The FOX network has gotten around to announcing their plans for mid-season. There aren’t too many surprises to be found but, as per usual, the schedule can be a little hard to follow. Most notable are the returns of American Idol, Breaking In, and Kitchen Nightmares as well as the debuts of new series Alcatraz, The Finder, Napoleon Dynamite, and Touch.
JJ Abrams’ Alcatraz series debuts on Monday, January 16th with a two hour premiere and will then run at 9pm, following House. Kiefer Sutherland’s Touch will take over his old 24 timeslot beginning in mid-March but a special preview will air on January 25th. In order for FOX to air all of the Alcatraz and Touch episodes by the end of the season, you can expect some two-hour installments of each and no House reruns.
While Glee is on hiatus (starting in late February), FOX will be running four sitcoms on Tuesday nights — reruns of New Girl, season two of Breaking In, and new episodes of New Girl and Raising Hope.
American Idol returns for its 11th season on January 18th. When Idol isn’t filling both hours on Wednesday nights, the network will air episodes of Mobbed and the special preview of Touch. Beginning February 15th, American Idol will run for two hours and continue until the end of the season.
On Thursdays, Bones takes a break beginning in January and makes way for the spin-off called The Finder starting January 19th at 9pm. Idol starts airing on Thursdays at 8pm on that same night.
Kitchen Nightmares returns to Friday nights at 8pm starting January 13th. Fringe continues at 9pm.
On Saturdays, an hour of Cops starts the night and various drama encores will follow. Another two-hour America’s Most Wanted special is scheduled to air on February 11th.
Finally, on Sundays, encores of Bob’s Burgers will kick off the night and new episodes join the schedule on March 11th. New animated series Napoleon Dynamite, based on the live-action feature film, premieres on January 15th. Installments of The Simpsons, The Cleveland Show, American Dad, and Family Guy fill out the rest of the night’s timeslots. Allen Gregory is nowhere to be found and is very likely cancelled.
Bones, Glee, and I Hate My Teenage Daughter will supposedly return in the spring.
Here’s the schedule portion of the press release from FOX:
FOX 2011-2012 MIDSEASON SCHEDULE
(Times for All-New episodes are ET/PT except as noted)MONDAY
Monday, Jan. 16:
8:00-10:00 PM ALCATRAZ (Series Premiere)Mondays, beginning Jan. 23:
8:00-9:00 PM HOUSE (Time Period Premiere)
9:00-10:00 PM ALCATRAZ (Time Period Premiere)Monday, March 12:
8:00-10:00 PM ALCATRAZ (Two-Hour Episode)Mondays, beginning March 19:
8:00-9:00 PM HOUSE
9:00-10:00 PM TOUCH (Series Premiere)TUESDAY
Tuesdays, beginning Jan. 17:
8:00-9:00 PM GLEE
9:00-9:30 PM NEW GIRL
9:30-10:00 PM RAISING HOPETuesdays, beginning March 6:
8:00-8:30 PM NEW GIRL (encore)
8:30-9:00 PM BREAKING IN (Season Premiere)
9:00-9:30 PM NEW GIRL
9:30-10:00 PM RAISING HOPEWEDNESDAY
Wednesday, Jan. 4:
8:00-9:00 PM GLEE (encore)
9:00-10:00 PM MOBBEDWednesday, Jan. 11:
8:00-9:00 PM MOBBED (encore)
9:00-10:00 PM MOBBEDWednesday, Jan. 18:
8:00-10:00 PM AMERICAN IDOL (Season Premiere, Part One)Wednesday, Jan. 25:
8:00-9:00 PM AMERICAN IDOL
9:00-10:00 PM TOUCH (Special Preview)Wednesdays, beginning Feb. 1:
8:00-9:00 PM AMERICAN IDOL
9:00-10:00 PM MOBBEDWednesdays, beginning Feb. 15:
8:00-10:00 PM AMERICAN IDOL (Two-Hour Episodes)THURSDAY
Thursday, Jan. 12:
8:00-9:00 PM BONES (encore)
9:00-10:00 PM THE FINDER (Series Premiere)Thursdays, beginning Jan. 19:
8:00-9:00 PM AMERICAN IDOL (Season Premiere, Part Two)
9:00-10:00 PM THE FINDERFRIDAY
Friday, Jan. 6:
8:00 PM-CC ET FOX SPORTS SPECIAL: 2012 AT&T COTTON BOWL CLASSIC (Live)Fridays, beginning Jan. 13:
8:00-9:00 PM KITCHEN NIGHTMARES
9:00-10:00 PM FRINGESATURDAY
Saturdays, beginning Jan. 7:
8:00-8:30 PM COPS
8:30-9:00 PM COPS
9:00-10:00 PM DRAMA ENCORES
11:00 PM-Midnight ENCORES
Midnight-12:30 AM ENCORESSaturday, Feb. 11:
8:00-10:00 PM AMERICA’S MOST WANTED SPECIAL EDITION
11:00 PM-Midnight ENCORES
Midnight-12:30 AM ENCORESSUNDAY
Sunday, Jan. 8:
7:00-7:30 PM BOB’S BURGERS (encore)
7:30-8:00 PM THE CLEVELAND SHOW (encore)
8:00-8:30 PM THE SIMPSONS
8:30-9:00 PM THE CLEVELAND SHOW
9:00-9:30 PM FAMILY GUY
9:30-10:00 PM AMERICAN DADSunday, Jan. 15:
8:00-8:30 PM THE SIMPSONS
8:30-9:00 PM NAPOLEON DYNAMITE (Series Premiere)
9:00-9:30 PM FAMILY GUY
9:30-10:00 PM NAPOLEON DYNAMITE (Special Time)Sunday, Jan. 22:
6:00 PM-CC ET FOX SPORTS SPECIAL: NFC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME (Live)
10:00 PM ET/7:00 PT AMERICAN IDOL (Special Broadcast; Approximate Start Time)Sundays, beginning Jan. 29:
7:00-7:30 PM BOB’S BURGERS (encore)
7:30-8:00 PM THE CLEVELAND SHOW
8:00-8:30 PM THE SIMPSONS
8:30-9:00 PM NAPOLEON DYNAMITE
9:00-9:30 PM FAMILY GUY
9:30-10:00 PM AMERICAN DADSundays, beginning March 11:
7:00-7:30 PM ANIMATION DOMINATION ENCORES
7:30-8:00 PM THE CLEVELAND SHOW
8:00-8:30 PM THE SIMPSONS
8:30-9:00 PM BOB’S BURGERS (Season Premiere)
9:00-9:30 PM FAMILY GUY
9:30-10:00 PM AMERICAN DAD
What do you think? Will you be checking out any of the new shows? What do you think of the new schedule?
А вы не охуели Алькатрас закрывать?
Just found out that you have axed Alcatraz……nnnooooo, please bring it back!!!!
I’m SO glad they cancelled Allen Gregory, that show was not funny at all. However, I’m not interested in Napoleon Dynamite either. I thought the movie was stupid…
The reason shows do not last on Fox is their scheduling problems. They need to make a commitment to their weekly series, if that means running 8-11 then so be it. I am getting turned off with these changes just because of reality shows. I get interested and boom it is on hiatus AGAIN. I have to stop watching shows on Fox because it is too complicated and not worth the time. I do watch So You Think You Can Dance and that is the ONLY reality show I watch on TV on any network. No wonder cable shows are… Read more »
I will be glad to have Bob’s Burgers and Breakin In back, and I will try out Alcatraz, Touch, and The Finder, but most of the midseason schedule isn’t for me.
I won’t be watching Bob’s Burgers, but I will be watching Breaking In. I’m also going to try out Alcatraz and then possibly Touch and The Finder. Other than the return of shows like Bones and Fringe, that’s it for me. Seems like, despite my dislike for the network as a whole (they canceled Firefly, Dollhouse, Human Target, etc., and passed on Locke & Key), I end up watching more shows on it than either ABC, CBS, or NBC. Still can’t beat the CW for biggest network in my Top 5, though.
I dont understand why bones keeps coming up for renewal….the show is clearly crap.
A Spin-Off is gonna be even more crap.
Fox is a crappy network and the only good thing on it is “House”.
Once that goes….I go.
I’m so glad that the person who hates Bones loves House (which is icky). It reinforces to me that different crowds love different shows. Although I agree with you that “The Finder” doesn’t look good at all, if it’s anything like the back door pilot episode they aired last year.
None of the new series sound interesting to me….glad I have directv….I miss Human Target and a few others.
I can’t wait to NOT watch any new fox shows