Dana Walden and Gary Newman, Chairmen and CEOs, Fox Television Group, today will unveil the FOX primetime slate for the 2016-2017 television season to the national advertising community during its annual Programming Presentation at the Beacon Theatre.
“Next season on FOX, we’ll have more original programming across our schedule than ever before,” said Walden and Newman. “We’ll use our strong established hits in the fall and Super Bowl LI in winter to launch a diverse slate of shows that are unmistakably FOX. We’re proud of our new series, directed and created by some of the most celebrated talent in the entertainment industry. And, we are pleased to be returning to our schedule many of our most beloved shows!”
Of note to the blog, the new dramas joining the schedule this fall include “Lethal Weapon,” which follows iconic cop duo Riggs and Murtaugh, as they work a crime-ridden beat in modern-day Los Angeles. Clayne Crawford and Damon Wayans, Sr. star. It will take over the slot currently occupied by “Rosewood” (the Morris Chestnut procedural), airing on Wednesday’s at 8pm, leading into “Empire” at 9pm. “Rosewood” is moving to Thursday nights at 8PM, right before “Bones” at 9pm. A noteworthy shift here, because, as I said before, I believe “Rosewood’s” ratings have been helped in part because it’s the lead-in for “Empire,” which is FOX’s hottest show right now. Moving it to Thursday nights before “Bones” could affect its numbers. It also now puts it in direct competition with a Shonda Rhimes series (“Grey’s Anatomy”) which airs at 8PM on Thursdays. And even though it’s not “Scandal” or “How to Get Away With Murder,” going up against “Grey’s” could still have some effect on the series’ ratings (at least, the live numbers).
But I suppose FOX wants to use “Empire” as a launching pad for “Lethal Weapon” just as it did for “Rosewood” last year, when it premiered. Even though “Empire” airs at 9pm, its presence on Wednesday nights helps lift all of Fox’s programming for the night (even the shows that come before it).
In 2017, additional new series joining the schedule include “24: Legacy,” which will debut with a special two-night event beginning Sunday, Feb. 5 (10-11 PM ET), following Super Bowl LI, and continuing with its time period premiere on Monday, Feb. 6 (8-9 PM ET/PT; which is “Gotham’s” usual slot; I don’t know what means for “Gotham” after February 2017). The series chronicles an adrenaline-fueled race against the clock to stop a devastating terrorist attack on United States soil – in the same real-time format that has propelled this genre-defining series. Starring Corey Hawkins, Miranda Otto and Jimmy Smits, “24: Legacy” reunites the original series’ award-winning producing team of Howard Gordon, Brian Grazer, Manny Coto and Evan Katz; director Stephen Hopkins; and “24” star Kiefer Sutherland, who all serve as executive producers.
This is a major push for the new series, premiering it just after the Super Bowl! It’ll likely be marketed throughout the Super Bowl game.
Also being added as a mid-season replacement in early 2017 will be Lee Daniels’ new series, “Star,” headlined by Queen Latifah and Benjamin Bratt. Three talented singers (newcomers Jude Demorest, Ryan Destiny and Brittany O’Grady), desperate for a new start and with ambitions of stardom, navigate the cut-throat music business on their road to success. With a soundtrack of original music and performances, the series also features guest star Lenny Kravitz.
“Star” will take over “Empire’s” Wednesday 9pm slot, but in the spring of 2017, after “Empire’s” season ends.
And from executive producer Dan Fogelman comes “Pitch,” the dramatic and emotional story of Ginny Baker (played by Kylie Bunbury), who becomes the first woman to play Major League Baseball – under the glare of a white-hot media spotlight. The inspiring series also stars Mark-Paul Gosselaar, Ali Larter, Mark Consuelos and Dan Lauria. “Pitch” will premiere in the spring of 2017, airing on Tuesday nights from 9-10pm.
