FOX Kicks Off Its Winter Lineup with Special Advance Premiere Dates for New Series “Best Medicine” and Returning Comedy Series “Animal Control” Following FOX NFL Doubleheaders

FOX today announced updates to its Winter 2026 premiere dates, including special advance premieres of new series Best Medicine and returning comedy Animal Control, following respective FOX NFL doubleheaders, as well as a two-night premiere event for new drama series Memory of a Killer, starring Patrick Dempsey and Michael Imperiloi, beginning immediately after the NFC Championship Game.

Animal Control, starring Joel McHale, will have a special advance Season Four premiere on Sunday, December 28 (8:00-8:30 PM ET / Live to All Time Zones) immediately following the FOX NFL doubleheader. An all-new episode of The Simpsons will air at a special time (8:30-9:00 PM ET / Live to All Time Zones), followed by all-new episodes of Krapopolis (9:00-9:30 PM ET/PT) and Bob’s Burgers (9:30-10:00 PM ET/PT). Following a new episode of Hell’s Kitchen (8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT), live-action comedies return starting Thursday, January 15 with an all-new time period premiere episode of Animal Control (9:00-9:30PM ET/PT) and the Season Two premiere of Going Dutch, starring Denis Leary (9:30-10:00PM ET/PT).

New series Best Medicine, starring Josh Charles, Abigail Spencer, Josh Segarra, and Annie Potts, will have a special advance series premiere on Sunday, January 4 (8:00-9:00 PM ET / Live to All Time Zones) immediately following the FOX NFL doubleheader. An all-new episode of Krapopolis will air following (9:00-9:30 PM ET/PT) with an all-new episode of The Simpsons airing at a special time (9:30-10:00 PM ET/PT). Best Medicine will have its time period premiere beginning Tuesday, January 6 (8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT) with the series premiere episode, followed by the winter premiere of hit medical drama Doc (9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT), starring Molly Parker and Felicity Huffman and featuring the return of fan favorite Scott Wolf. All-new episodes of Best Medicine and Doc continue to air beginning Tuesday, January 13 in their respective time periods.

New psychological thriller Memory of a Killer, featuring Patrick Dempsey’s return to broadcast television alongside Emmy Award-winner Michael Imperioli and Gina Torres (9-1-1: Lone Star) will launch with a special two-night premiere event beginning Sunday, January 25 (10:00-11:10 PM ET / Live to All Time Zones) immediately following the NFC Championship Game (6:00-10:00 PM ET / Live to All Time Zones). The two-night event continues the next evening, Monday, January 26, when Memory of a Killer will have its time-period premiere (9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT) with an all-new episode, preceded by the Season Two premiere of extreme survival series Extracted (8:00-9:00PM ET/PT).

UPDATED FOX WINTER 2026 PREMIERE DATES RECAP (All Times ET/PT Except as Noted)

Sunday December 28
8:00-8:30 PM ET / Live to All Time Zones Animal Control (Special Advance Season 4 Premiere)
Immediately Following the FOX NFL Doubleheader
8:30-9:00 PM ET / Live to All Time Zones The Simpsons (New Episode, Special Time)
9:00-9:30 PM ET/PT Krapopolis (New Episode)
9:30-10:00 PM ET/PT Bob’s Burgers (New Episode)

Sunday, January 4
8:00-9:00 PM ET / Live to All Time Zones Best Medicine (Special Advance Series Premiere)
Immediately Following the FOX NFL Doubleheader
9:00-9:30 PM ET/PT Krapopolis (New Episode)
9:30-10:00 PMET/PT The Simpsons (New Episode, Special Time)

Tuesday, January 6
8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT Best Medicine (Series Premiere Episode)
9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT Doc (Winter Premiere)

Thursday, January 15
8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT Hell’s Kitchen (New Episode)
9:00-9:30 PM ET/PT Animal Control (Time Period Premiere, All-New Episode)
9:30-10:00 PM ET/PT Going Dutch (Season 2 Premiere)

Sunday, January 25
6:00-10:00PM ET / Live to All Times Zones NFC Championship Game
10:00PM-11:10 PM ET / Live to All Time Zones Memory of a Killer (Series Premiere)

Monday, January 26
8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT Extracted (Season 2 Premiere)
9:00PM-10:00 PM ET/PT Memory of a Killer (Time Period Premiere, All-New Episode)

