Fox to dominate animation with Simpsons, Family Guy, Bob’s Burgers crossover
The Simpsons, Family Guy, and Bob’s Burgers will finally complete the Fox Animation Domination crossover trifecta
Aux News Family Guy
We smell another cheap cartoon crossover.
Following the crossovers between The Simpsons and Family Guy, The Simpsons and Bob’s Burgers, The Simpsons and The Simpsons, and Family Guy and Bob’s Burgers, Fox will premiere a crossover for all three. That’s right. Peter Griffin is avoiding his annoying wife Lois all the way to their lead-in show, finding Homer waiting for him, and completing Fox’s near-20-year attempt at Animation Domination.
In a new clip promoting the March 12 episode of Family Guy, Fox teases the animated breaking of buns among the network’s three most beloved animated family guys. However, it doesn’t sound like this will be an entire episode, like when The Flintstones met The Jetsons (or The Simpsons met The Critic). Instead, the clip more or less offers a meta Family Guy gag that will have no bearing on the show’s already disorienting universe.
Speaking to EW, Family Guy co-showrunner Rich Appel hyped the latest meeting of the animated minds. “Even folks as jaded as Hollywood sitcom writers get a thrill seeing them together in the same scene,” he said. “It’s the same sort of excitement you feel when a Chicago policeman and a Chicago fireman are in the same scene on a Chicago-themed program.”
Fox has long relied on the crossover to juice their Animation Domination line-up. The Simpsons has hosted crossovers since the 90s, inviting The Critic’s Jay Sherman to Springfield in the classic “A Star Is Burns” episode, ultimately leading to a falling out between Matt Groening and James L. Brooks. Not to mention, The Simpsons episodes featuring American Idol, The X-Files, and fellow Matt Groening-created animated comedy Futurama. Eventually, Family Guy got in the act with the 2014 Simpsons episode “The Simpsons Guy,” which The A.V. Club called the “worst crossover of 2014.” More recently, the Belchers popped up in Quahog for a 2019 Family Guy episode and Springfield for “Treehouse Of Horror XXXIII.”
With this much success crossing over, it seems likely that there will be more of this in the future—though none are in the works. “We don’t have any more crossover appearances planned,” said Appel, “but we reserve the right to change our minds if a new Fox animated show premieres and is a huge hit, and we feel that shoehorning one of its characters into our show could bring us even the slightest bit of reflected glory.” We presume this means we’re still three years from a crossover that includes The Great North. A dominator’s work is never done.
80 Comments
I wonder how long Futurama would’ve stayed great if FOX hadn’t canceled it.
Please don’t contaminate Bob’s with this nonsense.
Came here to say this.
I’m only interested in Bart and Louise having a weird lovable quasi-sociopath team-up, but that shouldn’t need more than 5 minutes. Also, seeing Bob get annoyed with Homer and Peter could be funny for 30 seconds.If they just have Gail and Linda running roughshod over both other shows, I would watch that from start to finish. Two crazy women with zero boundaries and zero decorum would deflate Family Guy into a corn cob.
I think people who are not watching the Simpsons anymore will be pleasantly surprised if they go check out the most recent season (34) on Hulu. The uptick in quality compared to what it’s been for most of the HD era is no fluke.
My girlfriend watched 34 seasons of The Simpsons!
In a row?
Don’t watch any Simpsons on the way to the parking lot!
Not ashamed to admit I like both (okay maybe a little…), but I agree.
Though I keep hearing that the latest Simpsons season (34!) is not too bad.
Guess I shoulda said all three, but the Simpsons has been mostly background noise for a while. I may have to give it another chance.
We presume this means we’re still three years from a crossover that includes The Great North.You leave my favorite Alaskan family alone, Family Guy!
It’s surprising a) how good it is, and b) how little it seems to be talked about.
I mean its the second best animated show featuring Alanis Morrisette ..whats not to like!!
Peter: Holy crap, Lois, this is even worse than the time I lived in that small Alaskan town!(We cutaway to show Peter on the set of the 90’s sitcom Northern Exposure.)Peter (to the camera): We had to do this show instead because The Great North people have made it clear that they don’t like me.
Haven’t seen the Great North but Family Guy isn’t fit to shine Northern Exposure’s shoes.
I’m sure you’re right but there are zero other notable TV shows set in Alaska. The moral is that Alaska should have thought of this and made a bad but famous TV show so I could have used that in this post. The fools.
Being a Scot, in Scotland, I do not know of too many Alaskan-set TV series either. But, Wikipedia knows.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Television_shows_set_in_AlaskaI can’t believe you are deeming 2010 TLC classic ‘Sarah Palin’s Alaska’ “not notable”.
Dude, it had Roger Moore and everything!https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Alaskans
That would actually be perfect
I like The Great North. Can someone explain to me why the theme music has all the characters going “whup” and “whoo” all over the place? It’s weird.
It’s meant to be folksy, I think. The theme music seems to be the most divisive part of the show. I think it’s catchy, but I know a lot of people can’t stand it.
