The Great North on FOX has been recognized for its warm family themes and LGBTQ representation. With five seasons in, it's well-loved by fans and the network alike, but the animated comedy starring Nick Offerman as Beef Tobin hasn't had the best ratings performance. As a result, The Great North has been uncertain with its future at FOX with season 6.
Rumors speculated regarding the show's continuation since FOX brought back one of its earlier series, American Dad!, last month, which has been on TBS for the past eleven years. The Seth MacFarlane creation, along with The Simpsons, Family Guy, and Bob's Burgers, have been renewed for four more seasons, and FOX has no plans to end them after this reign.
Now, The Great North is officially "on the bubble" and is at risk for cancellation. Yet, there's some hope in the matter, and while it's not the most comforting, it's enough to ease the situation for now. Will the Tobin family continue their Alaskan adventures? Or will they be exposed to the cold?
In a recent interview with Deadline, Eric Schrier from Disney TV Studios updated the audience about whether there will be a season 6 of The Great North. As mentioned, with American Dad! returning to its home network, The Great North has a questionable place for its Animation Donimation spot.
"[The Great North] is still under consideration," Schrier says in the interview. "I don’t think FOX has made a final determination on it; it’s another show that we really love. It’d be great for it to continue, but I understand if they’re not able to."
So yes, there is hope that FOX will save the underrated animated comedy. The Great North is doing well performance-wise on Hulu, and it has the potential to become a streamer exclusive. However, it all boils down to what Hulu wants to do with The Great North and whether it would be sensible in the long term. We certainly think the show would work great as a Hulu Original, should FOX decide not to bring the show back for another season, and many fans are already watching the program on Hulu.
With season 5 set to run through the summer, we might not learn the fate of The Great North for a few more weeks. As of right now, the primary focus at FOX is the core four- The Simpsons, Family Guy, Bob's Burgers, and American Dad!- all of whom have a permanent hold in pop culture and their respective fandoms. The Great North deserves to be among the ranks, and it'll be disappointing if it isn't granted that privilege.