The American television network Fox has aired numerous animated television series. During the more than thirty-year existence of the network, there have been many successful prime time animated series. The first and most famous of these, The Simpsons , was the first such series since the end of The Flintstones in the 1960s.
When the upstart young Fox Broadcasting Company (Fox) was formed in 1986 by Rupert Murdoch, early shows tended to attract low viewership, with the exception of some early ratings successes such as Married... with Children and 21 Jump Street . The animation industry had experienced a decline in the 1980s, but later experienced a revival after the success of films made by Disney and Steven Spielberg such as An American Tail , The Land Before Time , Who Framed Roger Rabbit and The Little Mermaid .
In 1987, The Tracey Ullman Show premiered with mild success. During this time, a series of short cartoons originally intended to be bumpers gained a following with young and old audiences, and Fox ordered thirteen episodes of a new animated television series based on these, titled The Simpsons . When The Simpsons premiered in December 1989, the series was instantly popular. Merchandise featuring the show's breakout character Bart Simpson has accumulated over US$1 billion in sales. The Simpsons was the first successful primetime animated series since The Flintstones , paving the way for other animated series on major broadcast networks. Since its debut, a total of 774 episodes of The Simpsons have aired, and the series has recently aired its 35th season, with two more on the way. [1]
In September 1992, Batman: The Animated Series made its debut, and from December 1992 to March 1993, it aired in primetime while also airing on Fox Kids for several more years.
Also in September 1992, Eek! The Cat premiered on Fox Kids. In 1994, it was renamed to Eek! Stavaganza. Eek! ended in 1997. The only episode of the series to air in primetime was a Christmas special in 1993. [2]
A few Tiny Toon Adventures specials were also aired in primetime during that show's run on Fox Kids. [2]
In 1994, X-Men: The Animated Series had a brief primetime run as the first two episodes of season 3 aired in primetime on Friday nights in July and August 1994 for two consecutive weeks. [3] The last episode of season 3 (along with an episode of Spider-Man ) would premiere in primetime in June 1995. [4]
Also, in 1994, The Tick , an animated superhero/satirical Children's show based on the comic of the same name aired on Fox Kids. A repeat of the show's Christmas episode aired in primetime in 1996.
A boom in new adult-oriented animated programming began thereafter, with MTV's Beavis and Butt-head beginning in 1992, and Simpsons producers Al Jean's and Mike Reiss' own series, The Critic , in 1994. The Critic ran for one season (13 episodes) on its original network, ABC (in 1994); from there, it moved to Fox, where it ran for another season of 10 episodes (1995). The Critic can be described as a minor success, with DVD sales and late-night showings on cable networks (such as Comedy Central) making it a cult hit. It received critical acclaim, being the only television series to ever be reviewed on Siskel and Ebert , in which it received "Two Thumbs Up".
Two episodes of Life with Louie aired in primetime [5] [6] before it debuted on Fox Kids. It was created by Louie Anderson. [7] It ended in 1998.
Mike Judge left Beavis and Butt-head in the mid-1990s to begin a new project with Simpsons writer Greg Daniels. King of the Hill premiered in January 1997, and was a huge success for the network. In August 1997, Trey Parker and Matt Stone's South Park debuted on the cable network Comedy Central, and with its subversive humor and numerous obscenities, it became controversial in a way similar to The Simpsons seven years earlier. Ironically, Parker and Stone originally developed South Park for Fox, which declined to pick up the show due to the inclusion of a talking stool character (Mr. Hankey) being over the top for the network. [8]
Created by comedian Eddie Murphy, the series The PJs debuted in January 1999. The show was a minor success similar to The Critic, but the show's high budget caused it to be moved to The WB in 2001, where it lasted one season.
Seth MacFarlane's animated series Family Guy premiered after Super Bowl XXXIII in 1999. The show was canceled in 2000, but fan petitions convinced Fox to renew it for a third season. After its third season ended in 2002, the network canceled the series again and reruns soon began airing on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim.
Ratings for the series increased soon after, and DVD sales increased. Family Guy was revived and began airing again on Fox on May 1, 2005. Family Guy has remained a large success for the network. It is currently airing its 21st season, with two more on the way. [1] MacFarlane's follow-up series, American Dad! , began airing on February 6, 2005, and despite low ratings, the series was renewed for multiple seasons on the network before being transferred to TBS in 2014.
