'Family Guy' Will Move Exclusively to New Home After Adult Swim Exit
Family Guy will only be available on Disney-owned platforms and networks starting on Monday. After older seasons of the hit show were only available on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim and TBS for years, all 19 seasons will now be shown in one place. FXX and Freeform, both owned by Disney, will be the exclusive cable homes for the Seth MacFarlane-created series.
FX Networks and Freeform have had off-network rights to Family Guy Seasons 16 through 19 since 2019, reports Deadline. At the time, the show's first 15 seasons aired on AdultSwim and TBS, two Turner networks now under the WarnerMedia umbrella. Both will no longer air Family Guy thanks to the new deal. FXX also picked up non-exclusive rights to another animated series, Futurama.
Family Guy will air on FXX Tuesdays at 9-11 p.m., Thursdays from 12 to 1 a.m. and Sundays 7-9 p.m. Family Guy will also air Mondays and Tuesdays from 8 p.m. to midnight, Thursdays 8-10 p.m., Saturday at 8 p.m.-midnight, and Sundays 10 p.m.-midnight on FX. Freeform will air it on Wednesday nights in an hour-long block with The Simpsons. Freeform will also air solid Family Guy blocks on 4-11 p.m. Fridays. In other words, Family Guy might get to Ridiculousness levels for the three channels.
"We are airing the absolute ultimate collection of animated adult comedies on cable television," Chuck Saftler, head of Business Operations for ABC, Freeform, FX Networks and Acquisitions in Disney Media & Entertainment Distribution's Networks division, said in a statement Friday. "This lineup is comedy gold that will provide FXX viewers with belly laugh after belly laugh." FXX airs other FX Productions and 20th Television animated shows, including Archer, King of the Hill, and The Simpsons.
Family Guy debuted on Fox in January 1999 and was created by MacFarlane. The show was originally canceled after Season 3, but repeats on Adult Swim and strong DVD sales proved there was still a fan base for the show. Fox renewed the show for Season 4 in 2004, and new episodes have aired on the network ever since. In September 2020, the show was renewed through Season 21.
MacFarlane, who has an overall deal with NBCUniversal, made headlines last month by voicing his frustration that Family Guy still airs on Fox, which is owned by Fox Corp., the same company behind Fox News. "Tucker Carlson's latest opinion piece once again makes me wish Family Guy was on any other network," MacFarlane tweeted in August. "Look, Fox, we both know this marriage isn't working anymore. The sex is only once a year, I don't get along with your mother, and well ... I've been having an affair with NBC."
In response, Fox Entertainment President of Entertainment Michael Thorn told Variety there is no chance Family Guy leaves under his watch. "Family Guy is part of the Fox DNA," Thorn said. "Creatively, they continue to thrive, and we plan on keeping it on our air for a while. We enjoy a really great relationship with Seth and the other executive producers on the show."