{"id":2294649,"date":"2026-02-23T01:56:25","date_gmt":"2026-02-23T01:56:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=2294649"},"modified":"2026-02-23T01:56:25","modified_gmt":"2026-02-23T01:56:25","slug":"american-dad-co-creator-talks-importance-of-perseverance-after-shows-two-cancelations-exclusive","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/american-dad-co-creator-talks-importance-of-perseverance-after-shows-two-cancelations-exclusive\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018American Dad\u2019 Co-Creator Talks Importance of Perseverance After Show\u2019s Two Cancelations (Exclusive)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div data-article-body=\"true\">\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><em>American Dad<\/em> 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\u2019s fate in limbo.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">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.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">As <em>American Dad<\/em> is set to re-premiere on Fox Feb. 22, <em>Men\u2019s Journal <\/em>spoke with the series\u2019 co-creator Matt Weitzman about the ups and downs of the entertainment industry and how he handles things in the face of uncertainty.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"mb-4 text-xl font-bold md:text-2xl\">&#8216;American Dad&#8217; Co-Creator Couldn&#8217;t Land a Steady Gig<\/h2>\n<figure class=\"relative mb-4\">\n<div class=\"relative\"><button aria-label=\"View larger image\" class=\"group absolute bottom-0 size-full\" data-ylk=\"elm:expand;itc:1;sec:image-lightbox;slk:lightbox-open;\"><span class=\"absolute bottom-3 right-3 rounded-full bg-white p-3 opacity-100 shadow-elevation-3 transition-opacity duration-300 group-hover:block group-hover:opacity-100 md:p-[17px] lg:bottom-6 lg:right-6 lg:bg-white\/90 lg:p-5 lg:opacity-0 lg:shadow-none\"><svg viewbox=\"0 0 22 22\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"size-4 lg:size-6\" width=\"22\" height=\"22\"><path d=\"M12.372.92c0-.506.41-.916.915-.916L21 0l-.004 7.712a.917.917 0 0 1-1.832 0V3.183l-6.827 6.828-1.349-1.348 6.828-6.828h-4.529a.915.915 0 0 1-.915-.915M1.835 17.816l6.828-6.828 1.349 1.349-6.829 6.827h4.529a.915.915 0 0 1 0 1.831L0 21l.004-7.713a.916.916 0 0 1 1.831 0z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/button><dialog aria-label=\"Modal Dialog\" aria-modal=\"true\" class=\"fixed bottom-0 left-0 right-0 top-0 z-4 size-full max-h-none max-w-none bg-white hidden\"\/><\/div><figcaption class=\"relative text-sm mt-1 pr-2.5\">\n<p>20th Television<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Before co-creating <em>American Dad<\/em>, Weitzman struggled to find steady work as a TV writer. \u201cI was on eight very short lived sitcoms,\u201d he said. \u201cThey were on half a season, maybe a full season.\u201d Finally, Weitzman landed a job writing for <em>Family Guy<\/em> \u2014 only for it to get canceled.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">But Weitzman, along with Seth MacFarlane and Mike Barker, successfully pitched <em>American Dad<\/em>, which premiered on Fox in 2005. At the same time, <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.yahoo.com\/entertainment\/tv\/articles\/family-guy-writers-keep-things-110000043.html\" data-ylk=\"slk:the network also resurrected Family Guy;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;outcm:mb_qualified_link;_E:mb_qualified_link;ct:story;\" class=\"link  yahoo-link\">the network also resurrected <em>Family Guy<\/em><\/a>. MacFarlane shifted his focus there, leaving Weitzman and Barker in charge of <em>American Dad<\/em>. Overnight, Weitzman went from being unable to land a steady gig to being at the helm of his own network series.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">\u201cI remember one time during the first season there was a meeting, and we all sat around the table,\u201d Weitzman recalled, \u201cand I was just sitting there waiting, and then I realized, \u2018Oh! I\u2019m in charge.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"mb-4 text-xl font-bold md:text-2xl\">&#8216;American Dad&#8217; Got Canceled Once \u2014 and Then Twice<\/h2>\n<figure class=\"relative mb-4\">\n<div class=\"relative\"><img alt=\"20th Television\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"960\" height=\"540\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" class=\"rounded-lg\" style=\"color:transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/eEDhphn.mrphsVF0o.nctg--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTU0MDtjZj13ZWJw\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/men_s_journal_718\/39c63b0adc849abb2068c1159a0a76a1\"\/><button aria-label=\"View larger image\" class=\"group absolute bottom-0 size-full\" data-ylk=\"elm:expand;itc:1;sec:image-lightbox;slk:lightbox-open;\"><span