FOX Announces Early Premiere Dates for Animal Control and Best Medicine

FOX is kicking off its winter slate later this month!

The updated schedule means that returning comedy Animal Control and the new series Best Medicine will have early premiere dates.

Memory of a Killer, the new psychological thriller starring Patrick Dempsey and Michael Imperioli, will have a special, two-night premiere event. 

The Joel McHale-led series will return for its fourth season on Sunday, December 28, at 8/7c on FOX. Animal Control‘s advanced premiere immediately follows the FOX NFL doubleheader. The live-action comedy will be followed by new episodes of The Simpsons (at a special time), Krapopolis, and Bob’s Burgers.

Animal Control returns with new episodes in January alongside the second season of Going Dutch.

Meanwhile, Best Medicine, starring Josh Charles, Abigail Spencer, Josh Segarra, and Annie Potts, will make its early series premiere on Sunday, January 4 at 8/7c on FOX. It also immediately follows the FOX NFL doubleheader. New episodes of Krapopolis and The Simpsons — again, at a special time — follow.

Best Medicine will re-run the series premiere in its usual timeslot later that week on Tuesday, January 6, followed by Doc‘s winter premiere at 9/8c. Both shows air new episodes beginning on Tuesday, January 13.

Patrick Dempsey returns to broadcast TV alongside Emmy Award-winner Michael Imperioli and Gina Torres with Memory of a Killer.

The series will have a two-night premiere event, beginning on Sunday, January 25, at 10/9c after the NFC Championship Game. It continues on Monday, January 26, when the series will have its time-period premiere with an all-new episode. 

That Memory of a Killer episode will be followed by the return of the extreme survival series, Extracted, for its sophomore season.

FOX 2025/2026 WINTER SCHEDULE 

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 28

8:00 ANIMAL CONTROL (Season 4 premiere)

8:30 THE SIMPSONS (special time)

9:00 KRAPOPOLIS 

9:30 BOB’S BURGERS

SUNDAY, JANUARY 4

8:00 BEST MEDICINE (series premiere)

9:00 KRAPOPOLIS

9:30 THE SIMPSONS (special time)

TUESDAY, JANUARY 6

8:00 BEST MEDICINE (series premiere, again)

9:00 DOC (winter premiere)

THURSDAY, JANUARY 15

8:00 HELL’S KITCHEN 

9:00 ANIMAL CONTROL (usual time slot)

9:30 GOING DUTCH (Season 2 premiere)

SUNDAY, JANUARY 25

6:00 NFC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME

10:00 MEMORY OF A KILLER (series premiere)

MONDAY, JANUARY 26

8:00 EXTRACTED (Season 2 premiere)

9:00 MEMORY OF A KILLER (usual time slot)

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[Show Title] airs [day of the week] at [time] on [network].

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