<Li> Patrick Stewart voices Deputy Director Avery Bullock (Stan's Boss) </Li> <P> When asked what first spurred the idea for American Dad! Seth MacFarlane answered, "It was right after the (2000) election, and me (sic) and co-creator Matt Weitzman were so frustrated with the Bush administration that we would just spend days bitching and complaining, and we figured we should channel this into something creative and hopefully profitable ." In early February 2005, Barker stated, "About a year and a half ago, Seth called and asked if Matt and I would be interested in working on a show about a right - wing CIA agent and his liberal daughter . It was right up our alley, and everything just fell into place ." On September 14, 2003, Variety reported that Fox Broadcasting had ordered a pilot presentation of the then tentatively titled American Dad! and "If greenlit, American Dad! could launch as early as fall 2004 ." At the time, Fox was aiming to develop a new lineup of adult animated sitcoms . </P> <P> American Dad! had a mid-season debut . Its first episode, titled "Pilot", was originally shown directly following Super Bowl XXXIX on February 6, 2005 . The rest of the first season, however, would not launch until May 1, 2005, on Fox's Animation Domination lineup which had its debut on that date . Initially, it was a replacement for the originally failed series Family Guy (1999--2002). American Dad! was originally intended to be Fox's answer to the hordes of fans left behind from the original failure of MacFarlane's previous animated venture . Just three short months after American Dad!'s debut however, Family Guy was revived, leaving American Dad! with a formidable expectation: whether the series could distinguish itself from its counterpart and succeed on its own merits . Instead of taking over creative direction of the series, MacFarlane left the job largely in the hands of Barker and Weitzman so as to distinguish American Dad! </P> <P> In its early going, American Dad! brought in strong ratings but fought an uphill battle in gaining widespread acceptance and approval from viewers and critics alike . The popularity of MacFarlane and his involvement with Family Guy have led to foregone conclusions and prejudices against American Dad! as a rip - off of the predecessor and some critics had already written off American Dad! prior to its birth as nothing more than a pale imitation of Family Guy and MacFarlane's attempts to get his old show back on the air . One example, prior to the American Dad! series debut, a writer of The Washington Post published a piece that reads "But those same executives have also given MacFarlane a whole new animated half - hour to play with in the disappointing American Dad! The new series officially premieres in May but has a sneak preview tomorrow night in the coveted post-Super Bowl time period...The look and pace of American Dad! is the same as Family Guy ." </P>

Which came first family guy or american dad