Family Guy is set to air on Comedy Central as part of an adult animation block after the Paramount network struck a licensing deal with Disney.
The deal will see the Seth MacFarlane-created series launch on Comedy Central on September 2, joining animated series such as South Park, Futurama, and Beavis and Butt-Head.
It highlights the fact that while licensing deals for network shows on cable is a rarity in the new world of streaming, it isn’t completely dead. The deal is non-exclusive with prior seasons continuing to air on FX and FXX, while Hulu is the exclusive streaming home of the show.
It comes after Family Guy is being moved to midseason on Fox, the first time that Peter Griffin and his family aren’t on the fall schedule. Family Guy, as well as The Simpsons, are heading into its final season of a two-season renewal. Hulu is airing two exclusive episodes later this year, starting with a Glen Powell-led Halloween special.
MacFarlane recently said that he doesn’t “see a good reason to stop”.
The series will kick off its Comedy Central run with an all-day marathon on Labor Day before moving to the network’s primetime lineup on Tuesday September 3.
The licensing agreement with Disney Entertainment for the series was negotiated on behalf of Paramount Global by Barbara Zaneri, Chief Programming Acquisitions Officer.
Family Guy is produced by Disney’s 20th Television Animation. MacFarlane is creator and exec producer, Rich Appel and Alec Sulkin serve as executive producers and showrunners, while Steve Callaghan, Tom Devanney, Danny Smith, Kara Vallow, Mark Hentemann, Patrick Meighan and Alex Carter also exec produce.
“We are excited to welcome Family Guy to Comedy Central joining the best in adult animation alongside South Park, Futurama, and Beavis and Butt-Head, among others,” said Laurel Weir, EVP and Head of Programming, Showtime/MTV Entertainment Studios and Paramount Media Networks. “Delivering bold, irreverent and culturally impactful content to our fans is our top priority which makes Family Guy the perfect complement to our robust adult animation slate.”