class=\"absolute bottom-3 right-3 rounded-full bg-white p-3 opacity-100 shadow-elevation-3 transition-opacity duration-300 group-hover:block group-hover:opacity-100 md:p-[17px] lg:bottom-6 lg:right-6 lg:bg-white\/90 lg:p-5 lg:opacity-0 lg:shadow-none\"><svg viewbox=\"0 0 22 22\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"size-4 lg:size-6\" width=\"22\" height=\"22\"><path d=\"M12.372.92c0-.506.41-.916.915-.916L21 0l-.004 7.712a.917.917 0 0 1-1.832 0V3.183l-6.827 6.828-1.349-1.348 6.828-6.828h-4.529a.915.915 0 0 1-.915-.915M1.835 17.816l6.828-6.828 1.349 1.349-6.829 6.827h4.529a.915.915 0 0 1 0 1.831L0 21l.004-7.713a.916.916 0 0 1 1.831 0z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/button><dialog aria-label=\"Modal Dialog\" aria-modal=\"true\" class=\"fixed bottom-0 left-0 right-0 top-0 z-4 size-full max-h-none max-w-none bg-white hidden\"\/><\/div><figcaption class=\"relative text-sm mt-1 pr-2.5\">\n<p>20th Television<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">As the show went on, Weitzman got more comfortable in his role \u2014 then the show got canceled. \u201cThat was scary,\u201d he said. \u201cI didn\u2019t think there was another outlet that wanted the show.\u201d While TBS gave <em>American Dad <\/em>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. \u201cIt was almost <em>American Dad <\/em>2.0,\u201d Weitzman said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">A decade later, <em>American Dad <\/em>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 <em>The Cleveland Show<\/em>? But almost immediately upon learning <em>American Dad <\/em>had been canceled again, Weitzman learned that it had already been resurrected. His initial reaction? Disbelief.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">\u201cI was astounded,\u201d he said. \u201cThat doesn\u2019t happen. A show doesn\u2019t get canceled by a network and then get picked up again by it 10 years later.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">How does Weitzman keep defying the odds? Simple perseverance. \u201cMy license plate literally says PRCVERE,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019m all about not quitting. My whole life is dusting myself off and getting back up again.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">\u201cYou don\u2019t want to beat your head against the wall too hard,\u201d he added, \u201cbut just hard enough.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><i>This story was originally published by <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mensjournal.com\/entertainment\/american-dad-co-creator-talks-importance-of-perseverance-after-shows-two-cancelations-exclusive\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Men's Journal;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">Men&#8217;s Journal<\/a> on Feb 22, 2026, where it first appeared in the <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mensjournal.com\/entertainment\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Entertainment;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">Entertainment<\/a> section. Add Men&#8217;s Journal as a <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/google.com\/preferences\/source?q=mensjournal.com\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Preferred Source by clicking here.;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">Preferred Source by clicking here.<\/a><\/i><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><em> \u2018 The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n<p><em> \u2018 Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.yahoo.com \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>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\u2019s fate in limbo. But like a nurturing mother willing to do anything for her offspring, Fox swooped in [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2294650,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[25172],"tags":[411097,444636],"class_list":["post-2294649","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-entertainment","tag-american-dad","tag-matt-weitzman"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/\u2018American-Dad-Co-Creator-Talks-Importance-of-Perseverance-After-Shows-Two.jpeg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2294649","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2294649"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2294649\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2294651,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2294649\/revisions\/2294651"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2294650"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2294649"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2294649"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2294649"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}