Schedules Plus, Fox Thursday

Schedules Plus is another innovative application of the historical ratings statistic A18-49+. I hope this will be the ultimate resource for comparing the evolution of shows, networks and timeslots over time, complete with ratings numbers that make a fair adjustment for the collective decline. Right now this only includes programs aired in the fall. Much more about the process that went into this at the bottom.

The executive decision is made; there will be separate Fox tables for fall and for winter on the Monday-Friday posts, since their lineups drastically change at midseason much more often than other networks. The winter tables chronicle January/February lineups and may still omit a bunch of spring replacements. We'll start with Thursday, a night on which Fox was completely off the radar during the days of those epic clashes between Survivor/CSI and Friends/ER. It took a move of old reliable Bones to achieve some Thursday respectability, and it took an even more drastic move of American Idol to become a true threat for #1.

Fox Thursday Fall

	8:00	8:30	9:00	9:30	Avg
2001-02	Family Guy	The Tick	Temptation Island		62
	51	54	71
	53
2002-03	30 Seconds to Fame		(various)		47
	45		50
2003-04	Tru Calling		(repeats)		44
	46		42
2004-05	The OC		North Shore		62
	81		43
2005-06	The OC		Reunion		58
	66		50
2006-07	Til Death	Happy Hour	The OC		50
	56	51	47
	54
2007-08	Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?		Don't Forget the Lyrics		82
	78		86
2008-09	Hole in the Wall		Kitchen Nightmares		67
	61		74
2009-10	Bones		Fringe		92
	102		82
2010-11	Bones		Fringe		87
	100		74
2011-12	The X Factor Thu		Bones		134
	155		114
2012-13	The X Factor Thu		Glee		122
	132		111
2013-14	The X Factor Thu		Glee		87
	89		85
2014-15	Bones		Gracepoint		62
	74		50
Avg	81		70		75

Fox Thursday Winter

	8:00	8:30	9:00	9:30	Avg
2001-02	Family Guy	The Tick	Temptation Island		62
	51	54	71
	53
2002-03	(movies)				44
	44		44
2003-04	Tru Calling		(repeats)		44
	46		42
2004-05	The OC		Point Pleasant		62
	81		44
2005-06	That '70s Show		The OC		69
	71		66
2006-07	Til Death	The War at Home	The OC		50
	56	51	47
	54
2007-08	Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?		Don't Forget the Lyrics		82
	78		86
2008-09	Bones		Hell's Kitchen		103
	88		118
2009-10	Bones		Fringe		92
	102		82
2010-11	American Idol Thu		Bones		200
	271		129
2011-12	American Idol Thu		The Finder		147
	200		94
2012-13	American Idol Thu		Glee		137
	175		99
2013-14	American Idol Thu		Rake		98
	136		59
2014-15	American Idol Thu		Backstrom		99
	138		60
Avg	110		74		92

2014-15 Update: As on Wednesday, Fox found itself nowhere close to the ratings of cancelled The X Factor in the fall. Unlike on Wednesday, it couldn't turn things around at midseason, as new drama Backstrom (60) went one-and-done. Things probably won't get too much better this fall as the network phones it in with two declining veterans. It feels like the end is finally getting near for Bones, but it gets one more shot in the Thursday lead-off role. At 9/8c is fall 2013 smash Sleepy Hollow, which dropped massively in season two (92).

See here for more explanations/disclaimers about Schedules Plus.