The massive agreement with Disney TV Studios, which Fox is reportedly calling a “meganimation deal,” will see all four comedies continue their typical hijinks throughout the 2028-29 broadcast season. This is also the timeline for the $1.5 billion extension Fox signed with Hulu (owned by Disney), which includes in-season streaming rights to Fox’s slate. “The longevity of this agreement reaffirms our commitment to the successful partnership we’ve built with the incredible team at Disney,” Rob Wade, CEO of Fox Entertainment, said in a statement. “This collaboration has and will continue to generate meaningful long-term value and strategically build audiences from Fox to Hulu to fans worldwide.”
Each season of the renewed shows will contain only 15 episodes, so there will at least be some time to breathe amongst all that new-old content. While shorter than the standard 22-episode order, Deadline specifies that these slimmer runs are still considered full seasons by current broadcast standards.
Besides, it feels almost silly to use “short” and The Simpsons in the same sentence. With this renewal, the seemingly never ending show extends its record as the longest-running scripted primetime series in television history with seasons 37 through 40. Bob’s Burgers will air season 16 through 19, while Family Guy is on seasons 24 through 27 and American Dad! will air seasons 20 through 23.
All of this, of course, begs one big question—should Fox have kept these shows going? Dennis Perkins was skeptical in his review of The Simpson‘s 700th episode (!) for The A.V. Club a few years ago, but, as he wrote in his conclusion, “Congratulations are due, even if another big round number is as artificial a milestone as ever… And, as ever, here’s to next week being better.” Maybe even a dog this old can learn some new tricks over the next four years.
