FOX Renew/Cancel: Shrinking Paychecks For Universal Basic Guys + March Madness Voting Continues!

Photo Credit: Fox

Below are the March 28th Fox renew/cancel predictions for the 2025-26 television season. The table embedded includes the Adults 18-49 ratings average of each program. The "Y2Y (year-to-year) Change" column compares a show's current average to its average from the previous season.   

There is just one more Universal Basic Guys episode left to air before the show's second season comes to a close. And while the sophomore comedy has had the sharpest year-to-year decline of the network's non-reality offerings, it will likely remain the second highest-rated scripted series on the Fox network. Much of that has to do with the multiple direct NFL lead-ins it has received, but Fox's decision to keep providing it with such help signals that they are invested in its success. On nights without a boost, its performance has been a mixed bag. It went as low as a 0.13 rating on February 22nd, barely retaining more than half of its Family Guy lead-in on the night in question. But a more recent performance against the Oscars (0.16 and 73% retention) does not seem nearly as catastrophic. Basic Guys has already been renewed for a third season, so it will be back regardless, but it will eventually have to stand on its own. Based on the data presented, the chances of it being able to do so are slim.

But before Basic Guys can air its finale, Fox has to finish airing The Faithful, a miniseries that will conclude on April 5th. In its debut, the event program managed a modest 0.17 rating, a number that puts it on par with the latest episode of American Dad!. Since the show was billed as a "limited series" from the start, its fate has already been determined, so a prediction does not need to be assigned to it. 

The day after The Faithful premiered, Memory of a Killer rose to a 0.15 rating, up slightly from the week prior. The freshman drama has slowly been rising after dealing with some harsh declines, and it had a higher peak on Hulu this week than both Best Medicine and Doc. Because of this, it is still a likely renewal. 

FOX Renew/Cancel March Madness continues!

Round 1 voting has officially come to a close. In the first match, Doc easily defeated Krapopolis, taking over 90% of the vote. Best Medicine had a similar landslide victory against Going Dutch, winning 87%. In the battle of the Seth MacFarlane cartoons, an overwhelming majority went with Family Guy over American Dad!, as Peter and company secured 80% of the vote. Things were much closer between Bob's Burgers and Murder in a Small Town, as Bob's eked out a narrow victory at the eleventh hour, taking just under 52% of the vote.

Round 2 voting is open until April 4, 2026. Vote in the polls below to ensure that your favorite shows advance to the semifinals! 

The TV Ratings Guide	8:00	8:30	9:00	9:30
Mon	Extracted		Memory of a Killer
Tues	Best Medicine		Doc
Wed	The Masked Singer		Fear Factor: House of Fear
Thurs	Next Level Chef		Animal Control	Going Dutch
Fri	Fox Sports
Sun	The Faithful

Renewed

Certain Renew

Likely Renew

Likely Cancel

Certain Cancel

Canceled

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Universal Basic Guys, Grimsburg & Krapopolis Renewed by Fox

A trio of animated series have been renewed by Fox, roughly a month after the renewals of four other veteran animated series. Grimsburg, Krapopolis and Universal Basic Guys are Fox's three youngest animated series, with Grimsburg and Krapopolis being in their second seasons and Universal Basic Guys having wrapped its first back in December. Krapopolis is now renewed for season five, though its first and second production cycles did air together as season one, so this fifth season renewal may only take it through a fourth aired season. Grimsburg and Universal Basic Guys have both been renewed for third seasons, as Universal Basic Guys had previously been renewed for a second season before its series premiere. Grimsburg is a correct prediction for The TV Ratings Guide, while the other two series did not yet have predictions. These renewals leave The Great North as Fox's only current cartoon series without a renewal decision. That series is in its fifth season, and is set to air the remainder of season five this summer alongside a new summer animated block.

FOX Renew/Cancel 2: Accused Will Leave the Lineup

 

Predictions for 10/27/24

Photo: Fox

Below are the October 27th renew/cancel predictions for the Fox network in the 2024-25 television season. The numbers listed in the table mark the Nielsen rating low, average, and high for each respective program in the Adults 18-49 demographic. The "Y2Y (year-to-year) Change" column denotes how much the series has grown or declined when compared to its average from the previous season.

Universal Basic Guys: Thanks to another direct NFL lead-in, cartoon comedy Universal Basic Guys soared to a 1.09 rating on Sunday, October 20th. Fox is clearly utilizing the Krapopolis strategy by pumping Guys with as much football juice as possible before spring hits. As a result, Guys is currently the highest-rated scripted series on broadcast television. However, it is guaranteed to lose that title as more non-inflated episodes air.

Rescue: HI-Surf: Rescue: HI-Surf recently dipped to a measly 0.15 rating. This serves as a new low for a drama that cannot seem to find its floor. HI-Surf remains a Likely Renewal, but that may change if Fox decides to remove it from the post-Super Bowl slot in the near future.

Murder in a Small Town: Though Murder in a Small Town did sink to an abysmal 0.13 on October 15th, it climbed back up to a 0.21 on the 22nd. A 0.21 may not seem like a strong rating, but it is only a hundredth below what the series managed on premiere night and only a few hundredths behind the latest episode of 9-1-1: Lone Star (0.25). The renewal of this series will largely depend on Canadian network Global, but this ratings surge does not hurt its chances. Murder in a Small Town is still a Likely Renewal in this column. 

Accused: After debuting with a 0.16 rating, Accused dropped to a 0.13 and then rose to a 0.15. Though any form of growth is good, it was still the lowest-rated broadcast series on Tuesday, October 22nd, even going below what the CW had to offer. Since this series does not have any football-boosted episodes this year, it is also the lowest-rated show among the big four broadcast networks. By moving it from the initially-announced 8:00 p.m. time slot to 9:00 and giving it a relatively small episode order, Fox seems to be implying that they do not have much confidence in this anthology drama. Due to these factors and the poor 18-49 ratings, Accused is now Likely to be Canceled by the Fox network.

Use the interactive schedule below to make your own predictions.

The TV Ratings Guide	8:00	8:30	9:00	9:30
Mon	9-1-1: Lone Star		Rescue: HI-Surf
Tues	Murder In A Small Town		Accused
Wed	The Masked Singer		The Floor
Thurs	Hell's Kitchen		Crime Scene Kitchen
Fri	Fox College Football Friday
Sun	The Simpsons	Universal Basic Guys	Bob's Burgers	Krapopolis

Renewed

Certain Renew

Likely Renew

Likely Cancel

Certain Cancel

Canceled