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Seven nabs The Simpsons in FOX deal

Seven swoops on FOX titles -but This is Us will resume at TEN.

The Simpsons are Seven-bound.

The switch to Seven comes 27 years after it has been a TEN brand. But FOX cancelled its output deal with TEN in October after the network went into administration.

Seven also picks up The Resident, a new medical show featuring Emily VanCamp (Revenge) & Matt Czuchry (The Good Wife). It looks at the final years of doctor training revealing the truth of what really happens, both good and bad, in US hospitals.

MASH is also headed to Seven as part of the deal and there is speculation Modern Family may be included.

Seven director of network programming Angus Ross told Fairfax it had “cherry-picked from the Fox library a number of iconic shows … that are proven and consistent free-to-air performers”.

“Seven has no appetite for output agreements and prefers to look for programming gaps in the marketplace and the smart acquisitions to fill them.”

But This is Us is set to resume at TEN, returning on February 14. “As a result of our new arrangement with Fox, we will be increasing our already substantial investment in local production across a range of program genres,” a TEN spokesperson said.

The Resident, which premiered last Sunday night in the US attracting close to 9 million viewers, is due to begin after the Winter Olympics. After 7flix lost Big Bang Theory to Nine, expect several of the FOX titles to head to the multichannel.

The Resident is one of the most talked about shows from the LA screenings and we are thrilled to have secured this hotly anticipated medical drama,” said Angus Ross.

29 Responses

  1. The Simpsons finally on Seven. In 1995 Murdoch bought into Seven and tried to get the FOX titles onto the channel. However TEN’s output contract with TEN’s output contract with FOX made that impossible at the time.

  2. I was given a DVD Boxed set of MASH last century so the shortened, dissected, pop-up ad and watermark infected screenings on FTA are of little interest.
    The first 2 seasons of The Simpsons had some satirical “bite” and are always good viewing but shot in 4:3 and unlikely to be shown on the main channel.

  3. Question for This Is Us fans: I really tried to get into the show and made it to episode 12 or 13 but it just didn’t grab me and it felt like a chore to watch it. Does it get substantially better? Is there a reason I should give it another chance?

    1. I wasn’t thrilled with it mid way, but it did win me over by the end of the first season.

      I am glad ten were at least able to keep This is Us, they really should have tried harder with the Simpsons though. That show in particular was always iconically ten in Australia.

  4. I wouldn’t get too excited about ‘The Resident’, it lost more than half of it’s audience between episode one and two, when it moved away from following an NFL match to it’s regular Monday night home.

    1. How? Simpsons and MASH will be on 7TWO or 7mate or 7flix. Only one hour per week will be on the ‘primary’ channel after the Winter Olympics, until it gets moved.

  5. Wow! This is huge news! Thanks David! I wonder when they will start showing The Simpsons? Maybe after the tennis? Is the tennis still going? What about Bob’s Burgers? So many, many questions! Can’t believe 10 managed to hang on to This Is Us!

  6. I don’t think Ten has lost out to be honest. The Simpsons has lost its edge. Seven will do a Big Bang and throw them around their schedule. I can only see pluses for Ten especially if they get access to the entire CBS library.

  7. As I mentioned in the TV Lounge to Sully, I was expecting Seven to chase a deal with FOX when they bailed on Ten. I was kind of expecting a full output deal. I guess The Simpsons is Seven’s Big Bang replacement.

  8. So Ten did do a deal with FOX (reportedly $1m) for This Is Us, but didn’t want to pay for any of the others. They will use CBS shows to fill their vacant slots.

    Seven will be hoping The Resident can capitalise on TGD’s success when the season ends But TGD is the only new show that <18s don't hate and the Resident lost nearly 50% of viewers for ep2 and has been trashed by critics calling it an unoriginal ER or Grey retread.

    Seven has plenty of failed US dramas under its ABC and NBC output deals for Flix (having tried movies, US dramas, TBBT rpts and movies). MASH reruns and movies will fresh up Mate the Pawn channel. The Simpsons (and possibly Modern Family as they lack a prime-time sitcom) could help them in early evening against Eleven, Go and ABC2. Future FOX content in all up in the air because they could be Disney's game show channel in 12 months time.

  9. I’d be putting classic Simpsons on at at 6-7pm weeknights on 7Flix or 7Mate, and then put the new episodes on 7Mate on the same night as new Family Guy and American Dad. Speaking of the latter two, I wonder why 7 does not make better use of FG and AD, showing weeknight episodes like Fox8 does. Surely that would attract more eyes than some of the other rubbish they show.

  10. Great news about the simpsons and this is us!!!! Can’t wait to see the resident, not thrilled it’s with seven though!!! Thanks for the update David!!

  11. Very excited about The Resident (I know the heading is all about The Simpsons) but this sounds great! Haven’t much faith in 7s recent treatment if US dramas (Quantico and How To Get Away With Murder) but Emily & Matt already have me hooked! Emily VanCamp is one sort after actress. Not many US actresses seem to have follow on work continuously in their career, particularly having lead and sub-lead roles (Brothers & Sisters as well as Revenge being her previous shows). Predict it will follow The Good Doctor timeslot if 7 are smart! And hope to see This Is Us again on 10 soon…2018 is looking up David!

    1. Quantico and HTGAWM, two shows I really enjoyed until 7 managed to chop and change it right out of my viewing schedule as I ended up having no idea where I was with the shows and if and how many episodes I missed. In the end I just gave up…

      And that made me think about my own viewing habits, I ‘discovered’ the beauty of Netflix where I can watch what I want when I want too, which is just another reason FTO almost never see me anymore… Between Netflix and what Fox offers me I hardly bother with trying to keep up with changing schedules. Now I am no trend setter but I have to wonder when this will start impacting FTO channels in a serious way?

      1. It is already hurting them, just look at the ratings figures. What qualifies today as an outstanding smash hit must see show, was not that long ago a sure sign of death for a show. You’ll truly know when the FTAs accept the problem when they start telling all and sundry that it isn’t a problem.

        Oh, yes, that’s quite right. They are already well past that stage of denial.

        Recall the infamous instance of a 7 network executive stating that ‘the internet’ makes not difference to their viewer numbers, only to perform a perfect back flip 6 months later when 7 announced its first catch-up service.

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