patrick Stewart (Star Trek: The Next GenerationX-Men).

Best episode: ""The Full Cognitive Redaction of Avery Bullock by the Coward Stan Smith," in which Avery poses nude for Stan. Need I say more?

Steve's Friends

Naked to the Limit, One More Time - American Dad

Twentieth Century Fox

Steve Smith has three good friends. (Pictured, L-R) Barry (Eddie Kay Thomas, American Pie); Steve; his best friend, Snot (Curtis Armstrong, ); and Toshi (Daisuke Suzuki), who only speaks Japanese.