The Simpsons, Bob's Burgers and Family Guy New Season Premiere Dates Announced By Fox

Sunday, September 30 will serve as the premiere date for FOX's current crop of animated hits, launching new seasons of The Simpsons, Family Guy, and Bob's Burgers on the same night as its new mutli-camera comedy Rel debuts.

The Simpsons will launch its unprecedented thirtieth season that night at 8 p.m. ET/PT, followed by Bob's Burgers. Bob's Burgers will launch its ninth season at 8:30 p.m., followed by the season premiere of Family Guy. The Seth MacFarlane staple will roll into its seventeenth season on FOX at 9 p.m., followed by the series premiere of Rel.

In the new series, Lil Rel Howery stars as Lil Rel, a fictionalized version of himself. Comedian Sinbad also stars. There is no word yet regarding whether an episode of REL will feature a genie.

The Simpsons originated as short animated features on The Tracey Ullman Show in 1987 before getting their own series in 1989. They have since gone on to become a multimedia giant, featured in video games, toys, clothing, and more. With 21st Century Fox's entertainment assets on the market, either Comcast or Disney will end up with the company, and The Simpsons is being discussed int he same breath as properties like Avatar and the X-Men franchise in terms of the value of the acquisition.

Family Guy, too, has become one of FOX's defining series, more than a decade after the show was cancelled in 2002. Strong DVD sales, good ratings for syndicated reruns, and an insistent fan base brought the show back in 2005 and it has been a major part of FOX's primetime lineup ever since.

Bob's Burgers feels, in light of these series, like the young upstart and yet is still coming up on a decade on the air soon. The series stars H. Jon Benjamin, known for his work on shows like Home Movies and Archer.

While both The Simpsons and Family Guy are meant to lampoon traditional multi-camera family sitcoms, Bob's Burgers entered the world in a post-Family Guy and post-Adult Swim TV environment and enjoys the sometimes bizarre and surreal benefits of that. The series centers on the Belcher family – parents Bob and Linda, and their children Tina, Gene, and Louise – who run a hamburger restaurant.

Season seventeen of Family Guy will feature a wedding for family dog Brian and a tribute episode to longtime recurring guest star Adam West, who passed away last year.