American Dad! returns this week with one of the better episodes of the season so far. It also just so happens to be one of the better Christmas episodes of the series.

Things kick off with the Smith family at the mall, the holiday season in full swing. While shopping for his family members, however, Stan quickly reveals that not only does he have no idea what they actually want, but he really could care less. Things are only worsened when he runs into Principal Lewis at the food court, whom he realizes is there without any family members, just enjoying the single life.

Stan invites Lewis to the family’s holiday party that evening, his general resentment toward his family growing stronger by the minute. Then, a la “It’s a Wonderful Life”, Stan’s wish to be single is granted as he is putting the star on the tree. He wakes up in a vacant, messy house with only Roger to accompany him (Roger was touching his butt at the time he made his wish, which is why he is the only Smith to be sucked into Stan’s wish. One of American Dad!’s greatest gifts is pointing out their own shortcomings, and they acknowledge this “butt wish” accordingly).

As expected, Stan’s wish come true isn’t nearly as wonderful as he initially suspects. It turns out that not only does he not have a family anymore, but that family is now Principal— or rather, Agent— Lewis’s family, leaving Principal Smith to a lonely life of middle-aged bachelordom. Upset with this, Stan kidnaps Francine, Steve and Hayley Lewis and tries to force them to remember their past life with him. It doesn’t work, and long story short, Stan ends up jumping to his death off “Suicide Bridge” while being ironically shot to smithereens by the CIA.

But then the story gets better, with an usual twist not seen in other “It’s a Wonderful Life” parodies. Stan’s angel does appear and agrees to give him back his old life, but it turns out that his old life isn’t what he thinks it was. It turns out that Francine and the gang were actually just a family set up by a previous angel meant to teach Stan how to appreciate his real family— a wonderful group of people consisting of a hot and intelligent wife, a loving and agreeable daughter, an athletic son, and “Gerald”, who is not known to the Smiths as an alien, but rather a tenant of theirs who works at the mall. Unfortunately, Stan’s previous angel died and went to Super Heaven (“if you believe in that sort of thing”), which caused Stan to forget about his real family and grow to love the highly dysfunctional Smiths we laugh at every week.

Horrified by his real, near-perfect life, Stan convinces Gerald that his alternate life as a cross-dressing, belligerent con artist is amazing and that he needs to make a Christmas wish in order to transport them back. Unfortunately Gerald wishes for a Porsche instead and wastes it. So, Stan manages to get his wife to wish they were never married, and voila! All is set right— or rather, wrong, which is the way Stan prefers it.

So sure, the general concept of the episode is one that’s been done a hundred times over by other shows and even movies, but it’s one that consistently works. It’s still not the edginess that was promised to viewers when American Dad! first made the move to TBS, but with a solidly entertaining 22 minutes, there’s really not that much to complain about.

Episode Highlights:

• This week we are treated to special Christmas-themed opening credits. It’s hard to say which is better— Stan’s Rudolph briefs or Roger’s Jesus getup.
• Klaus’s crying overflowing his fish bowl
• “I wanted my family to be suspended in a void, or a static nothingness, or whatever happens to them when I leave the room” — Stan’s disappointment at Principal Lewis having his family.
• “My God, the fish doesn’t talk! What kind of Twilight Zone am I living in?” — Stan’s horror at his “real” family’s pet fish not being Klaus.
• Snot coming in at the last minute and pretending to be Stan and Francine’s son being taught a lesson.