Family Guy and Bob's Burgers aren't going anywhere soon. Fox has handed out early two-season renewals for both of the long-running animated series. Both of the shows will now run through 2023. The move comes as Family Guy is gearing up for season 18 on Sunday, with Bob's Burgers debuting season 11 that same night.
Seth McFarlane's Family Guy will now run through at least season 20. The show was canceled early in its run but was revived by Fox after it gained a cult following. That proved to be one of the better decisions the network ever made. Bob's Burgers, meanwhile, will, at minimum, hit season 13. Michael Thorn, President of Entertainment for Fox Entertainment, had this to say in a statement.
"Family Guy and Bob's Burgers are key pillars of our network's success. By taking the genre to new heights and driving pop culture in meaningful ways, they've laid the foundation for making Animation Domination one of the most powerful program blocks in all of television. Both of these two-season renewals affirm once again our commitment to animation and empower us to continue in our build as the leader in the space with distinct and fresh new comedies. We'd like to thank Seth, Loren and their entire teams, not to mention our partners at 20th Television, and we're excited to continue these great shows with them."
Animation has been a big part of the Fox lineup for years now, led by The Simpsons, which is still on the air at least through next year with season 32. The network also has Bless the HartsDuncanville, The Great North and Housebroken as part of its programming lineup. Fox is also developing a new animated series from Rick and Morty co-creator Dan Harmon.
Family Guy debuted in 1999 and, to date, has aired 349 episodes. Season 18 will see Sam Elliot taking over as Quahog's new mayor, replacing the late Adam West, who passed away in 2017. The renewal should get the show close to the 400 episode mark. Rich Appel and Alec Sulkin serve as showrunners. Bob's Burgers was created by Loren Bouchard and originally debuted in 2011. It has proved to be a steady hit for the network, with its fan base increasing over time. The show will cross the 200 episode mark this season. Bouchard and Nora Smith are returning as showrunners this season. A Bob's Burgers movie is also in the works and is currently set to arrive next year.
The increase in animated programming comes at an opportune time. The industry is still struggling to get live-action programming up and running safely again. But animation can still be produced remotely, which makes it desirable to networks right now. As such, these shows should be able to remain on track with little or no interruption, regardless of what unforeseen challenges come about in the coming months. Fox's Animation Domination block returns on Sunday, September 27. The block now includes Bob's Burgers, Family Guy, The Simpsons and Bless the Harts. This news comes to us via Deadline.