SitcomsOnline.com 2007-08 Upfront Preview: Fox; NBC Renews 'Lights', Picks-Up Four New Series

Thursday, May 10, 2007

SitcomsOnline.com 2007-08 Upfront Preview: Fox; NBC Renews 'Lights', Picks-Up Four New Series

Fox still has the strongest show in television right now but it doesn't premiere in January. But we just got late word that they might ask the creators of American Idol to do a show about the search for the next American Band that will start in August or so and I'd guess go until November. This makes things more complicated to predict for Fox fall.
Here is the SitcomsOnline.com Fox 2007-08 preview:

New Series Already Picked-Up: Back to You (sitcom)
New Series We Think That Are Almost Good To Go: Minister of Divine (sitcom), The Return of Jezbel James (sitcom), The Life & Times of Tim (animated sitcom), The Apostles (drama), K-Ville (drama), The Sarah Connor Chronicles (drama)
New Series Perhaps Picked-Up for Mid-Season: Company Man (drama), Nurses (drama) and Animals (animated sitcom)

OUR FALL 2007 PREDICTION:

Sundays
7:00PM NFL Overrun / Animated Encores
8:00PM The Simpsons
8:30PM The Life & Times of Tim (NEW)
9:00PM Family Guy
9:30PM American Dad

Mondays
8:00PM The Sarah Connor Chronicles (NEW)
9:00PM Prison Break

Tuesdays
8:00PM American Band (wt) (NEW!) / K-Ville (NEW)
9:00PM House

Wednesdays
8:00PM Back to You (NEW)
8:30PM 'Til Death
9:00PM American Band Results Show (NEW) / Minister of Divine (NEW)
9:30PM The Return of Jezbel James (NEW)

Thursdays
8:00PM Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?
9:00PM Trading Spouses

Fridays
8:00PM Bones
9:00PM The Apostles (NEW)

Saturdays
8:00PM Cops
8:30PM Cops
9:00PM America's Most Wanted

Comments: Fox is once again tough to figure out. Besides pre-empting regular series for the baseball playoffs and World Series in October, they will probably launch some shows in mid-August, like their Monday dramas and now with word that they will do an American Idol type show for the fall featuring a search for bands, it makes things more complex. Of course 24 and American Idol itself will come back in January. 24 will probably be aired with the mid-season drama Company Man, while Sarah Connor and Prison Break take a break..if Sarah is a hit, who knows maybe they will move it or even keep it in the same slot. Tuesdays and Wednesdays will be tough now with the Band series coming. I think it will inherit the Idol slots (Tuesdays at 8 and Wednesdays at 9...if it even has a results show, but most likely it will). House will probably stay put Tuesdays at 9 with all-comedies on Wednesday. I think Bones will be either benched until mid-season or put to Fridays...I went with the latter. Thursdays I think Fox will remain with the same line-up of 5th Grader and Trading Spouses, or maybe they try a drama at 9...even though it is a death slot against the two highest rated dramas. And so many series are goners: Drive, Happy Hour, Justice, The O.C., Vanished, The Rich List, Wedding Bells, The Winner, & War at Home. I think Nanny 911 will return at some point. Like when anything fails fast. As for mid-season, maybe House can take a 6-week break or something so they can try the new drama Nurses after Idol in January or March? I don't think King of the Hill will really be needed but they will probably bring it back in January or so for the 7-8pm hour and Fox will also try the Adam Sandler animated comedy Animals for mid-season. Fox is the most hardest to predict I think with the many schedule "blocks" of months they have.

Remember, next Thursday (May 17) is the actual date when we will find out Fox's plans for the 2007-08 season. So, come on back next Thursday and we will let you know the details and you can see how much we were right (or wrong). Stay tuned tomorrow for a preview on The CW's upfront.

Monday we gave our prediction on NBC's upfront. We had Friday Night Lights on our schedule and sure enough NBC made it official today that the show will return to NBC for a second season. No word yet if it will be for the fall or January. NBC also announced it has picked-up at least four new dramas to air for the 2007-08 season: Journeyman, Bionic Woman, Chuck and Life. I'm sure two of them at least will be for the fall.

Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows

Monday, October 14

English Teacher - "Birthday" (FX, 10:00PM ET/PT)
Malcolm throws a surprise birthday party for Evan at a gay bar.

Complete TV Listings

Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of October 14)

Monday, October 14

Patton Oswalt (A.P. Bio/The Goldbergs/The King of Queens) - Watch Patton on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
Naomi Scott (Life Bites) - Naomi is a guest on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
Sarah Paulson (Leap of Faith) - Sarah appears on a repeat of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
Kathy Bates (Disjointed) - Kathy is a guest The Late Show with Stephen Colbert at 11:35pm on CBS.
Pamela Anderson (Stacked/Home Improvement) - Pamela appears on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert at 11:35pm on CBS. She also talks about I Love You: Recipes from the Heart on ABC's Good Morning America some time between 7-9am.
Reba McEntire (Happy's Place/Reba/Malibu Country) and Anna Kendrick (Love Life) - E! News has interviews with Reba and Anna at 11pm on E!.
Tawny Newsome (Space Force, Eugene Cordero (Tacoma FD) and Jerry O'Connell (We Are Men/Do Not Disturb/Carpoolers/My Secret Identity) - Tawny, Eugene and Jerry are guests on After Midnight at 12:37am on CBS.
Henry Winkler (Barry/Arrested Development/Out of Practice/Monty/Happy Days) - Henry talks about Detective Duck: The Case of the Missing Tadpole on CBS Mornings some time between 7-9am. He will also be on Live with Kelly and Mark, so check your listings.
Zoey Deutch (The Suite Life on Deck) - Zoey talks about Our Town on CBS Mornings some time between 7-9am.
Christa Miller (Shrinking/Cougar Town/Scrubs/The Drew Carey Show) - Christa discusses her series Shrinking on Live with Kelly and Mark, so check your listings.
Lea Thompson (Caroline in the City) - Lea talks about her daughters following her footsteps in acting, her new show and reveals which Back to the Future costar she last spoke to on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
Lamorne Morris (Woke/New Girl) - Lamorne is telling Drew about his sensational new movie Saturday Night on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
Melissa McCarthy (God's Favorite Idiot/Nobodies/Mike & Molly/Samantha Who?) and Ben Falcone (God's Favorite Idiot/Nobodies/Joey) - Melissa and Ben are guests on ABC's Good Morning America some time between 7-9am.
Rosie Perez (Human Resources/Search Party) - Rosie chats with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
Erika Alexander (Run the World/Living Single/The Cosby Show) - Erika talks about her legendary career and her Maxine Shaw Effect leadership program on Sherri, so check your local listings.
Connie Britton (SMILF/Lost at Home/The Fighting Fitzgeralds/Spin City) - Connie talks about her film Here After on Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.
Tia Mowry (Family Reunion/The Game/Sister, Sister) - Tia discusses her reality series Tia Mowry: My Next Act on The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.