Fox's Winter 2026 Plan: Bigger Sundays, Bolder Lead-Ins, And A Few Surprises Families Will Actually Feel
If your house plans dinner around Sunday animation, go set some reminders now. Fox is reshuffling winter TV to make those nights feel big again - with milestone episodes, a long-absent favorite back on the grid, and a couple of new dramas that want your weeknights.
Here's the headline: Fox is back up to four hours of live-action scripted each week. That includes new dramas Memory of a Killer and Best Medicine, plus the return of Animal Control and Going Dutch. And yes, The Masked Singer is back in January with a two-hour launch - then it hands the mic to a revived Fear Factor.
The big picture
Fox is clearly pairing familiar brands with fresh titles to get some momentum. The survival hit Extracted is being used to launch Patrick Dempsey (movies and tv series)'s psychological thriller Memory of a Killer on Mondays. Tuesdays turn into a medical block with Best Medicine (a take on Doc Martin) leading into Doc, which already has a full 22-episode order. Wednesdays belong to The Masked Singer and a wilder, Knoxville-hosted Fear Factor: House of Fear. Thursdays lean on Gordon Ramsay (movies and tv series) to lift the comedy block. It's a very Fox playbook - and honestly, it could work.
On Sundays, the animation lineup gets a glow-up: The Simpsons marks its 800th episode, Family Guy hits its 450th, and American Dad! returns to Fox after 11 years away with its Season 20 premiere. That's nostalgia with some teeth.
What this means for families (and anyone who programs around them)
Sunday nights will feel like an event again, not just a habit. Anchoring new comedies around Ramsay on Thursdays should give them a fighting chance. And using The Masked Singer to break in Fear Factor signals Fox is still betting big on "talk-about-it tomorrow" unscripted.
One note to watch: Memory of a Killer recently changed showrunners. Maybe it's just timing, but it makes the network's Extracted lead-in even more important on premiere night.
Nights at a glance
- Mondays (from Jan. 26): Extracted at 8 PM, then Memory of a Killer at 9 PM.
- Tuesdays (from Jan. 6): Best Medicine at 8 PM, Doc at 9 PM.
- Wednesdays (from Jan. 7): The Masked Singer returns with a two-hour premiere, then moves to 8 PM on Jan. 14 with Fear Factor: House of Fear at 9 PM.
- Thursdays (from Jan. 15): Hell's Kitchen at 8 PM, Animal Control at 9 PM, Going Dutch at 9:30 PM. Next Level Chef takes over 8 PM starting Jan. 29.
- Fridays/Saturdays: Fox Sports in primetime continues.
- Sundays (Feb.): Feb. 15 is the milestone night: The Simpsons' 800th, Family Guy's 450th and Season 24 start, plus Universal Basic Guys. Feb. 22 brings American Dad! back at 9 PM and shifts Family Guy to 8 PM.
- Event series: The Faithful airs March 22, 29 and April 5 (Easter) from 8-10 PM.
Full premiere-date rundown (ET/PT)
- Thu, Jan. 1
8-9 PM - Hell's Kitchen (New Episode) - Mon, Jan. 5
8-9 PM - Celebrity Name That Tune (Season Finale) - Tue, Jan. 6
8-9 PM - Best Medicine (Series Premiere)
9-10 PM - Doc (Winter Premiere) - Wed, Jan. 7
8-10 PM - The Masked Singer (Special Two-Hour Season 14 Premiere) - Wed, Jan. 14
8-9 PM - The Masked Singer (Time Period Premiere)
9-10 PM - Fear Factor: House of Fear (Series Premiere) - Thu, Jan. 15
8-9 PM - Hell's Kitchen (New Episode)
9-9:30 PM - Animal Control (Season 4 Premiere)
9:30-10 PM - Going Dutch (Season 2 Premiere) - Thu, Jan. 22
8-9 PM - Hell's Kitchen (Season 24 Finale)
9-9:30 PM - Animal Control (New Episode)
9:30-10 PM - Going Dutch (New Episode) - Mon, Jan. 26
8-9 PM - Extracted (Season 2 Premiere)
9-10 PM - Memory of a Killer (Series Premiere) - Thu, Jan. 29
8-9 PM - Next Level Chef (Season 5 Premiere)
9-9:30 PM - Animal Control (New Episode)
9:30-10 PM - Going Dutch (New Episode) - Fridays (Ongoing)
8 PM-CC ET/5 PM-CC PT - Fox Sports Friday - Saturdays (Ongoing)
8 PM-CC ET/5 PM-CC PT - Fox Sports Saturday - Sun, Feb. 15
8-8:30 PM - The Simpsons (Special 800th Episode)
8:30-9 PM - The Simpsons (New Episode, Season Finale)
9-9:30 PM - Universal Basic Guys (New Episode)
9:30-10 PM - Family Guy (Season 24 Premiere, 450th Episode) - Sun, Feb. 22
8-8:30 PM - Family Guy (Time Period Premiere)
8:30-9 PM - Universal Basic Guys (New Episode)
9-9:30 PM - American Dad! (Season 20 Premiere)
9:30-10 PM - Family Guy (New Episode) - Sundays, Mar. 22, 29 and Apr. 5 (Easter)
8-10 PM - The Faithful (New Event Series)
A quick read on strategy
Fox is using big, noisy franchises to boost everything else. Ramsay powers Thursdays; The Masked Singer kickstarts Wednesdays; and Sunday's animation bench gets the spotlight it deserves. If you schedule for families, you just got clearer anchoring points across the week.
If you want the official grid as it shifts week to week, Fox's schedule page is handy. Here it is: fox.com/schedule. For show assets and weekly themes, keep an eye on The Masked Singer hub too.
