‘American Dad’ Co-Creator Talks Importance of Perseverance After Show’s Two Cancelations (Exclusive)

American Dad has been on for more than 20 years, but not without interruptions. In 2014, Fox canceled the series, only for TBS to revive it. After 10 seasons, TBS canceled it, leaving the beloved animated show’s fate in limbo. 

But like a nurturing mother willing to do anything for her offspring, Fox swooped in and saved the show from an untimely death, picking it back up for four more seasons.

As American Dad is set to re-premiere on Fox Feb. 22, Men’s Journal spoke with the series’ co-creator Matt Weitzman about the ups and downs of the entertainment industry and how he handles things in the face of uncertainty. 

'American Dad' Co-Creator Couldn't Land a Steady Gig

Before co-creating American Dad, Weitzman struggled to find steady work as a TV writer. “I was on eight very short lived sitcoms,” he said. “They were on half a season, maybe a full season.” Finally, Weitzman landed a job writing for Family Guy — only for it to get canceled.

But Weitzman, along with Seth MacFarlane and Mike Barker, successfully pitched American Dad, which premiered on Fox in 2005. At the same time, the network also resurrected Family Guy. MacFarlane shifted his focus there, leaving Weitzman and Barker in charge of American Dad. Overnight, Weitzman went from being unable to land a steady gig to being at the helm of his own network series.

“I remember one time during the first season there was a meeting, and we all sat around the table,” Weitzman recalled, “and I was just sitting there waiting, and then I realized, ‘Oh! I’m in charge.’”

'American Dad' Got Canceled Once — and Then Twice

As the show went on, Weitzman got more comfortable in his role — then the show got canceled. “That was scary,” he said. “I didn’t think there was another outlet that wanted the show.” While TBS gave American Dad a second shot at life, all but one of the writers had moved on to other gigs, leaving Weitzman and his new co-showrunner, Brian Boyle, to essentially start from scratch. “It was almost American Dad 2.0,” Weitzman said. 

A decade later, American Dad got furloughed yet again. Understandably, Weitzman was nervous. Would it end up on another network? Would it end up on streaming? Would it end up in the TV graveyard with The Cleveland Show? But almost immediately upon learning American Dad had been canceled again, Weitzman learned that it had already been resurrected. His initial reaction? Disbelief.

“I was astounded,” he said. “That doesn’t happen. A show doesn’t get canceled by a network and then get picked up again by it 10 years later.”

How does Weitzman keep defying the odds? Simple perseverance. “My license plate literally says PRCVERE,” he said. “I’m all about not quitting. My whole life is dusting myself off and getting back up again.”

“You don’t want to beat your head against the wall too hard,” he added, “but just hard enough.”