How a Disney/Fox Deal Would Be Good News for ‘Gotham’

The potential sale of 21st Century Fox to Disney is on the horizon, with a deal being rumored to finalize this week. Many are talking about the implications this deal will have on many of the Marvel properties, mainly the X-Men movie franchise, but a closer look indicates it could also affect the future of DC’s Gotham.

As Forbes pointed out this week, the sale of Fox Studios to Disney likely means good news for the Batman prequel series. In a roundabout way, Gotham being produced by Warner Bros., and not by Fox, gives it a better chance of being renewed this year, despite the opposite being true in the past.

Let’s break it down:

Disney is set to purchase 20th Century Fox Television, but not the Fox TV network itself. This means that Disney wouldn’t control what the network airs, but it would determine what programs the actual studio produces. Shows like The Simpsons, Family Guy, The Gifted, Empire and others are all produced by Fox television, meaning Disney would take control of them.

If Disney acquires these assets, it could easily clean house, stopping production on many of the studio’s original programs. The exceptions here are obviously the bigger franchises, as Disney knows that The Simpons, Family Guy and The Gifted will make them plenty of money. The potential revamp of the studio puts the Fox network in an interesting position, as they’ve got to continue airing new television.

As of now, Fox will likely either move the network toward sports, news and reality TV, or sell it to another company, like Warner Bros. or Sony. Either way, a move will take some time, and Fox will want to continue making money in the meantime.

Gotham, along with shows like Lethal Weapon, Lucifer and Brooklyn Nine-Nine, are owned by outside studios. They air on the Fox network, but have no actual ties to the Fox studios. If Disney chooses to cancel or end most of Fox’s original programming, the network will need to lean on the existing programs produced by outside studios in order to keep things moving forward.

Although the ratings have been somewhat disappointing for Gotham this year, it stands a good chance at getting renewed if this sale goes through. It will be cheaper for Fox to get new episodes of Gotham from Warner Bros., rather than trying to launch an entire slate of new series.

While there are many properties, and even more jobs, that are threatened by this potential sale, it could be good news for Gotham.