FOX ANNOUNCES SEASON FINALE DATES FOR ANIMATION DOMINATION

As  the trees and flowers come to bloom, as baseball season starts up, and beach attendances rise, FOX’s Animation Domination goes into hibernation which means season finales for The Cleveland Show, The Simpsons, Family Guy, Bob’s Burgers, and American Dad are all due to happen through the month of May. After the jump, FOX has announced when the season finales will air and then we analyze this past season and the future of each franchise.

 

Sunday, May 13:

9:30-10:00 PM            AMERICAN DAD

American Dad was said to be renewed by FOX but Seth MacFarlane let out a cryptic tweet a few weeks ago about the show’s future.

 What’s going on with American dad? // We’re not sure– a new season is uncertain, so if you’re a fan, tell Fox

Weird…as I know both we and FOX’s blog aka IGN.com have reported the show being renewed but if Seth isn’t certain then who the hell knows? Back in October, Seth remarked that Family Guy should’ve been done after seven seasons….guess what numbered season this American Dad completed? In any case if you love American Dad this could not only be the last episode of the year but the last episode EVER. From a quality standpoint American Dad has been pretty roller coaster all season with some episodes like “Hurricane” being pure genius, but other episodes like “Hot Water” being utter poop. The ratings have been a lot more consistent this season as well, hovering about the 4.5 Nielsen rating as opposed to last season when the ratings could go up as high as 6.2 or as low to as low as 3.2! I say it comes back mainly because it looks as though the Flintstones aren’t happening anyway so it might as well, right?

 

Sunday, May 20:

7:30-8:00 PM              THE CLEVELAND SHOW

The Cleveland Show has already been renewed despite the fact that this past season has seen some of its lowest ratings since its inception. However, like FOX I do see some positive story line arcs that have been started like Junior’s estranged wife, Roberta going to college, and more. Also, more and more big guest star names are starting to pop up on Cleveland which tells me the network is willing to invest to ensure the long-term success of the program…will it work?

8:00-8:30 PM              THE SIMPSONS

Has there been an animated series more talked about then the one that pretty much set the standard? Everything from FOX threatening to cancel, to Matt Groening getting a star on the walk of fame, and all the awesome chalkboard/couch gags that have been done this season, fuck how about all the hoopla around Springfield, OR? The ratings have been the real winners here either way, getting as high as a 15.7 rating for the “”The D’oh-cial Network“, hell if you want to go ahead, go on Facebook and check out the fan page for The Simpsons as it closes in on 50 million fans which is the most of any animated series by a mile. To quote Tom Hanks from the movie Castaway when talking about Elvis Presley, “50,000,000 fans can’t be wrong” and so far so good. The Simpsons are just as good now as they have ever been…

8:30-9:00 PM              BOB’S BURGERS

The show has been renewed by FOX, again despite the low ratings. However, due to the show being made with Flash, I’m sure production costs are at a fraction of what its Animation Domination cousins are at but without losing any of the lovable charm and sweet heartedness that Loren Bouchard brings to the series. The one thing I wish FOX would change and that I believe would be a value add for the series is the following… PUT THE SHOW ON AT 7:30pm EST instead of Cleveland Show! Why? Welp, I believe that both Napoleon Dynamite and Bobs Burgers are a bit more family-friendly then its Animation Domination counterparts and as such would be great lead-in shows for The Simpsons which starts tailoring to an older crowd leading into the Seth MacFarlane trio. I think if FOX does this, you can have a younger audience tuning into AniDom which could help build better ratings for Bob’s Burgers and Napoleon Dynamite. Just a thought…

9:00-10:00 PM            FAMILY GUY (One-Hour Season Finale)

With all the shit that’s been going on with Seth MacFarlane this year. From people toilet papering his house, to the Flintstones fiasco, and with the recent unveiling of TedFamily Guy has quietly(Okay, not THAT quiet) put together a solid season. We’ve seen a couple of crossover episodes with Cleveland Show besides the “Seahorse Seashell Party” episodes that everybody is familiar with by now. And, boy the producers have been KILLING it with the guest stars this season, probably most notable with the recent “Mr. and Mrs. Stewie” featuring Cate Blanchett.  The ratings haven’t been nearly as impressive as The Simpsons probably because shows like Walking Dead, The Killing,and others have fed into its mostly male viewership but they are consistent. Next season I’m sure there will be no shortness of Meg jokes, Brian & Stewie, and of course the cutaway gags…and I don’t think I’d want it any other way.