Animation on Fox

History

Fox launched in 1986 under Rupert Murdoch, and while most of its early programming struggled to find an audience, a couple of shows like Married... with Children and 21 Jump Street managed to pull in decent ratings. The 1980s had been a tough decade for animation, but the industry got a second wind thanks to hit movies from Disney and Steven Spielberg, including An American Tail, The Land Before Time, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, and The Little Mermaid. In 1987, The Tracey Ullman Show debuted to modest success, and during its run, short cartoon segments originally created as filler caught on with viewers of all ages. This led Fox to order thirteen episodes of a full animated series based on those shorts, which became The Simpsons. When it premiered in December 1989, it was an immediate hit. Merchandise tied to breakout character Bart Simpson has brought in over a billion dollars in sales. The Simpsons was the first primetime animated series to succeed since The Flintstones, opening the door for other animated shows on major networks. The series has since aired its 37th season, with three more seasons already confirmed. In September 1992, Batman: The Animated Series first appeared, running in primetime from December 1992 to March 1993 while also continuing on Fox Kids for years. That same month, Eek! The Cat started on Fox Kids, was renamed Eek! Stavaganza in 1994, and ended in 1997; only its 1993 Christmas special ever aired in primetime. A few Tiny Toon Adventures specials also made it to primetime during that show's Fox Kids run. In 1994, X-Men: The Animated Series had a short primetime stint: the first two episodes of its third season aired on Friday nights in July and August 1994, and the season finale (along with a Spider-Man episode) premiered in primetime in June 1995. Also in 1994, The Tick, an animated superhero satire for kids based on the comic, debuted on Fox Kids; a rerun of its Christmas episode aired in primetime in 1996.