It’s day one of network upfronts and FOX is first on deck to unveil its new schedule for the fall which sees a few shows moving from their cushy timeslots into new homes.
Fox like other networks has cut the volume of new scripted series orders this year, adding a total of four dramas and two comedies so far. Dramas on the bench for midseason are a procedural from the Ryan Murphy shop, 9-1-1, revolving around first responders to star Angela Bassett, and medical drama The Resident. The other comedy order is workplace ensemble LA to Vegas from Will Ferrell and Adam McKay’s Gary Sanchez Productions banner.
Gifted is billed as a family-friendly adventure story about parents who discover their kids have mutant powers that force them to go on the run from a government agency trying to hunt them down. The show moves into the Monday 9 p.m. slot behind Lucifer.
Gotham, which has held down the Monday 8 p.m. slot, relocates to Thursday 8 p.m. to serve as the launch pad at 9 p.m. for Orville, created by and starring Family Guy maven Seth MacFarlane. The show is set 400 years in the future and revolves around the workplace antics on a mid-level exploratory vessel staffed with a mix of humans and aliens. Walden said the show was MacFarlane’s “passion project,” and she billed it as “a big, broad, funny, accessible hour.”
On Tuesday Fox is moving its comedy block back to the 9 p.m. hour, pairing Brooklyn Nine-Nine with Kaitlyn Olson’s The Mick. Lethal Weapon moves into the 8 p.m. Tuesday slot; the actioner was paired last fall on Wednesday with Empire. New Girl has been a staple of Fox’s Tuesday comedy block. The show’s seventh and final season will be held for the post-January schedule. Newman called it a “quintessential” Fox series. “Its impact on our live-action comedy brand cannot be overstated,” he said.
This fall, Wednesday will be an all-Lee Daniels night, with Empire moving to 8 p.m. to give a platform to the sophomore season of his other music biz drama, Star. Both shows will deliver 18 episodes and will have staggered seasons, Newman said.
Friday stays the same with Hell’s Kitchen and The Exorcist.Saturday in the fall stocked with college football.
On Sunday, Ghosted, starring Craig Robinson and Adam Scott, slides into the post-Simpsons 8:30 p.m. slot. Bob’s Burgers, Family Guy & The Last Man on Earth also return to Sunday nights on the network.
