A Joe Dirt animated sequel series is now in development at Fox, with David Spade set to reprise his title role 25 years after the 2001 cult comedy first hit cinemas, according to a report from Deadline.
TL;DR
- Fox is developing an animated Joe Dirt sequel series, with Spade returning to voice the character.
- The show picks up 25 years on, with Joe married to Brandy and raising three teenage daughters.
- Scott Gairdner is writing and executive producing; Sony Pictures Television co-produces with Fox Entertainment.
- The original 2001 film carries a UK "12" certificate from the BBFC.
What the new series is about
The project, produced alongside the film's 25th anniversary, follows Joe as he juggles married life and fatherhood. According to Deadline, the character is "still in love with Brandy" and still dealing with a mullet that "hasn't un-fused" from his skull, even with a new set of family-sized problems to mop up.
Spade is attached as executive producer alongside Fred Wolf, his co-writer on the original film, plus Doug Robinson and Lauren Moffat of Doug Robinson Productions.
Who's writing it
The series comes from Scott Gairdner, an animation and comedy writer whose credits include Comedy Central's Moonbeam City and Fox's HouseBroken, according to Deadline's report. Gairdner also wrote pre-taped segments for the 2025 and 2026 Academy Awards.
This isn't the character's first run at television. A previous animated take on Joe Dirt was set up at TBS back in 2010, with Spade attached, but it was never picked up and no episodes were produced, Bubbleblabber reported.
A cult favourite with staying power
Joe Dirt opened in cinemas in 2001 to poor reviews but built a lasting fan base, later spawning a 2015 streaming sequel, Joe Dirt 2: Beautiful Loser, for Sony's Crackle service, according to MovieWeb.
Original film at a glance
| UK certificate | 12 |
| US budget | $17.7 million |
| US box office | $31 million |
| Source: British Board of Film Classification; Wikipedia |
UK viewers first encountered Joe Dirt with a 12 certificate from the British Board of Film Classification, covering "moderate sexual references and mild bad language" — the same rating carried by its home-entertainment release.
No broadcaster, streaming platform or release date has been confirmed for the new series, and Fox has not issued its own announcement at time of writing.
Reported from publicly available interviews and verified press sources. Last reviewed August 8, 2026.
