FOX Renew/Cancel: Animal Control Is In Control + 2025-26 Recap

Fox Corporation, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Below are the September 26th Fox renew/cancel predictions for the 2026-27 television season. The table format will return once each show has at least one data point in the 18-49 demographic. 

The Simpsons received a multi-season renewal in 2025, so it is already set to return for next season. No prediction will be assigned to it. 

It is rare for a sitcom entering its fifth season to be upgraded to one of the best time slots on the network. This fall, Animal Control will be stationed in the coveted post-Simpsons slot on Sunday nights, a time when the NFL lead-in inflates the lineup's numbers to a cartoonish degree. Such preferential treatment makes Fox's intentions clear, so the series begins as a certain renewal.  

Traditionally, a move to an anchor slot would be a vote of confidence by the network. But Universal Basic Guys has not proven itself to be a show that can excel at the top of the hour. In winter 2026, Guys often trailed both its lead-in and lead-out, and being at nine instead of 8:30 means that the NFL's positive impact on its numbers will be reduced. But while it will be dealing with a more challenging set of circumstances, Fox has been quite nurturing to its recent cartoon offerings. And while underwhelming at times, Guys has yet to post an 18-49 rating as low as Grimsburg (0.09 rating on 5/12/24) or Krapopolis (0.07 on 4/19/26). If Fox can continue handing out renewals to those two, then this one can start as a likely renewal. 

Grimsburg missed the 2025-26 television season entirely, but it is back to a regular Sunday time slot this season. However, airing at 9:30 means it will receive minimal football help, so its performance among adults 18-49 will be more reflective of its actual strength than the other three. What's working against this one is that it has a low attention score and has been removed from Netflix, but Fox giving it a fall slot for the first time in its career is a positive sign. It is likely to be renewed, but it is far from "certain renewal" territory. 

Thanks to a sizable football lead-in, Best Medicine returned with a massive 0.85 rating in the Adults 18-49 demographic. The series was consistently a bright spot in the key demographic last season, and the decision to place the start of its sophomore season after The OT shows Fox is still in its corner. This one is a certain renewal.

The 22-episode season is not as common as it once was, and Doc belongs to a shrinking group of shows still afforded such a luxury. The fact that it maintains such a robust order in 2026 means Fox is highly invested in its success. While its performance in the key demo weakened in season two, it remained solid on the streaming front. This is another certain renewal.

2025-26 Recap

Of the twelve scripted offerings Fox aired in the 2025-26 television season, half were renewed in advance for the 2026-27 season. That left just six to provide predictions for. Of the six, there were five correct predictions and one miss (Going Dutch), resulting in an 83% accuracy score for this column. 

The TV Ratings Guide	8:00	8:30	9:00	9:30
Mon	Celebrity Name That Tune		Celebrity Weakest Link
Tues	Best Medicine		Doc
Wed	The Floor		99 to Beat
Thurs	Hell's Kitchen		Special Forces: World's Toughest Test
Fri	Fox Sports
Sun	The Simpsons	Animal Control	Universal Basic Guys	Grimsburg

Renewed

Certain Renew

Likely Renew

Likely Cancel

Certain Cancel

Canceled

What’s Trending on Streaming - September 20 - September 26: American Horror Story Scares Up a Strong Debut, Brothers’ Star Power Isn’t Enough to Take Down Ted Lasso, The Traitors: New Blood Rocks Peacock

The fall season begins to truly kick off this week, prompting major shakeups across the streaming services. Keep reading to see the top shows on Hulu, Disney+, Peacock, Paramount+, HBO Max, Apple TV, Prime Video, and Netflix this week!

First Week Peak: Tracker Not On Track For #1 Debut, East of Eden Shows Promising Signs for Netflix

Welcome to First Week Peak, a column which discusses shows that are about to premiere on Netflix, Prime Video, Disney+, Paramount+, HBO Max, Peacock, Hulu, and/or Apple TV. Each discussion concludes with a prediction for the show's weekly peak performance on their respective streaming service's U.S. trending chart, including a reader poll. All Attention Scores come from Television Stats as of September 26, 2026. Final results can be found in our weekly What's Trending On Streaming column. Let us know what you think in the comments!

Monday TV Ratings 9/21/26: Line of Fire Premieres Abysmally, The Voice Returns Above Season 28 and 29 Premieres, Name That Tune and Celebrity Weakest Link Decent

Analysis to come.

Sunday TV Ratings 9/20/26: Best Medicine Solid for Post-NFL Airing, Big Brother Down Week-to-Week, Halloween Wars Returns Higher

Analysis to come.

Off Script Season 1 Episode 2: The Table Read

Saturday TV Ratings 9/19/26: LSU/Ole Miss College Football Game Gives ABC an Easy Win, Garage Sale Mysteries: Murder Takes the Stage OK on Hallmark, NASCAR Solid

Analysis to come.

Bake Your Heart Out Season 8 Finale - Ore-Goners

 

Bake Your Heart Out Season 8 Episode 13

Ore-Goners

Friday TV Ratings 9/18/26: Greatest @Home Videos: CEDY Awards Decent, Houston/Texas Tech College Football Game Dominates, Anna Pigeon Dips

Analysis to come.

Thursday TV Ratings 9/17/26: Big Brother Rises for Double Eviction Episode, The Traitors: New Blood Has Respectable Debut, The Voice 30th Season Special Weak

Analysis to come.

Monday TV Ratings 9/14/26: Emmys Sink More Than a Third from 2025, Name That Tune Low for Final Season Five Episodes, Halloween Baking Championship Returns Steady

Analysis to come.