Futurama , the follow-up series from The Simpsons creator Matt Groening, began in late March 1999, and was later canceled (with its last episode aired on August 10, 2003) thanks to scheduling changes (the same fate met previously by Family Guy during its original run). In a similar move to Family Guy, high DVD sales and ratings led to four separate DVD movies released from 2007 to 2009, all later broadcast on Comedy Central. Futurama was brought back in 2009 to Comedy Central, with new episodes airing from 2010 to 2013.
King of the Hill aired its final episode on September 13, 2009. The Cleveland Show , another endeavor from Seth MacFarlane, premiered on the network on September 27, 2009. It stars Family Guy character Cleveland Brown. The show was cancelled on May 19, 2013.
Arrested Development creator Mitch Hurwitz and former Simpsons executive producer Josh Weinstein developed an American version of Sit Down, Shut Up , which aired from April 19 to November 21, 2009.
On January 9, 2011, Bob's Burgers premiered. It is about to start airing its 15th season
From October 30, 2011, to February 19, 2017, Allen Gregory , Napoleon Dynamite , Axe Cop , High School USA! , Lucas Bros. Moving Co. , Golan the Insatiable , Bordertown , and Son of Zorn have been all canceled after one season.
On October 8, 2013, Fox removed the unaired series Murder Police without airing a single episode. In 2014, Fox canceled American Dad! (which moved to TBS) and stopped using the Animation Domination branding. It was brought back in September 2019 when Bless the Harts debuted, which was renewed for a second season in October 2019.
Duncanville debuted on February 16, 2020. Its second season premiered on May 23, 2021. [9] In April 2021, ahead of the second-season premiere, Fox renewed the series for a third season, [10] which premiered on May 1, 2022. [11]
The Great North premiered on January 3, 2021. [12] In June 2020, the series was renewed for a second season ahead of its premiere. [13] In May 2021, Fox renewed the series for a third season, one day after airing its first-season finale. [14] In August 2022, a fourth season of the series was picked up. [15]
In April 2021, Fox canceled Bless the Harts after two seasons. [16] It concluded on June 20, 2021.
HouseBroken premiered on May 31, 2021. [9] It was renewed for a second season in August 2021. [17]
In June 2022, Fox canceled Duncanville after three seasons. [18] [19] It concluded on Fox on June 26, 2022; however, the final six episodes were released on October 18, 2022, on Hulu. [20]
Krapopolis and Grimsburg were originally scheduled to premiere sometime in the 2022–23 season, [21] but were pushed back to the 2023–24 season. [22] [23] In October 2022, Fox renewed Krapopolis and Grimsburg each for a second season ahead of their premieres. [24] [25] In March 2023, Krapopolis was renewed for a third season. [22] Krapopolis premiered on September 24, 2023. [26] Grimsburg premiered on January 7, 2024. [27] In July 2024, Krapopolis was renewed for a fourth season. [28]
Universal Basic Guys premiered on September 8, 2024. [29] In May 2024, the series was renewed for a second season ahead of its premiere. [30]
In May 2024, Fox canceled HouseBroken after two seasons. [31] It concluded on August 6, 2023.
Family Guy is an American animated sitcom created by Seth MacFarlane for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series premiered on January 31, 1999, following Super Bowl XXXIII, with the rest of the first season airing from April 11, 1999. The show centers around the Griffins, a dysfunctional family consisting of parents Peter and Lois, their children, Meg, Chris, and Stewie, and their anthropomorphic pet dog, Brian. Set in the fictional city of Quahog, Rhode Island, the show exhibits much of its humor in the form of metafictional cutaway gags that often lampoon American culture.
The Cleveland Show is an American adult animated sitcom created by Seth MacFarlane, Richard Appel, and Mike Henry for the Fox Broadcasting Company. A spin-off of Family Guy, and the second television series in the franchise, the series centers on Cleveland Brown, his new wife Donna Tubbs-Brown, and their children Cleveland Brown Jr., Roberta Tubbs, and Rallo Tubbs. The animation was produced by Fox Television Animation.
Animation Domination is an American animated programming block that has aired in two iterations on the Fox broadcast network, featuring a lineup solely made up of prime-time animation and adult animation carried as a majority of, or the whole of, the network's Sunday evening schedule. It originally ran from May 1, 2005, until September 21, 2014, before returning on September 29, 2019.
The twenty-third season of the American animated television series The Simpsons began airing on Fox on September 25, 2011, and ended May 20, 2012. The season was produced by Gracie Films and 20th Century Fox Television. The showrunner for the season was Al Jean, with three episodes ran with Matt Selman, one of those he also wrote himself. The show's 500th episode, "At Long Last Leave," aired February 19, 2012. On October 7, 2011, the series was renewed for a twenty-fourth and twenty-fifth season.
