I have a bit more detail on a few things, including Terminator and Dollhouse and their new shows in the liveblogging transcript from Fox’s conference call this morning.
FOX ANNOUNCES PRIMETIME SLATE
FOR 2009-2010 SEASON
FOUR NEW COMEDIES, TWO NEW DRAMAS
AND ONE LATE-NIGHT SHOW JOIN SCHEDULE
RYAN MURPHY’S NEW COMEDY “GLEE”
TO PREMIERE IN FALL
AFTER UNPRECEDENTED PREVIEW EVENT TOMORROW NIGHT
NEW COMEDIES “BROTHERS”
AND “THE CLEVELAND SHOW” DEBUT IN FALL
NEW SATURDAY LATE-NIGHT ENTRY
“THE WANDA SYKES SHOW” (working title) SLATED FOR FALL LAUNCH
NEW ACTION DRAMA SERIES “HUMAN TARGET,”
MYSTERIOUS DRAMA “PAST LIFE”
AND COMEDY “SONS OF TUCSON” DEBUT MIDSEASON
“SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE” Returns in the Fall
“HUMAN TARGET” and “24” Premiere Sunday, January 17
Following NFC Divisional Playoff Game
New York (Monday, May 18, 2009) – Peter Rice, Chairman, Entertainment; and Kevin Reilly, President, Entertainment, Fox Broadcasting Company, today unveiled the FOX primetime schedule for the 2009-2010 television season to the national advertising community during its annual Programming Presentation at New York City Center.
“As the No.1 network for the last five years, FOX is the first place viewers go to connect with the stories and characters they love,” said Rice. “With next year’s slate of distinctive shows, we’re continuing to invest in creativity to give viewers the rich, emotional experience they can only get on television.”
Reilly added, “The strategic moves we made last year to build off of our biggest assets are paying off. We’ve created stability and consistently strong performance across the week. Next season, we’re bringing back two top-rated sophomore dramas and using our hits to introduce a broad and compelling slate of new shows that will make our air even more vibrant and alive.”
After a special preview event airing Tuesday, May 19 (9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT), GLEE, the distinctive new comedy from Ryan Murphy (“Nip/Tuck”) starring Jane Lynch (“The 40 Year Old Virgin”) and newcomers Matthew Morrison (Broadway’s “Hairspray”), Lea Michele (“Spring Awakening”) and Cory Monteith (“Kyle XY”), will enter its freshman year this fall. Combining biting humor with a soundtrack of hit music from past to present, the inventive series follows an optimistic high school teacher who – against all odds – attempts to restore McKinley High’s fading Glee Club to its former glory, while helping a group of underdogs realize their true star potential.
Two additional new comedies will premiere this fall. From the producers of FAMILY GUY, comes THE CLEVELAND SHOW. The new Sunday night animated comedy follows everyone’s favorite soft-spoken FAMILY GUY neighbor, CLEVELAND BROWN (Mike Henry), who moves with his son back to his hometown in Virginia and settles down with his high school sweetheart and her unruly kids. BROTHERS, starring Michael Strahan (“FOX NFL Sunday”) and Daryl “Chill” Mitchell (“Ed,” “Veronica’s Closet”), is a new half-hour comedy about a former big-city NFL hot shot who returns home to his family – and his mother’s house – to get his life back on track.
On Saturday, Nov. 7 (11:00 PM-Midnight ET/PT), late night will never be the same when Emmy Award winner Wanda Sykes returns to FOX to host THE WANDA SYKES SHOW (working title). The irreverent Saturday late-night series will feature Sykes’ outspoken comedic perspective on current events along with topical, high-energy roundtable discussions.
The new event drama, HUMAN TARGET, premieres with a special preview Sunday, Jan. 17 (8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT) following the NFC Divisional Playoff game. HUMAN TARGET is a full-throttle, action-packed thrill ride from executive producers McG (“Terminator Salvation”) and Simon West (“Con Air,” “Tomb Raider”). Based on the popular DC Comics graphic novel and starring Mark Valley (FRINGE), Chi McBride (“Pushing Daisies”) and Academy Award nominee Jackie Earle Haley (“Watchmen”), the series follows CHRISTOPHER CHANCE (Valley), a unique private contractor who will stop at nothing – even if it means becoming a human target – to keep his clients alive.
The other drama for midseason is PAST LIFE, a fast-paced emotional thriller inspired by the book “The Reincarnationist.” The series stars Kelli Giddish (“All My Children”) as a gifted psychologist and Nicholas Bishop (“Home and Away”) as a former NYPD detective who work together to explore and unravel mysteries that must be solved in both the past and the present.
One new comedy is scheduled to premiere in midseason. From three-time Emmy Award winner Todd Holland (“Malcolm in the Middle”), the non-traditional family comedy SONS OF TUCSON stars Tyler Labine (“Reaper”) as a charming but wayward schemer hired by three young brothers whose father is in prison.
Summer sensation SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE moves to the fall with its sixth season. Hosted by Cat Deeley and featuring renowned judges Nigel Lythgoe and Mary Murphy, the original dance competition series will continue to inspire and amaze viewers as dancers skilled in styles ranging from hip-hop to ballroom compete to be named America’s Favorite Dancer.
It was also announced that the eighth season of 24 will return to the FOX schedule with a two-night, four-hour premiere as part of a special extended primetime on Sunday, Jan. 17 (9:00-11:00 PM ET/PT), immediately following the premiere of HUMAN TARGET. The next installment of the Emmy Award-winning series starring Kiefer Sutherland will unfold in New York City, amidst the shadows of the Statue of Liberty and the United Nations.
Other FOX series returning in 2009-2010 include: AMERICAN DAD, AMERICAN IDOL, AMERICA’S MOST WANTED, BONES, COPS, DOLLHOUSE, FAMILY GUY, FRINGE, HELL’S KITCHEN, HOUSE, KITCHEN NIGHTMARES, LIE TO ME, THE SIMPSONS and ‘TIL DEATH. Specials returning to the FOX schedule include: THE 41st NAACP IMAGE AWARDS, NEW YEAR’S EVE LIVE and TEEN CHOICE 2009.
[EDITOR’S NOTE: Gallery and episodic photos from all of our new and returning series are available atwww.foxflash.com/2009-2010slate. Additionally, promotional video from our new series will be posted towww.foxflash.com at the conclusion of the FOX 2009 Programming Presentation at approximately 5:00 PM ET today.]
Following are the FOX primetime schedule for 2009-2010 and synopses of the new series:
FOX PRIMETIME SCHEDULE: FALL 2009
(All Times ET/PT)
MONDAY
8:00-9:00 PM HOUSE
9:00-10:00 PM LIE TO ME
TUESDAY
8:00-10:00 PM SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE Performance Show
WEDNESDAY
8:00-9:00 PM SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE Results Show
9:00-10:00 PM GLEE
THURSDAY
8:00-9:00 PM BONES
9:00-10:00 PM FRINGE
FRIDAY
8:00-8:30 PM BROTHERS
8:30-9:00 PM ‘TIL DEATH
9:00-10:00 PM DOLLHOUSE
SATURDAY
8:00-8:30 PM COPS
8:30-9:00 PM COPS
9:00-10:00 PM AMERICA’S MOST WANTED
11:00 PM-Midnight THE WANDA SYKES SHOW (working title)
Midnight-12:30 AM ANIMATION DOMINATION ENCORES
SUNDAY
7:00-8:00 PM THE OT (NFL post-game)
8:00-8:30 PM THE SIMPSONS
8:30-9:00 PM THE CLEVELAND SHOW
9:00-9:30 PM FAMILY GUY
9:30-10:00 PM AMERICAN DAD
FOX PRIMETIME SCHEDULE: MIDSEASON 2010
(All Times ET/PT)
MONDAY
8:00-9:00 PM HOUSE
9:00-10:00 PM 24
TUESDAY
8:00-9:00 PM AMERICAN IDOL Performance Show
9:00-10:00 PM PAST LIFE
WEDNESDAY
8:00-9:00 PM AMERICAN IDOL Results Show
9:00-10:00 PM HUMAN TARGET (January) / GLEE (spring)
THURSDAY
8:00-9:00 PM BONES
9:00-10:00 PM FRINGE
FRIDAY
8:00-8:30 PM BROTHERS
8:30-9:00 PM ‘TIL DEATH
9:00-10:00 PM DOLLHOUSE
SATURDAY
8:00-8:30 PM COPS
8:30-9:00 PM COPS
9:00-10:00 PM AMERICA’S MOST WANTED
11:00 PM-Midnight THE WANDA SYKES SHOW (working title)
Midnight-12:30 AM ANIMATION DOMINATION ENCORES
SUNDAY
7:00-7:30 PM ANIMATION DOMINATION ENCORES
7:30-8:00 PM AMERICAN DAD
8:00-8:30 PM THE SIMPSONS
8:30-9:00 PM SONS OF TUCSON
9:00-9:30 PM FAMILY GUY
9:30-10:00 PM THE CLEVELAND SHOW
2009-2010 FOX PRIMETIME SCHEDULE
NEW SERIES SYNOPSES
The following new comedies will premiere this fall on FOX:
GLEE
McKinley High School’s Glee Club used to be at the top of the show choir world, but years later, it has turned into a haven for misfits and social outcasts. But at McKinley, things for the Glee Club are about to change. From Ryan Murphy, the creator of “Nip/Tuck,” comes GLEE, an uplifting comedy musical series with biting humor that features a soundtrack of hit music from past to present. The show follows an optimistic high school teacher as he tries to refuel his own passion for singing while reinventing the school’s glee club and challenging a group of underdogs to realize their star potential. WILL SCHUESTER (Matthew Morrison) has offered to take on the Herculean task of restoring McKinley’s Glee Club to its former glory with the help of fellow teacher and germaphobe EMMA PILLSBURY (Jayma Mays). It’s a tall order when the brightest stars of the club include KURT (Chris Colfer), a nerdy soprano with a flair for the dramatic; MERCEDES (Amber Riley), a dynamic diva-in-training who refuses to sing back-up; ARTIE (Kevin McHale), a geeky guitarist who spends more time avoiding bullies than chasing girls; and TINA (Jenna Ushkowitz), an awkward girl who needs to suppress her stutter before she can take center stage. Will’s only hope lies with two true talents: RACHEL BERRY (Lea Michele), a perfectionist firecracker who is convinced that show choir is her ticket to stardom; and FINN HUDSON (Cory Monteith), the popular high school quarterback with movie star looks and a Motown voice who must protect his reputation with his holier-than-thou girlfriend and head cheerleader, QUINN (Dianna Agron), and his arrogant football teammate, PUCK (Mark Salling). Driven by his secret past, Will is determined to do whatever it takes to make Glee great again, even though everyone around him thinks he’s nuts. He’s out to prove them all wrong – from his tough-as-nails wife TERRI SCHUESTER (Jessalyn Gilsig) to McKinley’s scheming cheerleading coach SUE SYLVESTER (Jane Lynch) to an über-hip world that thinks jazz hands and sequined tuxedos litter the road to infamy rather than pave the way to Hollywood dreams.
