Carter Bays Movies

Created by Seth MacFarlane of Family Guy fame, the weekly Fox animated sitcom American Dad! peered into the home life of a dedicated but thickheaded secret agent. Jut-jawed protagonist Stan Smith was a troubleshooter for the CIA who, by his own declaration, would "stop at nothing" to protect his country -- and in proving this he invariably brought down a great deal of pain and embarrassment to his family. In an all too typical example, Stan had a cute habit of shooting first and asking questions later, which wreaked havoc on faulty household appliances and the like. The Smith family included wife Francine, who had a tough time hiding her drug-addicted past from her straight-arrow husband; daughter Hayley, a community-college coed who'd gone over to extreme left-wing liberalism just to spite her dad; and dorky son Steve, who went to great and pathetic lengths to "be cool." Also members of the household were Roger, a squid-like, Paul Lynde-sounding space alien who'd been hiding out in the family's home ever since Steve rescued him from Area 51; and Klaus the goldfish, who as a result of a misfired mutation experiment spoke in a sinister Peter Lorre-ish German accent. The first cartoon series to truly reflect the singular paranoia of the post-9/11 era, American Dad! premiered February 6, 2005, right after Fox's telecast of the Super Bowl (the same route previously traveled by MacFarlane's Family Guy). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Created by former Late Show with David Letterman writers Carter Bays and Craig Thomas, the 30-minute CBS sitcom How I Met Your Mother was, per its title, related entirely in flashback, from the vantage point of 2030. The hero, Ted (his "old" voice provided by Bob Saget) was endeavoring to regale his children with the stories of how he wooed and won his wife and their mother. The main action took place in "the present," after the twentysomething Ted (played in flashback by Josh Radnor) decided to take upon himself a bride after the unexpected engagement of his friend Marshall (Jason Segel) to the lovely Lily (Alyson Hannigan). Ted had his sights set on a girl named Robin (Cobie Smulders), but there was no guarantee that she would ultimately be the "mother" of the title, not as long as Mike allowed himself to be immersed in the what-the-hell lifestyle of the early 21st century. Providing snide sidelines comments (and most of the laughs) was Ted's know-it-all best pal, Barney (Neil Patrick Harris). How I Met Your Mother premiered on September 19, 2005. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide