This morning in a call with the media, the Chairmen & CEOs of Fox Television Group, Gary Newman and Dana Walden announces the Network’s 2015-2016 programming schedule. Walden said of the Network’s diverse mix of new and returning series, “We feel energized by what we’ve been able to do, and our momentum from last season.”
Most of FOX’s momentum comes from it’s smash dramas Gotham and Empire which will both be used as tentpoles for nights and hopefully help launch new series. The network also touted this year’s freshman comedy, The Last Man on Earth, which attracted large numbers of highly valuable (to advertisers) young men. One of the biggest highlights from the call is Ryan Murphy’s new horror anthology, Scream Queens which the creator of Glee and American Horror Story calls, “Heathers meets Friday the 13th.” Also sure to get big buzz is the long-awaited return of The X-Files. Although creator/ executive producer Chris Carter is tight-lipped about the project, Walden and Newman say the series will have a mix of stand-alone episodes with a few mythology-based eps.
Tom Ellis will star in the FOX Midseason Drama, Lucifer. Image Credit: John P. Fleenor/FOX
Last week, FOX announced that The Mindy Project would not be returning to the network and it’s unlikely that freshman comedy, Weird Loners will come back. Other big news that Season 15 of American Idol, which will premiere in January, will be its last. “The Executive producers are focused on ending Season 14 in a fig way,” but that they’re speaking with the show’s producers (Freemantle Media and 19 productions) to have big, nostalgic, memorable ways to end the franchise.
Newman and Walden were joined on the call by several other optimistic execs including: Joe Earley, Chief Operating Officer, Fox Television Group; Toby Byrne, President, Advertising Sales, Fox Networks Group; David Madden, President, Entertainment, Fox Broadcasting Company; and Dan Harrison, Executive Vice President, Strategic Program Planning, Fox Broadcasting Company.
Here’s the FOX release:
New York – Dana Walden and Gary Newman, Chairmen and CEOs, Fox Television Group, today unveiled the FOX primetime slate for the 2015-2016 television season to the national advertising community during its annual Programming Presentation at the Beacon Theatre.
“Building on the phenomenal momentum created by GOTHAM, THE LAST MAN ON EARTH and, of course, EMPIRE, we’re infusing next season’s schedule with new ambitious dramas, smart comedies, aspirational unscripted series and big live events and specials – all from the best creators in the business,” said Walden and Newman. “And our strategy with these bold creative swings is simple: schedule them strategically, market them relentlessly and create events that break through and captivate viewers across every platform.”
Tuesdays are all-new this fall on FOX, with new comedies GRANDFATHERED and THE GRINDER, followed by killer comedy-horror series SCREAM QUEENS.
The new comedies kicking off an all-new Tuesday are GRANDFATHERED and THE GRINDER. A comedy about coming of age – at any age – GRANDFATHERED stars John Stamos (“Full House,” “ER”) as the ultimate bachelor whose life is turned upside down when he discovers he’s not only a father, but a grandfather. THE GRINDER, starring Emmy Award nominee Rob Lowe (“Parks and Recreation,” “The West Wing”) and Emmy Award and Golden Globe Award nominee Fred Savage (“The Wonder Years”), follows a famous TV lawyer (Lowe) who, after his hit series, “The Grinder,” is canceled, moves back home and joins his brother (Savage) at their family’s real-life law firm – despite having no formal education, no bar certification, no license to practice and no experience in an actual courtroom.
Award-winning executive producers Ryan Murphy (GLEE, “American Horror Story”), Brad Falchuk (GLEE, “American Horror Story”) and Ian Brennan (GLEE) meld comedy, mystery and horror in SCREAM QUEENS. All hell is about to break loose for the Kappa House sisters of Wallace University when a murder takes place, exactly 20 years after a mysterious death originally rocked their college campus. The super-charged anthology series is a modern take on the classic whodunit with a killer cast, including Emma Roberts (“American Horror Story: Freak Show,” “Scream 4”), Jamie Lee Curtis (“Halloween,” “A Fish Called Wanda,” “True Lies”), Lea Michele (GLEE), Oliver Hudson (“Nashville,” “Rules of Engagement”), Keke Palmer (“Akeela and the Bee,” “Masters of Sex”) and guest stars Ariana Grande and Nick Jonas (“Kingdom”), among others. With at least one casualty each week until the mystery is solved, anyone could be the next victim – or the murderer.
