It’s official: Family Guy is vacating its Sunday night slot for the first time in about 20 years.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the move was revealed as part of Fox’s midseason schedule and sees the adult-themed animated comedy show move to Wednesday nights, starting on March 6.
The move will see Family Guy paired with Animal Control, the network’s only live-action comedy.
Notably, this is the first time Family Guy won’t air on a Sunday night since Fox resurrected the show back in 2005. The last time it aired on a weekday was back in 2002.
Family Guy originally debuted in 1999 and ran for three seasons, initially airing on Thursday nights. It was eventually canceled by Fox after three seasons but was picked up in 2004 after a resurgence in popularity thanks to reruns on Adult Swim as well as solid DVD sales. Family Guy Season 4 debuted on May 1, 2005, and the show has enjoyed its comfortable Sunday night slot ever since.
Creator Seth MacFarlane has been pretty vocal about his relationship with Fox in the past, once saying that he wished the show was on “any other network”. “Tucker Carlson’s latest opinion piece once again makes me wish Family Guy was on any other network,” he said on Twitter. “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.”
MacFarlane also temporarily quit the show back in May, until the WGA writers’ strike was resolved. What this new time slot means for the show remains to be seen. It’s thought that this could go one of two ways: either Fox is confident Family Guy can stand on its own two feet, or it's lost faith in the show and is putting it out to pasture.
Family Guy Season 22 continues on Fox on November 26. The new schedule begins when Season 23 debuts on March 6.
Want to read more about Family Guy? Check out who came out on top in our favourite animated character as well as where it sits among our 25 top adult cartoon TV shows.
Ryan Leston is an entertainment journalist and film critic for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.
