Summary

• Family Guy season 23 breaks a 20-year tradition, getting removed from Fox's Fall TV lineup and airing midseason instead.
• The new animated comedy Universal Basic Guys is premiering in its stead, with Family Guy moving to Wednesday nights when it returns.
• Despite the show's scheduling change, the series' online popularity and plans for a possible movie in the future means it still has plenty of life left in it.

Family Guy season 23 has broken a 20-year-old series tradition after being removed from Fox's Fall TV lineup, despite being ordered for a full season. The series is one of many long-running animated comedies, such as The Simpsons and Bob's Burgers, that air on the network, having been a staple of the channel for quite some time. Family Guy season 23 is expected to continue the show's tradition of cutaway humor and memorable characters, with a full season order having already been placed.

However, Deadline has confirmed that Family Guy season 23 will not be part of Fox's Fall 2024 TV schedule, and will begin during midseason instead. The show is being moved to allow for the premiere of the new animated comedy Universal Basic Guys, which will join existing Sunday comedies Krapopolis, The Simpsons, and Bob's Burgers. When the Seth MacFarlane-created show does come back, it will also be on Wednesday nights instead.

What Family Guy's New Schedule Change Means For Season 23

Despite airing midseason instead of in the fall as usual, the upcoming season of Family Guy was ordered as a full season. This means the change in airtime isn't going to impact how many episodes season 23 has, with the new batch keeping in line with the rest of the show. However, the new start time coupled with the new date the season gets released means a major shift for the series moving forward. This move also comes despite the show's renewed online popularity, such as through the Peter Griffin death pose.

The new start time for the show also sequesters it from other popular sitcoms, isolating it from the same time frame as similar series that air on the network. While this could be good for the show, as it means there won't be other comedies on the same night that drag attention away from it, the Wednesday airtime could result in a shift in viewership. Whether it will be positive or negative, though, will be up in the air until the series finally begins.

Although these changes could result in a major shift for the show, the franchise is also starting a potential expansion in the future. Alongside Peter getting added to Fortnite last year, MacFarlane has shown interest in making a Family Guy movie, insisting the project will happen at some point. The move to Wednesday nights midseason might be a big change for the show, but it seems the series will still survive in this new location.

All episodes of Family Guy are streaming on Hulu.

Source: Deadline