With the network upfronts scheduled for later this month, Fox has already added several shows for next season.
Fox has ordered five new TV series — "RideAlong," "Midland," "Traffic Light," "Keep Hope Alive" and "Wilde Kingdom" — and renewed "The Human Target" and "Lie To Me," according to The Hollywood Reporter. Since Fox airs fewer hours of programming than the other major networks, these new shows will fill a significant portion of their available time slots.
"The Shield" creator Shawn Ryan will leave "Lie to Me" in favor of his new series "RideAlong," which follows the first female police chief of Chicago teaming up with a "rogue cowboy cop" in order to clean up the streets. "Midland" (which may be retitled "Lone Star) is drama series set in Texas that features a con man's adventures in the oil industry.
"Keep Hope Alive" and "Traffic Light" are both half-hour live action comedies which are expected to be paired together. "Wilde Kingdom" is also a half-hour comedy starring Will Arnett as a "Beverly Hills jerk" who falls for "a charitable, tree-hugging woman" who detests his lifestyle and values. Arnett also co-wrote the pilot episode.
"The Human Target" may be held back until January to fill the action void left by the end of "24." The series is based upon the DC Comic book of the same name and stars Mark Valley as Christopher Chance, a private contractor who goes to great lengths to protect his clients from threats to their lives. Chi McBride ("Pushing Daisies") and Jackie Earle Haley ("A Nightmare on Elm Street") also star in the series, which will receive a 13 episode second season.
"Lie to Me" will also return for 13 episodes in its third season. It stars Tim Roth as Dr. Cal Lightman, an expert on body language and applied psychology who is frequently used by law enforcement officials to crack their toughest cases.
