Upfront
Central: Complete Coverage from B&C
Fox ordered seven new series
for the 2010-11 TV season and slated a push behind new hit Glee that
includes a post-Super Bowl slot and a move this fall to the 8 p.m. anchor
position for a night of comedy on Tuesdays, according to the schedule network
executives announced May 17.
The Glee-anchored
Tuesday lineup, with new comedies Raising Hope and Running Wilde,
"is the best lineup we've had in a long time to be a platform for new
comedies," Fox Entertainment President Kevin Reilly told reporters on a
conference call Monday morning, touting Glee's status as the top-rated
newcomer in adults 18-49. "I love the night. I think it's our chance to turn
the lights on again in live action comedy. We've got another one coming in
spring."
The network also slated a
shift for American Idol to longer, 90-minute performance shows on Tuesdays and paring results shows on Wednesdays down to 30 minutes in response to
viewer feedback and ratings patterns. Idol of course remains the
top-rated show in TV but has seen ratings declines this season and faces the
task of mounting its next season without judge Simon Cowell, who is segueing to
X Factor. The new season of Idol will start shooting in
September, said Peter Rice, chairman, entertainment, Fox Networks Group, in a
conference call with reporters Monday morning. "There's no bigger question for
the summer that we're going to have than replacing Simon Cowell," Rice told
reporters.
Reilly says it was not Fox's
strategy to spend more on development net-net this year, rather it shifted
things around, going more "lean" on the drama side, with three new drama
series, while they "beefed up" on comedy, where there are four new series this
season. The budget shifting also allowed for a big swing on high-concept
midseason entry Terra Nova, a prehistoric drama from Steven Spielberg,
Peter Chernin, Brannon Braga and David Fury, which does not yet have a premiere
date.
The exec also said the
relative stability of the schedule, protecting shows with strong lead-ins and
compatible lineups, will best position Fox to market its lineup. "Nothing is
hanging out there on its own," he said, noting that the fanfare of launching a
dozen new shows - in a comment apparently directed to the 14 new series NBC
announced May 16 it ordered for the new season -- is tough to support from a
marketing standpoint. He noted that given Bones and Fringe will
come back on Thursdays in the same place as this season marks the first time
that night has come back completely intact. "Traditionally Fox doesn't lead the
market in spending," he said of the network's marketing budget, "but leads in
innovative ways to get the message out."
The two new comedies that
will follow Glee on Tuesdays this fall are: Raising Hope, from
writer-executive producer Greg Garcia (My Name Is Earl), at 8:30 p.m.;
and Running Wild, the new romantic comedy from Arrested Development's
Jim Vallely, Mitch Hurwitz and Will Arnett. Raising Hope stars Lucas
Neff, Martha Plimpton, Garret Dillahunt and winner Cloris Leachman. It follows
Jimmy Chance (Neff), a well-meaning screw-up trying his best to raise his
infant daughter. Running Wilde stars Arnett as an immature playboy
trying to win over his childhood sweetheart, played by Keri Russell.
After Glee airs
following Super Bowl XLV onSunday, February 6 it will then make its
spring premiere Wednesdays following American Idol, a time slot Reilly
says will likely be Glee's home going forward.
The other two new comedies,
animated series Bob's Burgers and live-action Mixed Signals, will
air in 2011. Bob's
Burgers, from creator
Loren Bouchard (Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist), is about a man, his
family and their floundering burger joint. Mixed Signals, scheduled for
a spring premiere, is a relationship comedy created by Bob Fisher (Wedding
Crashers) about three longtime friends and their attempts to balance their
committed relationships with their desire for freedom. The ensemble comedy
stars Nelson Franklin, David Denman, Kris Marshall, Liza Lapira and Alexandra
Breckenridge.
One of the new dramas, Lonestar,
will debut this fall on Mondays at 9 following House. Lonestar,
set against the backdrop of big Texas oil, is from Chris Keyser and Amy
Lippman, writer Kyle Killen and directed by Marc Webb. It stars newcomer James
Wolk as a charismatic and brilliant schemer.
The other two dramas, set to
debut in 2011, are Ride-Along, from creator Shawn Ryan (The
Shield, The Unit), and Terra Nova. Ride-Along is
slated to take Lonestar's slot after that show runs uninterrupted. It is
shot entirely on location in Chicago and stars Jason Clarke, Jennifer Beals and
Delroy Lindo. Reilly says Ryan is the single-best cop show creator working
today and expects Ride-Along to stand out among the many new cop shows
scheduled to debut in primetime next season.
Terra Nova is an epic family action-adventure
that follows an ordinary family on an extraordinary journey back in time to
prehistoric Earth as a part of a massive expedition to save the human race.
FOX FALL
2010 PRIMETIME SCHEDULE
(All
Times ET/PT)
MONDAY
8:00-9:00
PM HOUSE
9:00-10:00
PM LONESTAR (new)
TUESDAY
8:00-9:00
PM GLEE
9:00-9:30
PMRAISING HOPE
(new)
9:30-10:00
PMRUNNING WILDE
(new)
WEDNESDAY
8:00-9:00
PM LIE TO ME
9:00-10:00
PM HELL'S KITCHEN
THURSDAY
8:00-9:00
PM BONES
9:00-10:00
PM FRINGE
FRIDAY
8:00-9:00
PM HUMAN TARGET
9:00-10:00
PM THE GOOD GUYS
SATURDAY
8:00-8:30
PM COPS
8:30-9:00
PM COPS
9:00-10:00
PM AMERICA'S MOST WANTED
SUNDAY
7:00-8:00
PM THE OT
(NFL
post-game)
8:00-8:30
PM THE SIMPSONS
8:30-9:00
PMTHE CLEVELAND SHOW
9:00-9:30
PM FAMILY GUY
9:30-10:00
PM AMERICAN DAD
FOX
MIDSEASON 2011 PRIMETIME SCHEDULE
(All
Times ET/PT)
MONDAY
8:00-9:00
PM HOUSE
9:00-10:00
PM LONESTAR (new) /
RIDE-ALONG
(new)
TUESDAY
8:00-9:30
PM AMERICAN IDOL Performance
Show
9:30-10:00
PM RUNNING WILDE
(new)
/MIXED SIGNALS
(new;
spring)
WEDNESDAY
8:00-8:30
PM RAISING HOPE
(new)
8:30-9:00
PM AMERICAN IDOL Results Show
9:00-10:00
PMGLEE
THURSDAY
8:00-9:00
PM BONES
9:00-10:00
PM FRINGE
FRIDAY
8:00-9:00
PM HUMAN TARGET
9:00-10:00
PM KITCHEN NIGHTMARES
SATURDAY
8:00-8:30
PM COPS
8:30-9:00
PM COPS
9:00-10:00
PM AMERICA'S MOST WANTED
SUNDAY
7:00-7:30
PM THE SIMPSONS
(encores)
7:30-8:00
PM AMERICAN DAD
8:00-8:30
PM THE SIMPSONS
8:30-9:00
PMBOB'S BURGERS
(new)
9:00-9:30
PM FAMILY GUY
9:30-10:00
PM THE CLEVELAND SHOW
