FOX midseason shifts 'American Idol' nights, moves 'Fringe' to Friday

'Bones' gains an 'Idol' lead-in, while 'Glee' will continue to stand alone

By Daniel Fienberg Friday, Nov 19, 2010 7:27 PM

The new 'American Idol' team

Credit: FOX

NBC began this week by turning its schedule upside down. Not wanting to be left out of the action, FOX decided to produce similar upheaval on Friday (Nov. 19), announcing a midseason lineup that shakes things up even more.

FOX's midseason schedule does nothing less than shift nights for TV's most popular show, shuffle a beloved cult favorite off to a graveyard night and set up premieres for multiple new shows, including one that was only picked up this week.

The big news, obviously, is FOX's decision to shift "American Idol" to Wednesday and Thursday nights, with the popular talent show scheduled to debut its new season on Wednesday, January 19 and Thursday, January 20. That decision has a ripple effect throughout FOX's schedule, impacting Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday nights.

But let's start at the top, shall we?

Mondays: FOX will start the year with a two-hour "Lie to Me" on Jan. 10 and will keep "Lie to Me" in its 9 p.m. slot after "House" until the previously announced premiere of Shawn Ryan's "The Chicago Code" (formerly "Ride-Along") on February 7. That's pretty straight-forward, right? Good. Let's move on, then.

Tuesdays: FOX has originally planned to move "Glee" to Wednesdays after "American Idol" at midseason. That won't be happening anymore, what with "Glee" establishing itself as a stand-along smash. Instead, "Glee" will air encores through the end of January, coupled with the recently ordered reality offering "Million Dollar Money Drop." As of Feb. 8, "Glee" will return with new episodes, leading into the return of "Raising Hope" and the premiere of the midseason comedy "Mixed Signals." What does that mean for "Running Wilde"? Probably the end of the road, since FOX hasn't ordered a back-nine for "Running Wilde" and the show's ratings have been horrid.

Wednesdays: FOX is keeping "Human Target" in the 8 p.m. hour, airing a pair of two-hour, blocks to start January. "American Idol" will premiere with a two-hour episode. Then things get wacky. For the next three weeks, "Idol" will air at 8 and "Human Target" will air at 9. Then, starting February 16, "Idol" will transition into some level of two-hour performance episodes, with the recent rumor having the show jumping straight into its Top 12. "Idol" will cut back to 90-minute episodes on April 6, when FOX will premiere the new Christian Slater comedy "Breaking In," also featuring Bret Harrison and Odette Yustman.

Thursdays: FOX will air new episodes of "Million Dollar Money Drop" in the 8 p.m. hour to start January, with encores of "Bones" at 9 p.m. "Idol" will have its aforementioned Thursday premiere on the 20th, followed by a new episode of "Bones" in its new time period. FOX originally announced that "Idol" results episodes would only air for 30 minutes, but those plans are out the window.

Fridays: "Kitchen Nightmares" will premiere in the 8 p.m. hour starting on January 21, followed by an "Kitchen Nightmares" encore. The Gordon Ramsay show will lead-into "Fringe," which moves to Fridays the following week. And yes, "Fringe" fans, this doesn't look terrific for "Fringe," though if the show holds onto its Thursday audience in its new home, that would be a big time period boost for FOX.

Saturdays: Same as it ever was.

Sundays: "Bob's Burgers" will premiere on Sunday, Jan. 9 at 8:30 after a new episode of "The Simpsons," with "The Cleveland Show" moving into a new time period at 9:30 after "Family Guy." "American Dad" will take its new time period at 7:30 on Sundays the following week.

FOX 2010-2011 MIDSEASON SCHEDULE

(All times ET/PT except as noted)

MONDAY

Monday, Jan. 10:
8:00-10:00 PM LIE TO ME (Two-Hour Episode)

Mondays, beginning Jan. 17:

8:00-9:00 PM HOUSE (All-New Episodes)
9:00-10:00 PM LIE TO ME (All-New Episodes)

Mondays, beginning Feb. 7

8:00-9:00 PM HOUSE (All-New Episodes)
9:00-10:00 PM THE CHICAGO CODE (Series Premiere)

TUESDAY

Tuesdays, beginning Jan. 4:
8:00-9:00 PM GLEE (Encore Episodes)
9:00-10:00 PM MILLION DOLLAR MONEY DROP (All-New Episodes)

