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!
which came first family guy or american dad
Family Guy Family Guy