Fox Fall Annotated

[Mark Jeffries]

The first schedule of the new, no-studio owned, not the primary money-maker of the company Fox (headed by Charlie Collier, whose dad Chet was Roger Ailes' mentor at Westinghouse and had positions at CNBC/America's Talking and Fox News until his death in 2007) has changes all over the place, the most noteworthy the presumed symbol of New Fox on hold to mid-season and the actual symbol of New Fox challenging "Survivor."  Scheduled as listed in The Wrap, new shows in all caps:

MONDAY

8-9 P.M. — “9-1-1”

9-10 P.M. — “PRODIGAL SON”--Greg Berlanti's umpteenth series is about a psychologist (played by Tom Payne) whose dad was a notorious serial killer known as "The Surgeon," giving him a unique insight into the criminal mind (and an assist to detective Lou Diamond Phillips).  Michael Sheen and Bellamy Young are also in the cast.  Berlanti's home Warners produces, with New Fox owning a piece of the show.

TUESDAY

8-9 P.M. — “The Resident”

9-10 P.M. — “Empire”--On a new night on what could be the last season, if the whole Jussie Smollett becomes as disastrous as it seems (no indication if he's coming back).

WEDNESDAY

8-9 P.M. — “The Masked Singer”--That's right, folks, the most ludicrous reality show ever will be back for TWO cycles going against "Survivor" head-to-head.  Will the CBS eye blink?  By the way, New Fox is now producing the series in-house, kicking out international format owner (for South Korea's MBC) Endemol Shine (run by Rupert's daughter Elisabeth)--showrunner Craig Plestis is staying on, so his Smart Dog Media vanity card will still be seen).

9-10 P.M. — “NOT JUST ME”--This new show from "Friday Night Lights"' Jason Katins is the story of a girl (Brittany Snow) who unbeknownst to her has 100 brothers and sisters by the sperm of her fertility doctor father (Timothy Hutton).  Along with two of those offspring (played by Megalyn Echikunwoke and Emily Osment), she learns to adjust to her new life and the quirks of her newfound sisters.  Produced by Universal with New Fox part-ownership.

THURSDAY

7:30-8 P.M. ET/4:30-5 P.M PT- “Thursday Night Football” pregame show

8 P.M. — NFL Football

FRIDAY

8-10 P.M. — “WWE’S SMACKDOWN LIVE”--Back on OTA TV from USA and on its third OTA network (four if you count MyTV).  You know the format.

SATURDAY

7-10:30 P.M. — “Fox Sports Saturday: Fox College Football”

SUNDAY

7-7:30 P.M. — NFL on Fox

7:30-8 P.M. “The OT” / Fox Encores

8-8:30 P.M. — “The Simpsons”

8:30-9 P.M. — “BLESS THE HARTS”--As Fox's longstanding Sunday night cartoons are nearing the end for-real-no-kidding, here's a new animated series from Phil Lord and Christopher Miller (and produced by 20th-Century Fox Television, now part of Disney and producers of the three series that are now nearing their end) created by Emily Spivey about a poor-but-proud southern family.  The voice cast includes Sikula's honey Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph, Jillian Bell and Ike Barinholtz.

9-9:30 P.M. — “Bob’s Burgers”

9:30-10 P.M. — “Family Guy”

That's right--"Last Man Standing," the presumed symbol of New Fox, will be back mid-season.  Joining it:

DRAMA:

"9-1-1:  LONE STAR"--New Fox thinks it has a new procedural franchise on its hands (despite the fact that creator Ryan Murphy is now working for Netflix), so here it is, about the first responders in Austin, the Texas equivalent to Portland, with Rob Lowe (currently hosting Fox's game show "Mental Samurai") as the recent transfer from NEW YORK CITY!  Still produced by 20th.  Premiering after the NFC championship on Sun. Jan. 19 and airing on Monday nights thereafter.

