>>212337043Back when fox was just starting out it was the 4th place loser cousin no one asked for, and the way it stood out was by making controversial television like the simpsons and married with children. Then they got lucky with x files which was a genuinely good show with a top tier plot hook and some great show runners, writers, and directors.
It also helped that fox loved the stupidest most sensational shit it could find. UFO and Ghost sighting specials, world's funniest police shootings, and in living color.
Once they got some tenure and established they didn't have to lean into that shit as hard and it just became another network that's riding the back of its animated sitcoms for almost 40 years.