In the next action-packed chapter of “Prison Break,” original series stars Wentworth Miller, Dominic Purcell, Sarah Wayne Callies, Amaury Nolasco, Robert Knepper, Rockmond Dunbar and Paul Adelstein are reunited for an all-new adventure spanning the globe. When clues surface that suggest a previously thought-to-be-dead Michael Scofield (Miller) may be alive, his brother, Lincoln Burrows (Purcell), reunites with Michael’s wife, Sara (Callies), and Fox River State Penitentiary’s most notorious escapees to engineer the series’ biggest breakout ever.
From Gina Prince-Bythewood and Reggie Rock Bythewood comes “Shots Fired” – a compelling event series examining the dangerous aftermath of racially charged shootings in a small Southern town. The timely series stars Sanaa Lathan, Stephan James, Helen Hunt, Richard Dreyfuss, Stephen Moyer, Clare-Hope Ashitey, DeWanda Wise and others. FOX has set Wednesday’s at 8pm as the series’ air day and time, when it premieres in the spring of 2017. So it’ll be a lead-in to Lee Daniels’ “Star” at 9pm, also in the spring of 2017.
That’s all for now.
Of course we know that “Sleepy Hollow” is coming back. It’ll be a mid-season replacement, returning in the spring of 2017, airing on Friday’s from 9-10pm.
Additional schedule information to be announced.
Following are the FOX fall 2016 primetime schedule and FOX midseason 2016-2017 primetime schedule
. (All Times ET/PT):
MONDAY
8:00-9:00 PM GOTHAM
9:00-10:00 PM LUCIFER
TUESDAY
8:00-8:30 PM BROOKLYN NINE-NINE
8:30-9:00 PM NEW GIRL
9:00-10:00 PM SCREAM QUEENS
WEDNESDAY
8:00-9:00 PM LETHAL WEAPON (new)
9:00-10:00 PM EMPIRE
THURSDAY
8:00-9:00 PM ROSEWOOD
9:00-10:00 PM BONES
FRIDAY
8:00-9:00 PM HELL’S KITCHEN
9:00-10:00 PM THE EXORCIST (new)
SATURDAY
7:00-10:30 PM FOX SPORTS SATURDAY: FOX COLLEGE FOOTBALL
SUNDAY
7:00-7:30 PM NFL ON FOX
7:30-8:00 PM THE OT / BOB’S BURGERS
8:00-8:30 PM THE SIMPSONS
8:30-9:00 PM SON OF ZORN (new)
9:00-9:30 PM FAMILY GUY
9:30-10:00 PM THE LAST MAN ON EARTH
FOX MIDSEASON 2016-2017 SCHEDULE
(All Times ET/PT)
MONDAY
8:00-9:00 PM 24: LEGACY (new) / GOTHAM (spring)
9:00-10:00 PM APB (new) / LUCIFER (spring)
TUESDAY
8:00-8:30 PM NEW GIRL / BROOKLYN NINE-NINE (spring)
8:30-9:00 PM THE MICK (new)
9:00-10:00 PM KICKING & SCREAMING (new) / PITCH (new; spring)
WEDNESDAY
8:00-9:00 PM LETHAL WEAPON / SHOTS FIRED (new; spring)
9:00-10:00 PM STAR (new) / EMPIRE (spring)
THURSDAY
8:00-9:00 PM ROSEWOOD
9:00-10:00 PM PRISON BREAK (new)
FRIDAY
8:00-9:00 PM MASTERCHEF JUNIOR
9:00-10:00 PM SLEEPY HOLLOW
SATURDAY
8:00-10:00 PM FOX SPORTS SATURDAY
SUNDAY
7:00-7:30 PM ANIMATION ENCORES
7:30-8:00 PM BOB’S BURGERS
8:00-8:30 PM THE SIMPSONS
8:30-9:00 PM MAKING HISTORY (new)
9:00-9:30 PM FAMILY GUY
9:30-10:00 PM THE LAST MAN ON EARTH
EDITOR’S NOTE: Photos from the new and returning series are available at www.foxflash.com. Additionally, embeddable promotional video from the new series will be posted to www.foxflash.com at the conclusion of the FOX 2016 Programming Presentation shortly after 5:00 PM ET today.]
