FX announced earlier today that they have acquired the cable rights to repeats of Mike & Molly. This news follows the network’s recent success with the premiere of Charlie Sheen’s Anger Management despite the lack of similar programming in the channel’s lineup. Such a move is seen as a direct response to such knocks as they definitely would like to build a quality slate of sitcoms around a show that the network will be stuck with for no less than 100 episodes.
For those unfamiliar with what I am talking about, Lionsgate was very smart when shopping around Anger Management as they had built into the contract an automatic 90-episode order upon hitting certain ratings milestones–something certain to be triggered. Charlie Sheen’s new comedy may not be the network’s bread and butter, but it certainly went a long way in elevating FX’s other programs when it premiered to over 5 million viewers last week.
As for when fans of the Melissa McCarthy-lead program can first view the comedy on cable, they may have to wait a while as the series is still relatively new. Syndication usually does not start until season five nowadays which means Mike & Molly will first appear on FX in Fall 2014. At that point, the show will join the previously acquired replays of Two and a Half Men and How I Met Your Mother.