Fox has selected three shows to get a big NFL lead-in for their series or season premieres: new dramas Best Medicine and Memory of a Killer and returning comedy Animal Control. All will be getting special advance debuts ahead of their previously announced midseason premiere dates.

It has been rare for Fox, whose lineup skews toward unscripted fare, to use all of the lofty post-NFL launch pads for scripted series. The network is doing it to boost two fully owned shows, comedy Animal Control and drama Best Medicine, and one co-production, Memory of a Killer.

Season 4 of Animal Control, starring Joel McHale, will have a special premiere on Sunday, Dec. 28 at 8 PM, immediately following an NFL doubleheader. It will be followed by all-new episodes of The Simpsons, Krapopolis and Bob’s Burgers.

Animal Control will make its Thursday 9 PM time period premiere as scheduled on Jan. 15 with an original episode, leading to the Season 2 premiere of Going Dutch, starring Denis Leary.

New series Best Medicine, starring Josh Charles, will have a special debut on Sunday, Jan. 4 at 8 PM, immediately also following an NFL doubleheader. It will be followed by an all-new episodes of Krapopolis in its 9 PM slot and The Simpsons airing at a special time at 9:30 PM.

In its Tuesday 8 PM time period premiere on Jan. 6, as previously scheduled, Best Medicine will re-air the series opener, followed by the winter premiere of hit medical drama Doc, starring Molly Parker and Felicity Huffman and featuring the return of Scott Wolf. Both medical dramas will continue airing originals, with Best Medicine’s second episode debuting Jan. 13.

New psychological thriller Memory of a Killer, featuring Patrick Dempsey’s return to broadcast television alongside Michael Imperioli and Gina Torres, will now have a two-night premiere. It will begin Sunday, Jan. 25 10 PM, immediately following the NFC Championship Game, followed by the previously announced Monday, Jan. 26, time-period opener at 9 PM, following the Season 2 premiere of survival series Extracted.

UPDATED FOX WINTER 2026 PREMIERE DATES
(All Times ET/PT Except as Noted)

Sunday Dec. 28
8-8:30 PM ET / Live to All Time Zones — Animal Control (Special Advance Season 4 Premiere)
Immediately Following the FOX NFL Doubleheader
8:30-9 PM ET / Live to All Time Zones — The Simpsons (New Episode, Special Time)
9-9:30 — Krapopolis (New Episode)
9:30-10 PM — Bob’s Burgers (New Episode)

Sunday, Jan. 4
8-9 PM ET / Live to All Time Zones — Best Medicine (Special Advance Series Premiere)
Immediately Following the FOX NFL Doubleheader
9-9:30 PM — Krapopolis (New Episode)
9:30-10 PM — The Simpsons (New Episode, Special Time)

Tuesday, Jan. 6
8- 9 PM — Best Medicine (Series Premiere Episode)
9-10 PM — Doc (Winter Premiere)

Thursday, Jan. 15
8-9 PM — Hell’s Kitchen (New Episode)
9-9:30 PM — Animal Control (Time Period Premiere, All-New Episode)
9:30-10 PM — Going Dutch (Season 2 Premiere)

Sunday, Jan. 25
6 PM / Live to All Times Zones — NFC Championship Game
10 PM-11:10 PM ET / Live to All Time Zones — Memory of a Killer (Series Premiere)

Monday, Jan. 26
8-9 PM — Extracted (Season 2 Premiere)
9-10 PM — Memory of a Killer (Time Period Premiere, All-New Episode)