Fox Reveals Hour-Long 'Simpsons'/'Family Guy' Crossover Airdate

As the first day of Upfront Week - the week during which US networks announce their upcoming schedules, series uptakes and any other news that doesn't get covered on D-Day - concludes in the US, the big news to come out of today's announcements from the Fox camp is that The Simpsons will officially cross over with Family Guy in an hour-long special due to air this September.

Although previously speculated about, riffed on and perennially playing away at the back of the mind of any fan of both shows - whose creative staffs have enjoyed a friendly, and not so friendly, rivalry over the years - since it was first tipped last year, today's news puts a concrete timeline till the day that the families Simpson and Griffin meet, in-canon, for real. Or as real as animation gets, anyway.

The episode will fall under the Family Guy banner, and will be titled The Simpsons Guy, because what else would you call it? 

Within, the Griffins find themselves in Springfield, where Homer mistakes them for Albinos and gets into a brawl with Peter (not necessarily related incidents), Bart takes Stewie under his delinquent wing and, importantly, the merits of the shows' respective alcohols of choice - Pawtucket Patriot Ale vs Duff Beer - are debated.

With Family Guy just about to finish its relatively strong (if slightly gimmicky) 12th season and The Simpsons enjoying a late-life renaissance that has seen it swing back around into being a thoroughly watchable show, the potential for this crossover to be not just decent but actually good is the highest it's been in years, so it seems to be a good time for the network to make this move.

No information is available presently on Australian airdate plans for the episode, but if Network Ten bothers to express The Simpsons from the US, there's a good chance we'll be seeing it on local screens around the same time as our American contemporaries. Can we get a "Woohoo"?