After January, watching Fox may seem like an experience from a parallel world.
Fox has unveiled its 2010/2011 midseason schedule, with several surprising decisions. For sci-fi fans, the relocation of "Fringe" from Thursday to Friday nights is somewhat alarming, given the large number of genre shows that have died on that night for the last 15 years, including "Millennium," "Dark Angel" and "Firefly."
"'Fringe' has a very particular, loyal audience," Fox Entertainment President Kevin Reilly explained to Deadline. "If ('Fringe') could stay near the current levels, we'll get a big trade-up on Friday and will solve our problem there."
Almost half of the audience for "Fringe" reportedly views the series via DVR. Reilly also indicated that the network will not pick up additional episodes of "The Good Guys" or "Running Wilde," which have both struggled for ratings.
For the broader audience, the more shocking move may be the migration of "American Idol" from a Tuesday/Wednesday schedule to a Wednesday/Thursday schedule. The long-running reality singing competition was radically retooled with Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler stepping into the chairs of departing judges Simon Cowell and Kara DioGuardi.
"We have been looking at Thursday for a long time," added Fox's reality chief Mike Darnell. "It is a tough nut to crack, and if you want to crack it, you have to make a big move there."
"It felt like the right time to make the move," continued Darnell. "Now we can own Thursday."
The complete Fox midseason schedule can be found below:
MONDAY
Mondays, beginning Jan. 17:
8:00-9:00 PM HOUSE (All-New Episodes)
9:00-10:00 PM LIE TO ME (All-New Episodes)
Mondays, beginning Feb. 7
8:00-9:00 PM HOUSE (All-New Episodes)
9:00-10:00 PM THE CHICAGO CODE (Series Premiere)
****************************
TUESDAY
Tuesdays, beginning Jan. 4:
8:00-9:00 PM GLEE (Encore Episodes)
9:00-10:00 PM MILLION DOLLAR MONEY DROP (All-New Episodes)
Tuesdays, beginning Feb. 8:
8:00-9:00 PM GLEE (All-New Episodes)
9:00-9:30 PM RAISING HOPE (All-New Episodes)
9:30-10:00 PM MIXED SIGNALS (Series Premiere)
***************************
WEDNESDAY
Wednesday, Jan. 5 and 12:
8:00-10:00 PM HUMAN TARGET (All-New, Two-Hour Episodes)
Wednesday, Jan. 19:
8:00-10:00 PM AMERICAN IDOL (Two-Hour Season Premiere, Part One)
Wednesdays, beginning Jan. 26:
8:00-9:00 PM AMERICAN IDOL
9:00-10:00 PM HUMAN TARGET (All-New Episodes)
Wednesdays, beginning Feb. 16:
8:00-10:00 PM AMERICAN IDOL (Two-Hour Episodes)
Wednesdays, beginning April 6:
8:00-9:30 PM AMERICAN IDOL (90-Minute Episodes)
9:30-10:00 PM BREAKING IN (Series Premiere)
***************************
THURSDAY
Thursdays, beginning Jan. 6:
8:00-9:00 PM MILLION DOLLAR MONEY DROP (All-New Episodes)
9:00-10:00 PM BONES (Encore Episodes)
Thursdays, beginning Jan. 20:
8:00-9:00 PM AMERICAN IDOL (Season Premiere, Part Two)
9:00-10:00 PM BONES (Time Period Premiere)
***************************
FRIDAY
Fridays, beginning Jan. 28:
8:00-9:00 PM KITCHEN NIGHTMARES (All-New Episodes)
9:00-10:00 PM FRINGE (Time Period Premiere)
**************************
SATURDAY
Saturdays, beginning Jan. 22 (no change to lineup):
8:00-8:30 PM COPS (All-New Episodes)
8:30-9:00 PM COPS (Encore Episodes)
9:00-10:00 PM AMERICA’S MOST WANTED (All-New Episodes)
**************************
SUNDAY
7:00-7:30 PM THE SIMPSONS (Encore Episodes)
7:30-8:00 PM AMERICAN DAD
8:00-8:30 PM THE SIMPSONS
8:30-9:00 PM BOB’S BURGERS (Series Premiere)
9:00-9:30 PM FAMILY GUY
9:30-10:00 PM THE CLEVELAND SHOW