Two new dramas – the futuristic MINORITY REPORT and the Miami-set ROSEWOOD – debut this fall. Based on Steven Spielberg’s international blockbuster film and the first of his films to be adapted for television,MINORITY REPORT follows the partnership between a man (Stark Sands, “Inside Llewyn Davis”) haunted by the future and a cop (Meagan Good, “Think Like A Man” franchise, “Californication”) haunted by her past, as they race to stop the worst crimes before they happen.
Also joining the schedule this fall is ROSEWOOD. From executive producer Todd Harthan (“Psych,” “Dominion”), ROSEWOOD stars Morris Chestnut (“Nurse Jackie,” “The Best Man” franchise) as DR. BEAUMONT ROSEWOOD, JR., a brilliant private pathologist who uses wildly sophisticated technology and his drive to live life to the fullest to help a tough-as-nails detective (Jaina Lee Ortiz, “The After”) and the Miami PD uncover clues no one else can see.
The next mind-bending chapter of THE X-FILES debuts with a special two-night event beginning Sunday, Jan. 24 (10:00-11:00 PM ET/7:00-8:00 PM PT), following the NFC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME, and continuing with its time period premiere on Monday, Jan. 25 (8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT). The thrilling, six-episode event series, helmed by creator/executive producer Chris Carter and starring David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson as FBI Agents FOX MULDER and DANA SCULLY, marks the momentous return of the Emmy Award- and Golden Globe-winning pop culture phenomenon, which remains one of the longest-running sci-fi series in network television history.
In 2016, additional new series joining the schedule include devilish drama LUCIFER and modern action series THE FRANKENSTEIN CODE; and two comedies, THE GUIDE TO SURVIVING LIFE and animated BORDERTOWN.
Based on characters from DC Entertainment’s Vertigo imprint, LUCIFER stars Tom Ellis (“Merlin”) as the charming, charismatic and handsome-as-hell original fallen angel, who, bored and unhappy in Hell, takes refuge in Los Angeles, where he uses his gift of persuasion to punish bad guys. But the longer he’s away from the underworld, the greater the threat that the worst of humanity could escape.
In THE FRANKENSTEIN CODE, from executive producer/writer Rand Ravich (“Life,” “Crisis”) and executive producer Howard Gordon (“Homeland,” “24”), a disgraced, 75-year-old ex-sheriff, whose life ends at the hands of corrupt cops, is brought back to life and given a second chance by a pair of young tech scientists, as a 35-year-old (Rob Kazinsky, “True Blood”) with unpredictable near-superhuman abilities.
NEW GIRL will return to Tuesdays in January, for its first-ever season of virtually uninterrupted originals. These weekly all-new episodes will platform THE GUIDE TO SURVIVING LIFE, the new young ensemble comedy about a group of friends living together for the first time. Each episode is told from the perspective of COOPER BARRETT (Jack Cutmore-Scott, “Kingsman: The Secret Service”), a wickedly charming and deeply flawed recent college grad whose life is filled with terrible choices, excellent mistakes and fantastic misadventures.
A new animated comedy from FAMILY GUY’s Mark Hentemann and Seth MacFarlane, BORDERTOWN is a satirical look at the cultural shifts taking place in America. Exploring family, politics and everything in between with a cross-cultural wink, the series centers on two very different families living in a fictional Southwest desert town on the U.S. – Mexico border.
AMERICAN IDOL will begin its 15th – and final – season this January on FOX. A season-long celebratory event, AMERICAN IDOL XV will feature host Ryan Seacrest and judges Jennifer Lopez, Keith Urban and Harry Connick, Jr., as they search for the final IDOL superstar and pay tribute to the past 14 seasons of amazingly talented contestants and the millions of fans who tweeted, texted and championed their IDOLs.
As previously announced, GREASE: LIVE, a three-hour production of the massively popular crossover musical “Grease,” starring superstar singers, dancers and actresses Julianne Hough (“Safe Haven,” “Rock of Ages”) and Vanessa Hudgens (Broadway’s “Gigi,” “Spring Breakers”), will air LIVE Sunday, Jan. 31, 2016 on FOX. With Hough as the angelic “Sandy” – Rydell High’s most talked-about newcomer – and Hudgens as iconic bad girl “Rizzo,” this first-ever live television production of “Grease” will re-imagine the hit musical for an entirely new generation.
