Everyone’s TV habits are so disjoined these days that it’s hard to imagine a show coming along that can unite everyone the way Game Of Thrones or… M*A*S*H did, but maybe American Dad! could be the show to bring us all together in these dark times? It might not be a ridiculously expensive drama like Game Of Thrones, but it’s probably not going to betray your fondness for any particular characters at the last second—unless you like the fish for some reason. We heard back in January that TBS had renewed American Dad! for two more seasons, but in true TBS fashion, it neglected to mention when those seasons would air (we figure American Dad! just wouldn’t be the same if people actually knew when they could watch it).
Now, though, TBS has broken from tradition by announcing that the show will return on April 13 for a new string of episodes, including a special celebration of its 15th anniversary. Over the next few weeks after that, TBS will air “a curated selection of episodes focusing on different characters” that were chosen by the show’s producers, and on April 27 there will be a marathon of the show’s top 15 episodes as chosen by “the series co-creator.” The press release from TBS doesn’t specifically say who that is, but the creators are Seth MacFarlane (who is more famous for working on some other cartoon), Mike Barker, and Matt Weitzman.
The new season will also have a couple of special episodes: On May 4, TBS will air one that was co-written by The Weeknd, with him also contributing an original song and appearing in the episode as himself. Way after that, on September 14, the show will air its 300th episode—and if rumors are to be believed, it may finally conclude the saga of that jewel-encrusted golden poop that has toppled political careers, ruined relationships, and drawn the attention of a panel of religious leaders. Hey, this is a weird show! Here’s a preview clip: