Fox's upfront previews: Renewology | Upfront Questions
More Upfront Answers: NBC | Fox | ABC | CBS | CW
Monday
| 8:00 | 8:30 | 9:00 | 9:30 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lucifer | THE GIFTED | ||
Spot's Question: What becomes of Gotham and Lucifer?
After a year of mistreatment, what a twist to see this pair split up and both used as lead-ins to new dramas! To some degree, this was probably born out of the new show choices. Lethal Weapon would've been a fine choice as a newbie lead-in as well, but perhaps not these particular newbies.
Tuesday
| 8:00 | 8:30 | 9:00 | 9:30 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lethal Weapon | The Mick | Brooklyn Nine-Nine | |
Spot's Question: How heavily will Fox invest in weeknight comedies?
They didn't wipe them out entirely or dedicate a whole night, sticking with two returnees that were paired this spring and giving the "better" slot to the younger one. Light procedural Lethal Weapon seems like a sensible enough pairing, but it is a pretty tough break for that show to be thrown against CBS' strongest procedural along with The Voice and The Flash.
Wednesday
| 8:00 | 8:30 | 9:00 | 9:30 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Empire | Star | ||
Spot's Question: What joins Empire this year?
After stubbornly leaving Empire at 9:00 through its prime years, Fox has finally pulled the trigger on an 8:00 scheduling for Empire, and it will lead into fellow Lee Daniels drama Star. Not sure about the season length on Star but maybe a new show will get the Empire lead-in at some point down the line? Either way, putting Empire at 8:00 is the right thing even if it's long overdue.
Thursday
| 8:00 | 8:30 | 9:00 | 9:30 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gotham | THE ORVILLE | ||
Spot's Question: Will Gordon Ramsay stay on a weeknight?
Nope. Fox reinvents Thursday yet again, going with Gotham and Seth MacFarlane's The Orville as its second genre-themed night. Both of these genre nights will be thrown up against the NFL, but considering the looming This Is Us threat on Thursday in addition to TGIT, this was still a good way for Fox to counter-program.
Friday
| 8:00 | 8:30 | 9:00 | 9:30 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hell's Kitchen | The Exorcist | ||
Spot's Question: How hard will Fox try on Friday?
Exactly as hard as last year. Still not exactly sure what Fox sees in The Exorcist, but given its renewal, this was the place for it to be.
Sunday
| 8:00 | 8:30 | 9:00 | 9:30 |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Simpsons | GHOSTED | Family Guy | The Last Man on Earth |
Spot's Question: Which live action comedies will get Sunday exposure?
Top new comedy Ghosted gets the prime spot after football-fueled The Simpsons while The Last Man on Earth stays where it is. Good job.
FINAL THOUGHTS
We all know that Fox doesn't have much going for it. In that kind of state, arguably the best approach for a network is to try to make big splashes with genre stuff, and that's what Fox is doing here. Meanwhile, the network hopes to slow the bleeding on Wednesday by putting its best foot forward with Star, and on Tuesday where Lethal Weapon should at least do better anchoring an evening than Rosewood did. Overall, it's a sensible effort and manages to avoid feeling as ridiculously complacent as the Fox sked from a year ago.
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