Additional FOX series include: ARE YOU SMARTER THAN A 5TH GRADER?, BOB’S BURGERS, BONES, BOOM!, BROOKLYN NINE-NINE, BULLSEYE, EMPIRE, FAMILY GUY, GOTHAM, HELL’S KITCHEN, HOME FREE, THE LAST MAN ON EARTH, MASTERCHEF, MASTERCHEF JUNIOR, THE SIMPSONS, SLEEPY HOLLOW, SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE and WORLD’S FUNNIEST.
Additional schedule information to be announced.
Following are the FOX fall 2015 primetime schedule, as well as social media information for and synopses of the new series:
FOX FALL 2015 SCHEDULE
(All Times ET/PT)
MONDAY
8:00-9:00 PM GOTHAM
9:00-10:00 PM MINORITY REPORT (new)
TUESDAY
8:00-8:30 PM GRANDFATHERED (new)
8:30-9:00 PM THE GRINDER (new)
9:00-10:00 PM SCREAM QUEENS (new)
WEDNESDAY
8:00-9:00 PM ROSEWOOD (new)
9:00-10:00 PM EMPIRE
THURSDAY
8:00-9:00 PM BONES
9:00-10:00 PM SLEEPY HOLLOW
FRIDAY
8:00-9:00 PM MASTERCHEF JUNIOR
9:00-10:00 PM WORLD’S FUNNIEST
SATURDAY
7:00-10:30 PM FOX SPORTS SATURDAY: FOX COLLEGE FOOTBALL
SUNDAY
7:00-7:30 PM NFL ON FOX
7:30-8:00 PM THE OT / BOB’S BURGERS
8:00-8:30 PM THE SIMPSONS
8:30-9:00 PM BROOKLYN NINE-NINE
9:00-9:30 PM FAMILY GUY
9:30-10:00 PM THE LAST MAN ON EARTH
FOX 2015-2016 PRIMETIME SCHEDULE
NEW SERIES SYNOPSES
The following new anthology series will debut this fall on FOX:
SCREAM QUEENS
PRODUCTION COMPANIES: 20th Century Fox Television, Ryan Murphy Television, Brad Falchuk Teley-Vision
CO-CREATORS/WRITERS/EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk, Ian Brennan
DIRECTORS: Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk, Ian Brennan
CAST: Emma Roberts as Chanel Oberlin, Jamie Lee Curtis as Dean Munsch, Lea Michele as Hester, Abigail Breslin as Chanel #5, Nasim Pedrad as Gigi, Oliver Hudson as Wes, Skyler Samuels as Grace, Keke Palmer as Zayday, Billie Lourd as Chanel #3, Diego Boneta as Pete, Glen Powell as Chad, Lucien Laviscount as Earl, Niecy Nash as Denise, Nick Jonas as Boone, Ariana Grande as Chanel #2.
