Bob’s Burgers and The Cleveland Show to Temporarily Shift Time Slots

FOX has announced temporary changes to its Sunday Animation Domination line-up. Beginning on March 3rd and extending for three weeks, Bob’s Burgers and The Cleveland Show will be shifting time slots, with the former moving back to 9:30 and the latter to 8:30, respectively. In addition, new episodes of The Cleveland Show are also scheduled to air at 7:30 during two of the three test weeks, only displaced by a new American Dad.

The scheduling shuffle, highlighted below, could mean that there’ll be a different look to the line-up in the fall of 2013. Bob’s Burgers certainly has the episodes to spare for something like this, having already been renewed for a fourth production cycle, and it might be getting groomed to inherit the post-Family Guy time slot from American Dad. Meanwhile, the situation for The Cleveland Show is a little more shaky; not only has FOX ordered a new animated series (Murder Police), they’ve not yet renewed Cleveland for another production cycle. Generally, animated shows need about nine months to produce a 22-episode season, so no news before the new year could mean that the double new episodes are being burned off.

The network could still order an abbreviated fifth season of the Seth McFarlane comedy, a Family Guy spin-off that has been trapped in the 7:30 slot for some time, but given its recent syndication, that’s looking less like a possibility.

Bob’s Burgers returns from winter hiatus January 6th at 8:30, while The Cleveland Show returns January 13th at 7:30.

What do you think about the move from FOX? Will Bob’s Burgers assume the 9:30 time slot from American Dad? Is this the last season of The Cleveland Show?

Sunday, March 3
7:00/6:00c – The Simpsons (Repeat)
7:30/6:30c – The Cleveland Show
8:00/7:00c – The Simpsons
8:30/7:30c – The Cleveland Show (New Episode – Special Time)
9:00/8:00c – Family Guy
9:30/8:30c – Bob’s Burgers (New Episode – Special Time)

Sunday, March 10
7:00/6:00c – The Simpsons (Repeat)
7:30/6:30c – American Dad (New Episode – Special Time)
8:00/7:00c – The Simpsons
8:30/7:30c – The Cleveland Show (New Episode – Special Time)
9:00/8:00c – Family Guy
9:30/8:30c – Bob’s Burgers (New Episode – Special Time)

Sunday, March 17
7:00/6:00c – Bob’s Burgers (Repeat)
7:30/6:30c – The Cleveland Show
8:00/7:00c – The Simpsons
8:30/7:30c – The Cleveland Show (New Episode – Special Time)
9:00/8:00c – Family Guy
9:30/8:30c – Bob’s Burgers (New Episode – Special Time)