Fox is keeping the live-action comedy lights on for 2025-26.
The network has renewed Animal Control and Going Dutch — the only two live-action comedies currently on its schedule — for next season. The pickups will mean a fourth season of Animal Control, starring Joel McHale, and a second for the Denis Leary-led Going Dutch.
“Animal Control and Going Dutch are proven winners thanks to signature Fox characters brought to life by Joel and Denis — two of the funniest comedic voices on TV today, giving us an ideal foundation for building our new comedy block,” Fox Television Network president Michael Thorn said in a statement. “With a focus on creating irreverent, fun workplace humor that’s both outrageous and unpredictable, Joel, Denis, their castmates and production teams deliver reliably laugh-out-loud moments week after week.”
The two series join long-running animated shows American Dad, Bob’s Burgers, Family Guy and The Simpsons — all of which got massive four-season orders in April — along with Krapopolis and Universal Basic Guys on Fox’s comedy slate for 2025-26. The renewal news comes after Fox announced the cancellation of first-year drama Rescue: Hi-Surf earlier on Wednesday.
Both Animal Control and Going Dutch are produced in-house by Fox Entertainment Studios (Jax Media provides production services on Animal Control). The two shows’ on-air ratings are small — hovering around 1 million viewers for their initial airing — but grow substantially with streaming and other delayed viewing.
As its name suggests, Animal Control follows a group of animal control officers who are better with the creatures they tend to than humans. McHale stars alongside Michael Rowland, Vella Lovell, Ravi Patel and Grace Palmer.
Bob Fisher, Rob Greenberg and Dan Sterling created the series and executive produce with McHale and showrunner Tad Quill.
Going Dutch stars Leary as a U.S. Army colonel who finally gets command of a base — at the least strategic outpost the service has to offer in the Netherlands that was previously run by his estranged daughter (Taylor Misiak). Danny Pudi, Laci Mosley and Hal Cumpston also star.
Series creator Joel Church-Cooper executive produces with Denis Leary and Jack Leary (via their Amoeba banner).
Keep up with all the network renewals, cancellations and series order with THR’s broadcast scorecard.