PRODUCTION COMPANIES: 20th Century Fox Television, Ryan Murphy Television
EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk, Dante Di Loreto
CO-EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: Ian Brennan, John Peter Kousakis
DIRECTOR: Ryan Murphy
CAST: Dianna Agron as Quinn, Chris Colfer as Kurt, Jessalyn Gilsig as Terri Schuester, Jane Lynch as Sue Sylvester, Jayma Mays as Emma Pillsbury, Kevin McHale as Artie, Lea Michele as Rachel Berry, Cory Monteith as Finn Hudson, Matthew Morrison as Will Schuester, Amber Riley as Mercedes, Mark Salling as Puck, Jenna Ushkowitz as Tina
THE CLEVELAND SHOW
THE CLEVELAND SHOW is a new animated series that follows everyone’s favorite soft-spoken neighbor, CLEVELAND BROWN (Mike Henry), to his hometown in Virginia as he settles down with his high school sweetheart, her unruly kids and his own 14-year-old son, CLEVELAND JR. (Kevin Michael Richardson). Many years ago, Cleveland was a high school student madly in love with a beautiful girl named DONNA (Sanaa Lathan). Much to his dismay, his love went unrequited, and Donna wound up marrying another man. Cleveland once told Donna he would always love her, and if this man ever done her wrong, he’d be there when she called. Well, this man done her wrong. Donna’s husband ran off, leaving Donna with a teenage daughter and a young son. Now she’s open to Cleveland and has offered him another chance at love. Unattached after the Loretta-Quagmire debacle and true to his word, Cleveland joyously reunites with Donna, and he and Cleveland Jr. move to Virginia to join their new family. Once in Virginia, there are a few surprises in store for Cleveland, including ROBERTA (Reagan Gomez-Preston), a rebellious new stepdaughter; RALLO (Henry), his new 5-year-old stepson who loves the ladies; and a collection of neighbors that includes a loudmouth redneck, LESTER (Richardson); a hipster wanna-be, HOLT (guest voice Jason Sudeikis); and a religious pair of talking bears, TIM (Seth MacFarlane) and his wife ARIANNA (guest voice Arianna Huffington).
PRODUCTION COMPANY: 20th Century Fox Television
CO-CREATORS/EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: Seth MacFarlane, Rich Appel, Mike Henry
VOICE CAST: Mike Henry as Cleveland Brown, Rallo and others; Sanaa Lathan as Donna Tubbs;
Reagan Gomez-Preston as Roberta Tubbs; Kevin Michael Richardson as Lester and Cleveland Jr.
GUEST VOICES: Arianna Huffington as Arianna, Jason Sudeikis as Holt
BROTHERS
Starring Michael Strahan (“FOX NFL Sunday”) and Daryl “Chill” Mitchell (“Ed,” “Veronica’s Closet”), BROTHERS is a new half-hour comedy about a former NFL hot shot who learns that even though you can always go home again, the trip back might be tougher than you think. MIKE TRAINOR (Strahan) seemingly has it all – he’s a good-looking, wealthy and recently retired NFL player living the high-life in New York City, but he’s about to get sidelined. When Mike gets a phone call from his MOM (CCH Pounder, “The Shield”) who orders him home to Houston, he quickly realizes the more his life has changed, the more his family has stayed the same. His brother CHILL (Daryl “Chill” Mitchell), whose life was altered drastically after a car accident left him in a wheelchair, is struggling to keep his restaurant afloat with the help of his loudmouth associate, ROSCOE (Colton Dunn, “MADtv”). The dynamics between Mike and Chill are the same as when they were kids, and their sibling rivalry hasn’t lessened with age. If they can stop their bickering, put aside their differences and learn to be teammates, the brothers might just turn out to be each other’s biggest asset. Wedged between Mike and Chill are their parents. Their father, whom everyone refers to as COACH (Carl Weathers, “Rocky”), is the local high school football coach and the conservative, opinionated alpha male of his clan. Coach thinks he runs the show, but really it’s Mom who calls the shots. Saucy, stern and a schemer, she is the mastermind of the family. And when she learns that Mike’s business manager took off with all his money, she orchestrates a plan to keep Mike in Houston, save Chill’s restaurant and bring the family back together under one roof again – all without anyone realizing what she’s up to. Mom’s plan helps Mike realize that his family – however dysfunctional they may be – is the only family he’s got. And although he may not have a penny to his name, as long as he’s surrounded by people who love him, he’ll always be a rich man.
PRODUCTION COMPANIES: Sony Pictures Television; Tantamount Studios; Impact Zone Productions, Inc.
EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: Eric Tannenbaum, Kim Tannenbaum, Mitch Hurwitz, Don Reo
DIRECTOR: Ted Wass
CAST: Michael Strahan as Mike, Daryl “Chill” Mitchell as Chill, CCH Pounder as Mom, Carl Weathers as Coach, Colton Dunn as Roscoe
The following new late-night series will premiere this fall:
THE WANDA SYKES SHOW (working title)
Emmy Award-winning actress, comedian and author Wanda Sykes returns to FOX to host the innovative and irreverent new Saturday late-night series, THE WANDA SYKES SHOW (working title). The high-energy one-hour show will feature biting commentary on topical issues and heated panel discussions with recurring personalities. The series’ unique format will highlight Sykes’ outspoken comedic perspective on current events and will also allow her to leave the studio to shoot segments in the field.
PRODUCTION COMPANY: Fox Television Studios
HOST: Wanda Sykes
The following new dramas are slated for a midseason launch:
HUMAN TARGET
It takes a brave, selfless man to make himself a “human target” in order to save the lives of those in danger. Based on the popular DC Comics graphic novel, HUMAN TARGET is a full-throttle action drama centered on CHRISTOPHER CHANCE (Mark Valley, FRINGE), a unique private contractor/security guard hired to protect. Call him what you like, because for Chance, it’s about one thing only: saving his clients’ lives. When there is an unusual or imminent threat that can’t be solved through “normal” means of protection, Chance is hired to completely integrate himself into his clients’ lives – to become the human target. If you’re a corporate manager whose disgruntled employee has gone violently off the deep end, Chance is your new auditor. If you’re the president of a bank who’s been tipped off to a potential heist, Chance is your unassuming bank teller. During each job, Chance, assisted by his business partner WINSTON (Chi McBride, “Pushing Daisies”) and hired gun GUERRERO (Jackie Earle Haley, “Watchmen”), puts himself directly in the line of fire as he races against time to save his client, while unraveling the truth behind the mission. With every new danger, Chance’s dark history will also unravel. Does anyone know who Christopher Chance really is, or what secrets lay buried in his past? What would make a man willingly become a HUMAN TARGET?
PRODUCTION COMPANIES: Bonanza Productions Inc., Wonderland Sound and Vision, DC Comics, Warner Bros. Television
EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: Jon Steinberg, McG, Simon West, Brad Kern
CO-EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Peter Johnson
DIRECTOR: Simon West
WRITER: Jon SteinbergCAST: Mark Valley as Christopher Chance, Jackie Earle Haley as Guerrero, Chi McBride as Winston
PAST LIFE
Have you ever experienced déjà vu or met someone you thought seemed familiar? Do you believe in karma, fate or love at first sight? From writer David Hudgins (“Friday Night Lights”), and inspired by the book “The Reincarnationist” by M.J. Rose, comes PAST LIFE, a new drama series about an unlikely pair of past-life detectives who investigate whether what is happening to you today is the result of who you were before. DR. KATE MCGINN (Kelli Giddish, “All My Children”) is not your typical psychologist. Confident, outspoken and highly educated, she works at The Talmadge Center for Behavioral Health in New York City, a world-renowned institute dedicated to the study of the science of the soul. After experiencing a past-life regression in her 20s, Kate became a believer in reincarnation. Using regression therapy and her natural gift for reading people, Kate helps solve the mysteries of her troubled clients who suffer from present-day problems caused by past-life traumas. She believes there are levels of consciousness and explanations for human behavior that science can’t begin to explain. Accustomed to skeptics, but not bothered by them, Kate is an unapologetic believer and a force of nature who marches to the beat of her own drummer. Her partner, PRICE WHATLEY (Nicholas Bishop, “Home and Away”), is a different story. A former NYPD homicide detective, pragmatic and cynical, Price is a damaged soul who constantly battles grief and guilt over the accidental death of his wife. Price feels that Kate, though not certifiable, certainly operates on the fringes of science. It’s a volatile relationship, but with Price’s solid detective skills, and Kate’s penchant for out-of-the-box thinking, together they make a formidable, if somewhat dysfunctional, team. A fast-paced emotional thrill ride, each episode finds Price and Kate working with their colleagues to unravel a new mystery involving the past-lives of their clients. DR. MALACHI TALMADGE (Richard Schiff, “The West Wing”) is Kate’s mentor and the center’s namesake, an avuncular but gruff elder statesman who is a legend in the field of cognitive research. DR. RISHI KARNA (Ravi Patel, “Scrubs”) is the rookie of the group, a baby-faced therapist from Calcutta who loves bad American TV, Cuban jazz and driving everyone crazy.
PRODUCTION COMPANIES: Bonanza Productions Inc., Warner Bros. Television
EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: David Hudgins, Lou Pitt
DIRECTOR: Deran Sarafian
WRITER: David Hudgins
CAST: Kelli Giddish as Dr. Kate McGinn, Nicholas Bishop as Price Whatley, Richard Schiff as Dr. Malachi Talmadge, Ravi Patel as Dr. Rishi Karna
The following new comedy is slated for a midseason launch:
SONS OF TUCSON
In the tradition of “Malcolm in the Middle” and “The Bernie Mac Show,” SONS OF TUCSON is a family comedy about three brothers who hire a charming, wayward schemer to stand in as their father when their real one goes to prison. What begins as a business relationship evolves into something more complex and compelling: a family unlike any we’ve ever seen. The three brothers find their dad-for-hire, RON SNUFFKIN (Tyler Labine, “Reaper”), at the local sporting good store. Ron will be forced to draw on a wide array of skills and a vast bag of tricks as he steps into the patriarch role to take care of the boys of the Gunderson family. ROBBY GUNDERSON (Davis Cleveland, “How I Met Your Mother”), 8, is a loose cannon who doesn’t respond well to authority; GARY GUNDERSON (Frank Dolce, “Doubt”), 11, is a bright and street-savvy leader who is every bit the con man his father is; and BRANDON GUNDERSON (Troy Gentile, “Entourage”), 13, is a gentle free spirit who simply goes along for the ride. MAGGIE MORALES (Natalie Martinez, “Saints & Sinners”), Robby’s second-grade teacher and the object of Ron’s affection, might just be the only stable figure in the lives of this quirky quartet. While SONS OF TUCSON is grounded in the day-to-day challenges of a single-parent home, nothing in the Gunderson household is quite what it seems. An ongoing chess match between Ron and the boys will keep both parties on their toes, as neither side can afford to give up too much power or independence.
PRODUCTION COMPANY: 20th Century Fox Television
EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: Justin Berfield, Jason Felts, Harvey Myman, Todd Holland
DIRECTOR: Todd Holland
WRITERS: Tommy Dewey, Greg Bratman
CAST: Tyler Labine as Ron Snuffkin, Davis Cleveland as Robby Gunderson, Frank Dolce as Gary Gunderson, Troy Gentile as Brandon Gunderson, Natalie Martinez as Maggie Morales
‘Til Death as Dollhouse’s lead-in. Next fall, bizzaro Fridays on FOX!
WOW, FOX should be happy if its friday lineup breaks 2.5 millions.
OK, Dollhouse is on Fridays after ‘Til Death- does anyone think it will survive next season?
Man thats going to be a tough spot for fringe, going up against CSI, Supernatural and Greys.
So while they’re keeping Dollhouse they’ve given up on the “Sci-fi Friday” thing. That’s a shame.
OMG. Dollhouse still on fridays? No Pairing with Human Target!!
Sorry. I have to say it…
OH NO Dollhouse!!!! What kind of lead-in is THAT?
how many dancing shows do we need?
Hey, does the fact that a show is both Fall Season and Mid Season mean it’s been picked up for more than 13 episodes, or is this just what Fox intends right now and may make major changes to before Mid Season?
SYTYCD is going to get hurt by NCIS/The Mentalist and the DWTS results show but it could dent DWTS. I think it would do okay on Wednesdays unless CBS decide to put the NCIS spin-off there.
Fringe has a got a tough slot against CSI, The Office and Grey’s even with Bones as a lead in. Grey’s is good again and CSI will definetly be pulling some tricks to regain viewers after the mediocre season.
Human Target sounds interesting and it’s defiently a FOX show, Glee I’m not so sure as it will do well after Idol tommorrow but it could struggle later on.
Robert, thank you for this!
It all awesome,I’m happy for Dollhouse…New shows – “Human target”, “Past life” are the most interesting to me
But once Dollhouse finishes its 13 ep run, what is coming in its place (Fri, 9p)?
WOW! Friday night is screwed
Bones and Fringe on Thursdays should be awesome. I wonder how Fringe will hold up vs. CSI, Greys and the Office…
Well, FOX just killed Dollhouse. Sure, they may have given it another 13 episodes, but there is no way in hell that Dollhouse will do better with Til Death as a lead-in.
NOW does everyone agree that TSCC is cancelled?
I don’t think this is the best schedule FOX could have come up with. What’s the point of renewing Dollhouse with that lead-in, and Fringe vs CSI vs GREYS vs Supernatural will be murder
fringe and bones could work they probably be almost equal in viewers
Bah, I knew it was coming, but that doesn’t make it any better.
TSCC was my favorite show. Much better than Dollhouse.
Augh! They’re moving American Dad to 7:30 midseason! No! Don’t kill the best animated show on television!
Folks at terminator wiki are still in denial, you bastards must be making all this stuff up!!! remember, its not offical cuz its not on a fox website..
‘Til Death as Dollhouse lead-in???? OMFG!!
Maybe they should switch up Brothers with Till Death. We already know that the latter will make a horrible lead in to Dollhouse.
2 hours of ‘Dance’ on Tuesday? Wow, that’s gonna kill the show.
So ‘King of the Hill’ finishes when?
Why does FOX do weekly late night shows? The Wanda Sykes Show will only be on Saturdays. Oh well, Wanda is still hilarious!
gotta say thats a wierd schedule
i expect many of those shows to wither and die early
at least they wont be competeing with many NBC scripted shows
dosent bode well for dollhouse
would have made more sense to me anyway
for them to team fringe target and dollhouse some way
oh well stay of execution for dollhouse
is gd in my book
most likely t`hey will be moving these shows around as other newtowrks do so as well
i swear i dont understand networks thinking
til death on fridays-why even keep that show?
and if thats the lead in for dollhouse why keep that one
seems they are setting it up to fail…
a lot of wierdness qas the networks scramble…
fox should use til death as a summer show and air an already established show before dollhouse
Brothers and Til Death on Fridays at 8/8:30? GREAT NEWS FOR CHUCK!!!
(What? You thought we’d go away after the renewal announcement – Ha! j/k)
does fox have a place on their site where they post all these PR announcements?
First impression: zzzz.
The two shows I most want to see are being held to midseason. Two hours of SYTYCD on Tues. Why? Oh yeah, to counteract The Biggest Loser. Will be interesting to see if the dance show will work in the fall. Watch NCIS and whatever comes after (NCIS: 2 or The Mentalist) break out the biggest numbers to date. Same for any cable fare scheduled for Tues. The cable nets must be licking their chops.
Glee is also a crapshoot. Depending on the pilot–could be good or extremely annoying. Also will SYTYCD viewers tune in? Watch it get crushed by Criminal Minds.
Fringe with Bones will NOT work. Bones viewers don’t bleed into other shows. With Grey’s and Private Practice, and CSI, as competition, watch the fail of Fringe (and a fast change of schedule once the premiere numbers bomb).
Brothers might work on Fridays, but Til Death will squander the lead-in. Dollhouse got the Til Death treatment. It will stay on the air while its numbers will down to .9, .8, .7.
Fringe against CSI and Grey’s Anatomy (Well, if they keep that timeslot)? Let’s see how they do, however I think its pairing with Bones is good.
Past Life sounds good, I hope the actors have chemistry and the stories are worth to watch.
Dollhouse on Friday again? What is FOX thinking? I hope it survives the first episode.
When DVD sales go through the roof then Fox will be regretting cancelling TSCC.
SYTYCD won’t be a two hour performance show once it gets later in the season, will it? once only a few contestants are left? what is fox going to do with that space come that point?
I believe I’ve mentioned it here before, but I think the smartest thing the CW has ever done was on accident – their Thursday action block.
If I am a movie advertiser, and (budget wise) most of my interest is in promoting action movies for Friday, the best match for my money is a Thursday action show.
So I heartily endorse the Fringe move (while wincing at Supernatural – but aren’t they supposed to wrap things up next year anyway? Why do we care if their live ratings drop a tick?).
The good news is I only have to watch Fox on Mondays
Maybe the CW will come to Sarah Connors Resucue at least to give us some closure
Chuck fans should now be crossing their fingers for that 8pm Friday slot. At least it won’t be last! Uggh – Fox, I heart Dollhouse, a lot. But they would have been better off going with a full comedy block and pulling DH completely. I am perplexed. It’s like a meal of eggs, twizzlers and a sloppy joe. It just won’t go down easy.
Bullshit. I hope their ratings will tank on Fridays, I know I won’t be watching, and I’ll tell anyone listening to boycott FOX.
Andy, same here
well fox is not babying Fringe anymore. This should really show what type of show they have in it.
DJM, I know of no FOX press site that is similar to ABC, CBS, and NBC’s freely available and open press sites, or even the CW’s password protected site.
Also is FOX bringing back ‘Secret Millionaire’??
What happened to Masterwork?
Cody
TSCC Season 1 didn’t have great DVD sales but Season 2 will? Even when tons of viewers tuned out?
Fringe against CSI and Greys, Dollhouse still on Friday, and Lie to Me off the schedule at midseason.. looks like they just threw all their sophomore shows under the bus.
its offical, Andrea, you want to see Fringe fail. Its OK if you don’t like the show but come on.
TSCC is dead guys. It’s not coming back in any way. Not the CW, not SyFy….notin.
“SCC will not return, no matter how well the ‘Salvation’ movie does”
@Cody: Fox doesn’t make any money on TSCC DVDs, so they don’t care how well TSCC will sell. Sad, but true.
@Jimmy McAwesome: Agree. Now we will really see what Fringe is made of. If it’s an actual hit, or if it only survived because of the cozy lead-ins.
Fringe will not hold up, it’s definetly going to fall into 7 million or lower, i predict it will be pulled before midseason 2010.
Great news for Chuck! Brothers will get about 4 or 5 mil. viewers with a 2.4 18-49 rating…and ‘Til death will get around 4 mil. and 2.3…AND chuck will get 6 mil. viewers and 2.6 18-49 rating!
I think it’s a bad idea to show SYTYCD back to back summer than fall. I love dance shows (much more than singing shows) but I wish SYTYCD would just stay a summer show. I already get my dance show throughout the year with DWTS. I don’t know if I could watch both of them during the fall and with 1 day overlapping.
What kind of a joke is this FOX ??? pearing two comedies with dollhouse on a friday ??? and the irony of having Till Death as a lead in…. this pretty much sums it up really, till the death of dollhouse!!
Hahaha, that nut Kevin Reilly is really pouring oil on the fire:
“I think it [TSCC] had a nice little run. It was a good show. It was not an either or [with Dollhouse]. We did see it tailing off a bit [in the ratings]. It had a nice creative core, but, ultimately, we made the bet on Dollhouse, so that’s it for [Sarah Connor].”
Oh, and a live-action comedy (Sons of Tuscon) in the middle of the Sunday animated block?
Oh okay, Paul. I suppose you time traveled and saw Fringe being pulled. You people amaze me.
just to clarify, this is “official” right?
directly from FOX is about as official as you’re going to get.
I forgot to say : GREAT NEWS FOR HEROES!
This are the latest ratings for Heroes and Lie to me :
Heroes – 3.0 – 18-49
Lie to me – 2.6 – 18-49
“This are the latest ratings for Heroes and Lie to me :
Heroes – 3.0 – 18-49
Lie to me – 2.6 – 18-49″
I’ve heard Heroes is being moved to 8PM, therefore it’s going to be up against House. Which sucks…
So SYTYCD is going to start airing this thursday for the summer, and then end and restart right away for the fall? That seems kind of crazy right? I watch it in the summer because there is nothing else on, but have no intention of watching it in the fall when all my other shows return. It is definitely a summer show…
I dont actually care about any of their other shows.
Here’s hoping the Cleveland Show can re-capture the magic that Family Guy lost and American Dad never had.
Dario:
Heroes is on a steep decline. I wouldn’t start comparing the two until fall
I rather like the Bones/Fringe pairing. But – ouch, CSI and GA are serious competition for Fringe! I haven’t watched GA since it was on Sundays, and I haven’t watched CSI at all (except an occasional rerun). But from what I have read, I’m hopeful that CSI continues to drop, and that GA is negatively impacted by main characters’ exits and a “jump the shark” kinda-sorta marriage. Perhaps next year is a good year for FOX to try and make a dent in the Thursday at 9 p.m. lineup.
I wonder how LTM will perform on Mondays? House is a decent lead-in, but 2 1/2 Men is a ratings monster!
I don’t watch the show, but if the news all over the interwebs about this season of Heroes being a “trainwreck” is true, I wouldn’t be surprised if many of it’s viewers slipped away before the start of next season.
Fringe will do fine, except it will love about three million live viewers without Idol as the lead-in and probably drop to a 2.8-3.0 in the demo. Still renewable as long as Abrams doesn’t screw up the store arc too badly – and Anna’s “micro-expressions” don’t overwhelm the viewers! LOL!
The description of Human Target shows that they’ve gotten smart about the premise. Chance is just another “concealed bodyguard” as opposed to becoming the actual target of the plot. That kind of weakens the premise of being a “Human Target” but it makes the show more believable than the Rick Springfield version.
LOL, that should be “lose”, not “love”.
Yes the dancing thing is pretty crazy, and a waste. Fox has plenty of shows to fill in it’s time slots.
Bones and Fringe is stupid pairup, however it’s nice neither ones moves.
Also is FOX bringing back ‘Secret Millionaire’??
TheFutonCritic says it was cancelled on 5/18 (today).
http://www.thefutoncritic.com/showatch.aspx?id=secret_millionaire
Fox might not have an established comedy block, but they sure make up with this schedule.
Dollhouse on Fridays with a comedy lead-in? They must have cut the production costs to the bare minimum, until they could live with a 1.0-1.4 demo. Don’t expect then to even remember they are programming Fridays unless Dollhouse goes under 0.8.
CSI is ailing, Fringe on Thursdays is to go after the CSI viewers. It is actually a double gamble. There is speculation that The Mentalist could be taking over the 10pm slot, and if all worked well, moved to 9pm next season. If that is the scenario, the Fringe is already there, if it manages to survive the year and erode the CSI viewers, as Fox expects. If CBS makes the move this season we are seeing the face off between the new show with most viewers, and the new show with the highest demo. It would be interesting. It would also be interesting to know what are the reactions over at CBS to this announcement.
Well, I figured TSCC would be cancelled even though I hoped it would not. This announcement is quite traumatic, I guess all I have to look forward to is the Season 2 DVD. I’ll go crawl in a hole for awhile, congrats to all the Dollhouse fans who got another season.
Very excited for Human Target, Fox definitely has faith in it if they’re pairing it with AI.
I wonder how tight the budget for DH can get? Does everything now take place in the Dollhouse with no outside locations? Is Amy Acker given the heave-ho to pursue Happy Town in a cost-cutting measure?
So only 2 new fall shows? (not counting another McFarlane show people who aren’t fans won’t be watching) That’s a small number, I guess good for them that they can fill 3 hours of the schedule with Dance. ABC is going to fail hard with all their new shows in the fall. They should have added some other reality program too. By 2010-2011 they’ll put Nightline on at 10:00 after Leno is successful.
