Fox to Launch Clay-Animated ‘PJ’s’ Featuring Voice of Murphy

Fox has scheduled the new clay-animated comedy produced by and featuring the voice of Eddie Murphy, “The PJ’s,” to air at 8:30 p.m. Tuesdays beginning Jan. 12. The network will introduce the series two days earlier, airing an episode Sunday after its long-running animated hit, “The Simpsons.”

Fox has two other animated series in production that will premiere next year. One of them, “Family Guy,” will be showcased after the Super Bowl on Jan. 31, along with a new episode of “The Simpsons.” That series will join Fox’s lineup on a regular basis in March.

The other program, “Futurama,” comes from “Simpsons” creator Matt Groening. Sources say Groening has pressed the network to schedule his show after “The Simpsons,” but thus far no time period has been set. There are lingering questions as to when the series will be ready for broadcast, and its premiere date remains uncertain.

Fox established a strong combination with “The Simpsons” and “King of the Hill” on Sundays last season, moving the latter to Tuesdays this fall, where the show has struggled in the ratings. The network canceled the new comedy initially paired with it, “Costello,” after just four telecasts.

Animated by the company that created the California Raisins, “The PJ’s” is deemed risky because of its theme. The show focuses on an illiterate landlord (voiced by Murphy) who lives in the projects.

Still, the success of Fox’s shows and Comedy Central’s “South Park” has inspired all the networks to exhibit more interest in prime-time animation. Another animated series, based on the comic strip “Dilbert,” will premiere next month on UPN.