Fox Orders Animated Comedy 'Murder Police' From 'Family Guy' EP

11:56 AM PST 12/3/2012 by Lesley Goldberg

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From David Goodman and Jason Ruiz, the 13-episode series will likely bow in fall 2013 and marks the network's first animated series order in two years.

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Jason Ruiz

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The network has ordered 13 episodes of Murder Police, from Family Guy's David Goodman and newcomer Jason Ruiz, The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed.

Police revolves around a dedicated but bumbling detective and his partner as they attempt to get to the bottom of crime. Former Family Guy showrunner Goodman and Ruiz -- who is the first writer to come out of Fox and 20th Television's joint Fox Inkubation program for budding animators, penned the project which was first announced in July.

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“It’s about bumbling homicide detectives who are trying to do their jobs but are just not very good at it. It’s like if Scooby Doo was solving murders,” Ruiz told THR at the time, noting that he was inspired by The First 48, an A&E crime investigation docuseries that he called “an obsession.”

Police marks the latest animated effort at Fox, which has seen its Sunday night block dim in recent years as recent additions Allen Gregory and Napoleon Dynamite both failed to catch on. The bulk of the animated block -- The Simpsons, Family Guy, American Dad and Bob's Burgers -- have been renewed, with the future of The Cleveland Show still unclear beyond this season.

The project hails from 20th Television, where Ruiz is under an overall deal. Police marks a reunion for Ruiz with Goodman, who previously worked together on Fathers & Son, an animated project that Fox ultimately passed on. Police will likely debut in fall 2013.

Email: Lesley.Goldberg@thr.com; Twitter: @Snoodit