Rounding off the announcements of this Fall’s primetime TV schedules, FOX has now announced when its lineup of Fall programming is hitting the airwaves. This naturally includes high-profile new shows like Minority Report and Scream Queens, along with returning favourites like Brooklyn Nine-Nine, The Last Man on Earth, Empire and Gotham. New Girl is the one missing FOX mainstay, due to star, Zooey Deschanel’s pregnancy, though it will return in January.
FOX’s lineup is no joke either, even with New Girl temporarily missing! Despite the wave of cancellations from the network last season, the empty spaces have been filled with all sorts of promising new shows. Initially appearing to be crippled with an entirely vacant Tuesday selection, it seems like FOX is barely bothered by shedding so many old shows, since the network is clearly in demand, making a series of high-profile pick-ups that are leaving many other competing networks in the dust for this Fall. They’ve trimmed the fat in a great way, without needing to disturb long-running mainstays like The Simpsons, Family Guy and Bones to make that happen.
The premiere dates for FOX’s new and returning shows is as follows:
PREMIERE WEEK:
Sunday, September 20th: 67th Primetime Emmy Awards (8:00-11:00 P.M. EST/5:00-8:00 P.M. PST)
Monday, September 21st: Gotham (8:00-9:00 P.M.), Minority Report [New Series] (9:00-10:00 P.M.)
Tuesday, September 22nd: Scream Queens [Two-Hour Series Premiere] (8:00-10:00 P.M.)
Wednesday, September 23rd: Rosewood [New Series] (8:00-9:00 P.M.), Empire (9:00-10:00 P.M.)
Sunday, September 29th: Bob’s Burgers (7:30-8:00 P.M.), The Simpsons (8:00-8:30 P.M.), Brooklyn Nine-Nine (8:30-9:00 P.M.), Family Guy (9:00-9:30 P.M.), The Last Man on Earth (9:30-10:00 P.M.)
LATE PREMIERES:
Tuesday, September 29th: Grandfathered [New Series] (8:00-8:30 P.M.), The Grinder [New Series] (8:30-9:00 P.M.), Scream Queens [Regular Timeslot] (9:00-10:00 P.M.)
Thursday, October 1st: Bones (8:00-9:00 P.M.), Sleepy Hollow (9:00-10:00 P.M.)
Friday, November 6th: MasterChef Junior (8:00-9:00 P.M.), World’s Funniest (9:00-10:00 P.M.)
FOX FALL 2015 PRIMETIME TV SCHEDULE AT A GLANCE:
Monday:
– GOTHAM [Season Two] (8:00-9:00 P.M.)
– MINORITY REPORT [New Series] (9:00-10:00 P.M.)
Tuesday:
– GRANDFATHERED [New Series] (8:00-8:30 P.M.)
– THE GRINDER [New Series] (8:30-9:00 P.M.)
– SCREAM QUEENS [New Series] (9:00-10:00 P.M.)
Wednesday:
– ROSEWOOD [New Series] (8:00-9:00 P.M.)
– EMPIRE [Season Two] (9:00-10:00 P.M.)
Thursday:
– BONES [Season Eleven] (8:00-9:00 P.M.)
– SLEEPY HOLLOW [Season Three] (9:00-10:00 P.M.)
Friday:
– MASTERCHEF JUNIOR [Season Four] (8:00-9:00 P.M.)
– WORLD’S FUNNIEST [Season Two] (9:00-10:00 P.M.)
Sunday:
– BOB’S BURGERS [Season Six] (7:30-8:00 P.M.)
– THE SIMPSONS [Season Twenty-Seven] (8:00-8:30 P.M.)
– BROOKLYN NINE-NINE [Season Three] (8:30-9:00 P.M.)
– FAMILY GUY [Season Fourteen] (9:00-9:30 P.M.)
– THE LAST MAN ON EARTH [Season Two] (9:30-10:00 P.M.)
Looking at this schedule, FOX has got a huge slate of fresh new programming, along with a strong backup by long-running veteran shows in their usual blocs. They’re probably in one of the best positions among any network this Fall, with lots of exciting stuff to look forward to, not the least of which is one of the most buzzed-about new shows for this season, Minority Report. It should come as no surprise that last season’s midseason juggernauts, Empire and The Last Man on Earth, have been upgraded to full season orders for this Fall as well, with Empire aiming to piggyback off new series, Rosewood’s possible momentum, and The Last Man on Earth sitting comfortably at the tail end of FOX’s usual Sunday night comedy bloc, which has the same quartet of strong veteran sitcoms keeping it as appealing as ever.
Tuesday is particularly eyebrow-raising, since FOX’s Tuesday night programming bloc entirely consists of all-new shows, with the double bill of comedies, Grandfathered and The Grinder leading into high-profile new tongue-in-cheek horror series, Scream Queens. It’s a very make-or-break day that FOX could either seize for themselves, or faceplant over, depending on how these new offerings turn out. If any of those Tuesday shows tank however, FOX has some healthy midseason shows waiting in the wings too, such as their next DC Comics-inspired drama, Lucifer, which feels like it could possibly be subbed in for Sleepy Hollow on Thursday nights otherwise, if Sleepy Hollow’s reduced third season doesn’t see a ratings hike. That Thursday placement would also carry the benefit of distancing Lucifer from the crowded slate of DC Comics-inspired primetime shows that are dominating the early weekdays across several networks at this point.
Also a bit hair-raising on the note of DC is the fact that FOX doesn’t appear to have blinked at CBS’ game of ratings chicken on Monday nights. FOX is leaving their current DC Comics-inspired primetime tentpole series, Gotham right where it is, in its Monday 8:00 P.M. timeslot, despite CBS claiming that same timeslot for their own all-new DC Comics-inspired primetime drama, Supergirl. That’s a gamble for sure, since Gotham received mixed feedback in its first season (including from us), but FOX appears to nonetheless be very confident in the show’s second season, which they seem to feel can effectively challenge the high buzz of Supergirl, one of the most anticipated new shows of this season, albeit one that gives Gotham a head start, since Supergirl doesn’t premiere until late October. It should be a clash of the titans for TV watchers with a taste for comic book dramas, echoing the famous Batman/Superman duels that have frequently taken place throughout DC lore, despite neither of those characters actually headlining Gotham or Super
girl, ironically.
FOX’s apparent confidence is well-earned in any case, since they’re perhaps the strongest of primetime networks in terms of both new and old shows. They’re only possibly rivaled by the equally strong programming lineup of The CW, though that’s a network largely relying on veteran shows for this Fall, until it can introduce high-profile new tentpole dramas, Containment and Legends of Tomorrow during midseason.
In any case, keep tuning in to Eggplante for all news and updates on the FOX lineup, and other high-profile television announcements.