FXX is an American basic cable channel owned by the Disney Entertainment business segment and division of The Walt Disney Company through FX Networks, LLC. It is the partner channel of FX, with its programming focusing on original and acquired comedy series and feature films for a primary demographic of men ages 18–34.
Animation Domination High-Def was a late-night programming block broadcast by Fox. Originally premiering on July 21, 2013 as a spin-off of Animation Domination, the block originally focused on new, original adult animation series—similarly in style to Adult Swim. The ninety-minute block and its content were primarily produced by Friends Night, a television animation studio headed by Adult Swim alumni Nick Weidenfeld, Hend Baghdady, and creative director Ben Jones —including its programs, along with interstitials and other content featured during its programming.
Fox Sunday Night is the former branding of the Sunday night primetime lineup on the Fox network, which featured a mix of animated and live-action series. It ran between stints of Animation Domination.
The 2018–19 network television schedule for the five major English-language commercial broadcast networks in the United States covers the prime time hours from September 2018 to August 2019. The schedule is followed by a list per network of returning series, new series, and series canceled after the 2017–18 season.
The 2019–20 network television schedule for the five major English-language commercial broadcast networks in the United States covers the prime time hours from September 2019 to August 2020. The schedule is followed by a list per network of returning series, new series, and series canceled after the 2018–19 season.
The thirty-third season of the American animated television series The Simpsons premiered on Fox on September 26, 2021 and ended on May 22, 2022. The season consisted of twenty-two episodes. On March 3, 2021, the season was ordered alongside a 34th season. It was produced by Gracie Films and 20th Television Animation. Executive producer Matt Selman replaced executive producer Al Jean as primary showrunner this season although Jean continued to be showrunner for several episodes each season.
Duncanville is an American animated sitcom created by Amy Poehler, Mike Scully and Julie Scully for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series features the voices of Poehler, Ty Burrell, Riki Lindhome, Zach Cherry, Yassir Lester, Betsy Sodaro, Rashida Jones, Joy Osmanski, and Wiz Khalifa. The series premiered in the United States on February 16, 2020.
The 2020–21 network television schedule for the five major English-language commercial broadcast networks in the United States covers the prime time hours from September 2020 to August 2021. The schedule is followed by a list per network of returning series, new series, and series canceled after the 2019–20 television season.
The thirty-second season of the American animated television series The Simpsons premiered on Fox on September 27, 2020, and ended on May 23, 2021. On February 6, 2019, the season was ordered along with the previous season. It was produced by Gracie Films and 20th Television. This season contained twenty-two episodes. It includes the series' 700th episode "Manger Things". In March 2021, the series was renewed for a thirty-third and thirty-fourth season.
The 2022–23 network television schedule for the five major English-language commercial broadcast networks in the United States covers the prime time hours from September 2022 to August 2023. The schedule is followed by a list per network of returning series, new series, and series canceled after the 2021–22 television season. The schedule was affected by strikes undertaken by the Writers Guild of America and SAG-AFTRA, marking the first television season since the 1959–60 season that was affected by two simultaneous strikes; however because the strikes commenced in May and July, respectively, programming impacts on the 2022–23 season itself were limited in comparison to previous television seasons affected by Hollywood labor disputes as the next season was affected even more.
The 2021–22 network television schedule for the five major English-language commercial broadcast networks in the United States covers the prime time hours from September 2021 to August 2022. The schedule is followed by a list per network of returning series, new series, and series canceled after the 2020–21 television season.
The 2023–24 network television schedule for the five major English-language commercial broadcast networks in the United States covers the prime time hours from September 2023 to August 2024. The schedule is followed by a list per network of returning series, new series, and series canceled after the 2022–23 television season. The schedule was affected by strikes undertaken by the Writers Guild of America and SAG-AFTRA. Programming impacts on the 2023–24 season itself were limited in comparison to previous television seasons affected by Hollywood labor disputes.
Krapopolis is an American animated sitcom created by Dan Harmon for the Fox Broadcasting Company. Before its series premiere, the series was renewed for a second season in October 2022 and for a third season in March 2023. The series premiered on September 24, 2023, on the Animation Domination programming block. The first season concluded on May 19, 2024. In July 2024, Fox renewed the series for a fourth season ahead of the season 2 premiere.
The 2024–25 network television schedule for the five major English-language commercial broadcast networks in the United States covers the prime time hours from September 2024 to August 2025. The schedule is followed by a list per network of returning series, new series, and series canceled after the 2023–24 television season.