Fox adds to its 'Empire' with Lowe, Stamos
Fox unveiled a revamp that features five new series, an all-new Tuesday lineup — and a final season of American Idol.
The network, down 20% this season despite having quick-starting Gotham and the biggest new hit in hip-hop soap Empire, will frontload its week with new comedies starring TV veterans John Stamos and Rob Lowe; a remake of the futuristic 2002 Steven Spielberg movie Minority Report; and Scream Queens, a "comedy-horror" anthology series about a sorority murder from producer Ryan Murphy (American Horror Story, Glee) that stars Emma Roberts, Jamie Lee Curtis and Lea Michele.
But the end of fading Idol, after a valedictory 15th season next year, is likely to draw nearly as much interest, signaling the end of an era. A huge hit in its heyday, the show ushered in a wave of singing competitions including The Voice, which has since eclipsed it. (The current lineup of judges will be back to reminisce.) And two returning series, early hits that faded quickly, will find new homes: For the first time, New Girl is being benched until January, when it returns on Tuesdays for a fifth season; and for its third, Sleepy Hollow moves to Thursday at 9 (opposite NBC's The Blacklist) as a new companion to Bones, back for Season 11.
Among newcomers, Grandfathered stars Stamos as a bachelor startled to learn he's not only a father, but a grandfather. And The Grinder stars Lowe as a TV lawyer who, when his hit series is canceled, moves home to join his brother (Fred Savage, The Wonder Years) at his real law firm, even though he's supremely unqualified. Rosewood, another new fall drama, stars Morris Chestnut as a Miami pathologist who teams with a cynical cop, and will lead into Empire, remaining on Wednesdays for 18 episodes, with separate fall and spring arcs.
The long-awaited X-Files reunion will air starting Jan. 24, premiering after Fox's NFC championship game, and then moves to Mondays for its short run. Other midseason series include Lucifer, based on the DC Comics character; The Frankenstein Code, about a disgraced ex-sheriff who's brought back to life; Bordertown, an animated series from Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane; and The Guide to Surviving Life, a six-episode comedy about a group of post-college roommates that will join New Girl on Tuesdays once Scream Queens ends. Fox's current weekend lineup, including solid newcomer The Last Man on Earth, remains intact.
Canceled series, as expected, include The Following, The Mindy Project, Backstrom, Mulaney, Weird Loners, Glee and Red Band Society, though it's possible Mindy will find a new home on Hulu.
Fox's fall schedule (all times ET/PT; new shows in bold, new time slots in italics)
Monday: 8, Gotham; 9, Minority Report
Tuesday: 8, Grandfathered; 8:30, The Grinder; 9, Scream Queens
Wednesday: 8, Rosewood; 9, Empire
Thursday: 8, Bones; 9, Sleepy Hollow
Friday: 8, MasterChef Junior; 9, World's Funniest
Saturday: 8, Fox Sports Saturday: College Football
Sunday: 7: NFL overrun; 7:30, The OT/Bob's Burgers; 8, The Simpsons; 8:30, Brooklyn Nine-Nine; 9, Family Guy; 9:30, The Last Man on Earth.