Television networks usually build their schedules around the fall premiere calendar. Yet a midseason slot, opened when a show underperforms or a gap needs filling, has sometimes launched a series that outlasted the one it replaced.
These eight shows all started in that slot, in the middle of a broadcast season rather than at its start. Some are still on the air in 2026, and others became fixtures for years.
Grey’s Anatomy
Grey’s Anatomy began airing as a midseason replacement to Boston Legal on March 27, 2005. That first season ran nine episodes on Sundays at 10:00pm, following Desperate Housewives. It was a modest opening for a show that would grow far beyond it.
It is now the longest running scripted primetime show currently airing on ABC. The show was renewed for a 23rd season on March 30, 2026, and that season premiered on October 15, 2026. Few midseason fill-ins have turned into two decades of television.
9-1-1
This first responder drama debuted on Fox in January 2018. Its first season ran from January 3, 2018, to March 21, 2018, and it was only ten episodes long. Starting in January meant it had to prove itself quickly.
It did, though not on one network alone. It ran six seasons on Fox before being canceled, then ABC picked it up for a seventh season that premiered in 2024. The series was renewed for a tenth season, which premiered on October 15, 2026.
Bob’s Burgers
Bob’s Burgers first aired on Fox in January 2011. It arrived as a quiet animated comedy about a struggling restaurant family, and it took a while for audiences to find it.
The patience paid off. In April 2025 the show was renewed for four more seasons, taking it to nineteen, and its 300th episode aired during season 16. That puts a midseason newcomer on track to run well into the late 2020s.
Family Guy
Family Guy premiered on Fox on January 31, 1999, following the Super Bowl broadcast. That is a very visible launch, even if the show technically entered the schedule midseason. Seth MacFarlane’s animated comedy was then canceled and revived in the following years, which is its own unusual chapter.
Its current run is secure for now. Family Guy was renewed for seasons 25 through 27. Season 24 featured the milestone 450th episode.
King of the Hill
King of the Hill arrived on Fox in January 1997. It was created by Mike Judge and Greg Daniels, and it followed a propane salesman in small town Texas. The show settled in as a quieter, character driven animated comedy.
It went on to run for thirteen seasons, finishing in 2010. A revival was later announced, which says something about how well its premise has held up. A long life for an animated series that started in the winter months is not a given.
The Bachelor
The Bachelor premiered on ABC in March 2002, a spring start that placed it outside the traditional fall launch. Its concept of one man choosing among a group of women was an experiment at the time. It built an audience slowly and then spawned a whole franchise.
It has outlasted most reality competitors. ABC has renewed the show for its 30th season. That makes it one of the longest running unscripted series on the network.
Chicago P.D.
Chicago P.D. debuted on NBC on January 8, 2014, as a spinoff of Chicago Fire. It arrived midseason, which gave the network a chance to expand a growing franchise without disrupting its fall lineup. Its focus on the Intelligence Unit gave it a grittier tone than its parent show.
The series has held its place ever since. NBC ordered season 14 on March 27. At the time, the show was airing its 13th season.
The Simpsons
The Simpsons began as animated shorts on The Tracey Ullman Show. The half hour series premiered on Fox on December 17, 1989, partway through the 1989 to 1990 season, after animation delays pushed it back from the fall. It started as a holiday special and then moved into a regular slot.
It has run longer than any other American scripted primetime series. Fox renewed The Simpsons ahead of the 2026 to 2027 season. The show also marked its 800th episode with guest stars including Kevin Bacon, Quinta Brunson, and Noah Wyle.