Tuesdays, beginning Feb. 8:
8:00-9:00 PM GLEE (All-New Episodes)
9:00-9:30 PM RAISING HOPE (All-New Episodes)
9:30-10:00 PM MIXED SIGNALS (Series Premiere)

WEDNESDAY

Wednesday, Jan. 5 and 12:
8:00-10:00 PM HUMAN TARGET (All-New, Two-Hour Episodes)

Wednesday, Jan. 19:

8:00-10:00 PM AMERICAN IDOL (Two-Hour Season Premiere, Part One)

Wednesdays, beginning Jan. 26:

8:00-9:00 PM AMERICAN IDOL
9:00-10:00 PM HUMAN TARGET (All-New Episodes)

Wednesdays, beginning Feb. 16:
8:00-10:00 PM AMERICAN IDOL (Two-Hour Episodes)

Wednesdays, beginning April 6:
8:00-9:30 PM AMERICAN IDOL (90-Minute Episodes)
9:30-10:00 PM BREAKING IN (Series Premiere)

THURSDAY

Thursdays, beginning Jan. 6:

8:00-9:00 PM MILLION DOLLAR MONEY DROP (All-New Episodes)
9:00-10:00 PM BONES (Encore Episodes)

Thursdays, beginning Jan. 20:

8:00-9:00 PM AMERICAN IDOL (Season Premiere, Part Two)
9:00-10:00 PM BONES (Time Period Premiere)

FRIDAY

Friday, Jan. 7:
8:00 PM-CC ET AT&T COTTON BOWL (Live)

Friday, Jan. 21:
8:00-9:00 PM KITCHEN NIGHTMARES (Season Premiere)
9:00-10:00 PM KITCHEN NIGHTMARES (Encore)

Fridays, beginning Jan. 28:
8:00-9:00 PM KITCHEN NIGHTMARES (All-New Episodes)
9:00-10:00 PM FRINGE (Time Period Premiere)

SATURDAY

Saturday, Jan. 15:

8:00 PM-CC ET NFC DIVISION PLAYOFFS (Live)

Saturdays, beginning Jan. 22 (no change to lineup):
8:00-8:30 PM COPS (All-New Episodes)
8:30-9:00 PM COPS (Encore Episodes)
9:00-10:00 PM AMERICA’S MOST WANTED (All-New Episodes)

SUNDAY

Sunday, Jan. 9:
8:00-8:30 PM THE SIMPSONS (All-New Episode)
8:30-9:00 PM BOB’S BURGERS (Series Premiere)
9:00-9:30 PM FAMILY GUY (All-New Episode)
9:30-10:00 PM THE CLEVELAND SHOW (Time Period Premiere/All-New Episode)

Sunday, Jan. 16 and 23:
7:00-7:30 PM THE SIMPSONS (Encore Episodes)
7:30-8:00 PM AMERICAN DAD (Time Period Premiere)
8:00-8:30 PM THE SIMPSONS (All-New Episodes)
8:30-9:00 PM BOB’S BURGERS (All-New Episodes)
9:00-9:30 PM FAMILY GUY (All-New Episodes)
9:30-10:00 PM THE CLEVELAND SHOW (All-New Episodes)

Sunday, Jan. 30:
7:00 PM-CC ET NFC PRO BOWL (Live)

Sunday, Feb. 6:

6:00 PM-CC ET SUPER BOWL XLV (Live)
10:30 PM ET/7:30 PT GLEE (All-New Special Episode; Approximate Start Time)

Sundays, beginning Feb. 13 (no change to lineup):

7:30-8:00 PM AMERICAN DAD
8:00-8:30 PM THE SIMPSONS
8:30-9:00 PM BOB’S BURGERS
9:00-9:30 PM FAMILY GUY
9:30-10:00 PM THE CLEVELAND SHOW

Daniel Fienberg
Executive Editor

A long-time member of the TCA Board and a longer-time blogger of "American Idol," Dan Fienberg writes about TV, except for when he writes about movies or sometimes writes about the Red Sox. But never music. He would sound stupid talking about music.

Related Searches: fox, midseason schedule, American Idol, Fringe, Glee, Bones

Next Article - TV Ratings: 'Blue Bloods,' '20/20' let CBS, ABC split Friday
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jcpdiesel21

Uh oh. Does this mean that Fox wants Fringe to die? Looks like they're trying to bolster ratings for Human Target, however.