The following new comedies will premiere this fall on FOX:
GRANDFATHERED
PRODUCTION COMPANY: ABC Studios, 20th Century Fox Television
WRITER: Daniel Chun
EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: Daniel Chun, Dan Fogelman, John Stamos
DIRECTOR: Chris Koch
CAST: John Stamos as Jimmy, Josh Peck as Gerald, Paget Brewster as Sara, Christina Milian as Vanessa, Kelly Jenrette as Annelise, Ravi Patel as Ken
THE GRINDER
PRODUCTION COMPANY: 20th Century Fox Television
WRITERS: Andrew Mogel, Jarrad Paul
EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: Andrew Mogel, Jarrad Paul, Nicholas Stoller, Jake Kasdan, Rob Lowe
DIRECTOR: Jake Kasdan
CAST: Rob Lowe as Dean, Fred Savage as Stewart, Mary Elizabeth Ellis as Debbie, William Devane as Dean Sr., Hana Hayes as Lizzie, Connor Kalopsis as Ethan
The following new dramas will debut this fall on FOX:
MINORITY REPORT
The future is coming. Based on the international blockbuster film by executive producer Steven Spielberg and the first of his films to be adapted for television, MINORITY REPORT follows the unlikely partnership between a man haunted by the future and a cop haunted by her past, as they race to stop the worst crimes of the year 2065 before they happen. Set in Washington, D.C., it is 10 years after the demise of Precrime, a law enforcement agency tasked with identifying and eliminating criminals…before their crimes were committed. To carry out this brand of justice, the agency used three precogs – “precognitives” Dash, Arthur and Agatha – who were able to see the future. Now, in 2065, crime-solving is different, and justice leans more on sophisticated and trusted technology than on the instincts of the precogs. Precog DASH (Stark Sands, “Inside Llewyn Davis”) – driven by his terrifying, but fragmented visions – now has returned in secret to help a brash, but shrewd police detective, LARA VEGA (Meagan Good, “Think Like A Man” franchise, “Californication”), attempt to stop the murders that he predicts. As they navigate this future America, they will search for Dash’s missing twin brother, ARTHUR, and elude others who will stop at nothing to exploit their precog abilities. Also complicating matters is Dash and Arthur’s ingenious, but reclusive, foster sister, AGATHA (Laura Regan, “Mad Men,” “Unbreakable”), who just wants Dash to return home. A drama of crime and conspiracy, this is a timeless story of connection: two lost souls, Dash and Vega, who find friendship, purpose and redemption in each other.
PRODUCTION COMPANIES: 20th Century Fox Television, Paramount Television, Amblin Television
WRITTEN/DEVELOPED BY: Max Borenstein
EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: Max Borenstein, Kevin Falls, Steven Spielberg, Darryl Frank, Justin Falvey, Mark Mylod
DIRECTOR: Mark Mylod
CAST: Meagan Good as Vega, Stark Sands as Dash/Arthur, Wilmer Valderrama as Will Blake, Daniel London as Wally, Laura Regan as Agatha, Li Jun Li as Akeela, Zhane Hall as Rico
ROSEWOOD
PRODUCTION COMPANIES: 20th Century Fox Television, Temple Hill
WRITER: Todd Harthan
EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: Todd Harthan, Wyck Godfrey, Marty Bowen, Richard Shepard
DIRECTOR: Richard Shepard
CAST: Morris Chestnut as Beaumont Rosewood, Jr., Jaina Lee Ortiz as Det. Villa, Gabrielle Dennis as Pippy, Anna Konkle as TMI, Maggie Elizabeth Jones as Bella
The following new event series will debut in January 2016 on FOX:
THE X-FILES
Thirteen years after the original series run, the next mind-bending chapter of THE X-FILES will be a thrilling, six-episode event series helmed by creator/executive producer Chris Carter, with stars David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson re-inhabiting their roles as iconic FBI Agents FOX MULDER and DANA SCULLY. This marks the momentous return of the Emmy- and Golden Globe Award-winning pop culture phenomenon, which remains one of the longest-running sci-fi series in network television history. Production on THE X-FILES event series is set to begin in summer 2015. THE X-FILES originally premiered in September 1993. Over the course of its nine-season run, the influential series went from breakout sci-fi favorite to massive global hit, and became one of the most successful television dramas of all time. The show, which earned 16 Emmy Awards, five Golden Globes and a Peabody Award, follows FBI special agents Scully (Anderson) and Mulder (Duchovny), as they investigate unexplained cases – “X-Files” – for which the only answers involve paranormal phenomena.
