American Dad! and other shows in same deal

ITV has snatched the rights to Family Guy from BBC Three.

The new, 15th series of the animated comedy will air exclusively on ITV2 when it returns in the autumn.

Other Seth MacFarlane shows, American Dad!, The Cleveland Show and new series Bordertown will also air on ITV2 as part of the deal.

It’s believed that the decision to take BBC Three online only contributed to the loss of Family Guy. Makers 20th Century Fox have traditionally kept the show off digital platforms for fear of piracy.

ITV’s director of television, Peter Fincham said: ‘Seth MacFarlane’s shows have firmly established him as the comedy voice of choice for an entire generation. Seth is sharp, hugely irreverent and brilliantly funny which is reflected in his fantastic shows. We are delighted to be welcoming him and his comic creations to ITV.’

Family Guy was consistently one of BBC Three’s most popular shows with audiences of about 500,000.

Marion Edwards from 20th Century Fox added: ‘We are very excited about this new collaboration. We are confident that this extraordinary series will not only bring its loyal fan base to ITV, but will also be embraced by an entirely new set of fans.’

Macfarlane’s new show Bordertown is set in a fictitious desert town on the US-Mexican border, and revolves around the friction between patrol officer Bud Buckwald and his next-door neighbour Ernesto Gonzales, an industrious Mexican immigrant. The first series of 13 episodes is due to premiere in the US this spring.

Both new and existing series of American Dad! are included in the ITV deal, as well as all four series of Family Guy series The Cleveland Show, which was cancelled in 2013.

BBC Three today tweeted that it still had the rights to the older series for two more years, saying: ‘#FamilyGuy is moving but CALM DOWN! It’s on the @BBC until 2017, with a new series soon & 13 classic ones to enjoy!’

Whether this remains true if the channel moves online-only late this year, as planned, remains to be seen.

Last week, Jimmy Mulville of production company Hat Trick accused the BBC of ‘dismantling’ BBC Three before getting final for its move online; with Jack Whitehall’s Backchat and Russell Howard’s Good News having already jumped ship. He has launched an audacious bid to buy the channel with fellow programme-makers Avalon.

Published: 23 Mar 2015