Wonder why they never thought to follow Family Guy with The Cleveland Show earlier.
November 19, 2010 at 8:42PM EST Reply to Comment
Astrid

Aw crap. Friday night + Fox + Sci fi I love = imminent death.. so sad. Boo on this one. (Unless it can go the way of X-files and survive the Friday Night curse)
November 19, 2010 at 8:50PM EST Reply to Comment
Chrissy

Honestly, I'm psyched to see Fringe off of the uber-crowded Thursday. Now I can pair it with Supernatural. Definitely hope this isn't a no confidence vote as this season has been great.
November 19, 2010 at 8:55PM EST Reply to Comment
JohnDoe

This really bothers me. Fringe is such a great show amongst a sea of garbage on the networks. And of course, FOX being FOX, wants to destroy another good sci-fi show bound for cult status. I'm certainly not watching American Idol for the "brilliant talent", or Glee, or god-forbid Human Target which is awful.
November 19, 2010 at 9:46PM EST Reply to Comment
dan

Various "Fringe" fans - It's like I noted in the story - If "Fringe" does on Friday what it did on Thursday, that might be enough to make FOX happy, because the "Fringe" audience is an improvement over the normal FOX Friday audience. If it doesn't? Well, it was never gonna survive anyway. Unless you're NBC, you can't afford to have a Thursday night show drawing under 5 million viewers and a 1.8 demo. You just CAN'T. And FOX aspires to be better than NBC... So this *really* is not FOX's fault. It's FOX finding a way to keep "Fringe" on the air in some form through its full third season and hopefully longer...

-Daniel
November 19, 2010 at 9:54PM EST Reply to Comment
- DJ Rogue If FOX left Fringe on Tuesday nights, this would all be moot, no?
  November 22, 2010 at 1:13AM EST
Travis

So, now Community has to take on The Big Band Theory AND American Idol. Say goodbye to the Greendale gang.
November 19, 2010 at 10:04PM EST Reply to Comment
- Kevin The Big Band Theory, starring Brian Setzer.
  November 19, 2010 at 10:08PM EST
- Travis Ha! Nice catch. Sorry about that one.
  November 19, 2010 at 10:10PM EST
- dan Travis - "Big Bang Theory" hasn't hurt ratings for "Community." I doubt "American Idol" will hurt "Community" either. End of the day, if "Community" gets cancelled, it won't be because of "The Big Bang Theory" or "American Idol," but because of people not watching "Community."
  
  Just my opinion, of course...
  
  -Daniel
  November 19, 2010 at 10:10PM EST
- Travis @Dan - Too true, and ultimately Community has to outlast its NBC cohorts, but from an outsiders perspective being opposite two monsters seems like a massive undertaking.
  November 19, 2010 at 10:14PM EST
- Chrissy Realistically, though, what show is likely to be very successful against two of the most popular shows on the air? What would NBC replace Community with? At least you know what you're getting with McHale and the gang, and the fan base seems pretty loyal. I'm optimistic about this one.
  November 19, 2010 at 10:40PM EST
dfgdfs

as long a AI is not on when Nikita it on then this id fine by me :P
November 19, 2010 at 10:46PM EST Reply to Comment
Bob

OK, who's the guy on the right with the cap glomming off the Idol bunch?
November 19, 2010 at 11:56PM EST Reply to Comment
- dan Bob - Legendary music exec and now "Idol" mentor Jimmy Iovine.
  
  -Daniel
  November 20, 2010 at 12:06AM EST
Thankfully the DVR ratings that networks look at even if they say "not important" will help Fringe on Friday due to its good Thursday numbers. DVR numbers are 3-day ad related so there is no reason to promise that would save low live numbers. To be seen.

NBC is [ insert life support & brain transplant chapter here ]

No matter 99.9% of what the networks sell I don't watch - 'Idle', cartoons and all laugh track shows. Let the silliness continue.
signed - Not in network demographics person

November 20, 2010 at 4:10AM EST Reply to Comment

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FOX midseason shifts 'American Idol' nights, moves 'Fringe' to Friday

'Bones' gains an 'Idol' lead-in, while 'Glee' will continue to stand alone

Send to your friends

Direct link: http://tinyurl.com/262sjjh

FOX midseason shifts 'American Idol' nights, moves 'Fringe' to Friday

Comments

jcpdiesel21

Uh oh. Does this mean that Fox wants Fringe to die? Looks like they're trying to bolster ratings for Human Target, however.

