Disney buying Fox has some serious superhero implications. And not just for movies, but TV as well: it could see the end of Gotham.Though it's only been a relatively short amount of time since the potential for a Disney takeover of 20th Century Fox was announced, fans and industry pundits have already been forecasting what the future will look like for a number of major IPs. Although everything from Avatar and Alien to The Simpsons and Family Guy will now move under the Disney umbrella, the key discussion has focused on Marvel Studios gaining the rights to the X-Men, Fantastic Four, and Deadpool.Related: Disney Didn't Buy Fox for the X-MenDisney has already made it clear that the X-Men and Fantastic Four will come to the MCU at some point and has assured fans that Deadpool will remain Rated-R. Meanwhile, Avatar, The Simpsons, and other big money makers are unlikely to go anywhere under the new leadership. But in all the discussions surrounding the deal, there's been little talk of what will happen to shows not produced by the Fox network: Gotham, Lucifer, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, and Lethal Weapon.What Is The Future Of The Shows Fox Doesn't Produce? (This Page)
Does Disney Own Bat Boy?
Right off the bat, it's worth clearing up something: Disney does not own every show on Fox. The deal made gives the Walt Disney Company ownership of everything 20th Century Fox owns, leaving Fox with its various news, sports, and reality programming. They'll also keep the Fox network, as Disney already owns the rival ABC. But much of the scripted content on the Fox network is now under Disney's purview and its fate is what's up in the air.
Outside of what Disney purchased, however, Fox is home to Gotham, Lucifer, and Lethal Weapon, all of which are produced and owned by Warner Bros. Brooklyn Nine-Nine is also not included in the purchase thanks to Universal owning it. So while Disney could theoretically cancel nearly every scripted show on Fox, those four would remain safe. Or, at least, safe from anyone but Fox.
The point of Fox giving up so many of its lucrative assets naturally comes with a hefty payday, but it will also allow the company to double-down on news and sports. These realms have been far more beneficial to the Fox bottom line, and it's said that the network will begin almost exclusively producing content in these areas. What's still unknown, however, is whether the Fox network will continue airing any scripted content. In the short term, this confusion may prove beneficial to the shows in question.
Related: A Fox/Disney Deal Could Finally Cancel The Simpsons
It will take some time for the deal to go through regulatory hurdles, and even then Fox may have to completely rework and rebrand their network with hours of additional content. In that chasm, Gotham, Lucifer, Lethal Weapon, and Brooklyn Nine-Nine will all remain cornerstones of the broadcast giant and seem destined to secure at least one more season each. Though they're not massive hits, they all have a dedicated audience and name recognition, and will remain the main shows that Fox can depend on as the network - and fans - wait to see what Disney will do with everything else.
The immediate future of most shows on Fox is probably safe considering plans are in place for new seasons. Not to mention, The Simpsons and Family Guy are too popular for Disney to merely dispense with. As for The Gifted, its Marvel status will likely keep it running a little while longer (that worked for Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.). But a number of other series are less secure in the merger, meaning Fox will want to hang on to everything it can.
There's still the question of where, though. Disney's acquisition of FX could mean the cable channel will become the future home of certain Fox content that Disney decides to keep, or it could all move to Hulu which the media giant now own a majority stake in. But even if the four Fox shows are given an additional season, the future of the network leaves their long-term prospects up in the air still. It's in that void of uncertainty that The CW or Netflix could step up to the plate.
Which Fox Shows Could Change Networks?
The big operating theory is that Gotham may go to The CW. The fact that Supergirl moved there after being canceled on CBS may seem like a precedent but Kara's series was created and produced by the Arrowverse team, had explicit ties to the universe, and was on a network that co-owns The CW. Gotham, meanwhile, has absolutely no connection. Luckily, there's another precedent it could follow: Constantine.
When NBC threw in the towel on its DC TV show, fans assumed it would be snatched up by The CW. That didn't exactly happen, but the character was brought into the fold with an appearance on Arrow. He's also about to have a role on Legends of Tomorrow following a cameo in the midseason finale, and 2018 will provide Constantine with his own animated series on the CW Seed. What's more, the streaming arm of The CW exclusively owns all of the episodes of the former Constantine show.
Related: Why We Need Constantine Season 2 On The CW
At the very least, we could see Gotham and Lucifer move their back catalog to Seed. Beyond that, The CW could decide to continue the show on their main network or the streaming site. By doing so, fans may finally get an Arrow/Gotham crossover that unites Bruce Wayne and Oliver Queen. But with The CW already producing so much superhero content, it may be down to Netflix to save the day.
Long before Netflix ruled the television landscape with its original series, it bought up the U.S. rights to various international shows. This not only gave them a slew of anime series, but a number of hit British shows as well. The streaming service has also regularly revived fallen shows, including Fox's Arrested Development, and picked up series after they were canceled. The most notable of these moves came when Netflix aired the final season of Star Wars: The Clone Wars - interestingly, in the wake of Disney buying Lucasfilm - and their recent ordering of two seasons of The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina.
-
Any one of the Fox shows with an undetermined future could easily be brought to Netflix (or The CW and NBC, respectively) if they're canceled in the fallout of the deal. In the meantime, however, it seems safe to assume Gotham, Lucifer, Lethal Weapon, and Brooklyn Nine-Nine will all get at least one more season while the dust settles on this monumental merger.