Stormere Season 2 Episode 2: Fractured

Select Monday Preliminary Ratings 9/21/26: Line of Fire Premieres with Low Demo but High Attention

PILOT REVISITED: New Girl

Each week, I take a look back at a pilot from the 2011-12 season, first reviewed on my blog during that season. This week, I am looking at FOX's hit comedy New Girl!

Bar Exam Season 7 Episode 7 of 8: Lennie’s Secret

New Show Power Rankings: Spinoffs Start High as Comedies Face Uphill Battle

Ride or Die Canceled by Prime Video

First Week Peak: American Horror Story and Best Medicine Set to Return as Line of Fire, A Different World, and Brothers Approach Series Premieres

What’s Trending on Streaming - September 13 - September 19: A Monstrous Debut for Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story, Neagley Triumphs as Reacher Wraps, Dancing with the Stars Foxtrots to #1 on Hulu

It was a big week on streaming, as the fall season begins to ramp up, and broadcast and streaming hits return for new seasons. Keep reading to see the top shows on Hulu, Disney+, Paramount+, Peacock, HBO Max, Apple TV, Prime Video, and Netflix this week!

Sweet Magnolias Canceled by Netflix

Sunday TV Ratings 9/13/26: The Floor Draws OK Retention from NFL, 60 Minutes Draws Lowest-Ever Premiere Ratings, American Dad! Hits Season High with NFL Help [+ Analysis]

Fox used its NFL lead-in to boost the premiere of The Floor (0.68) on Sunday night, and enough of it trickled down to American Dad! (0.27, +0.16) to send the latter to a new season high. But the rally was short-lived, as Dad! (0.18, -0.09) declined sharply at 9:30 for its season finale. CBS's 60 Minutes (0.94) also benefited from football help, but it was a weaker start for the newsmagazine staple than years past. Later, Big Brother (0.66, +0.14) surged, but a VMAs special (0.21) that followed lost a massive chunk of that audience. NFL on NBC (6.86) remained a powerhouse. In film news, ABC aired The Parent Trap (0.17), while the CW's showing of Forrest Gump (0.11) put the network in a more competitive place than usual. Key: (P) = premiere. (R) = repeat. (F) = finale.

Off Script Season 1 Episode 1: Day One (Series Premiere)

Saturday TV Ratings 9/12/26: Ohio State/Texas College Football Game Massive on ABC, NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Race Solid on CW, Falling Into Place Modest on Hallmark [+ Analysis]

ABC's college football broadcast (3.52) posted a massive rating on Saturday night, one well above NBC's game (0.39). CBS's college football (0.24) was a notch below the Peacock Network. NASCAR on the CW (0.10) was on par with ARCA Racing on Fox (0.10).

Friday TV Ratings 9/11/26: 9/11 Tribute in Light Strong, College Football on Fox Leads, Anna Pigeon Dips [+ Analysis]

On a somber Friday night, ABC's 9/11 Tribute in Light (0.41) brought in a strong rating, while CBS's 9/11: We Remember (0.15) received noticeably less attention. Dateline (0.13) underperformed on NBC, but it was saddled with an abysmal NFL Kickoff Spotlight lead-in (0.09). Fox was on top with college football (0.68). Totally Funny Animals (0.04, +0.02) rose on the CW, and there was another uptick at 9:30 (0.05, +0.01). Key: (R) = repeat.

Thursday TV Ratings 9/10/26: Law & Order: SVU Classic Repeat Marathon Solid, Big Brother Down Week-to-Week but Still Easily Leads, US Open Tennis Championships Top Cable [+ Analysis]

Big Brother (0.68, -0.05) fell short of last week's rating on CBS, and a Fall First Look special (0.17) that followed fell behind NBC reruns of Law & Order: SVU (0.18/0.19/0.21). ABC went with repeats of dramas 9-1-1 (0.16) and 9-1-1: Nashville (0.12/0.09). Fox aired reruns of The 1% Club (0.15) and Best Medicine (0.14). The CW aired 9/11 Remembered (0.06). Key: (R) = repeat.

Stormere Season 2 Episode 1: Nightfall (Season Premiere)

Wednesday TV Rating 9/9/26: NFL Up Heavily from 2025 Season Kickoff, Nation’s Dumbest Sinks, Big Brother Also Down, The Shards Ends on an Extremely Low Note [+ Analysis]

NFL on NBC (7.24) towered over its competitors on Wednesday night, which appeared to trigger a series of declines across the board. CBS's Big Brother (0.58, -0.08), for one, declined noticeably from last week's installment. On Fox, MasterChef (0.24, -0.01) only dipped slightly, but Nation's Dumbest (0.21, -0.09) crashed to a new series low. The CW aired repeats of Police 24/7 (0.05) and Crime Nation (0.04). Key: (R) = repeat.

Tuesday TV Ratings 9/8/26: Real Housewives of New York Returns Lower, OK Start for The Drop, Jeopardy! Masters Rises for Finale [+ Analysis]

On ABC, Jeopardy! Masters (0.31, +0.02) rose for its season finale, but it was still a good bit behind the 8 p.m. episode of NBC staple America's Got Talent (0.42, +0.02). However, Talent (0.29, -0.13) dealt with a sharp decline at ten. Kitchen Nightmares (0.18, -0.09) plummeted on Fox, but there was a slight bounce-back at nine (0.20, +0.02). WWE NXT (0.12, -0.05) cooled down a bit on the CW. Key: (R) = repeat. (F) = finale. 

PILOT REVISITED: Up All Night

Each week, I take a look back at a pilot from the 2011-12 season, first reviewed on my blog during that season. This week, I am looking at NBC's constantly re-tooling comedy Up All Night!

Bar Exam Season 7 Episode 6 of 8: Cash Only