About Animal Control:

Animal Control follows a group of local Animal Control workers whose lives are complicated by the fact that animals are simple, but humans are not. Joel McHale stars as Frank Shaw, an opinionated, eccentric Animal Control officer who may not have gone to college but is still the most well-read person in the room. A former cop, Frank tried to expose corruption in his department, but his efforts got him fired, which may explain why he’s so cynical and curmudgeonly. He has an almost superhuman ability to understand animals. Humans…not so much. In addition to McHale, Animal Control stars Michael Rowland as Fred “Shred” Taylor, Vella Lovell as Emily Price, Ravi Patel as Amit Patel, and Grace Palmer as Victoria Sands, Gerry Dee as Templeton Dudge, and Kyla Pratt joins the cast this season as Daisy. Season Four guest stars include Rob Gronkowski as himself and the return of Ken Jeong as expert (and unhinged) dog trainer Roman Park. Animal Control is produced by FOX Entertainment Studios, with production services provided by JAX Media. Bob Fisher (Wedding Crashers, Sirens, The Moodys), Rob Greenberg (Frasier, How I Met Your Mother, The Moodys), Dan Sterling (Long Shot, The Interview, Girls, The Office, King of the Hill), Tad Quill (Scrubs, The Moodys) and McHale serve as Executive Producers. The series is distributed by FOX Entertainment Global.

About Best Medicine:

The series centers on Dr. Martin Best (Emmy Award-nominee Josh Charles), a brilliant surgeon who abruptly leaves his illustrious career in Boston to become the general practitioner in a quaint East Coast fishing village where he spent summers as a child. Unfortunately, Martin’s blunt and borderline rude bedside manner rubs the quirky, needy locals the wrong way, and he quickly alienates the town, even though he’s all they’ve got. Although Martin can expertly address any medical ailment or mystery in this idiosyncratic town, he’s really just desperate to be left the hell alone. Instead, he keeps getting dragged right smack into the middle of their personal chaos, feuds, and fantasies. What the locals don’t know is that Martin’s terse demeanor masks a debilitating new phobia and childhood trauma that prevent him from experiencing true intimacy with anyone. But tenacity is the creed of everyone in their small village, and the people who live there may be exactly what the doctor ordered. Wholly owned by FOX Entertainment, Best Medicine is produced by FOX Entertainment Studios and is distributed by FOX Entertainment Global. Ben Silverman (The Office, U.S.), Rodney Ferrell (Stick), Howard T. Owens (Stick), Liz Tuccillo (Sex and the City), Mark Crowdy (Doc Martin), Philippa Braithwaite (Doc Martin), Jay Karas, and Tyson Bidner are executive producers. Jamie Babbit served as an executive producer on the series’ first two episodes, which he also directed. Best Medicine is based on All3Media International’s successful format Doc Martin, which was produced originally in the UK by Buffalo Pictures in association with Homerun Film Productions, and brought to American audiences by Propagate Content. The series stars Josh Charles, Abigail Spencer, Annie Potts, Josh Segarra and Cree.

About Memory of a Killer:

Inspired by the book and 2003 award-winning Belgian film “De Zaak Alzheimer,” Memory of A Killer is a dramatic thriller starring Emmy nominee Patrick Dempsey (“Grey’s Anatomy,” “Dexter: Original Sin,” “Ferrari”) as a hitman, Angelo Doyle, leading a dangerous double life while hiding an even deadlier personal secret. Emmy winner Michael Imperioli (“The White Lotus,” “The Sopranos”) stars opposite Dempsey in the role of Dutch, Angelo’s oldest friend and an accomplished chef whose restaurant is a front for criminal enterprise. The series also stars Richard Harmon as Joe, a hitman; Odeya Rush as Maria, Angelo’s daughter; Daniel David Stewart as Jeff, Maria’s husband; Peter Gadiot as Dave, a local police detective; and Gina Torres as Special Agent Linda Grant. Memory of a Killer is produced by Warner Bros. Television and FOX Entertainment. Executive producers include Aaron Zelman, Glenn Kessler, Ed Whitmore, Tracey Malone, Cathy Schulman, David Schulner, and series star Patrick Dempsey. Arthur Sarkissian and Martin Campbell are also executive producers, along with Peter Bouckaert of Eyeworks.

[EDITOR’S NOTE 1: Additional schedule details to be announced.]