PRODUCTION COMPANIES: 20th Century Fox Television, Ten Thirteen Productions
CREATOR: Chris Carter
EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: Chris Carter, Glen Morgan
CAST: David Duchovny as FBI Special Agent Fox Mulder, Gillian Anderson as FBI Special Agent Dana Scully, Mitch Pileggi as Walter Skinner
The following new comedies will debut in midseason on FOX:
THE GUIDE TO SURVIVING LIFE
PRODUCTION COMPANIES: 20th Century Fox Television, The Jackal Group
WRITER: Jay Lacopo
EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: Jay Lacopo, Gail Berman, Bill Callahan, James Griffiths
DIRECTOR: James Griffiths
CAST: Jack Cutmore-Scott as Cooper, Meaghan Rath as Kelly, James Earl as Barry, Charlie Saxton as Neal, Justin Bartha as Josh, Maureen Sebastian as Leslie
BORDERTOWN
From FAMILY GUY’s Mark Hentemann comes BORDERTOWN, a new animated comedy about two families living in a Southwest desert town on the U.S. – Mexico border. The series takes a satirical look at the cultural shifts occurring in America, where the U.S. Census forecasts that by 2017, ethnic minorities will become the majority. Set against this increasingly diverse backdrop, the comedy explores family, politics and everything in between with a cross-cultural wink. BORDERTOWN centers on two clans: the Buckwalds and the Gonzalezes. BUD BUCKWALD (Hank Azaria, THE SIMPSONS) is a married father of three and a Border Patrol agent who is just a tad behind the times and feels slightly threatened by the cultural changes transforming his neighborhood. He lives next door to ERNESTO GONZALEZ (Nicholas Gonzalez, SLEEPY HOLLOW), an ambitious family man, who has been in the country less than 10 years, but is already doing better than Bud – which, it turns out, is a bit of an issue for Bud. Bud is married to JANICE BUCKWALD (Alex Borstein, FAMILY GUY), both the wisest and most oblivious member of the family. The Buckwald kids include BECKY (Borstein), a socially awkward, big-boned geek; SANFORD (Judah Friedlander, “30 Rock”), a loser who thinks he’s a player; and GERT (Missi Pyle, “The Exes,” “Galaxy Quest”), a beauty pageant-obsessed five-year-old with a pet pig. Meanwhile, living the American Dream next door are the Gonzalezes, including MARIA (Stephanie Escajeda, “100 Things To Do Before High School”), Ernesto’s no-nonsense wife; their son, RUIZ (guest voice Efren Ramirez, “Napoleon Dynamite”); and their 21-year-old nephew, J.C. (Gonzalez), a graduate student who is engaged to Becky and frequently butts heads with Bud. As Bud and Ernesto’s paths begin to cross, their two families soon become bound by romance, conflict and, perhaps most importantly, friendship – a word that means the same, no matter what side of the border you’re from.
PRODUCTION COMPANY: 20th Century Fox Television
CREATOR/WRITER: Mark Hentemann
EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: Seth MacFarlane, Mark Hentemann
CO-EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: Alex Carter, Dan Vebber
CONSULTING PRODUCERS: Lalo Alcaraz, Gustavo Arellano
SUPERVISING PRODUCER: Valentina L. Garza
CAST: Hank Azaria as Bud Buckwald, Nicholas Gonzalez as Ernesto Gonzalez and J.C Gonzalez, Alex Borstein as Janice and Becky Buckwald, Missi Pyle as Gert Buckwald, Judah Friedlander as Sanford Buckwald, Stephanie Escajeda as Maria Gonzalez, Efren Ramirez as Ruiz Gonzalez
The following new drama series will debut in midseason 2016 on FOX:
THE FRANKENSTEIN CODE
PRODUCTION COMPANIES: 20th Century Fox Television, Teakwood Lane Productions, Kara Productions
WRITER: Rand Ravich
EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: Rand Ravich, Howard Gordon, Michael Cuesta (pilot)
CO-EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Hugh Fitzpatrick
DIRECTOR: Michael Cuesta
CAST: Rob Kazinsky as Jimmy Pritchard, Dilshad Vadsaria as Mary, Adhir Kalyan as Otto, Tim DeKay as Duval Pritchard, Ciara Bravo as Gracie Pritchard
LUCIFER
PRODUCTION COMPANIES: Warner Bros. Television, Jerry Bruckheimer Television, Aggressive Mediocrity
BASED ON THE CHARACTERS CREATED BY: Neil Gaiman, Sam Kieth, Mike Dringenberg for DC Entertainment’s Vertigo Imprint
WRITER: Tom Kapinos
EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: Jerry Bruckheimer, Tom Kapinos, Jonathan Littman, Len Wiseman, Ildy Modrovich, Joe Henderson
DIRECTOR: Len Wiseman
CAST: Tom Ellis as Lucifer, Lauren German as Det. Chloe Dancer, Rachael Harris as Linda Martin, DB Woodside as Amenadiel, Lesley-Ann Brandt as Maze, Nicholas Gonzalez as Dan, Scarlett Estevez as Trixie
All Images © 2015 FOX Broadcasting.