New “American Dad” episodes shift to TBS in 2014

American DadHold the flag high and be proud, kids: In a joint announcement made by Fox and Turner Tuesday, new episodes of American Dad are moving off broadcast television after next season and heading to TBS during the 2014-15 season. Older seasons of Dad already airs in repeats on sister network Adult Swim, and will also get the rights to new episodes a week after their initial airing on TBS. Fifteen new episodes will be produced.

Despite flopping in broadcast syndication (where it airs locally at 1 a.m. and in primetime Saturday nights on WCIU), Dad has done well on Adult Swim, with strong 18-34 and 18-49 numbers.

While a few sites reported Dad was being canceled by Fox, this was not the case: Fox decided to deal Dad to TBS so it can make room for newer animated projects. And this deal puts to rest any kind of reported animosity between both parties, as Fox prepares to launch a new Saturday late-night animated block titled Animation Domination Hi-Def, which premieres July 27, which goes head-to-head with Swim and Saturday Night Live.

American Dad premiered on February 6, 2005 and has 152 episodes in the can. While yours truly can argue that’s enough for a sustained and lengthy off-network run, keep in mind enough is never enough when it comes to adult animation as characters never age (e.g. The Simpsons.)

One group glad to see American Dad leave Fox is the Parents Television Council, who often cited the program for its use of racy dialogue. No surprise – the show is produced and co-created by the man behind Family Guy, Seth MacFarlane.

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