A Show "for Us"

If you didn't stick around for Fox's animated sitcoms after the Super Bowl, you may have missed the premier/preview of "American Dad" which followed The Simpsons. Planned to be released in May or June I think, American Dad, takes great satirical jabs at the over-zealous, ultra-right administration and CIA's pervasive interference in all things political.

When I first started watching it, I thought, "Here we go again, another lame animated series by the talentless hacks that brought us The Family Guy." Much to my surprise, midway through the show I found myself laughing outloud at the little gags:

• Roger, the E.T. who lives with the family a-la Alf, sounds suspiciously like the late great Paul Lynde (Uncle Arthur on Bewitched).
• George Bush gets a phonecall from God, asking the Presidnet not to keep mentioning their relationship. The conversation is interrrupted when God's call-waiting chimes in, and God says it's Dick Cheney and he has to take it. When he dismisses the President and switches to the other call, God says, "yes, sir?"
• They have a goldfish with the brain of a German (Steve, the lead character, had the fish's brain switched with a German olympic skier, to keep America from losing a medal), and the German/fish has the hots for the family's mother (nuzzling her bossom and glancing up her dress whenever he gets the chance).
• When Steve (the psycho CIA agent father) hears a noise in the middle of the night, he grabs his gun and sneaks downstairs, then whispers, "Osama? Is that you?"

If the regular season of this new show is as funny as this premier/pilot/preview, we're in for a Summer of laughs at George Bush and the Neo-Cons' expense.