The Season That Was, and the Season Ahead

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Thanks to megahits American Idol and 24, Fox is clearly second behind CBS as the 2005-06 season comes to a close. And #1 with the highly-coveted 18-49 demographic. Yet unlike CBS, they tend to be sloppier with their programming schedule. Thus, the overall product is not quite as polished.

Because for every Idol, there’s Head Cases. For every 24, we give you Kitchen Confidential. Which is why it seems like Fox is going back to the drawing board every fall.

Staying Put: American Dad, American Idol, America’s Most Wanted, Bones, COPS, Family Guy, Hell’s Kitchen*, House, King of the Hill*, The Loop*,
Nanny 911*, The O.C., Prison Break, The Simpsons, So You Think You Can Dance, Trading Spouses*, 24, War at Home

Coming Soon: Duets#, Happy Hour, Justice, On the Lot#, Standoff,
‘Til Death, Vanished, The Wedding Album, The Winner#

Say Goodbye: Arrested Development, Bernie Mac, Head Cases, Killer Instinct, Kitchen Confidential, Malcolm in the Middle, Reunion, Stacked, That 70s Show

* Not a full-season pickup
# Mid-season replacement

First things last: Not a big fan of Fox’s new offerings. Only Vanished, another 24 hybrid, comes across as a potential double threat: good show, good ratings. Could be the coming season’s Prison Break(which it’s paired with). Duets is a reality spin-off from Simon Cowell that will attract viewers. Happy Hour and ‘Til Death look like your quintesential horrible Fox comedy. Justice, with Alias’ Victor Garber, looks like a really boring legal drama. The Winner could be funny: the pitch is a successful 40 year-old man reflecting on his slacker days. But it’s only a mid-season replacement.

Monday
8 Prison Break
9 Vanished

Tuesday
8 Standoff
9 House

Wednesday
8 Bones
9 Justice

Thursday
8 ‘Til Death
8:30 Happy Hour
9 The O.C.

Friday
8 Nanny 911
9 Trading Spouses

Saturday
8 COPS
9 America’s Most Wanted

Sunday
7 NFL Football(overrun)
8 The Simpsons
8:30 American Dad
9 Family Guy
9:30 The War at Home

Strongest Night(s): Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday (in 2007)

Weakest Night(s): Wednesday (in 2006), Thursday and Sunday

First New Show(s) to Go: ‘Happy Hour and ‘Til Death

My Take: Fox’s lineup does seem a bit more stable compared to years past. But that’s partly due to questionably renewing dead weight like King of the Hill and the awful War at Home. It’s amazing how fast The O.C.‘s star has fallen: they’re probably already preparing for its departure. Fox will tread water in the fall with solid shows like House, and count the days ’til the new year – when American Idol and Jack Bauer arrive to save the day…