The Til Death/Brothers/Dollhouse combination was expected, i’d also think that Brothers despite probable low ratings, could get a full season since Til Death already has one. Dollhouse is likely to be axed after its inital 13 episodes, with another drama probably moved to fridays to take its place. It’s likely Human Target or Past Life will be one of those shows to replace Dollhouse on fridays and then presumably Lie To me will take its place on tuesdays or wednesdays (since Lie to Me does not appear on the midseason schedule). Sundays look good, of course I would have rather put The Cleveland Show directly after Family Guy and American Dad directly after The Simpsons but it seems FOX wants The Cleveland Show to do well. I especially like the pairings of House/Lie to Me and Bones/Fringe knew that would likely happen. The Dancing scenario wasn’t originally expected but I guess that could work to FOX’s benefit (like a Fall Idol).
Dollhouse is doomed.
Now that Dollhouse is renewed and stuff … any idea what will happen to the infamous 13th episode? Will it be more than just a dvd extra… Think it will air over the summer or fit into next season.
Actually does the 13th episode even have anything to do with the show other then using same actors?
When it comes to Fox putting together their Friday line up, I can’t help but think of the Super Bowl commercial with the office of monkeys. Really! It only makes sense to pair Human Target & Dollhouse together. You already have a dedicated viewer for one show and I would have stuck around for the other as well.
“Brothers will get about 4 or 5 mil. viewers with a 2.4 18-49 rating…and ‘Til death will get around 4 mil. and 2.3″
Awful optimistic there Dario
In the great race to the bottom, I predict the new FOX Friday premieres without a single show breaking 1.0
“It’s like a meal of eggs, twizzlers and a sloppy joe.”
Nikki,
That is a riot! Just think. Some executives at FOX got paid a lot of money to come up with that schedule.
Considering CSI’s sinking ratings, I expect Fringe to further its demise on Thursdays.
Im really surprised though that they did not pair Human Target with Dollhouse, that makes much more sense. Unfortunately when you have American Idol that pretty much cuts out two nights of programming. Yet we know that Fox likes to move things around a lot (understatement) so this might all change.
To echo: yeah…they don’t really care about Dollhouse. Lame.
Also, does Dance really need to take up three hours? Interesting that they really want to test out how well Fringe can actually do…but not Lie to Me….but does that end early, based on the midseason schedule? Okay, so shows they want to push, as they’re post-Idol: Human Target, Glee, Past Life.
DULLHOUSE will probably end up axed after 7 episodes. Remember, you heard it here first.
FRINGE moving to Thursdays at 10 – this is fine with me – nothing else to watch at that time. Used to watch ER, now? Nothing.
24 will be back? Now they spoiled the ending! Now we know Jack doesnt die! Unless it turns out Jack is the other Jack from the FRINGE alternate universe – the one where the Twin Towers are still standing and big eared Mr. Spock has and office. I guess if The Observer shows up in the Day 7 finale of 24….
Something is clearly being reworked to replace an existing hour show that will be replacing Dollhouse. I don’t know how many FOX has, but networks can have as many as three shows that are not being picked up, but are continuing to receive support as they are reworked.
Past Life is Reincarnationist, right?
House/Lie To Me on Mondays is excellent, although I’m a little worried about the lack of Lie To Me on the midseason schedule. I’m not however going to read anything into that at this point since I’m fairly positive the House lead-in will boost its numbers nicely. They’re very compatible shows.
Fringe moving to Thursdays is weird and I guess we’ll find out one way or another just how big (and loyal) the Fringe audience is – so at least that debate won’t rage on for another season.
I’m looking forward to seeing how Glee does, the snatches of it I’ve seen look very impressive. I’m not entirely sure about So You Think You Can Dance during Fall or a two hour performance show on Tuesday but we’ll see how that pans out. Whether four hours of dancing shows, with two hours f Dancing with the Stars on Monday at ABC and two hours on Fox on Tuesday is too much remains to be seen. But this likely means that CBS will be the only show with a totally scripted line-up for Tuesday next season.
The Friday schedule is just weird. Maybe we can just rename it two hours of really scripted shows? Because Brothers must be pretty freaking cheap to sit alongside the budget slashed Dollhouse and the practically given away ‘Till Death.
I also find it a little weird that they’re slotting a live action comedy into the animation domination line-up. Unless I’m missing something and Sons of Tucson isn’t live action…?
When or where do you think Fox will air Kitchen Nightmares and Hell’s Kitchen? I’m thinking the 2 hours for dancing on Tuesday (which is complete overkill) will eventually be 1 hour and Kitchen Nightmares will fall in there? Hells Kitchen might be saved to sometime in the winter/spring since it’s airing back to back seasons (winter/spring and summer)?
Why not have Brothers lead out of Football since Strahan is in it and then have Till Death on in the winter at 7:30? I think any new Dollhouse is good but Fox certainly doesn’t put it in any position to be anything other than a cult show.
Fringe will be ok where it’s at. Great competition and that might garner less expectations come this time next year for renewal.
FRINGE is on at 9pm. If The Office is still on at 9pm, its gets DVR’d. Lothe 30 Rock.
Tony, Reilly talked about Kitchen Nightmares and Hell’s Kitchen in their conference call.
Pilots not picked up (yet): Abfab, Cop House, Eva Adams, Masterwork, Maggie Hill, Station, 2 Dollar Beer. None of ‘em sound good.
Yeah, I was looking at this site’s index, and Til Death’s ratings are lower than Prison Break’s pre-Friday ratings. And bad comedies are even less compatible with Dollhouse than a serialized drama with an interesting concept (i.e. both shows that were before DH this season).
i expect this schedule to change
also note other networks will be changing shedules as well
so fringe might NOT be up against CSI etc
seems scheduling this summer is a crapshoot
i expect alot of movement and cancelations
in every networks schedule
but i gotta say FOX has stated they are trying to make a strong friday night schedule
This seems like they made it an afterthought
do they wish to see if comedy will do better?
what is up with the friday lineup?
also fringe with bones? gotta say i dont like that pairing either..
i like that eggs and sloppy joe comment
also abouit the superbowl monkeys
i completely agree and they are paid millions and this is the best of it out the gate…
sigh…
Nick C, do you know if Fox is trying to kill Dollhouse?
Michael, no network tries to “kill” shows, that’s just irate fan jibberish. If they pay for a show, they want it to succeed.
“Actually does the 13th episode even have anything to do with the show other then using same actors?”
According to interviews with Minnear and Whedon, it’s a completely standalone episode, so that you could go from S1 to S2 and it wouldn’t matter whether you’d seen the 13th episode or not.
Basically it introduces new characters in a separate story in the Dollhouse universe, and the existing characters are only used at a few points in support of that story.
So it doesn’t continue any existing storylines or tie off any loose ends, it’s a truly “bonus” episode.
On Human Target: I agree, it’s a good decision to have him undercover but not impersonating any specific person. (Their example is the bank president is the target, and the detective goes onsite as a teller.)
Looks like Fox is planning to go for more and more short seasons (13 episodes), which can work to a show’s advantage in terms of viewer loyalty, but obviously means less money for producers, actors, and writers. Interesting.
Kind of a dull lineup. Human Target sounds like it might be OK maybe, everything else seems like a total snore. Glee?….God, how lame can you get. And Sons of Tucson…The minute I read “Family Comedy” I want to kick the screen in. Past Life might be good but it just seems like another pair of jerks solving problems type show.
I don’t think Dollhouse will last very long, maybe a few months. At least FOX gave it a chance after attempting to kill it with a launch on Friday. Though, it’s still on Friday so maybe they aren’t really giving it much of a chance afterall…I don’t watch it but the fans, however few there are, much be very happy for the return.
The only good thing in this line up is the move for FRINGE. With all that competition we might finally get rid of that tripe once and for all.
Bill, in a logical world, maybe. But how logical was it to renew DH in the first place?
Andrea, not logical by any means that I have data to back up. We may learn more that explains it later, and we may not.
Andrea …. if they renewd DH the logic is behind the financial stuff you do not know ( we do not know) …. According with all of you it’s look like these multi million Corporations are managed by the worst idiots in the world …I really doubt that this is the case
Thanks Bill for pointing me to the blog.
So Hell’s Kitchen and Kitchen Nightmares will be used “opportunistically”? huh?
If i’m not mistaken Hell’s Kitchen prmieres 7/21 and it’s usually 15 episodes. The first week is a 2 hour episode so that would take it till the third week in October on Tuesday nights. More To Love premieres the week after 7/28 at 9. With Baseball and dancing i’m not sure how they are going to do this?
Kitchen Nightmares is the type of show they can throw anywhere in the schedule at anytime.
Dollhouse was only renewed for 13 eps, yet is listed for Fall and Spring…
Those that think ‘Fringe’ will tank because ‘BONEs’ has no bleed-through viewership should go back and check ‘Fringe’s’ half-hour numbers. Still pretty damn good even without Idol bleedthrough. No doubt ‘CSI’ will beat it in total numbers, but we’ll see in the demos.
WTF is up with renewing the utter BS that is ‘Dollhouse’ with it’s abysmal ratings for a full fall/spring season, and only giving ‘Lie to Me’ the fall 13 order? Is Fox so dumb it can’t read it’s own numbers?!
Or is it just that ‘Lie to Me’ is more expensive to produce than ‘Dollhouse’?
Fox will dominate most nights – Sun and Fri’s are still weak…I will be watching Dollhouse – my wife & I are kind of hooked – the last 7 episodes were really good…We love “So You Think…” – so getting a summer & fall season will be cool – be that much might be over kill..AI: if the contestants are good next year we’ll watch it – otherwise we’ll skip it…
24: already looking forward to next year the the finale hasn’t even aired yet…
Over all FOX has us Mon (“24″ only), Tues, Wed & Fri’s (Dollhouse ONLY)…so far – nothing of the new stuff looks interesting – but we’ll see…
Good news, they will keep House in the same timeslot all season…
Bad News: Fringe on thursdays…
Lie to Me after House? what a waste…
SYTYCD appear this season in the fall because Glee…
SYTYCD on wednesday night in my opinion os a better option, with Glee on thursday nights at 8pm or 9 pm.
House on tuesday nigths at 8 pm and Fringe at 9 pm.
Bones on monday night at 8 pm and Lie to Me at 9 pm.
It seems weird that the only network that felt like it had question marks after yesterday was CW. I mean, I know it has the last upfront, but still…I really want to see where everything falls there.
where is Lie to Me on midseason?
Not too excited about Fringe on Thursdays just because now I have to choose between it or NBC’s comedies. There’s always Hulu, I suppose.
@Mel, I’m sure Lie To Me isn’t cheap to produce – I’m sure Tim Roth is making good money, and Fox was obviously expecting it to be their next House.
Late-night “Animation Domination” reruns strikes me as maybe the smartest move on the schedule, considering how well cable channels have done with Family Guy in/around that timeslot. If the Wanda Sykes show tanks (I think she’s funny, but she also has two failed shows on her resume) I wouldn’t be surprised if they just ran with animation repeats on Saturday unless it gets the channels paying for syndicated repeats angry.
Mel is 5ight about Fringe. Also, CSI’s and Grey’s Anatomy’s viewership is falling. So, that might help Fringe, at least in the demos.
I don’t think GLEE will make it to spring 2010. Musical dramadies never work. Does anyone remember Viva Laughlin?
FYI, my brain completely melted earlier when it came to FOX having an online press site. They do, it’s foxflash.com
Also, American Dad at 7:30 seems risky – they’re going to have to do a lot of work getting people to tune in before 8 based on this season’s rating disasters in that timeslot.
