When the upstart young Fox Broadcasting Company (Fox) was formed in 1986 by Rupert Murdoch, early shows tended to attract low viewership, with the exception of some early ratings successes such as Married... with Children and 21 Jump Street.
The animation industry had experienced a decline in the 1980s, but later experienced a revival after the success of films made by Disney and Steven Spielberg such as An American Tail, The Land Before Time, Who Framed Roger Rabbit and The Little Mermaid.
During this time, a series of short cartoons originally intended to be bumpers gained a following with young and old audiences, and Fox ordered thirteen episodes of a new animated television series based on these, titled The Simpsons.
Merchandise featuring the show's breakout character Bart Simpson has accumulated over US$1 billion in sales.
[2] A few Tiny Toon Adventures specials were also aired in primetime during that show's run on Fox Kids.
[4] Also, in 1994, The Tick, an animated superhero/satirical Children's show based on the comic of the same name aired on Fox Kids.
A boom in new adult-oriented animated programming began thereafter, with MTV's Beavis and Butt-head beginning in 1992, and Simpsons producers Al Jean's and Mike Reiss' own series, The Critic, in 1994.
The Critic can be described as a minor success, with DVD sales and late-night showings on cable networks (such as Comedy Central) making it a cult hit.
Mike Judge left Beavis and Butt-head in the mid-1990s to begin a new project with Simpsons writer Greg Daniels.
In August 1997, Trey Parker and Matt Stone's South Park debuted on the cable network Comedy Central, and with its subversive humor and numerous obscenities, it became controversial in a way similar to The Simpsons seven years earlier.
Ironically, Parker and Stone originally developed South Park for Fox, which declined to pick up the show due to the inclusion of a talking stool character (Mr. Hankey) being over the top for the network.
Seth MacFarlane's animated series Family Guy premiered after Super Bowl XXXIII in 1999.
Futurama, the follow-up series from The Simpsons creator Matt Groening, began in late March 1999, and was later canceled (with its last episode aired on August 10, 2003) thanks to scheduling changes (the same fate met previously by Family Guy during its original run).
It is about to start airing its 15th season From October 30, 2011, to February 19, 2017, Allen Gregory, Napoleon Dynamite, Axe Cop, High School USA!, Lucas Bros. Moving Co., Golan the Insatiable, Bordertown, and Son of Zorn have been all canceled after one season.
On October 8, 2013, Fox removed the unaired series Murder Police without airing a single episode.
It was brought back in September 2019 when Bless the Harts debuted, which was renewed for a second season in October 2019.