Midseason Report Card: FOX

BIGGEST SURPRISE

Shilo: I’m surprised at just how strong Lethal Weapon has been. I figured it would get sampled considering the title, the way it was scheduled, and the type of show it is, but I think it’s held up fabulously considering how down Empire has been and how poorly FOX has done this season. FOX’s obsession with buddy procedurals might be comedic at this point, but when they do them right and give them the proper platform, they perform more often than not. This is the type of sturdy performer that the network needs more of if they want to climb out of the hole they’re in right now, so while Lethal Weapon might not be sexy critic bait, it’s more than doing its job and should be a network staple for seasons to come.

Craig: I think I was actually surprised that the Rosewood/Pitch combo did so badly. It wouldn’t count as my “biggest disappointment” – but it’s surely frustrating for the network.

BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT

Craig: FOX Tuesdays are a hot mess. Scream Queens probably should not have been renewed, and for whatever reason, perhaps showing the age of the respective series, the earlier hour isn’t working. It’s unfortunate, because there can and should still be some life in New Girl and Brooklyn Nine-Nine, but Tuesday nights might not be where that can work.

Shilo: I feel like Son of Zorn could be doing better. It’s in the ideal scheduling situation (e.g. away from The Walking Dead, in between two well-rated comedies, close to the football halo) and while its numbers are renewable in a vacuum, it doesn’t seem to take advantage when The Simpsons has a big night. Without football, it’s in the same tier as The Last Man on Earth, New Girl, and Brooklyn Nine-Nine and FOX isn’t going to be able to renew every show in that ratings region, particularly if both The Mick and Making History both do acceptable-for-FOX numbers. Helping Zorn is the fact that it will have football bumps for most of its remaining episodes, but I’d really like to see how it’d perform post-Family Guy and whether it might be able to put up numbers similar to its sans-football ones in a tougher slot.