Mel is right about Fringe. Also, CSI’s and Grey’s Anatomy’s viewership is falling. So, that might help Fringe, at least in the demos.
I believe FOX loves the irony of putting TIL DEATH in the Friday night “death” timeslot.
@JWB, I think Glee actually has a shot – people seem to love the pilot, and the musical element is addressed in the plot (unlike Viva Laughlin’s fantasy sequences). And hey, the kids seem to love that High School Musical stuff.
Uh…
I’ve come to believe in my old age that you don’t need talent to run a corporation. Just come from money, have connections and have a bit of luck
Personally, I like Fringe’s chances on Thursday, (even more so if Fox has sense enough to run the series again throughout the summer). There has been lots of buzz about the show, more and more as the series went on. With CSI running into trouble with Peterson’s departure and Grey’s sluggish viewership this season, this is going to be an interesting Thursday.
I would love to get to the bottom of how Dollhouse got another kick-at-the-can. There has to be something more than its exceptional DVR numbers. Advertisers don`t care about on-line of DVR info. Theories – anyone !
Alex – I agree that the House/ Lie to Me combo is really good. While it does seem odd that Lie to Me isn’t on the midseason schedule, keep in mind, the schedule is completely subject to change. If Lie to Me gets a full season, and Dollhouse is axed, then its possible that one of the new midseason dramas will be moved to Dollhouses old slot and Lie to Me will be back on Wednesdays or Tuesdays. The friday schedule seemed expected, FOX just wanting to burn off Til Death and also causually pair it with another similar sitcom, Brothers. And at the same time air Dollhouse too. And as for Sons of Tuscon, while that may be live action, it would seem like a good fit in with the other animated comedies. It would also give FOX an opportunity to air The Cleveland Show at 9:30 and air American Dad at 7:30. Here’s my bet on renewals for new and sophomore series.
Fringe – Renewed for a full season
Lie to Me – Renewed for a full season
Glee – Could go either way but likely renewed for a full season.
Dollhouse – Axed after 13 episodes, likely just a September-December airing.
Brothers – Likely renewed for a full season, just to air alongside Til Death.
The Cleveland Show – Has already been renewed for 35 episodes, seems good to me.
Also expect some series to be given shorter “full seasons” (maybe 18-20)
With the combination of Thursday competition, and the absolute disaster that Thursday was for Fox in previous seasons (prior to moving Bones there this season). I think Fox’s objective for Thursdays is likely “do better than we did last season”, not “win Thursdays”. I think Bones/Fringe will likely achieve that objective.
Fringe will tank against CSI and Grey’s, not to mention it probably shares viewers with Supernatural. It might even be better off paired with Dollhouse on Fridays. At least they’re both sci-fi and X-Files did survive there for years. Pair Lie to Me with Bones.
SYTYCD in the fall is also strange and I’m not too happy about it. It’s become a summer staple and I’m not sure it would do too well in fall primetime against DWTS.
I happen to think that Mel’s right. CSI’s riatings are decaying as well as Grey’s Anatomy. Why not try Fringe there? Sometimes bold decisions need to be made.
I think this better than Fringe going up against The Mentalist.
I like that fox is putting up a fight for thursdays.
Monday seems strong, with ltm getting the potential to grow behind house.
Friday seems dumb. I think comedies with their lower bar for success is a good fit for the 8 o’clock hour, but Brothers has a terrible premise and ’til death is already bad. Bad shows won’t find an audience on friday night. And a comedey that’s a vehicle for a non-actor won’t be good.(reba lasted a while, but that’s the exception not the rule)
Oh and i’ll watch anything that features Jane Lynch.(funniest woman ever?)
Lie to Me on Mondays after House? Sweet!! I hope this helps keep the ratings up so it doesn’t come back only to get canceled later. Lie to Me was definitely my favorite new show this past season.
Airing limited run series in Fall (when you know that the slotholders will need to vacate those spots once 24/AI comes back) is a good move.
But a reality series (especially this one) is not a good move. First off, it will just have aired a cycle in the summer, and there is no proof that audiences will want another batch immediately. Secondly, Fox Fall = baseball playoffs. How exactly do you run a reality series where it is possibly weeks between episodes? What about weeks where there is baseball on the performance slots & not on the result slot? Or vice versa?
Fox should, as long as 24 and AI will end up on Spring schedules, air limited series in Fall. But they should either be scripted shows (you even had a pilot in Masterwork), or pre-filmed reality series that will flow reasonably well regardless of interruption. Dance is neither.
I dont think Fringe ratings will go down that much cause of the movie since i doubts it shares its audience with CSI and Greys Anatomy! And im excited to see how fridays turn out…..im hoping it turns out to be the underdog!
Now i know i sound like a desperate fan, but TSCC was an Amazing show. Businesswise i understand it was cancelled. But when i get invested in a story i need closure. The Series Finale was not Closure. Maybe Syfy or CW will pick it up. But i think with the great writing it had it could do well as a book series or comic book by Josh Friedman to close the story off. Congratulations Dollhouse Fans for your 2nd season but it will die when up against T’ill death so enjoy while you can.
Does this mean that My Name Is Earl is not moving to FOX?
Because there was talk that if NBC canceled My Name Is Earl, then FOX would pick it up…So I wonder if this means that NBC hasn’t canceled the show??
I don’t mean to sound like a desperate fan for TSCC. But personally when i get invested in a story i need closure. The Series Finale however great was not closure. It may get picked up by another network (cross fingers) but i think the best thing for the story to get a proper ending is through a comic book or a novel. Please Josh Friedman consider
All I can say is. Good luck to Fringe at 9:00 on Thursday.
Bill – I agree about FOX thursdays. Not to necessarily win, however to do better. I think Bones/Fringe can achieve that, since they have similiar premises.
AJ – Earl not moving to FOX, isn’t necessarily true. NBC hasn’t offically cancelled earl, nor have they renewed it. Its possible should NBC, axe Earl, FOX can pick it up, and maybe find an hour to air it alongside the new compatible Sons of Tuscon. But until NBC offically announces their plans for Earl, FOX cant make any decisions regarding renewing the series.
Les – I think FOX airing Lie to me after House is smart for both Mondays and the series Lie to Me itself. Its certainly better than the combo of Terminator and Prison Break last year, which tanked.
I think Fringe will do fine there. Remember, Fox is not expecting to beat CSI.
Also, Fringe might become one of Fox’s prestige shows if it gets nominated for an Emmy, which would surprise me and a Golden Globe, which wouldn’t surprise me. I hope it does get nominated, it certainly deserves it!
A thought: perhaps Fox wants Friday to be “Low Budget Friday”. Half hour comedies are rarely expensive, and Whedon certainly seems to believe he can thrive in a low budget environment. If Fox is expecting low ratings on a Friday regardless of what it shows, perhaps that’s the logic.
Makes more sense than the “They just want to kill Dollhouse” conspiracy theories. (There’s an easier way to kill it people…)
At least, John Noble deserves a nomination!
@ Squiggleslash ‘Whedon certainly seems to believe he can thrive in a low budget environment.”
From what i read
Whedon showed FOX the unaired 13th episode (which was made on the kindof budget they would use for season 2) which they gave a positive respond to….So i think they have faith that Whedon can atlest keep the quality of the show at the same with a lower budget
So… what are the chances this is just a preliminary lineup Fox is throwing out there just to see how the other networks respond? Is that unheard of? It seems like it’s way too early to think this is a finalized lineup and that if other networks move things around Fox wouldn’t consider changing it, no?
thirdsaint, no chance that this lineup is viewed as preliminary based on what other networks announce and it’s not too early, this is when new lineups are announced.
Can things change? Of course, particularly for spring 2010. Is this laid out intending to be changed based on the competition’s announcements this week? No chance.
Fox saw the 13th episode and didn’t have that much of a positive response–that’s why they declined to pay for it and air it as part of S1.
From what I’ve heard, Fox wanted to see the S2 budget come down about another 25% from the 13th episode level. Because half of a lot is still a lot. But I haven’t heard anything specific about where they ended up for S2.
I think Fringe share viewers with The Office…
Fringe here i don’t see how de can manage above 7.5 million viewers??! if this is good to fox, so i’m ok with that to.
Past Life is nowhere on the fall schedule and is on the midseason schedule in “January”, but not in “spring”. There are not enough weeks for it to get thirteen episodes if Glee is going to get twenty-two.
I like how Fox is planning for some shows to fail, i.e. Lie to Me is nowhere on the midseason schedule. It is a good idea, economically. Obviously, some will, so why frantically schedule repeats when they do instead of slotting in reliable shows not on the schedule yet.
Ok, thanks for explaining that Bill. Well, I like Fringe’s placement behind Bones and I think it’ll do fine against the competition. If The Office is in that same slot I can see that being a problem because as Paul PT says, they likely share viewers. I’m one of them and I’m sure I’m not the only early 20-something that enjoys both shows. CSI is for older people and Greys is for drama queens so I can’t see them eating Fringe’s viewers too much.
Funny bit about dollhouse renewal.
http://www.pvponline.com/
Makes more sense than the “They just want to kill Dollhouse” conspiracy theories. (There’s an easier way to kill it people…)
Yeah, they could make people watch a few episodes and then give them an axe.
I meant Human Target, not Past Life.
Its not that they want to “kill” Dollhouse, it may seem on the contrary. If they wanted to kill the series, it wouldn’t have been renewed in the first place. Actually this is the first time in a while where a FOX series that has aired or moved to fridays, has been renewed. So it would seem that FOX is being consistent in keeping Dollhouse at 9, and giving it a compatible comedy lead in. of course once Season 2 premieres and the series continues to tank, I don’t think FOX will give it a third chance, especially considering all of the drama series they have for next year. Anyone else agree?
I give them 2 episodes of AI results being at 8PM, until they move to 9 and screw Lost over, like they do every year.
Fringe at 9:00 on Thursdays? Fox thinks that show is better than it is. Taking it from its cushy after Idol spot to that timeslot is nuts. Hell’s Kitchen does well because its counter programming to the rest of the hour.
I wouldn’t be surprised to see The Mentalist at 9 and CSI moved to 10 on Thursdays when we see CBS’ schedule later this week.
I’m thinking that Thursdays at 9 pm on Fox is a good idea for Fringe because it’s being paiired with Bones.
Besides, all Fox cares about is the 18-49 demo.
FringeFan, are you saying Fringe is a good idea being paired with Bones b/c Bones ratings? If so, they only get around 8.5 million and have been getting terrible low 2s in the 18-49 demo. However, it seems that Bones and Fringe share a lot of fans. Obviously, I think Fringe will get the better demos for FOX that night, but they are against some heavy hitters. I hope FOX knows what they’re doing.
i agree with these comments about fringe on thursdays. dont get me wrong, fringe is great, but i dont think it could handle going up against the now good grey’s anatomy. wasn’t fringe scoring 4.5’s and higher in the 18 to 49’s this season? Im pretty sure it could handle the office and csi.
thirdasint, we grey’s fans are not not drama queens (most of the time;)
Why would Fringe be affected by Grey’s Anatomy or the office for that matter because they both have HUGE FEMALE followings. Fringe mostly has males salivating for more. Now THat’s counterprogramming
What im surprised about is that that show Masterwork was supposed a midseason event type show from paul t. scheuring (sorry if i murdered the spelling) is no where to be found or mentioned
Hm, where are they going to be airing the last episodes of King of the Hill? 7:30 again, or at 8:30 for a month or two before the Cleveland Show shows up?
Also, it looks like Lie to Me’s getting only a 13-episode renewal, though I’m very happy to see it paired with House. The shows pair together well and it should absolutely thrive there.
I’m surprised not to see Kitchen Nightmares (wasn’t that renewed? Or is it going to be a summer show) or Hell’s Kitchen, the latter of which was a success, but I guess there as no room. I could definitely do without the extra season of So You Think You Can Dance, though. I understand what they’re doing it since it draws the Idol audience, but still, it’s just such a space hog.
