TBS' American Dad is no stranger to tossing plot and character aside for the sake of a punchline. Although often leaning toward absurdist humor, American Dad allows actions and events to influence its oddball ensemble. The characters wind up affected by these changes but are still entirely recognizable when compared to the incarnations introduced in the series' 2005 premiere.

In said episode, Stan Smith gifted son Steve (Scott Grimes, also featured in MacFarlane's The Orville) with a dog named Thor. After the aging and infirm Thor was accidentally shot dead by Stan soon thereafter, dog ownership became a matter of discussion in the episode Season 1, Episode 16, "Not Particularly Desperate Housewife," during which Stan assumed ownership of dog Fussy. Following these early episodes, American Dad eschewed the subject for several seasons until Season 8, Episode 14, "Stan's Best Friend," where the topic took a surprising, albeit glib, turn with curious implications.

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American Dad's Flexible Continuity

American Dad Not Particularly Desperate Housewives Fussy

In "Stan's Best Friend," Steve expressed a desire to get a dog to an uncooperative Stan -- and Stan later recounted the tragedy surrounding his childhood dog, Freddy Explaining to his wife Francine that he'd been told by his mother Freddy was afflicted with what would be eventually known as "Air Bud disease," Stan was forced to put Freddy down. He later learned that Freddy was perfectly healthy and he'd been told otherwise because his family's new living arrangements prohibited pets. This soured Stan against ever owning a dog again.

A confused Francine quickly recalled Thor and Fussy, both of whom directly interacted with Stan. Stan, however, denied ever having these dogs and described those events as little more than dreams. However fleeting this moment was as the story propelled itself toward Steve bringing home his dog Kisses, the gag effectively wrote the earlier episodes out of American Dad's canon. The discussion of the earlier episodes spoke to the flexibility of American Dad's continuity and a willingness to discard even an episode so central to the series as its debut.

Despite his initial resistance, Stan came around to Kisses, finally finding himself able to open his heart to another dog. As these things go, it happened just prior to Kisses being crushed by a hot air balloon full of pirate cats. Stan went to extremes to save Kisses' life, seeking the aid of deranged veterinarian Dr. Lizzy (guest star Amy Sedaris, who will hopefully return to The Mandalorian whenever it eventually premieres). After a vision of his Freddy offered him a measure of closure, Stan decided to let Kisses die peacefully.

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Absurdist Comedy and Fourth Wall-Breaking

American Dad Stans Best Friend Kisses

Although far from the greatest example of American Dad breaking its world and characters for a punchline -- something mostly relegated at that point to its Christmas episodes -- the expressed retconning of two episodes was a step toward American Dad finding its own identity and something not quite seen since Bob Newhart did it. It's worth noting that a measure of ambiguity was built into the suggestion that Francine dreamed the episodes mentioned, and it was slightly fourth-wall breaking to preemptively avoid such thoughts coming to viewers' minds as well.

Absurdist leanings were built into the series from its outset. However, an increasing fearlessness to go past any expectations while also remaining true to its reality would pay dividends for the show and its ongoing longevity, as it moved from Fox to TBS and has been renewed for its 19th and 20th seasons. By writing out the premiere -- still its highest-rated episode with 15 million viewers, according to a press release -- American Dad demonstrated its trademark nerve and unpredictability with aplomb.

American Dad airs Mondays at 10:00 p.m. on TBS.