FOX moving Animation Domination HD lineup out of late-night Saturdays, into primetime Sundays for summer 2015

One step backward, two bunny hops forward. That’s the Good Friday spin on the cancellation that’s actually a promotion for FOX’s Animation Domination High-Def programming.

FOX executives have confirmed that the late-night Saturday block of animated shorts will stop airing new episodes after June 28. Come June 2015, however, ADHD will return in primetime on Sundays with at least two new half-hour series as part of the network’s pre-existing and highly successful regular “Animation Domination” programming block.

Nick Weidenfeld (seen above addressing the TV Critics Association at TCAs) dropped a Drake reference, conveying the news to friends and followers with the tagline, “STARTED FROM THE BOTTOM.”

Now we’re here. Now being next year. You get it.

“We’re making some tweaks to our schedule, but we’re really exited to embrace the next phase,” FOX Senior VP for Multiplatform Programming Kiliaen Van Rensselaer told The Hollywood Reporter. “Some of this stuff is being waved up to the major leagues.”

April already was shaping up to be quite an eventful month for FOX’s upstart High-Def edition of “Animation Domination” ADHD is up for a Webby Award in “Online Film & Video: Animation” with “Sympathy For Slender Man Song,” written by Heather Anne Campbell with music and vocals by Liz Beebe.

And the group’s latest video, “Easter Bunny’s Coming,” has the Parents Television Council up in arms in protest over the NSFW language and content. Thanks to writer Eric Moneypenny and vocalist Colton Dunn! Roll it with headphones on.

Some background…

FOX lured Weidenfeld away from Adult Swim two years ago to repeat his successful track record there in establishing an alternative destination for younger (read: ages 18-34) viewers, and duplicating it on the broader broadcast network platform. The initial plan for FOX’s ADHD aimed to air animated and live-action shows in 15-minute blocks across 90 minutes of late-night Saturday, against late local news and Saturday Night Live. None of the live-action pilots, which starred stand-up comedians and Kevin Smith, made the cut, however. That left FOX doubling up with rebroadcasts of its new animated series, Axe Cop, High School USA!, Lucas Bros. Moving Co., and Golan The Insatiable.

Even so, FOX discovered that young people who may be fine watching toons and weird short films in the late-night hours Sundays-Thursdays weren’t tuning in on Saturdays. Maybe they had something better to do on a Saturday night than watch TV? Just like you probably did when you were 18-24. In fact, FOX found its average-aged viewer during Saturday night ADHD was 47! “When we looked at it, we were reaching the wrong audience,” adds Van Rensselaer.

And so, a FOX executive told affiliates in a Las Vegas meeting on April 8 that the block would be going away, as first reported by Broadcasting & Cable.

From now until then, then, the 160 or so artists, animators, producers and writers of ADHD will continue to work out of their Hollywood HQ, making short cartoons of three minutes or less each week for the FoxADHD YouTube channel, Hulu and other platforms — as well as GIFs aplenty for Tumblr.

Sean L. McCarthy

Editor and publisher since 2007, when he was named New York's Funniest Reporter. Former newspaper reporter at the New York Daily News, Boston Herald and smaller dailies and community papers across America. Loves comedy so much he founded this site.

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