And that Friday night’s just going to keep on sinking, it’ll probably fall below a 1.0 demo average next season.
Here’s what Fox President Kevin Reilly had to say on Renewing Dollhouse
Make of these statements what you will.
http://www.ifmagazine.com/new.asp?article=8038
“‘ON KEEPING SCRIPTED SHOW ON FRIDAY NIGHTS THIS FALL …
“Again, keeping scripted assets on the air was important to us and the advertising guys want it on the air,” says Reilly. “We love having a scripted Friday night.’”
“On the voracity of DOLLHOUSE’s audience …
‘If we cancelled his show, I would have had hundreds of emails from his fans this morning,” says Reilly. “That audience has a core you can work with.’”
“‘”This is Joss Whedon,” says Reilly. “You look at profile of show, unbelievably loyal fan base, its consistentency in live ratings and you’re placing a bet Joss will keep it going next year. The DVR numbers are a marker and it is a factor. We did see an uptick in ratings. We [went from a]1.5 to a 2 in the DVR plus 7 numbers. That was a pattern we liked.’”
No, I’m saying that those numbers are good for Fox on Thursday and Fringe will no doubt beat Bones in the demo department.
I’ve been saying for a while that Fox should start to prep So You Think You Can Dance for a takeover of American Idol — because as soon as they lose American Idol — which is losing steam ratings-wise, the network is going to be done. A bit like what happened to ABC with Who Wants to be a Millionaire. The beauty of So You Think You Can Dance — it’s basically a sequel, it’s just as good if not better than American Idol (I think it’s better.) And more than anything it has a semi-circulating panel of judges so it’s not as big of a deal if a judge wants to leave the show (while it would be crippling to American Idol,) especially since the judges aren’t the story on Dance, unlike Idol. I’m glad I could be a network exec.
And Til Death, which I watch and mostly enjoy, on Friday nights makes a lot of sense. It’s a show about an aged marriage. The demographic they’re going after should be the older folks on Fridays. Dollhouse is a bad fit for Friday though — unless your banking on nerdy fanboys that don’t have anything to do on Friday night — which I guess makes sense.
idk how fox will do in the summer… nbc is pretty strong in the summer cuz of AGT their other shows.. den again they’re in a tailspin
I tink that NBC has a good summer lineup as usual good luck
I cant wait for Glee!!!
I think NBC ought to move America’s Greatest Talent to fall.
Now, on night all of NBC’s shows will be reality/talk shows!
LOL! Now that would be awful!
yea i was saying so too… but i dont know if that is wat ppl want in the fall..
it might seem like an AI knock off and then it will plunge the network further down the ratings. So they shuld leave it and build on the other seasons since summer is the best for them
then again with all the hype of Britains Got Talent (their sister show) people might wanna c if america has a susan doyle
America is unpredictable
Dollhouse should of been lead-in by Fringe, i would see a super hit FRIDAY
“According to interviews with Minnear and Whedon, it’s a completely standalone episode, so that you could go from S1 to S2 and it wouldn’t matter whether you’d seen the 13th episode or not.”
This is not entirely true. Joss has been quoted, back when he was specifically trying to get the network to air it, that it was considered part of the season, and it would make no sense if only the people who buy the DVD have seen it when they start up a season two.
I read that interview. He said it might be a little harder to write an episode for S2 not knowing who had seen it and who hadn’t, but he never said it would make no sense. He definitely preferred it to be part of S1, but he was OK with it only appearing on the DVD.
I don’t want to go into a bunch of spoiler details here as there are no spoiler tags, but there are a lot of spoilers available out there (see E! Online for some), and it’s clear it works as a standalone.
Whedon talking about Epitaph One before renewal:
http://tv.ign.com/articles/973/973189p1.html
And Whedon reacts to the renewal and talks about the budget issues:
http://www.thrfeed.com/2009/05/joss-whedon-reacts-to-dollhouse-renewal.html
Marty, 2 links sends you to the spam filter, just so you know.
“According with all of you it’s look like these multi million Corporations are managed by the worst idiots in the world …I really doubt that this is the case”
Actually, they are. I used to work for Bank of America, I can absolutely confirm that. Not to mention Enron, WorldCom, take your pick of the financial companies this past year.
Idiots and crooks.
I’m not sure how Dollhouse will do on Fridays next season because I haven’t seen anything about whether or not the show will be revamped to address its problems. It all hinges on whether Whedon pays attention to criticism. I think he’s smart enough to make changes where they’re needed, but the question is does he actually do so. And of course whether the changes work.
If Dollhouse continues on its present course with NO changes other than budget cuts, it’s doomed. It will sink lower than a 1.0 at some point in the new season. And by changes, I don’t mean just dumping a character or two. They need to revamp the dynamic of the show – who’s the main character and what is the characterization of the main character are the two most important changes, but there are others.
Greeat now I have to send hundreds of hate e-mails to Kevin Reilly!
TSCC ! ! !
I give Dullhouse 3 – 4 episodes before they pull it.
If Whedon pays attention to criticism? So how do you suppose he replaces Eliza Dushku, a co-producer?
Budget cuts probably mean less of supporting roles, and more Dushku. That’s the complete opposite of what I want.
The CW is licking its chops, they can beat Fox Fridays.
Interesting, Bones and Fringe, House and lie to me… Saw the House lie to me coming… But the bones Fringe is not the best match ever
May as well mention once again… Friedman does not own TSCC, or even the characters he added to the T-verse. If there’s a market for the series to continue in another format, it can. With Salvation around, won’t most the books and comics pick up anyway?
The cons being it won’t be the same.
The pros being that Friedman won’t be writing it.
I wonder what the cast and crew think of the Vancouver move. (Noble in a Stargate Universe cameo? Oh, okay it won’t happen…)
Er referring to Fringe at the last sentence about Vancouver. Budget cuts for everyone, Fringe needs it without the AI spillover.
What a boring scheadule :S
Fox does not deserve to be the number 1 network. They are totally dependent on AI and don’t have the balls to try different things.
At least ABC i goind to be more agressive next season…
andre, How exactly is ABC being more aggressive? And make no mistake, ABC is as dependent on Dancing With The Stars as Fox is on American Idol.
Chad, Eliza Dushku is a very good actress. You complaining about Dushku is like people who complain about Anna Torv being a bad actress (which of course, she is not).
I apologize Chad. I’m sorry that was a typo and I feel embarrased.
Chad, Eliza Dushku is a very good actress. You complaining about Dushku is like people who complain about Anna Torv being a bad actress (which of course, she is not).
Dollhouse’s problem is not Dushku’s acting ability which is as adequate as Torv’s. It’s about how her character has been portrayed by the writers. I’d say the same applies to Torv on Fringe. The actors will play it like it’s written and directed, although they usually have some input with the writers and directors.
As for TSCC continuing in another format, I still intend to try to produce fan fic with more or less the same characters, as a reboot, showing how the show could have gone.
I still think WB wants a Terminator series on TV and they could do it, even with the same characters and the same actors. They just need to revamp the focus and the pacing, add more realism, then push the envelope. But it would still have to be a complete reboot, as if TSCC never existed. The hard part for that is convincing the audience that abandoned TSCC that the new version is sufficiently different that it is worth a second look.
lol@ppl saying “fringe will be fine because csi and ga are losing viewers”
GA was one of the VERY few shows that hit over 6 in the demo in its finale. CSI might be down, but its still getting the same demo numbers as fringe with AI lead in.
Fringe is not safe on thursday 9pm. Fox made a bad decision, i hope they’ll change it..
Fringe had worse competition in The Mentalist, Dancing With The Sars and the Biggest Loser. But, this is Fox so the expectations are lower than ABC, CBS and NBC. X Files never won it’s time slot during the first 2 years.
I’m confident that with Bones as the lead-in, Fringe can do better than Hell’s Kitchen.
And when the audience for AI was taken out at 9:30pm, the demo was still a 3.8 which would have beaten CSI, but not Grey’s Anatomy.
VERY few TV shows are “safe” anywhere except things like Idol.
Just repeat what Sarah Connor always said: “No one is ever safe!”
What happened to Paul Scheuring’s Masterwork?
Was supposed to be a big budget and ambitious new drama from the creator of Prison Break. Was it not picked up or is it likely to start the following season?
So I take it that by not being included anywhere in the released schedule, Fox did not pick up Masterwork, the next series from Paul T. Scheuring, the creator of Prison Break and the show is dead? Or is there a chance it will be picked up at a later point since rumor is that it just finished production?
You never know as things aren’t set in stone. They may have it in the 2nd half after something doesn’t do as well as planned and we all know how often that happens.
SYTYCD is going to flop hard in the fall.
The only reason why SYTYCD has found some success in the summer is because it’s a summer type of show that gets to take advantage of its younger audience when they’re home from school and get to stay up later.
No way will people choose to watch that show when there’s much more competition around, not to mention Dancing with the Stars, let alone when the SYTYCD’s time-gap in-between summer/fall season will be only weeks apart.
I could see this scheduling disaster hurting the show’s franchise and brand so much so that it’s possible that FOX won’t want to even bring SYTYCD back during the summer season of 2010.
Stupid, very stupid of FOX’s part…
Darn – not a single show listed I even care to watch (even when extremely bored). Never did jump on the House or 24 band wagon and really don’t care to at this time. The new shows look like cancellations by November. Although I do love Tyler Labine in Reaper, which I’m disappointed is cancelled
. Maybe he can make “Sons of Tuscon” lively!
wow only 3 new scripted dramas good Decision!
Lie to Me is missing in the midseason.
I bet Til Death couldn’t draw 5 million P+2 viewers if it had American Idol as a lead in
Mumbo – King of the Hill will likely show up randomly or maybe around midseason to burn off the 6 episodes liekly at 7:00 or to fill repeats. theres no ay the series will air at 8:30 again. As for Lie to Me, the series is only getting a 13 episode order now but if it does well, i’m sure the series will get a full season. Alex S., I don’t think SYTYCD is going to flop, I just think it will do adequately, which FOX wants. They did the same with Hell’s Kitchen, move it from being a summer only series to airing during the primetime year and it does decently. FOX wants to do the same with SYTYCD.
ABC fanatic – If Dollhouse is cancelled after December and Lie to Me gets a full season, than I’m sure FOX will move one of its new dramas to fridays at 9, in order to make room forLie to me either 9 on Wednesday after Idol or Tuesday after Idol. A new series being missing for midseason is common but keep in mind if a show does well, the midseason schedule is ALWAYS subject to change.
What happens if Dollhouse picks up in the ratings, at least in the 18-49 demo? If there is positive word of mouth out of Comic-Con, that might happen. What does Fox do for midseason then? Of course, Dance could tank. In that case, what does Fox do, abruptly replace iot with Human Target and switch Fringe to another night?
I don’t know if anybody else has mentioned it, i’m not reading 200 comments to find out, but Animation Domination Encores on Saturday nights is a fantastic idea. It’s the one night where Adult Swim doesn’t show Family Guy and Fox can now capitalize on that. I don’t expect monster ratings for something on that late, but this should bring in very solid numbers for them and I commend them for trying it.
I said here a while back I thought TSCC would be renewed, not because I had any inside info, because I didn’t, but just because I thought it would.
And I was wrong. Oh well.
“Glee” made an impressive debut tonight. It’s going to be a strong performer in the fall.
I’m not so sure, Harold. I suppose it’ll appeal to the High School Musical fans, but I was hoping for something that was more parody and less serious. I’m intrigued enough to check it out again in the fall, but I don’t think this was that great for a pilot. We’ll see the numbers tomorrow, but I think Glee in the fall will 100% depend on how SYTYCD can do. I’m still thinking it won’t perform nearly as well as Fox wants it to.
