The Simpsons, Bob's Burgers, And Family Guy Get Two-Season Renewals From Fox

Fox is once again committing to its long-running animation block: the network has just renewed "Family Guy," "The Simpsons," and "Bob's Burgers" for two more seasons a piece, according to Variety.

The news comes as little surprise for fans of Matt Groening's decades-old animated sitcom "The Simpsons," as the show has been the longest-running scripted series in TV history for years now. This fall, the show will premiere its 35th season, and the series impressively still features the same original core cast that's been voicing the Simpsons family since 1989.

"Family Guy," meanwhile, also seems to be trucking along after surviving a previous cancelation early in its run. Seth MacFarlane's bawdy adult comedy now has the go-ahead to continue for its 22nd and 23rd seasons. MacFarlane's other adult animated series, "American Dad!" is currently on a different renewal cycle over on TBS network, and it already got the green light for two additional seasons in late 2021. 

While the renewal of the two longest-running corners of what is sometimes called Fox's "Animation Domination" block is to be expected, it's especially exciting to see "Bob's Burgers" get the same re-up. The sweet, lovable series about a family who owns a burger restaurant in a coastal town is the youngest of the trio, having premiered in 2011. The show is as hilarious as ever, and it just had a major moment last year with the release of "The Bob's Burgers Movie." It's great to see that, with thirteen stellar seasons under its belt and no signs of slowing down, "Bob's Burgers" is grandfathered into the biggest no-brainer renewal announcement on TV.

Fox Entertainment's president of scripted programming, Michael Thorn, celebrated the news in a statement to Variety. Thorn said, "With this trio of renewals, we celebrate excellence in animation on Fox, our wonderful, long-time partnership with 20th Television, and the brilliant creators and incredible voices behind these forever favorites." He also pointed to the shows' impressive longevity, saying that "three-plus decades of 'The Simpsons,' more than two decades of 'Family Guy' and over a decade of 'Bob's Burgers' proves the enduring power of the animation genre on our network" as well as an "infinite fan affinity" for the shows.

Thorn is smart to emphasize the network's commitment to animation in his statement, as that's not something several of his contemporaries can brag about anymore. Since the Warner Bros Discovery merger last year, HBO Max has gutted its animation selections, while Netflix's animation department has also seen major changes. HBO Max and Netflix have both unceremoniously ended several animated series that deserved better, so it's not surprising that Fox would take the chance to reassert its own continued loyalty to the medium.