Exclusive | Family Guy and American Dad return to Channel 7 in new late-night comedy block – Channel 7 is bringing three major US comedies back to its main channel, with Family Guy, American Dad! and It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia forming a new Monday late-night block from 19 October.
The move is a notable change in Seven’s strategy. All three programs have predominantly been seen on multichannels including 7mate and 7flix in recent years, but the new episodes will now screen on the primary Channel 7 channel. The block takes over the late-night space occupied during the AFL season by The Agenda Setters.
TV Central understands Seven retains the Australian first-run window for the programs under its long-standing life-of-series arrangements. Although all three are produced within Disney’s television group, Channel 7 receives the episodes first, with Disney+ able to add them in a later window after their Seven broadcast.
Channel 7’s new Monday late-night comedy schedule
- 11:10pm Monday 19 October: Family Guy – “The Edible Arrangement”
- 11:40pm Monday 19 October: American Dad! – “Aw Rats, A Pool Party”
- 12:10am Tuesday 20 October: It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia – “Frank Marries a Corpse”
Family Guy returns with a milestone episode
Family Guy opens the block at 11:10pm with “The Edible Arrangement”. The episode launched the season in the United States on 15 February and also marked the long-running comedy’s 450th episode.
For the first time in the show’s history, Lois and Stewie finally begin to understand one another. Brian’s edibles change the dynamic between them, allowing mother and son to explore and try to explain their complicated relationship.
There is a numbering difference for Australian viewers to note. FOX and most US guides identify this run as Season 24, while Channel 7 classifies the same episodes as Season 25. Seven has 15 episodes to screen. The season completed its original US run on 17 May.
The series has a lengthy future ahead. FOX’s four-season animation deal renewed Family Guy through Season 27 and the 2028-29 US broadcast cycle.
American Dad! brings the Smiths’ disastrous pool party to Seven
American Dad! follows at 11:40pm with “Aw Rats, A Pool Party”. Both Channel 7 and the Australian scheduling information classify the run as Season 21.
The Smiths are preparing a backyard pool party with a sizeable guest list, including Francine’s sister and Steve’s ex. Their reunion plans are complicated by one deeply unwelcome discovery: a dead rat floating in the pool.
The episode also marked American Dad!‘s return to FOX in the United States after more than a decade on TBS. The US season began on 22 February. Eleven episodes aired between February and June before the show returned with a double episode on 13 September to complete the run.
FOX’s expanded animation agreement also secured a multi-season future for American Dad!, keeping the Seth MacFarlane co-created series in the network’s plans through the 2028-29 broadcast cycle.
It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia arrives eight days after the US finale
At 12:10am, Channel 7 will premiere Season 18 of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. The 10-episode season began in the United States on 17 August and is due to finish on 12 October, meaning Seven will launch it only eight days after the US finale.
The premiere, “Frank Marries a Corpse”, finds the guys helping Frank deal with cold feet before his wedding to Sam. Dee has other ideas and tries to scare Sam away from the marriage by gathering testimony from The Waitress, Artemis and Snail.
The principal cast is back, with Charlie Day as Charlie, Rob Mac as Mac, Glenn Howerton as Dennis, Kaitlin Olson as Dee and Danny DeVito as Frank. Across the season, FX says the gang will tackle inheritances, tent encampments, workplace automation, neurodivergence, conspiracy theories, the cultural movement away from drinking, a Renaissance Faire and a Little League sponsorship.
Season 18 is the latest season of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia and the last covered by the show’s previous multi-season pickup. It is not being billed as the final season. FX has not announced whether the comedy will return for Season 19, nor has it announced a cancellation.
A new home on Channel 7’s main schedule
The return of these programs to the main channel gives Seven a recognisable, adult-skewing comedy destination after its Monday primetime schedule. It also gives Australian viewers a clear weekly run for three established franchises instead of leaving their newest episodes primarily to the network’s multichannels.
FAMILY GUY premieres Monday 19 October at 11:10pm on Channel 7, followed by AMERICAN DAD! at 11:40pm and IT’S ALWAYS SUNNY IN PHILADELPHIA at 12:10am Tuesday 20 October.
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