American television has seen more than its fair share of insane characters. Men and women (and a couple aliens) who toe the line between sane and a couple fries short of a complete meal.
Some are functioning lunatics — think Seinfeld’s Kramer or Tobas Funke from Arrested Development — and some are just batshit crazy — think Jim Ignatowski from Taxi or loveable but psychotic murderer Tony Soprano.
We’re here to set the record straight — when it comes to insane TV personalities, American Dad‘s resident alien Roger Smith is the f’n craziest character ever to grace the small screen.
He’s Been On Earth Over 60 Years But Still Doesn’t Understand Humans
For a superior life form, Roger sure hasn’t come around to being a little more human in nature. If anything, he’s becoming a bigger jerk as time goes on. He’s really a sick bastard.
For example, in Why Can’t We Be Friends?, Roger repeatedly ambushes Hayley’s boyfriend Jeff Fischer and steals money from the harmless hippie. While counting up his stolen loot, Roger casually says to himself “I’m going to rape him tonight” and unsuccessfully attempted to do just that.
It’s been hinted in a few episodes that Roger needs to act like a jerk because being nice it “harmful to his health.” There is a fine line between jerk and psychopath.
He’s A Master Of Disguise
In 2012, the showrunners on American Dad — Mike Barker and Matt Weitzman — did an interview with The AV Club and discussed a slight tweak in Roger’s character that took him to the next level of crazy. “And also not necessarily a character, but a character trait, was the fact that Roger was better to put in costume and send him outside of the house,” Weitzman told AV Club, “rather than the original concept, which was he was basically going to be ALF and sit in the house and comment on the world. But we learned that he was way too much fun to keep inside, and having him interact with people was giving us too much.”
Roger has played way too many characters to count but let’s do a quick list for fun. He’s been a detective, a hula girl, Sholanda Dykes, Mr. Mustachos, Kurt Cobain, Colton Lancington, Fantasia Lopez and Sleeping Beauty. Roger’s disguises are usually the B story in every episode but so memorable they could easily be the main plot. The funniest part is that no one notices the disguises except The Smiths no matter how crazy, how amateur or how unrealistic.
He Owns A Bar And It’s In The Attic Of The House
Every bro dreams of owning his own bar. I’m just not sure we dream of putting it in our house. Especially because it’s illegal.
In the episode A Smith In The Hand, Hayley encourages Roger to “make something of his life” instead of just sitting around the house all day. Roger takes her advice and opens his own bar in the Smith attic. Roger’s Place is the only job that Roger has held onto for any length of time, but he’s the owner, so it only makes sense it would be impossible to get himself fired. Unless you count the time Roger sold it to Toby, only to get it back at episode’s end.
Roger’s Place is an occasional hangout for most of the Smith family. The bar itself has also seen several changes — it was once a country western bar and hosted a Mardi Gras bash — and
He’s Manipulative
Roger can get any character to do just about anything. In the episode The Magnificent Steven, Roger tricks Francine and Hayley into competing against each other to decide who was more attractive. The women fall for Roger’s tricks and eventually get into a wrestling match with one another. During the altercation, Roger was able to videotape the match and submitted it online to win a T-shirt.
He Pulled The Sickest Prank Ever Over A Chocolate Chip Cookie
It started with a simple yet childish proclamation from Steve after taking Roger’s last chocolate chip cookie. “You snooze, you lose,” Steve told Roger. Those four words set a prank in motion so fiendish that, if pulled off in real life, it could cause a severe mental breakdown.
Roger sets out to gain revenge on Steve by convincing him that he was adopted. Roger begins by pointing out minor differences between Steve and Stan and Francine. Over the course of a few days, Roger’s moves become sick and sinister. He destroys all the photos and videos of Steve as a baby and searching the FBI database for a child fitting Steve’s profile. He send Steve to see a couple whose son was kidnapped as an infant and convinces them all that Steve is the child. Roger eventually foils the plan and Steve doesn’t even get mad.
Oh and Steve also tongue humps his sister Hailey when he thought they weren’t blood relatives. Add that injury to the insult.
He’s Taken Way Too Many Drugs
Roger’s drug use has sprung up in more than a few episodes. Taking a rough count, Roger has tried all of the following drugs at one point or another — alcohol, tobacco, weed, heroin, coke, crack cocaine, steroids, LSD, oxycodone, ecstasy, cooked-down Afrin, U4EA (pronounced euphoria), nitrous oxide, dextromethorphan, Drano, PCP and methamphetamine.
All that drug use must have had long lasting effects on Roger’s personality, but, would anyone really notice considering he’s already insane?
The Smiths ‘Adopted’ Him And He Repays Them By Repeatedly Attempting To Kill Them All
You’d think an alien would be appreciative of a family who took him in as one of their own. Sure, he saved Stan’s life, but he’s more than used up that Get Out Of Jail Free card with all the crap he’s pulled over the years. Not only does Roger not appreciate the Smiths, on more than a few occasions, he’s tried to kill them.
Roger started a gas leak and explosion in the family kitchen, hired a hit man to shoot them all, and killed Stan’s brakes. All that just because they roasted him on his birthday.
He’s Killed Before — He’ll Kill Again
While his attempts to off the Smiths haven’t been successful, Roger has more than his fair share of kills under his belt.
He killed a female admirer, Sidney Huffman, murdered five college students, pushed an adopted kid out of an airplane to pretended he was him and sent death threats to Merlin Olsen.
It’s only a matter of time before he kills again. But even if he does, it’s sure to be hilarious.