American Dad

American Dad started life as a political satire and quietly became something far weirder and much better. Once it stopped being about a conservative CIA agent shouting at his liberal daughter, it turned into one of the most reliably strange sitcoms on television.

Roger is the reason. An alien with hundreds of personas, no impulse control and a wardrobe of wigs, he can carry any plot in any direction, and the writers have used him to run everything from murder mysteries to full musical numbers. Very few shows have a character that structurally useful.

Stan works because he's wrong constantly and sincerely. His schemes escalate with the logic of a man who has never once considered stopping, and Francine's willingness to go along with them is its own long-running joke.

Klaus, a German man trapped in a goldfish, is treated with a cruelty the show has never explained or apologised for.

This collection covers the Smith family and their unusual dependents. Recommended for anyone who thinks the show got better after season three, which is most people.