It looks like ol’ Uncle Rupert is opening up the vault…
Fox released its 2013-14 season slate Monday morning ahead of its upfront presentation later in the day, and announced nine new series consisting of five new comedies and four new dramas – not to mention a form of television that hasn’t been mentioned in ages: the mini-series (a.k.a. “limited series”.)
There were reports the new series launches would be the costliest on record, meaning there would be more risk than ever before.
New live-action comedies on the fall schedule include Dads, Brookyn Nine-Nine, and Enlisted, while the new dramas are Sleepy Hollow and Almost Human, with Junior MasterChef is the lone reality entry.
Programming not returning includes Cops, Touch, and The Mob Doctor. Meanwhile, Fox ended production of The Cleveland Show, but… oh, let’s say its on “semi-permanent hiatus” (Fox hates the word “canceled”.) Kevin Bacon’s thriller The Following will be back midseason.
Monday night programming is being split up: in the fall, Fox is pairing Bones with new futuristic crime drama Almost Human from J.J. Abrams (there’s that name again). In midseason, Bones is shipped off to Friday while new drama Sleepy Hollow takes its place, leading into The Following.
Fox keeps its Tuesday night sitcom block intact, but with two new shows leading off the evening: Dads, a sitcom from Seth McFarlane about two successful guys who cringe when their fathers move in with them, followed by Brooklyn, which features a detective who cringes when he gets a new boss. Both new sitcoms lead-in to New Girl and Mindy Project.
Friday nights get overhauled with Junior MasterChef followed by Sleepy Hollow encores, giving away later in the fall to relocated Raising Hope and new sitcom Enlisted, about three brothers on a small Florida military base and the group of misfits who surround them. A laugh riot, I’m sure.
Wednesdays, Saturdays (sports), and Sundays remain unchanged for the most part, while of Thursdays, Glee gives way midseason to new drama Rake (Glee has been renewed through 2015.)
Fox also plans to air two “limited event” series in 2014: Wayward Pines, which stars Matt Dillon as a Secret Service agent investigating a mystery in a small Idaho town; the other is a revival of the 2001-09 action drama 24, which is coming back as a limited-run series. Kiefer Sutherland has agreed to reprise his role as Jack Bauer, while Howard Gordon returns as executive producer.
Other midseason enteries include drama Gang Related; sitcoms Us And Them and Surviving Jack; and animated comedy Murder Police, which would likely be slotted in between The Simpsons and Family Guy on Sunday nights.
To view the full 2013-14 Fox schedule and to read a complete, detailed description of each new show, click here.
Thought: Fox’s 2013-14 campaign wasn’t too well-received online, given Fox lost the 18-49 season crown to CBS – marking the Tiffany network’s first win in the demo since the 1970’s. Throwing oodles of money won’t fix Fox’s ratings problem – hell, didn’t they learn anything from the Terra Nova debacle?
Fox seems committed to fixing X Factor and American Idol, but it looks like the ship has sailed on these two as the glut of musical competition shows take their toll (no need for yours truly to rehash Idol’s problems.)
Bones is moving to Friday nights from Monday midseason? Fox is sticking with its live-action but with changes – Dads and Brooklyn likely won’t fare any better than the programs it replaces. And can someone tell me why that awful Mindy Project is still on the air? No one is watching.
Fox choosing New Girl for the post-Super Bowl slot is a smart idea, certainly a better choice than the utter piece of crap CBS picked this year. Should help with syndication sales of the show, which should begin later this year.
Was Glee renewed for two seasons or two half-seasons? The latter looks like to be the case.
So we have a reality competition series featuring kid chiefs in Junior MaSterChef? Tell me, how did American Juniors and Kid Nation work out? Raising Hope is being pushed to Friday to be paired up with Enlisted – a sitcom that was funnier when this was based in the Marines and called Gomer Pyle, USMC. Well, Golllllly, what a BS schedule this is! Fox execs, you’ve done it again.