Dollhouse is being recycled all over the place.If FOX thinks it’ll do suddendly good in the ratings they are kidding themselves.All those new comedies sound lame with tons of laugh tracks huh?!
There sure are a lot of crazy people in this post. If FOX wanted to kill DOLLHOUSE why the hell renew it in the first place?!?!? You people need to think before you post. They renewed DOLLHOUSE because they think it can work. They want 1.5s from it, and I think it can deliver that.
Richard Steven Hack, you just don’t give up on Torv do you? The reason so many people have a problem with Dushku and DOLLHOUSE is it’s extremely difficult to act an entire new personality every episode where you’re highlighted. The backup actors people brag about on the show would have the same problems if their “new characters,” were highlighted with as much screen time every week.
Torv is still horrible on FRINGE. It’s not the right work for her, and there isn’t much you can do about it. You can jump up and down and post how she’s adequate forever, but opinions of polls don’t lie. For the finale panels showed they still have problems with her at over 50%. I will say she has a 15% improvement since the pilot. That still isn’t great.
I think FRINGE is dead. That’s just my opinion, but it will be eaten alive on Thursday night.
Next Thursdays at 9 are going to get even more crazy. I wonder how Fringe will hold up with no Idol as a lead in.
I like FRINGE a lot, it’s entertaining. It’s X-FILES with a new cast and crew. FRINGE has strong writing, so the show can function well enough even if one of the leading actors is subpar. John Noble is quite good. I’m kind of mystified at how marginalized Joshua Jackson’s character is in the second half of the season.
LIE TO ME is not as good as FRINGE. The stories have been mostly retreads. However, it has gotten gutsier with the last few episodes.
Nick C., you don’t think that it can’t beat CSI in the demo? Remember, it got a 3.8 in the last half hour. Remember, the audience is eroding for CSI and Grey’s Anatomy. Who knows how bad it will be for both shows next season. Besides, Fox profits off hulu.com for Fringe as well as Warner Bros.
Nick C., you’re forgetting that although it loses around 2 million, it always keeps the same amount of people, 9 million. Also, remember this is JJ Abrams we’re talking about here and remember, Alias moved around too and was never the success ABC waned it to be. In fact, it had similar numbers to Fringe’s last half hour. That last half hour tells you the real story about Fringe. And, just because 50% don’t like Anna Torv, it doesn’t mean she’s either good or bad. It’s just a matter of opinion. For example, I think that Keira Knightley is a horrible actress. Nice person, but horrible actress. Nick C., how did Rupert Murdoch specifically get Anna Torv hired for Fringe? What did he specifically do? Do you know who Abrams was considering?
In other words, JJ Abrams helped keep Alias on the air.
If he can keep Alias on with mediocre ratings, I don’t see why he can’t do the same with Fringe.
Fringefan, I think FRINGE is going to flop in the time slot. It will pull a 2.3 or so. That’s my guess. Then I think Abrams will throw a tantrum and it will be on Monday after FRINGE and LIE TO ME will get thrown under the bus.
Oh please Nick C, just stop! You think Fringe is dead when it is getting 3.5 – 4.0 demo rating. And still saying Dollhouse is good, while getting just 1.0 ratings. Total bullshi.t…you and your “panels”. :rolleyes:
How come JJ has that kind of power and Joss doesn’t? Do you know anything on how Rupert Murdoch got Abrams to hire Anna Torv?
Nick C: So the figure is up to 50% now, eh? Meaning fifty percent now like her?
Hah! So here we have someone who’s improved over the series – which is exactly what the fans were saying. First US series she’s done, far as I know, and a brand new character she had to grow into. Sounds like normal acting chops development to me, considering she’s only been acting for seven years or so.
Your last sentence tells it all – you just don’t like Fringe and Torv is just an excuse for you. Deny that all you want, I’m not buying it.
Opinion polls don’t lie? Bwahahahahahahah!!! Tell me another.
Torv will do fine and Fringe will do fine. It will survive Thursdays, as long as Abrams doesn’t jump the shark.
ALexis, no I think FRINGE is dead because it’s going up against GRAYS ANATOMY, CSI, THE OFFICE, and SUPERNATURAL. Duh. What it did this past season will not affect what it’s doing next season without AMERICAN IDOL or HOUSE as a lead in.
Richard Steven Hack, sorry but her disapproval rating has fallen to just over 50%, she’s still disliked by the majority. She has improved though. That isn’t because more people like, but because she has become more comfortable with some scenes.
I don’t like the show because I think it will get killed going up against NBC’s top show, ABC’s top show, and one of CBS’s top shows? Sure. Care to tell me how I feel about other things?
Please tell me how statistical polling and sampling doesn’t work and is actually inaccurate.
Fringefan, you can’t figure out how the owner of the network can get someone cast? Use your imagination.
Nick C. has the right to his opinion.
Yeah, Nick C., a year ago I’ve might have agreed with you. But, CSI’s ratings and Grey’s Anatomy’s are on a downward spiral in total viewers and demos. Yes, Grey’s Anatomy got a 5.5, but that way down from where it was. I think Alexis was right.
Look a lot of people didn’t think Gillian Anderson was right for the X Files during her 1st season either. Besides, maybe Anna Torv has become more comfortable because the writing has improved.
Even if Fringe will place 4th on Thursday, I still think Fox will be happy as long as it will maintain 2.5-3.5 demo average.
Fringefan, the only people that weren’t sure about Anderson were people at FOX despite her scoring well in panels. She wasn’t blonde with nice legs.
AS for CSI and GRAY’S ANATOMY dropping… it’s called Spring. It happens every year. I don’t think GRAYS or CSI are going any where. CSI is in a weak spot and that is what FOX is betting on. However with BONES as the lead in… I just don’t see it. The worst episode FRINGE had all year was the one where it had no lead in. I’m just not sold it’s the real deal yet. I’m not saying it’s bad by any means just not strong enough for what they’re putting it up against.
ALexis. If it was a 3.5 sure, but I think it will pull a 2.3 or worse. Perhaps it can pull a 2.8 but I’m not sold they’d be happy with that.
Nick C: Nobody expects Fringe to beat those other shows. I agree with Bill Gorman that Bones and Fringe will enable Fox to SURVIVE Thursdays, and that’s all they care about. Fringe will survive, albeit at a reduced number of viewers and demo.
“That isn’t because more people like, but because she has become more comfortable with some scenes.”
That sentence doesn’t even make sense. Of course, she’s become more comfortable as the season went on. She’s also explicitly said that she doesn’t like the scenes in the labs where she’s just regurgitating Walter’s explanations for things. No actor would – she’s sidelined in those scenes. The more she does those scenes, the more boring she would look to viewers. That’s a fault of the writers. They could give her some more penetrating lines like Peter gets for those scenes, but he’s the one who gets to do the comic relief.
The only thing wrong with her portrayal of an FBI agent is how NICE Olivia is. FBI agents are buttheads. If you read Thomas Harris’ “Silence of the Lambs”, Clarice Starling was a bitch. Jodie Foster played her much nicer and more vulnerable. But the show needed somebody people could like, since Peter was supposed to be a sarcastic loner and Walter a nutcase – although a lot of people seem to like him more than anybody else on the show, because he’s a lovable nutcase. I liked Peter’s character, too, for that matter. Everybody on the show is fairly engaging, except for Lance Reddick – and even he’s gone soft lately. Even David Robert Jones was the politest villain I’ve seen in a while.
So to say Torv isn’t engaging is just nonsense. She makes Dana Scully look like Greta of the SS.
Fringefan: Nick doesn’t have any evidence whatsoever how Torv was cast, it’s just BS. If he had someone to quote on that who was credible, he would have.
I should really stop reading this site. Only a few short days after Dollhouse’s renewal and the same people are already calling for its cancellation. I thought its renewal might have given some insight in to how it’s not all about the numbers, but I guess there are always going to be mindless haters out there.
But, he did accurately predict that Dollhouse would be renewed.
@Dan, as I understand Fox’s plan for KOTH is to start the season with the final episodes, then switch over to The Cleveland Show. This could have changed, but I’m hoping Fox gives the show a halfway decent sendoff and doesn’t bury it.
After last night’s Glee preview I think the show has a chance of being a big hit for Fox, but it definitely seems to depend on how well SYTYCD can keep it going until it’s behind Idol in the spring. It’s definitely something a little different for primetime (although it cribs from a ton of other movies/shows).
However, I’m curious about what Fox’s cost/value metric is going to be for the show – it definitely doesn’t look cheap, and the pilot used a ridiculous amount of licensed music (I assume that will be a constant, due to the nature of the show).
Nick C, did you manage to find anything out Monday about the broadcast fate of Dollhouse 1×13, “Epitaph One”? We’ve been hearing FBC say publicly there are no plans “right now”, yet others reporting sources saying the network does now have the rights to air it and will do so, but no one has said when.
So, is Hell’s Kitchen cancelled? I’m not seeing it anywhere on the schedule.
Fringe got better numbers post American Idol than Glee did last night.
MM, Reilly said in the conference call that both Hell’s Kitchen and Kitchen Nightmares would be used “opportunistically”, i.e. when something else fails, in the coming season. They’re not canceled.
Isn’t there a likihood of dance fatigue with two hours on monday, three on tuesday and one on wednesday? Or are the shows so different that it doesn’t make a difference (I don’t watch either but it may give an opportunity to some other show).
wow no terminator?! anyway does anyone else wish that old show Justice was never cancelled or is that just me?
Kirk Acevedo who plays Charlie has just announced that he was fired from Fringe. I wonder if Nick C. knows about what happened there?
Fringefan: That’s interesting. I wonder how they’ll work that in since he was basically somewhere between Broyles and Dunham on the totem pole IIRC.
He was a side character but usually in every episode. He was the most likely to be fired, since I don’t think they’d fire Astrid – nobody wants to leave Walter alone in the lab! But I suppose they could fire her, too, and just gloss over that, having Peter be the main watchdog and errand runner.
It must be after they ran the numbers, the move to Vancouver wasn’t enough to cut the budget for what they want to do in season 2.
Kirk Acevedo who plays Charlie has just announced that he was fired from Fringe
Damn, I like him too. I don’t know if it’s about costs – the same article says they’re casting a new (female) FBI agent.
Again, Nick C., will you please answer my question as to why he was fired and who’s going to play Catherine?
http://community.livejournal.com/ohnotheydidnt/35387121.html#cutid1
“MID TO LATE TWENTIES. FBI AGENT SHE IS ATTRACTIVE, BRASH, OUTSPOKEN,QUICK-WITTED AND CAPABLE. CATHERINE HAS A STRONG PERSONAL CENTER THAT COMES FROM A DEEP CORE BELIEF IN THE WONDERS OF THE UNIVERSE. (RECURRING WITH POSSIBLE OPTION FOR SR) PLEASE SUBMIT ALL ETHNICITIES”
Did it have anything to do with Joshua Jackson?
Maybe the new agent is cheaper (she’s female! Pay her less! LOL!) and won’t be in every episode like Charlie usually is.
By that casting call description, it almost sounds like they want someone to be what people claim Anna Torv isn’t, as a possible foil for Olivia. But that makes no sense.
Or maybe she’s supposed to be the Olivia Dunham from the other dimension, except with a different name?
They brought in that Harris guy to be a problem for Dunham at the office, then they blew him out, maybe this new character is supposed to take up that sort of position – except the “core belief in the wonders of the universe” doesn’t jibe with that.