Wonder why they never thought to follow Family Guy with The Cleveland Show earlier.

Astrid

Aw crap. Friday night + Fox + Sci fi I love = imminent death.. so sad. Boo on this one. (Unless it can go the way of X-files and survive the Friday Night curse)

Chrissy

Honestly, I'm psyched to see Fringe off of the uber-crowded Thursday. Now I can pair it with Supernatural. Definitely hope this isn't a no confidence vote as this season has been great.

DJ Rogue If FOX left Fringe on Tuesday nights, this would all be moot, no?

Travis

So, now Community has to take on The Big Band Theory AND American Idol. Say goodbye to the Greendale gang.

Kevin The Big Band Theory, starring Brian Setzer.

Travis Ha! Nice catch. Sorry about that one.

Travis @Dan - Too true, and ultimately Community has to outlast its NBC cohorts, but from an outsiders perspective being opposite two monsters seems like a massive undertaking.

Chrissy Realistically, though, what show is likely to be very successful against two of the most popular shows on the air? What would NBC replace Community with? At least you know what you're getting with McHale and the gang, and the fan base seems pretty loyal. I'm optimistic about this one.

dfgdfs

as long a AI is not on when Nikita it on then this id fine by me :P

Bob

OK, who's the guy on the right with the cap glomming off the Idol bunch?

dan Bob - Legendary music exec and now "Idol" mentor Jimmy Iovine.

-Daniel

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FOX midseason shifts 'American Idol' nights, moves 'Fringe' to Friday

'Bones' gains an 'Idol' lead-in, while 'Glee' will continue to stand alone

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FOX midseason shifts 'American Idol' nights, moves 'Fringe' to Friday

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Comments

Option 1

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Option 3

jcpdiesel21 Uh oh. Does this mean that Fox wants Fringe to die? Looks like they're trying to bolster ratings for Human Target, however.Wonder why they never thought to follow Family Guy with The Cleveland Show earlier.

Astrid Aw crap. Friday night + Fox + Sci fi I love = imminent death.. so sad. Boo on this one. (Unless it can go the way of X-files and survive the Friday Night curse)

Chrissy Honestly, I'm psyched to see Fringe off of the uber-crowded Thursday. Now I can pair it with Supernatural. Definitely hope this isn't a no confidence vote as this season has been great.

DJ Rogue If FOX left Fringe on Tuesday nights, this would all be moot, no?

Travis So, now Community has to take on The Big Band Theory AND American Idol. Say goodbye to the Greendale gang.

Kevin The Big Band Theory, starring Brian Setzer.

Travis Ha! Nice catch. Sorry about that one.

Travis @Dan - Too true, and ultimately Community has to outlast its NBC cohorts, but from an outsiders perspective being opposite two monsters seems like a massive undertaking.

Chrissy Realistically, though, what show is likely to be very successful against two of the most popular shows on the air? What would NBC replace Community with? At least you know what you're getting with McHale and the gang, and the fan base seems pretty loyal. I'm optimistic about this one.

dfgdfs as long a AI is not on when Nikita it on then this id fine by me :P

Bob OK, who's the guy on the right with the cap glomming off the Idol bunch?

dan Bob - Legendary music exec and now "Idol" mentor Jimmy Iovine.-Daniel

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Popular Topics

jcpdiesel21

Uh oh. Does this mean that Fox wants Fringe to die? Looks like they're trying to bolster ratings for Human Target, however.

Wonder why they never thought to follow Family Guy with The Cleveland Show earlier.

Astrid

Aw crap. Friday night + Fox + Sci fi I love = imminent death.. so sad. Boo on this one. (Unless it can go the way of X-files and survive the Friday Night curse)

Chrissy

Honestly, I'm psyched to see Fringe off of the uber-crowded Thursday. Now I can pair it with Supernatural. Definitely hope this isn't a no confidence vote as this season has been great.

Travis

So, now Community has to take on The Big Band Theory AND American Idol. Say goodbye to the Greendale gang.

dfgdfs

as long a AI is not on when Nikita it on then this id fine by me :P

Bob

OK, who's the guy on the right with the cap glomming off the Idol bunch?

dan Bob - Legendary music exec and now "Idol" mentor Jimmy Iovine.

-Daniel

Be the first to know - sign up now to get an instant e-mail alert
whenever something big happens in Movies, TV or Music