American Dad! was originally conceived as a soft political satire, but it owes its 20-year longevity to the producers’ early decision to abandon that premise and lean into the weirdness. When Family Guy became one of Fox’s biggest hits, Seth MacFarlane had the opportunity to create another show for the network. Since the Bush administration was all over the news, MacFarlane conceived a new animated family sitcom that would replace the aimless non-sequiturs of Family Guy with a more focused satire of politics and current events.
https://screenrant.com/american-dad-abandon-premise-show-saved/