With fall finales upon us, the networks are starting to reveal their midseason plans. Fox is the latest network to drop its return dates, along with premiere dates for the shows that were held for the midseason.
There are some notable moves within the Fox schedule, as Murder in a Small Town season 2 will air its season finale in December. Like the first season, this is a shorter season order, and that makes room for a new show in the schedule. Doc season 2 will continue to run on Tuesdays, but it will be joined by another medical drama — and the one with Josh Charles we’ve all been waiting for!
American Dad! returns to Fox
Another notable mention is the return of American Dad!. After an 11-year break, the series is heading back to the network. On top of that, it comes with a multi-year renewal, which is something The Simpsons and a few other animated shows got from the network.
It shouldn’t be too surprising to find out that American Dad! will join Animation Domination, airing with Family Guy. The two shows are perfect together, especially since they both come from Seth MacFarlane, and they have both had a rocky past despite the love for them from the fans.
The Masked Singer returns
We’re used to the reality series The Masked Singer taking over both fall and midseason lineups, but there was a change in 2025–2026. The show didn’t return in the fall, but we will get another cycle in the midseason.
In fact, it comes back with another canceled series that is being revived. Fear Factor is getting a revival with the longer title of House of Fear. It certainly was a controversial show when it first aired, but there’s just something we love about watching people push their fears to the max. There’s a reason streamers like Pluto TV have a channel dedicated to it.
Thursday nights will return to the usual lineup that we saw in January 2025. We’ll start off with Hell’s Kitchen (and then Next Level Chef), and then we’ll get a double block of comedy with Animal Control and Going Dutch. As for Mondays, that’s focused on a reality show and a scripted drama, making it a must-watch night for many.
Fox January 2026 schedule
Take a look at the full schedule for January 2026 and into February 2026:
Thursday, Jan. 1
8 p.m.-9 p.m.: Hell’s Kitchen
Monday, Jan. 5
8 p.m.-9 p.m.: Celebrity Name That Tune season finale
Tuesday, Jan. 6
8 p.m.-9 p.m.: Best Medicine series premiere
9 p.m.-10 p.m.: Doc winter premiere
Wednesday, Jan. 7
8 p.m.-10 p.m.: The Masked Singer season 14 premiere
Wednesday, Jan. 14
8 p.m.-9 p.m.: The Masked Singer (new episode, regular timeslot)
9 p.m.-10 p.m.: Fear Factor: House of Fear series premiere
Thursday, Jan. 15
8 p.m.-9 p.m.: Hell’s Kitchen (new episode)
9 p.m.-9:30 p.m.: Animal Control season 4 premiere
9:30 p.m.-10 p.m.: Going Dutch season 2 premiere
Monday, Jan. 26
8 p.m.-9 p.m.: Extracted season 2 premiere
9 p.m.-10 p.m.: Memory of a Killer series premiere
Thursday, Jan. 29
8 p.m.-9 p.m.: Next Level Chef season 5 premiere
9 p.m.-9:30 p.m.: Animal Control (new episode)
9:30 p.m.-10 p.m.: Going Dutch (new episode)
Sunday, Feb. 15
8 p.m.-8:30 p.m.: The Simpsons 800th episode
8:30 p.m.-9 p.m.: The Simpsons season finale
9 p.m.-9:30 p.m.: Universal Basic Guys (new episode)
9:30 p.m.-10 p.m.: Family Guy season 24 premiere (also the 450th episode)
Sunday, Feb. 22
8 p.m.-8:30 p.m.: Family Guy (new timeslot)
8:30 p.m.-9 p.m.: Universal Basic Guys (new timeslot)
9 p.m.-9:30 p.m.: American Dad! season 20 premiere
9:30 p.m.-10 p.m.: Family Guy (new episode)
There will also be a special event series called The Faithful airing on Sundays from March 22 to April 5.