Have No Fears, Fox Just Gave Four More Years To 'Simpsons', 'Bob’s', 'Family Guy', Returning 'American Dad!'
This should hopefully take us through the end of the Felon47 administration
How about a crazy wedding? Thanks to Lisa Simpson voice actress Yeardley Smith, we knew that even though this was a contract year for The Simpsons, the show would not be ending just yet at Fox. As is customary, multi-season renewals for it, Bob’s Burgers, Family Guy, and American Dad!, which was confirmed to be reacquired after the series departed TBS after its season 19 or 21 finale on March 24, a significant portion of the network’s Animation Domination lineup. However, the pickup for all four 20th Television Animation series was bigger than anyone could’ve expected. These are FOUR-season renewals that will take the series to the end of the 2028-2029 season, rather than the two-season precedent. The network called the agreement with Disney TV Studios, which had been in the works for months, a “meganimation deal”.
The renewals encompass the record-setting 37th through 40th (40!!!) seasons of The Simpsons, extending its standing as the longest-running scripted primetime series in television history, the 16th through 19th seasons of Bob’s Burgers, the 24th through 27th seasons of Family Guy and the 20th/22nd through 23rd/25th seasons of American Dad!. The deal matches the duration of the $1.5 billion extension Fox signed with Disney-owned Hulu in November which includes in-season streaming rights to Fox’s slate, that paved the way for such a massive pickup. Hulu and Disney+ are the exclusive global streaming home of the four series’ 2,000 episodes, though The Simpsons’s library is more formally on the Disney+ side.
'American Dad!' Is Returning To Fox After 10.5 Years At TBS
Well that was fast. Just hours after it was confirmed that TBS was indeed waiting out the clock on American Dad!’s last renewal, its new home has been confirmed. After 10 and a half years and 212 episodes with the upcoming season finale “What Great Advancements!” airing Monday, March 24 at 10 PM, the
However, things will be looking a little different. Those expecting 80+ episodes to be scooped up by this deal might be disappointed to find out that the four pickups are all for 15 episodes per season. Below the standard 22-episode orders, broadcast networks, including Fox, have been increasingly favoring such for scheduling and financial reasons. It should be noted that Family Guy, Bob’s Burgers, and The Simpsons’s 2023-2024 had 15, 16, and 18 episodes respectively, but they were WGA and SAG-AFTRA strike-impacted, and were all 20+ prior for long periods (spare a rare dip like Family Guy season 13). However, at the very least Family Guy and The Simpsons are expected to continue to produce Hulu and Disney+-exclusive episodes respectively to supplement it. So in essence, some episodes are offloaded. No word on whether that will mean fuller seasons for the other two the same way. The final of The Simpsons’s first batch, “Yellow Planet” was recently announced for an appropriate Earth Day premiere, which this year is Tuesday, April 22. The reduced linear presence will help them within season bounds to program Fox Entertainment-owned Animation Domination brethren like Krapopolis and Grimsburg, considering the 7 PM Sunday hour that networks still have goes unused except for reruns. That confines their viable hours to fit just the 8-10 PM shows, of which there are only four at a time out of the 8 they have (which may or may not add up others greenlit over the course of the deal). The per-episode license fee for the three already-present series is staying the same, which is uncommon for long-running shows, typically more costly the older they get as networks regularly push for fee reductions.
“This new deal celebrates the eternal popularity of these iconic comedies, as well as the enduring, prolific relationship we continue to enjoy with our friends at 20th Television Animation and the brilliant creators – that goes double for Seth this time around — and incredible voices behind these contemporary classics,” said Michael Thorn, the president of Fox Television Network. “The longevity of this agreement reaffirms our commitment to the successful partnership we’ve built with the incredible team at Disney,” added CEO of Fox Entertainment Rob Wade. “This collaboration has and will continue to generate meaningful long-term value and strategically build audiences from Fox to Hulu to fans worldwide.” Last year, Family Guy and Bob’s Burgers were among the two most-streamed titles on the Nielsen Top 10 charts, pulling in 42.44 billion and 36.79 billion minutes viewed, respectively.
“This historic four-season order from our longtime partners at Fox is truly monumental for these iconic animated series,” said Marci Proietto, head of 20th Television Animation. “We are so proud that these legendary shows will continue for hundreds of more episodes, allowing new and longstanding fans to watch, rewatch and experience more of The Simpsons, Family Guy, American Dad! and Bob’s Burgers for years to come.”
They’ll never stop The Simpsons, so much that “Yellow Planet” will be the 500th full episode of the series since “Gump Roast”, the season 13 clip show episode that ended with the “They’ll Never Stop The Simpsons” montage. Expect a trailer for it soon, which of course will be covered.
I’ve Figured Out When 'Phineas And Ferb' Comes Back!
Ferb, I know what the trades don’t today. Dan Povenmire is the co-creator of the hit Disney Channel animated series Phineas and Ferb. He is definitely the bigger of the two on social media with a huge following on Instagram and TikTok that blew up over the pandemic. And he managed to say something about the future of his animated series in a way that li…
Source: Variety