FOX Fall 2007 : My Hopes & Predictions

This week I'm making my hopes and predictions for the fall public for all to know. Not that anyone would want to. I'm going through and making educated guesses about which shows will be on the primetime schedules come the fall. Be it returning shows or pilots currently in development.

Be warned: I'm an expert only insofar as a self-proclaimed couch-potato can be an expert. I watch a lot of network TV and so here is how I think the fall will go down for FOX. Take a break, Peter Liguori, I'll handle things from here.

MONDAY
08.00 : Prison Break
09.00 : Company Man *new series*

Let Me Explain My Monday
I watched and loved the first season of Prison Break but the beginning of the second didn't hold my attention as well. I've heard, however, that since then they've made huge improvements. I plan to catch up on season two via DVD this summer and watch next season on a regular basis. So since FOX has already confirmed its renewal, I'm leaving Wentworth and his rebel pals in their timeslot.

I'm also a giant fan of 24, but since it gets a late start in January to allow for an uninterrupted run, I'm going with Company Man for the fall. After all, it comes from the producers of 24. The drama is a described as a thriller that centers on a regular guy working for a defense contractor who knows a little too much and gets sucked into the world of espionage. Sound a little like NBC's Chuck? The difference the tone of the series, which is everything. Thrillers have been FOX's bread and butter with the huge success of 24 and Prison Break. I think we can look forward to another hit here. The creators are Robert Cochran and David Ehrman and the pilot was directed by 24's very own Jon Cassar.

TUESDAY
08.00 : New Amsterdam *new series*
09.00 : House

Let Me Explain My Tuesday
You don't want to do too much rearranging when it comes to the hits. People make time for their favorites like House and you don't want them to have to choose between your show and another network.

The new show I'm introducing to the Tuesday lineup is New Amsterdam. It's an interesting one. The show follows a NYPD detective who has been blessed/cursed with immortality. A resident of New York City since the 1640s when it was the Dutch colony of New Amsterdam, he brings a unique perspective to solving crimes. But here's the rub, he can become mortal again once he finds his "one true love." Cheesy? Maybe, but it sounds to me like a fascinating premise. The only problem is I don't recognize a single name on the cast or crew. Maybe they'll surprise me.

WEDNESDAY
08.00 : Bones
09.00 : Them *new series*

Let Me Explain My Wednesday
Bones, like House and Prison Break have already gotten word of a new season from the network and I'm content to leave it where it is. I don't watch it but I hear it's an okay hour of TV.

Now the fun part. Like New Amsterdam, Them has a cool, funky premise. It's about an alien sleeper cell living on Earth among humans, basically gathering information for a mission they don't really know anything about. The twist is that they can become tempted by the planet's offerings and get distracted from their mission. I'm curious. The cast features Rachel Nichols and Tricia Helfer and I've never heard of any of the producers. I have a feeling though that this might end up being one of those cool ideas that the writers fail to execute well.

THURSDAY
08.00 : Action News *new series*
08.30 : The Return Of Jezebel James *new series*
09.00 : Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader?

Let Me Explain My Thursday
To start off the night, I'm selecting a pair of new comedies with a lot of potential. First off, FOX has already made a 13-episode commitment to Action News. But I'm not surprised. Kelsey Grammer and Patricia Heaton headline a cast that also includes Fred Willard. The show is about the reunion of a male-female news anchor team when, after an on-air tirade ends a network gig, Chuck Darling (Grammer) returns to his old station. The producers are Christopher Lloyd and Steven Levitan of Frasier fame. And no one with a sense of humor can deny Frasier was the pinnacle of comedy. I'm definitely looking forward to this one.

The Return Of Jezebel James marks Amy Sherman-Palladino's return to television after prematurely departing from Gilmore Girls, a show I never really watched. I've seen a few episodes and I like her writing style (remind anyone of Aaron Sorkin?), I'm only a little weary about the fact that's its a multi-camera comedy. This means the always-irritating laugh track. (You'll notice its the ONLY multi-camera pilot I'm suggesting for any network this season.) I'm just not sure how the incessant interruptions for canned chortling will affect the rhythm of the dialogue. Jezebel James stars Parker Posey (as Sarah) and Lauren Ambrose (as Coco) as estranged sisters leading very different lives who come together to raise a baby. The title comes from the name of Coco's childhood imaginary friend about whom Sarah has written a children's book.

