Fox officially released their fall schedule today, with just one new drama and two new comedies on the slate. The buzzed-about new Texas soap Lonestar is the beneficiary of the House lead-in on Mondays. This year's success story Glee moved to 8:00 to kickstart a night of comedy on Tuesdays with Raising Hope and Running Wilde in the 9:00 hour. Lie to Me will team with Hell's Kitchen for Wednesdays, while the Bones/Fringe pairing will continue on Thursdays. Fox is keeping Fridays scripted, with comic adaptation Human Target and this summer's The Good Guys. Saturdays, as always, are devoted to Cops and America's Most Wanted, and Sundays go to the animated comedies. Check out the full schedule after the jump.
New shows are in bold.
MONDAY
8:00 --- House
9:00 --- Lonestar
TUESDAY
8:00 --- Glee
9:00 --- Raising Hope
9:30 --- Running Wilde
WEDNESDAY
8:00 --- Lie to Me
9:00 --- Hell's Kitchen
THURSDAY
8:00 --- Bones
9:00 --- Fringe
FRIDAY
8:00 --- Human Target
9:00 --- The Good Guys
SATURDAY
8:00 --- Cops
9:00 --- America's Most Wanted
SUNDAY
8:00 --- The Simpsons
8:30 --- The Cleveland Show
9:00 --- Family Guy
9:30 --- American Dad
American Idol, Bob's Burgers, Mixed Signals, Ride-Along, and Traffic Light will be held for midseason.
In a conference call, Fox execs held a Q+A in to respond to the questions raised by the new schedule:
On the scheduling of Glee . . .
The Super Bowl rotates each year between networks, and this year is Fox's turn. They have allotted the valuable post-game slot for this year's new hit Glee. It's unusual to announce the post-Super Bowl scheduling so early, and Glee's core is women 18-34, which is not necessarily the core of the Super Bowl audience. Fox's response: It's "smart television. Everybody loves the Super Bowl"; the Super Bowl is "so big" that there is room to target all sorts of audiences. The Super Bowl episode will be the spring premiere of Glee in February after a month-long break over January, so the high school musical will not be subject to the four-month hiatus of the first season.
On the intensive, exciting production of Terra Nova . . .
Because Terra Nova---the dinosaur/time travel drama from Steven Spielberg---is heavy on effects, there is a chance it won't be ready for midseason. However, Fox is really committed to the high profile show, for obvious reasons. When Fox was thinking of talent to bring on board, they thought to themselves, "We've got a show that takes prehistoric and futuristic elements and combines them. And it's got dinosaurs. Hmm, who could pull that off." Shortly afterward, the script was on Spielberg's desk. If it's not ready for midseason, you'll definitely see this one by Fall 2011, or whenever it's done; Fox wants to "commit to doing this right."
On the criticism of American Idol . . .
One reporter referenced a survey that made the rounds on entertainment blogs that asked viewers to critique this season of Idol, which after a few seconds of silence, yielded the response, "I mean, I don't know why you're referencing the public survey . . ." In their defense, Fox "didn't put that on there," although they do have plenty of outlets to test public opinion of Idol. They recognize the criticism, and mentioned tightening up the runtime in future episodes.
Here are the details on the new shows:
LONESTAR
A sophisticated and provocative drama set against the sprawling backdrop of big Texas oil, will premiere this fall. From Chris Keyser and Amy Lippman (“Party of Five”), writer Kyle Killen and directed by Marc Webb (“(500) Days of Summer”), the compelling series stars newcomer James Wolk as a charismatic and brilliant schemer who has entangled himself in a deep, complex web from which he can’t break free. He’s caught between two very different lives and two very different women.
RAISING HOPE
The new family comedy from Emmy Award winner Greg Garcia (“My Name Is Earl”), starring Lucas Neff (“The Beast”), Martha Plimpton (“How To Make It In America”), Garret Dillahunt (“Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles”) and Academy and Emmy Award winner Cloris Leachman (“Malcolm In The Middle”). The sweet, offbeat comedy follows Jimmy Chance (Neff), a well-meaning screw-up trying his best to raise his infant daughter with the help of the eccentric family who did a less-than-stellar job of raising him.
RUNNING WILDE
The new romantic comedy from “Arrested Development’s” Jim Vallely, Mitch Hurwitz and Will Arnett. Starring Arnett (“30 Rock”) and Keri Russell (“Waitress,” “Felicity”), the comedy centers on a lovable, but immature playboy (Arnett) trying desperately to win (or buy) the heart of his childhood sweetheart (Russell), the über-liberal humanitarian who got away.
MIXED SIGNALS
A new relationship comedy created by Bob Fisher (“Wedding Crashers”) about three longtime friends and their attempts to balance their committed relationships with their desire for freedom. The ensemble comedy stars Nelson Franklin (“I Love You, Man”), David Denman (“The Office”), Kris Marshall (HUMAN TARGET), Liza Lapira (“Dexter”) and Alexandra Breckenridge (FAMILY GUY) and reveals how friendships and romances enhance – and further complicate – the lives of men and the women who love them.
BOB’S BURGERS
A new animated comedy series from creator Loren Bouchard (“Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist”) about a man, his family and their floundering burger joint. Despite the greasy counters, lousy location and occasionally spotty service, Bob and his lovable and quirky family are convinced their burgers are their ticket to success.
RIDE-ALONG
From creator Shawn Ryan (“The Shield,” “The Unit”), the fast-paced series, shot on location in Chicago and starring Jason Clarke (“Public Enemies”), Jennifer Beals (LIE TO ME) and Delroy Lindo (“Kidnapped”), will take audiences on an unflinching and unpredictable ride through the streets of Chicago to navigate crime and corruption with the most respected – and notorious – cops in the city.
TERRA NOVA
An epic family adventure 85 million years in the making, is the new event drama slated for midseason from executive producers Steven Spielberg (“Jurassic Park,” “The Pacific”), Peter Chernin, Brannon Braga (24, “Star Trek: Enterprise”) and David Fury (24, “Lost”). The action-adventure series follows an ordinary family on an extraordinary journey back in time to prehistoric Earth as a part of a massive expedition to save the human race.
Check out NBC's full schedule here.