'DEPUTY"--There's a new sheriff in LA, and Stephen Dorff's bringing Old West justice to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department in what may be one of the few police procedurals with a guitar-and-harmonica music score.  From Canada's EOne (but shot in LA) and New Fox as part-owner.

"FILTHY RICH"--Televangelist Eugene Monreaux (Gerald McRaney) is allegedly dead, wife Kim Cattrall is running the ministry and the family is circling like vultures at all of that tax-free money.  Based on a New Zealand series which may be currently running on Hulu (which doesn't have the Christian TV angle) and no relation to the early 80s Linda Bloodworth-Thomason soap parody with Delta Burke and Dixie Carter.  Produced by 20th and Imagine.

"NEXT"--After unwittingly developing an AI system that could doom mankind as we know it, Roger Ster--uh, John Slattery tries to shut it down, but is kicked out of the high-tech company he founded by his younger brother.  He then joins up with "Special Agent" (of what, unknown) Fernanda Andrade to bring his creation.  Manny Coto of the "24" reboot's the creator, from 20th.

COMEDIES:

'DUNCANVILLE"--The other hopeful successor to the long-running Sunday night cartoons is this animated series from another favorite of Sikula Amy Poehler and Mike and Julie Scully about a teenaged boy (voiced by Poehler) with a rich fantasy life.  Poehler's also the voice of the mom, other voices include Ty Burrell, Rashida Jones, rapper Wiz Kalifa and Oates of Garfunkel and Oates Riki Lindhome.  Produced by 20th and Universal, with Bento Box ("Bob's Burgers") doing the animation. One press release quote:  "DUNCANVILLE is in the long tradition of FOX Sunday night animation, and has just started production on a line of over-priced, shoddily produced merchandise for the whole family."

"THE GREAT NORTH"--And here's another cartoon from "Bob's Burgers" creator Loren Bouchard and writers the Molyneaux sisters about a family in Alaska where the breadwinner goes out and fishes instead of flipping burgers.  Voices include Mr. & Mrs. Nick Offerman, Jenny Slate and Will Forte.  No studio known yet.

"OUTMATCHED"--The only live-action new comedy series is a multi-cam family comedy about an Atlantic City family where three of the four precocious sitcom kids are certified geniuses, making them hard for a casino pit boss (Maggie Lawson) and handyman spiritual brother to Mike Baxter (Jason Biggs) to figure out.  "Newhart" creator Barry Kemp's one of the creators, produced by 20th.  It'll probably be paired with "Last Man Standing" mid-season.

UNSCRIPTED:

'ULTIMATE TAG"--No, this isn't a "30 Rock" parody.  Probably ending up in the summer and hosted by football player brothers  JJ, TJ and Derek Watt.  From a former "MasterChef" showrunner.

Meanwhile, "Beat Shazam," "So You Think You Can Dance" and "MasterChef" are joined this summer by the new Justin Timberlake-produced "Spin the Wheel" with host Dax Shepard (they could've tried to get his wife)--and the meta reboot of "90210" "BH90210," starring Kevin Marousek's girl friend Shannen Doherty, not to mention the aftershow parody "What Just Happened!!?", starring Fred Savage as Chris Hardwick.

ABC tomorrow.

[Dave Sikula]

This really just needs Kate McKinnon to complete the Axis of Awful.

—Dave Sikula

[Bob Jersey]

Mark Jeffries, in part, Monday (5/13):

COMEDIES:

[...]

"THE GREAT NORTH"--And here's another cartoon from "Bob's Burgers" creator Loren Bouchard and writers the Molyneaux sisters about a family in Alaska where the breadwinner goes out and fishes instead of flipping burgers.  Voices include Mr. & Mrs. Nick Offerman, Jenny Slate and Will Forte.  No studio known yet.

Per Alex Welch of TVByTheNumbers, it's 20th.

https://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/more-tv-news/deputy-next-prodigal-son-outmatched-and-the-great-north-get-series-orders-at-fox/ (link)

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