Big news for anyone who ever wondered what happens when an evil genius toddler gets bored: Fox and Hulu have handed a two-season order to Stewie, a new animated spinoff centering on the Griffins' precocious youngest child. The series comes from Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane and 20th Television Animation, and is scheduled to arrive on Fox during the 2027-28 season, with next-day streaming on Hulu and international distribution on Disney+.
Where this fits in the animation lineup
Stewie will join Fox’s long-running animated block alongside Family Guy and American Dad!, both MacFarlane titles, and legacy hits The Simpsons and Bob’s Burgers. All five shows are now aligned under multi-year deals that run through 2029. The Stewie pickup was structured differently: Fox and Hulu are sharing the financial load, making this a joint commission from the broadcast network and the streamer.
Episode count and schedule
The exact episode count per season has not been released, but sources say it will be slightly fewer than the roughly 15 episodes per season the other 20th Television Animation legacy series are producing under the current Fox arrangement.
Who’s making it
- Seth MacFarlane will voice Stewie on the spinoff, as he does on Family Guy.
- The show was created by MacFarlane and long-time Family Guy writer-producer Kirker Butler. Butler will serve as showrunner.
- Kara Vallow and MacFarlane executive produce for Fuzzy Door. 20th Television Animation is the studio.
The pitch: preschool, time travel, and a grumpy turtle
The setup is simple and promising: after being kicked out of his old preschool, Stewie ends up at a less-than-stellar new school. The class includes a few unfamiliar kids and a 75-year-old class turtle who has strong opinions about everything. Everyone is miserable until Stewie starts deploying his inventions to travel through space and time, turning routine preschool days into wild, surreal adventures.
The spinoff will create its own world at a new school with new characters. Sources say it will not change Stewie’s ongoing presence on Family Guy, where he currently attends Quahog Preschool.
Callbacks and guest appearances
Concept art shows Stewie with his beloved teddy bear Rupert and standing on the return pad of the time machine he built on Family Guy. Brian the dog is expected to appear on the spinoff at times, and the new series will include references to the parent show while remaining distinct.
Context and creative notes
Stewie’s character has evolved during Family Guy’s run. The toddler moved from cartoonishly villainous ambitions toward more nuanced friendships and complex inventions, including devices that traverse the multiverse. The spinoff leans into his scientific genius and tendency to turn bored kids into accidental explorers.
MacFarlane offered a characteristically deadpan response to the pickup, and Butler balanced gratitude with a jab about working together for years before being entrusted with the character.
Where Family Guy stands now
- Family Guy recently marked its 450th episode and has run for 24 years.
- All episodes of Family Guy and American Dad! stream on Hulu in the U.S. and on Disney+ internationally.
- In 2025, Family Guy logged more than 3 billion multiplatform minutes watched, ranked as the second most-watched adult animation streaming title and the No. 7 streaming program overall for the year. American Dad! ranked as the third most-watched adult animation streaming title.
- Across platforms last year, Seth MacFarlane’s catalog generated over 60 billion streaming minutes.
- MacFarlane has won five Emmys for his work on Family Guy, including four for Outstanding Voice-Over Performance, and the show earned an uncommon Outstanding Comedy Series nomination for an animated series.
Fuzzy Door’s other projects and business notes
Under its multi-year TV deal with Universal Studio Group, Fuzzy Door produces several projects beyond Family Guy. This includes the Ted prequel series for Peacock, whose second season premiered March 5, an animated Ted series with the films' main cast returning, and Peacock’s new series The 'Burbs starring Keke Palmer, which drew nearly one billion viewing minutes in its first 11 days.
Representation for MacFarlane includes WME, Joy Fehily Management & Consulting, and Jackoway Austen Tyerman.
Bottom line: Stewie is getting a proper spin-off that keeps the naughty genius at its center while giving him a new playground to wreak creative havoc. It is being positioned to sit alongside Fox’s biggest animated properties and stream for fans the next day on Hulu, with international availability on Disney+.