I don’t understand that casting at all, but who knows?
http://www.fringetelevision.com/2009/05/fringe-fail-kirk-acevedo-fired.html
Well, according to Fringe television.com, “While this is not “officially” official, I have confirmed this with an inside source. Details are scarce at this point, but Kirk is likely another victim of the WB’s cost-cutting measures. The move to Canada has caused quite a shake up on the show, with numerous behind-the-scenes people leaving as well. More info to come…”
RSH, it makes perfect sense. Torv isn’t providing what they want, and they’re casting someone to see if the panels/audience will like her and then possibly giving her the Charlie position. I said exactly what was going on with her, and now you have casting decisions back it up. Are you still going to imply I’m making them up?
It’s so funny you think she’s so likable but so many people don’t. Then you admit that this character sounds like what people claim she lacks (that you don’t agree with).
I’d heard they put out feelers for Alicia Witt to do the part. We’ll see how that goes. I’ve got more info on it all my blog about it.
“I don’t think they’d fire Astrid – nobody wants to leave Walter alone in the lab! But I suppose they could fire her, too, and just gloss over that, having Peter be the main watchdog and errand runner.”
No doubt Charlie failed to best Astrid’s 15-second round trip to “the cafeteria.”
Lots of mistakes here. Let’s see.
“Brothers” drew thunderous silence at the upfronts. Sorry, Don. I still love “Wizards and Warriors” and the first season of “The John Larroquette Show,” but this is a miss. And without football overrun in front of it (and Brad Garrett’s photos), it’s going to be sent to the bench fast.
Actually, the network’s entire Friday night disaster was pretty much snickered at. I really do think FOX could be looking at a 2 share average here. One show that shouldn’t have been picked up and two shows that shouldn’t have been renewed. They can’t be expecting any more than a 2 share. Right?
“Glee”… well, you’ve seen the ratings and you’ve seen the pilot.
3 hours of “So You Think You Can Dance” in the fall is just overkill. Especially having an hour run into “Dancing with the Stars.” Different audience, schmifferent audience. Dumb.
Sundays and Mondays fall are good. It’s good that they’ve (finally) stopped moving “House” and “Bones.” “Glee” would have been good if it were, you know, good. Sundays midseason… just leave “Cleveland” and “American Dad” alone. It’s cute that they think they have the next “Malcolm in the Middle” because Todd Holland directed the pilot, but “Sons of Tucson” ain’t that show. And “The Simpsons” isn’t much of a lead-in anymore. Take “My Name Is Earl” now that it’s available and use that as the lead-in for “Tucson,” so “Tucson” doesn’t have to stick out like a sore thumb in the middle of cartoons. Oh, and “The Cleveland Show” clips were stunningly lame. Doesn’t even really have Seth’s vocal talents going for it.
I’m sad to hear that FOX has cancelled “Shovin’ Buddies,” “Slowly Rotating Black Man” and “Crossarmed Opposites.”
Where is your blog, Nick C.? I’d like to read it. I love Alicia Witt and think she would be great on Fringe.
Fringefan,
http://nickctv.wordpress.com
Although you can also just press my name on here as it’s a link to the page.
Trust me, Nick C. is a fraud.
Except that he accurately predicted that Dollhouse might be renewed for a 2nd season when everyone laughed at him.
Nick C., when are we likely to hear on whether or not Alicia Witt will be playing the role of Catherine?
Keep pushing, Nick.
Your extrapolations of events to serve your own bias is becoming more obvious with every post.
What part of “she’s replacing Charlie, not Torv” can’t you comprehend?
“Then you admit that this character sounds like what people claim she lacks”
What part of English don’t you get, Nick? Is Esperanto your native language? I admitted nothing. I made an observation.
Look, Nick, if you want to be asshole here, I’m prepared to accommodate you and become an even bigger asshole.
I suggest you drop it before you regret it.
He can be a jerk, but the information he provides is usually correct.
I have no problem when he’s providing information, but if he thinks he can throw his weight around and expect people to bow down to him because he has some inside information on TV matters, he’s going to get a surprise from me. I couldn’t care less about his opinion on any other topic other than TV and I weigh the latter as well.
Richard Steven Hack says:
“I have no problem when he’s providing information, but if he thinks he can throw his weight around and expect people to bow down to him because he has some inside information on TV matters, he’s going to get a surprise from me.”
Could you characterize in general terms what happened the last time someone “got a surprise” from you?
Nick C’s just someone who has insider info who abuses it, because it gives him power. Pretty pathetic. Just because he is correct on some matters doesn’t mean every word he types is the gospel truth.
Riff – Brothers was only picked up as a counter part to Til Death. Both shows are only airing so that FOX can have some form of live action comedy on the schedule, and since FOX doesn’t want to mess with the stability of Sun-Thurs, Friday at 8 is used as a dumping ground for the two shows, as well as Dollhouse. And with the cancellation of Everybody Hates Chris and The Game, its nice to see a new black comedy that doesnt have Tyler Perry in the title. Til Death has been used as a launch series in the fall ever since 2006 after FOX axed all of its other comedies. After failing along with Happy Hour in the fall of 06, FOX stuck with it and put it after Idol. The show was renewed for fall of 07 and then scheduled alongside Back to You. While Back to You was the only Til Death counterpart that actually did well and better than Til Death, the strike and high production costs ultimately killed the series, and then once again Til Death was renewed and slotted along with a new comedy, Do Not Disturb, for fall 08. This series did even worse and was axed after 3 episodes with double Til Death filling in for the series, before being ultimately pulled. You would think after all of this that Til Death would actually die. But after a sweet syndication deal by Sony, FOX renewed Til Death for 22 more episodes making it closer to 100 and now its paired with Brothers. I still believe that both shows will do terribly, however I still think FOX will stick with both series for Friday nights in order to remain consistent.
Bill – Your right, Hell’s Kitchen and Kitchen Nightmares aren’t cancelled at all. Actually both series got 2 season renewals a few months ago, so similiar to how The Moment of Truth was held from Fall 2008 to Summer 2009, Kicthen Nightmares can easily air during summer 2010. I’m actually surprised it wasn’t on this summers schedules, since both shows would work better in the summer.
RSH, Threaten me over a blog? What bias am I serving here? They want a female Mulder type on the show. Big deal. You’re the one with a problem. I’d suggest from your reactions to my opinions that you seek psychiatric help before your anger issues get you into legal trouble in real life. Someone who threatens someone on a blog is in serious need of help. Please, go get it. I like too much of what you write for you to go ballistic on the highway some day soon when someone cuts you off. My differing opinion and the fact that it’s shared by a majority doesn’t mean you should get angry.
The fact is you were waiting for something official to back up my claim, it’s now there. So you’re attacking me. That’s not healthy behavior. Please calm down, sit back, and realize this matters not in your life.
sushiroll, I’ve never said my opinions are the gospel truth. Ever. I’m far from that kind of person. I may be stubborn in defending my opinions, but that is about all I’m guilty of: being stubborn. I’m also in no way abusing my information. I’m hurting nobody by providing information on shows. I’m not using it to better myself. I have a free web site, on a free server. If I go to a dedicated server whomever runs it will make money and not me. I’m not in this for money, and thus “abuse,” is really hard to prove.
rtw11, fraud of what exactly? I’ve made no claims anywhere of what I am or how I get information. So what am I faking being? So many people have called me out on here, but I’ve never been proven wrong on anything but my opinion or take on things. My information has always proven correct. I heard Chuck was about to be canceled then it turned around. I heard Chuck on Friday. Since the renewal the show’s producers have admitted in interviews or to reporters that the line of events I said happened actually happened. I told people when shows were canceled and picked up all correctly and generally all before the news reported them. Including DOLLHOUSE days before anyone even hinted that it was a real possibility. I provide information for people to do with as they want. It doesn’t make me special or make my opinion more important than any one else. If some of you think that is what I imply, then my sincere apologies.
Well, I’m mostly talking to everyone else who believes you, I think they’re foolish in believing every word you say. And I don’t think your getting any money out of this, but I do think that because you know people will believe what you say, you spin lies that make people think that your opinions are fact.
sushiroll, are you a Torv fan? Is that what this is about? I’m sorry it hurts your feelings that her Uncle still cares about her despite him hating his ex-wife (oh and he does). You should be looking at this news in a good light. They’re testing a new character to see if it can mask the issues people have with Torv. Technically if it works, it’s a good thing for everybody. Torv stops having to drop dialogue she doesn’t like and has trouble with, and someone else says them. Big deal. I’ve admitted she has talent but problems with certain scenes. If this is the solution then great.
This reminds me of a certain actor that was on ER. He scored highly in all but certain scenes. In these scenes his distaste for the lines given were clear. ER’s solution was to have someone else say those types of lines. The actor remained on the show for years and was liked by the masses.
The problem with Torv is that she has issues with two types of scenes that seem to be in every episode. If they can eliminate the problem completely by giving the lines to others for one type of scene the rest will work itself out over time.
What ER actor is that, Nick? Clooney?
Once again, that’s just your opinion. What are you, a Torv hater?
Julia, do they teach about that ER situation in school now or something? Yes, it was Clooney.
sushiroll, it’s not my opinion. It’s a fact. People have a problem with Torv in certain scenes and she has admitted not liking the lines in those scenes. This doesn’t make her a bad person or a bad actress.
If the ER analogy didn’t help here is another one:
CHEERS. On the tv show CHEERS a certain character was constantly delivering certain lines that were bringing that character’s popularity down with a certain percentage of people (it was high enough to be considered a problem). The show brings in a new character to deliver those lines in a different personality. That character went from guest to recurring to regular. The original character’s popularity went back up.
So people aren’t guessing, the original character was Diane, and the new character was Frasier.
So you shouldn’t take it as a slight on the actress, it just is what it is. Changes can also improve the show. I don’t agree with getting rid of Acevedo but what can you do?
Another thing to remember is that it’s not Torv’s fault. They learned what scenes were trouble, and the writers did a better job avoiding them in the second half of the season. Because they believe those lines are still needed they just need to give them to someone else, and then put lines that make sense for Olivia in there and her popularity will only go up.
RSH is right in that she’s adequate, so they just need to fix the problems. This isn’t unusual. It happens all the time, and trust me they don’t have Jackson doing certain scenes because he sucks at them. It’s a universal thing, and not an attack on Torv. I’m sorry that it appears that way to some.
NickC., I disagree with you alot, but you might have a point!
Nick, part of it is also when actors change their accents, sometimes they have trouble with pronounciation. When will we likely find out whether or not Alicia Witt will do the part? Do you think she’s a good choice because I do? I’ve liked her since Twin Peaks and later Mr. Hollands Opus. I think she’s a good choice.
Nick C., what are chances of Diollhouse surviving Friday night and getting the back 9 order and then a 3rd season?
they better move fringe back
tuedays were always the most boring day of tv but then fringe came along and changed that
but now they put it on when the office is on
We’ll it seems as though there are now too conflicting reports from Producer Jeffrey Pinkner and Brad Caleb Kane. This whole thing is turning into a soap opera. By the way, I think they fired him ater the scenes that Pinkner because we already know that they shot a couple of episodes for season 2.
Brad Caleb Kane
http://twitter.com/BradCalebKane
“To all my Fringe-o-philes: I’m hearing Kirk Acevedo was let go b/c the powers-that-be were having trouble serving so many characters.”
Jeff Pinkner:
http://tvguidemagazine.com/news/fringes-kirk-acevedo-was-not-fired-1215.html
“But according to exec producer Jeff Pinkner, “like all things on Fringe, there is more to this story than meets the eye.” In fact Pinkner not only confirms to TV Guide Magazine that Acevedo “was not fired,” he hints that we’ll see more Agent Francis in season 2. Literally.
“We have already seen two of him on the show,” teases Pinkner. “We have already met the second Charlie. He had a scar on his face.” Looks like The Observer wasn’t messing around when he said that there’s more than one of everything.”
No More House & The Simpsons Until 2010.
@Steven: huh?