It feels kind of weird that The Great North and Bob’s Burgers haven’t had ANY sort of crossover, even if it’s just mentioning Boyz 4 Now in The Great North or something like that.
I wouldn’t really consider a Family Guy cutaway a crossover
especially since homer doesn’t speak.
If it was, that’d mean it’s crossed over with Back to the Future, The Seventh Seal, The Hills, The Sound of Music, etc.
Wait, was that clip the entire thing? Sigh, I miss King of the Hill.
Well it’s coming back (on Hulu).
I know. I am both excited for it and dreading it in equal measures.
I miss Bless the Harts* .(hey it existed in the KoTH universe)
I’m still waiting for the Rick & Morty/Solar Opposites crossover.But the Bob’s Burgers/Archer one is hard to beat.
yeah, the bob/archer one was amazing!
Now with 100% less Justin Roiland!
I’m still waiting for the opposite Archer/Bob’s Burgers one.(Cyril Figgis being really confused at why Bob isnt being mean to him )
This one?
For a fanmade short , that is just… Perfect!
He works for the show now!
I think Family Guy is the funniest show of these three. Not trolling, just talking about providing laughter consistently.
I’m so sorry you think that.
Username checks out
What does that mean?
It’s a bold opinion , Cotton. Let’s see if it pays off for ‘emSeriously though , you do you.For me Family guy isnt great , except for the odd cutaway joke that works .Also when they do weird stuff like the Cutaway world episode, or the commentary episode. Also this cutaway joke , mainly as I love this Pearl Jam song* .(At least one of the FG cast has a pearl jam tattoo and is a ridiculous superfan , so they probably approve of this as well, also its probably not the person you think it is)
Huh.
I feel like you thought you’d have more stars on this comment by this point.
Lol no but thanks for thinking of me
I think you’re technically correct, in that it only provides consistent laughter, whereas the others two provide other things as well.
that tracks
What does that mean?
what do you think it means?
I don’t know. The comment didn’t make any sense.
that’s too bad 🙁
I don’t know. The comment didn’t make any sense.
I hope the entire episode is just Bob blankly staring at how rude & dumb Homer and whatever Family Guy’s name is
Matt Selman time as showrunner has actually turned Homer around. He and Marge have one of the best relationships on television at the moment.
You see I dislike that. I liked Jerkass homer I grew up watching him now it’s like Homer and Peter lost their edges. Make Homer have a bit of edge now. Lets see him choke bart again at least once more.
Theres a Simpons ..I want to say renaissance, but maybe thats too strong a word , but resurgence ..Its had a suprising number of good episodes in the last year or two , thanks to Matt Selman coming in as showrunner.
That’s a relief to know. I’m working my way through them all and I’m really starting to slow down now I’m in season 15.Also, Dr Bob, the patient is sinking!
Kudos on making it to Season 15.
Advice from a fan: If you’re actually going through the whole series, you’re in for a long ride.1. Season 17 is my favorite of the remaining pre-HD seasons you’re working your way through. I think there’s a good selection of underrated episodes in there. I don’t know, this particular season just stood out when I first went through the series.2. Season 18 is a little more rough. They were making the movie at the same time.3. Once you get to the HD era, I think binging your way through season 20 onwards is not for the faint of heart. Don’t get me wrong, there are great individual episodes. But there’s a whole lot of mediocrity as well.4. I guess we can call season 30 onwards the Disney era. It does seem like the Disney acquisition has given the show a much rejuvenated uptick in quality. But with where you’re at right now, this is a long ways away.
K, so in the article you admit it’s just a throwaway gag. Why write all this about it?
The clicks!
“is avoiding his annoying wife Lois”
Women eh! They suck!
family guy always going for the freshest jokes
From now on any animation crossover gag should be punctuated by Mr. Peanutbutter’s “What is this, a crossover episode?”
“I know you’re being sarcastic but, I think it actually does get funnier every time!”
Well now I just want to watch Bojack. Now that was a cartoon.
Okay, so it’s not even an actual episode crossover, it’s just a reference to another pop culture franchise during a cutaway gag. Big deal. Family Guy does those like five times per episode, it’s just that this time they happened to use the dad from another Fox show (I’m not even going to count Homer’s involvement because he literally does nothing here.)The actual episode is called “Adoptation” and the plot synposis reads, “To restore his public image, Carter adopts a young girl from an orphanage, drawing jealousy from Lois.”This is not news.
Bob’s Burgers is a sad little show about low expectations and self-sabotage built on a foundation of child labor.
And this isnt even the parody dudebra! Impossible to tell!
This is not the first time Family Guy has “joked” about never winning an Emmy and I don’t think it’s a bit. I think Seth MacFarlane is genuinely upset that he’s never won it.
I got a crossover for ya! Crisis on Infinite Girths!
Family Guy sucks, as does anyone who likes it.Bob’s Burgers is for the good people of the world.
“Even folks as jaded as Hollywood sitcom writers get a thrill seeing them together in the same scene,” Today I learn I’m more jaded than Hollywood sitcom writers.
What remains is whether South Park will address this next season.