justgotham:

What Disney is potentially buying is every show Fox produces, including The Simpsons, Family Guy, The Gifted, Empire and off-network shows like This is Usand Modern Family. However, the Hollywood giant will have no power over shows provided by third-party studios airing on Fox, including the Warner Bros. owned Gotham, Lucifer and Lethal Weapon, and Universal owned Brooklyn Nine-Nine.

So, if the deal goes through, there’s could be a reason for those four aforementioned to feel hopeful for the immediate future.

There’s a virtual guarantee Disney is going to wipe the slate of most 20th shows that aren’t cash-cows or brand specific endeavors (I.E. The Simpsons, Family Guy and The Gifted are likely safe, but everything else is up in the air). This puts Fox Broadcasting into an unfavorable position.

The majority of the network’s programming comes from its (current) parent company’s TV studio.

As it stands, the reported plan is for Murdoch to either transform Fox into a hub for reality TV, news and sports, or sell it off to another bidder (likely Sony or Warner Bros.). But, until that plan can take shape, which will be at least a year from now, the network is going to need programming.

If the hatchet comes down on 20th produced shows, Fox Broadcasting is going to need to lean into the shows unaffected by the merger. Shows owned by other studios.

This is why Lucifer, Gotham, Lethal Weapon and Brooklyn Nine-Nine have reason to breath (somewhat) easy.

At the very least, a final season for each will quite possibly be in the cards as Fox will need to fill its fall 2018 slate while working on a re-brand that won’t happen until January 2019 at the earliest.

It would be insane for Fox to outright cancel everything under its scripted banner if the merger goes down because there won’t be enough sports and news programming to make-up the difference right away. A lot of that is going to require new deals and contracts.

Fox needs all the non-20th shows it can get its hands on for 2018. Even if only temporary.

Whether or not the network opts into purchasing new shows at all this coming season is a big WHO KNOWS? But, doubling down on the shows Disney can’t take away is the network’s best, and possibly only, shot at survival.

Hit shows are hit show, and until plans are solidified, Fox Broadcasting needs as many hits as possible under its umbrella. And it needs them now.

Disney/Fox Merger Gives 2018 Hope To ‘Gotham,’ ‘Lucifer,’ ‘Lethal Weapon’ And ‘Brooklyn Nine-Nine’