Best laid plans, etc.: Although we intended to run our prospective schedules on back-to-back days this week, the posting of Arrow season finale photos kind of killed the server for a little bit yesterday, rendering us unable to make a post. So, our FOX schedule is a day later than expected, with NBC to come tomorrow.
So here we are, Craig Byrne and Shilo Adams, today making some hopes and guesses for the FOX 2014-2015 schedule, which should drop on Monday. This year, FOX virtually eliminated the “pilot process” and many projects that they were developing went to series. They didn’t renew The X Factor, but they do have a wealth of programming that should last the year. This big amount of programming also meant that making a prospective schedule was hard, and we’re curious which way FOX goes with it.
Let’s get started. You can read our columns about ABC, The CW, and CBS here.
SHILO: FOX likely did a bit of damage to its Sunday Animation Domination lineup by shifting it around in favor of Cosmos, so for next season, the network should try to stop the bleeding and reform the lineup as best it can. 9:30 will be an intriguing slot to watch for the entire season, since Seth MacFarlane animated comedy Bordertown was ordered early enough to make it to the fall schedule. If that only ends up with 13 episodes, which seems likely no matter how compatible it might end up being with Family Guy, the network will have to slide a live-action comedy into its Sunday lineup for the first time since Sons of Tucson in 2010.
CRAIG: In the Fall, the 7pm hour is usually taken up by Football overrun, “The OT,” or repeats, so I don’t expect that to change. After that? I expect Animation Domination to be a thing again, with The Simpsons at 8, Bob’s Burgers at 8:30, Family Guy at 9, and Seth MacFarlane’s new animated comedy Bordertown at 9:30, since American Dad is moving to TBS. This is probably the least drastically changed night in my scheduling scenario.
CRAIG: I’d lead the night off with Sleepy Hollow, but at 9PM I might take a risk, putting one of FOX’s highest-profile new dramas in the 9PM slot. That would be the musical drama Empire. I say this is risky because we all remember when they launched Lone Star in this slot and it fizzled within 2 weeks. But, maybe it could really shine in that slot? Anyway, that’s my bold move and I’m going to stick with it, even if it comes off as stupid.
SHILO: Conventional wisdom would have Gotham as the 8:00 show in this lineup, with Sleepy Hollow staying put at 9:00. Gotham should be enough of a self-starter to where it won’t need a lead-in, while Sleepy Hollow could use the hype from the comic-based series to stave off any sophomore declines. However, DC won’t want Gotham and The Flash to cannibalize one another’s audience, so if The CW does as we’ve expected and puts the Grant Gustin-fronted series Mondays at 8:00, Gotham will likely end up at 9:00 the same night. Sleepy Hollow should be strong enough to act as a lead-in and isn’t gory enough for 8:00 to be a problem, while Gotham will have enough of a built-in audience to solidify the night as a whole.
TUESDAY
CRAIG: Although it was critically drubbed, Dads still did better at 8:00 than it had any right to do, so I’m going to lead off Tuesday nights with that other Tuesday night male comedy, one that’s actually really good: Brooklyn Nine-Nine. Get people started and laughing, and then everything’s gravy. To follow it, I’d slot Mulaney, and in the second hour, I’d put New Girl and The Mindy Project, even if they’re not setting the world on ratings fire anymore.
SHILO: Even though FOX’s Tuesday comedy bloc hasn’t been successful, I don’t see the network abandoning it anytime soon. They could opt to cut it to an hour and use a drama in the other hour, but I think structurally, the foursome will be similar to this year’s lineup. Despite its alarming drop this season, New Girl stays at 9:00, if only to get the fall bounce that comes with airing in a more highly viewed time period, with Brooklyn Nine-Nine reverting back to the 8:30 time slot it showed so much promise in before deflating at 9:30. The Mindy Project could become FOX’s Mike & Molly, aka the veteran comedy relegated to first-off-the-bench status, but I think the gap between it and the field has closed enough to where it gets a fall launch. At 8:00, meanwhile, FOX puts Mulaney, a multi-cam that will fit in with the lineup better than Dads did this past season. The network seems to want to get back into the multi-cam genre and using Mulaney feels like an easier transition than going with a show at odds with their established comedy brand.
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