FOX will have a big presence at San Diego Comic-Con 2018, including presentations for hit shows The Gifted, The Orville, and more. While it seems like SDCC has always been this big a deal in the general world of pop culture, that isn't actually the case. Only in the last decade or so has the convention transformed into the powerhouse event it is today, where studios jockey for position for the best spots during the weekend, and set out to get fans hyped up for what's to come in the rest of the year and beyond.

Unlike Warner Bros. TV - which announced its SDCC 2018 schedule yesterday - FOX won't really be jumping into the fray until Friday, July 20. The network's festivities begin at 4:15pm in the Indigo Ballroom, with a panel and exclusive footage reveal for Bob's Burgers season 9. At 6pm on Friday, FOX will hold a panel for its highly anticipated new vampire apocalypse series The Passage in Room 6A, starring Zack Morris himself, Mark-Paul Gosselaar. Similar to FX's prior vampire program The Strain, The Passage is based on a series of novels.

As always, SDCC doesn't really get rocking until Saturday, the busiest day every year. According to Deadline, at 2:30pm it's time for the heavy hitters, as the cast and crew of X-Men spinoff The Gifted converge on Ballroom 20 for a panel, followed at 4pm by a panel in the Indigo Ballroom focusing on season 2 of Seth MacFarlane's comedic space odyssey The Orville. Both series largely impressed critics and audiences alike with their debut seasons, and it's highly likely they'll bring along some juicy new info and exclusive looks at their respective sophomore runs.


Circling back to earlier on Saturday, FOX will get the afternoon started off right in Ballroom 20, via a 12pm panel looking at The Simpsons' historic season 30. Many have assumed this will end up being the last season, so it'll be interesting to see if producers confirm those suspicions. Right after that at 1pm comes a joint panel for Seth MacFarlane's animated mainstays Family Guy and American Dad - which despite now airing on TBS, is still produced by FOX TV.

Sunday's FOX presentations will be an FX showcase, starting with a 1pm first look in Hall H at upcoming Sons of Anarchy spinoff Mayans M.C., with creator Kurt Sutter in attendance. At 2:15pm, another X-Men spinoff, Legion invades Hall H, with creator Noah Hawley and stars Dan Stevens and Aubrey Plaza set to take part. Finally things wrap up at 5:15 in the Indigo Ballroom with a panel for Archer's currently airing season 9.

FOX may not boast quite the big name line-up that WBTV is bringing to Comic-Con, but what they're offering is still sure to draw a crowd. The Orville especially has something to prove, after going nearly a whole year between the airing of season 1's finale and season 2's scheduled December premiere. The Gifted will also be returning after a long hiatus this fall - the season 1 finale aired in January - and looks to show fans why they should stick with the series despite the low likelihood of any actual X-Men involvement ever occurring. As July draws closer, all eyes turn to SDCC, hopefully it'll be worth the wait.

San Diego Comic-Con 2018 runs from July 19-22.