With TBS looking to do away with scripted programming due to an overall drop in originals at Warner Bros. Discovery’s cable networks business, late last week it was announced that “American Dad!” would be ending its ten season run on the once well regarded “superstation” and is poised for a return to its former home on FOX as part of the broadcast network’s Animation Domination programming block.
According to Deadline, a deal to have the animated comedy from 20th Television Animation back on FOX is still being finalized and would likely include an order for multiple seasons, starting with Season 20. The show concluded its 19th season finale on Monday, March 24.
20th Television Animation
Although representatives for FOX and 20th Television Animation declined to offer comment to the outlet, it’s understood that the move has been in the works for some time, dating back to late last fall when FOX Entertainment and Hulu signed a $1.5 billion deal that calls for the streaming service to continue having in-season access to FOX’s programming, including “The Simpsons,” “Family Guy” and “Bob’s Burgers,” all of which are also produced by 20th Television Animation and are likely to remain on the network as a result.
Despite the move back to FOX, all episodes produced during the show’s run on TBS are expected to continue airing on the cable network through at least 2030 as the cable network and siblings Adult Swim and TruTV hold the exclusive linear rights to past episodes until that time.
20th Television Animation
Created by Seth MacFarlane, Mike Barker and Matt Weitzman, “American Dad!” is executive produced by co-showrunner Brian Boyle along with MacFarlane and Weitzman.
The series centers on super patriotic CIA agent Stan Smith (voiced by Seth MacFarlane) and the misadventures of his unconventional family in Langley Falls, VA. Stan applies the same drastic measures used in his job at the CIA to his home life, where Stan’s blissfully unaware wife, Francine (Wendy Schaal), has an unfaltering loyalty that makes her blind to his unabashed arrogance. His left-wing activist daughter Hayley (Rachael MacFarlane), however, doesn’t let him off so easily and knows just how to push her father’s buttons, unlike her dopey, well-intentioned husband Jeff (Jeff Fischer), who doesn’t know much of anything. Son Steve (Scott Grimes) is a geeky-yet-confident kid who spends his time playing video games and obsessing about the opposite sex. The Smith cabinet is rounded out by two rather unconventional members: Roger (MacFarlane), a sassy, sarcastic and routinely inappropriate space alien, and Klaus (Dee Bradley Baker), an attention-starved goldfish with the brain of a German Olympic skier.
Guest stars this season include the likes of Kevin Bacon, Charles Barkley, Bret “The Hitman” Hart, Gabriel Iglesias, Michael Imperioli, Leslie Jones, Neal McDonough, Joel McHale and Kyra Sedgwick, in addition to the regular voice which is of Seth MacFarlane, Wendy Schaal, Scott Grimes, Rachael MacFarlane, Jeff Fischer, Dee Bradley Baker and Patrick Stewart.
Check out a clip from Season 19 below.