Overview
- The series released two back-to-back episodes to kick off Season 18, using intense physical and shock-based comedy in its opening storylines.
- The premiere includes a dedicated on-screen tribute to Lynne Marie Stewart that reviewers and local outlets say is threaded through the episodes' funeral-focused scenes.
- A new recurring comic device — a ventriloquist dummy nicknamed Sherman — debuts in the opener and has been highlighted by critics as likely to return.
- Producers have signaled a 10-episode season that will air weekly on FX and FXX with next-day streaming on Hulu in the U.S. and rollout on Disney+ internationally.
- Coverage notes several planned guest appearances and returns of legacy characters, with outlets reporting cameos such as Nick Kroll and members of the McPoyle family as things to watch in coming weeks.