I'm as annoyed as anybody that I have Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader? as my Thursday night anchor, but while I'm writing about my hopes here, I feel I need to use some real logic too. And logic tells me a ratings smash like this deserves a worth timeslot. (Secretly, I'm hoping CSI and Grey's Anatomy will kill it, even though they seem to be seeking out very different audiences.)

FRIDAY
08.00 : Nanny 911
09.00 : K-Ville *new series*

Let Me Explain My Friday
I don't like Nanny 911 although I did know somebody who was on the show. But I guess people watch it, so it can stay. What I'm looking forward to is a new show called K-Ville which is a police drama set in New Orleans two years after Hurricane Katrina hit. The network describes it as the "new Wild West" in that criminals roam the streets with assault weapons and the city is still in chaos. The cast features John Carroll Lynch, Tawny Cypress (last seen on NBC's Heroes) and Anthony Anderson. It sounds like it will combine quirky humor with serious police storylines. I don't know any of the writers but director Deran Sarafian as helmed some of my favorite House episodes. So I'm on the fence about this one until I actually see it.

SATURDAY
08.00 : Cops
08.30 : Cops
09.00 : America's Most Wanted

Let Me Explain My Saturday
Not much to say here. Cops and America's Most Wanted are a Saturday night staple on FOX. Who am I to stir the pot?

SUNDAY
07.00 : repeats
07.30 : repeats
08.00 : The Simpsons
08.30 : American Dad
09.00 : Family Guy
09.30 : Til Death *new night & time*

Let Me Explain My Sunday
Unlike CBS, FOX has realized scheduling shows on Sunday during football season often is tricky. Games almost always run long and cause shows to be pushed back, annoying TiVo users who end up missing most of their shows on this night. To combat this, FOX has been scheduling repeats for Sunday at 7 which can be dropped in the likely event a game runs over.

I like The Simpsons even though I don't watch it every week. I sometimes doubt whether it will ever end. American Dad annoys me as it's a less-funny rehash of Family Guy. I'm keeping all those shows where they are and moving Brad Garrett's Til Death to a new night to replace The War At Home (which I'm canceling).

MIDSEASON
As always, you need a handful of shows that can step in and serve as a replacement when one of your new shows does a swirly. I'm adding a few new dramas for the winter and I'll get to that in just a moment. But first, it should go without saying that 24 and American Idol will be back in January. I don't hate American Idol like most reality shows, but I am somewhat annoyed by it and the people whose fantasies they give in to.

I'm also hanging on to King Of The Hill for a late premiere. And I'll make a mention of Drive here, but like ABC's Traveler, it has yet to premiere so I can't say whether it warrants being on the fall schedule at this point.

Canterbury's Law is a new Denis Leary project starring Julianna Margulies who plays the title character of Elizabeth Canterbury. She is a defense attorney who is "willing to bend the law to protect the wrongfully accused." It piqued my interest so I wouldn't mind seeing it serve as a replacement later in the year.

I'm also curious about Supreme Courtships, a new show that takes an irreverent, behind-the-scenes look at the U.S. Supreme Court. It follows the lives of six twentysomething clerks made up of an impressive cast which includes Camille Guaty (FOX's Prison Break), Kate Burton (ABC's Grey's Anatomy), Kurtwood Smith (FOX's That '70s Show) and Shane West (NBC's ER). John Eisendrath (ABC's Alias) and Marty Adelstein serve as executive producers. I'll keep my eye out for this one as well.

CANCELED
FOX already put the ax to Justice, Vanished, Happy Hour, The Wedding Bells (wrongfully) and The O.C. (righfully). Now I'll take the liberty of adding The War At Home, Trading Spouses and The Winner, the latter of which is, for Rob Corddry, embarrassingly unfunny. Having never seen The War At Home, I'm killing it for no other reason than hoping to see Michael Rapaport be fugly on CBS.

EL FIN
So there, that was my run at playing the FOX Entertainment President. Liguori, you can have the job back now. I also look forward to seeing your selection next month. And that wraps it up. I won't be covering The CW. I don't watch it. At all.

FOX is fun because they tend to take more risks than anyone else when it comes to trying out new ideas. Do you think anyone else would've given 24 a shot back in 2001? Now here it is possibly going on to a seventh season. By the way, built in tagline for that season: 24/7. Get it?

Not that you asked, but my FOX shows are House, Prison Break and, of course, 24. I'm looking forward to the season finales of House and 24 next month and catching up on Prison Break on DVD this summer.

Peter Liguori announces the official FOX fall schedule on Thursday, May 17.