Tuesday, May 08, 2012

SitcomsOnline.com 2012-13 Upfront Preview: Fox; TV Land Celebrates Mother's Day with Raymond, Happily Divorced


Fox
Our upfront preview week continues!  Today we take a look at Fox, who will present its schedule on Monday. Fox is coming off a decent season as X Factor did decent (but not huge) last fall and Fox also found a comedy hit in New Girl. And American Idol is still is the number one show on TV even with massive drops, but they still will need some more dramas to hit, especially in the fall without House and no real drama hits as Glee is declining and Bones is aging.
Here is the SitcomsOnline.com Fox 2012-13 preview:

New Series Already Picked-Up: None.
Already Renewed Returning Series: The Simpsons, Bob's Burgers, The Cleveland Show, Family Guy, American Dad!, Bones, Glee, Raising Hope, Fringe, Hell's Kitchen, Kitchen Nightmares, The X Factor, New Girl, Cops.
Likely Returning Series: American Idol & Touch.
Likely To Be Canceled or Already Canceled: House, Terra Nova, Allen Gregory, Napoleon Dynamite, Alcatraz, The Finder, Breaking In, I Hate My Teenage Daughter, Mobbed & Q'Viva.
Likely Additional New Series Pick-Ups (our picks): Untitled Mindy Kaling Project (comedy for fall), Mastermind (drama for fall), Untitled Berman & Wright Project (drama for fall), Little Brother (comedy for fall), and Rebounding (comedy for mid-season).

OUR FALL 2012 PREDICTION:

Mondays
8:00PM Bones
9:00PM Untitled Berman & Wright Project (NEW!)

Tuesdays
8:00PM Glee
9:00PM New Girl 
9:30PM Untitled Mindy Kaling Project (NEW!)

Wednesdays
8:00PM The X-Factor 
9:30PM Little Brother (NEW!)

Thursdays
8:00PM The X-Factor Results
9:00PM Mastermind (NEW!)

Fridays
8:00PM Kitchen Nightmares
9:00PM Fringe

Saturdays
8:00PM College Football on Fox

Sundays
7:00PM NFL Overrun / Animated Encores
8:00PM The Simpsons
8:30PM The Cleveland Show
9:00PM Family Guy
9:30PM American Dad!

Comments: Fox will try to turn The X-Factor into a big hit in season two with new judges, but does anyone care at this point? The series is likely to return to its Wednesdays from 8-10pm (later 8-9:30pm) and Thursdays 8-9pm timeslots. Once again the plan will probably be to reduce the performance show to 90-minutes by mid-October or so, so perhaps a comedy will air at 9:30pm--and a better one like John Stamos' Little Brother and not something bad like this past season's I Hate My Teenage Daughter. That's one comedy pick-up that was a big head scratcher. Anyway on to the fall schedule picks,  House is gone and Bones will likely remain on Mondays leading it off. They should use the 9pm slot to try and launch a new drama like the Untitled Berman & Wright Project about a mob doctor. I don't think they should go with a more male oriented drama like Mastermind in this slot, as Terra Nova and Alcatraz fizzled, plus ESPN has Monday Night Football in the fall. Moving on to Tuesdays, I think Glee will remain in the slot leading into a comedy hour. Raising Hope will be back, but perhaps in mid-season so it can make room for a new comedy, almost all but certain to be the Untitled Mindy Kaling Project right after New Girl at 9. On paper it sounds like a perfect match. On Wednesdays, as mentioned The X-Factor will likely air 8-10pm then eventually be reduced to 8-9:30pm into a new comedy, perhaps the John Stamos series Little Brother. That seems like a good fit and the woman will go wild for John. On Thursdays, X-Factor will likely be at 8pm, perhaps leading into a new drama like Mastermind from Kevin Williamson. I think Touch, should it return, will be mid-season. Fridays will likely remain the same as it is now, with Kitchen Nightmares at 8 leading into the final 13-episode season of Fringe. It will be interesting what airs at 9pm in mid-season. Saturdays will now be sports in the fall, with College Football most weeks.  This means Cops is on hiatus until mid-season. And on Sundays, animation domination will continue of course with a mix of the 5 series they have already, but likely one will be benched to January because of NFL overruns and it should be Bob's Burgers again. As Cleveland Show does better at 8:30pm. Every other timeslot should remain intact. Fox is working on a Saturday late night animated block to start in January, so stay tuned for news on that. No more encores on Saturday nights!
So, Fox hopes The X-Factor turns into a big hit this fall in its second season to try and make Fox  bigger in the fall. Look for Fox to try and get a second comedy hit out of New Girl and to try and find a new drama hit as none of this past season's dramas did that well. Only Touch has a chance of returning, as The Finder and Alcatraz do not deserve to return. And finally, Fox could also use In Living Color specials in December or sweeps. Perhaps that will be a good Friday option once Fringe concludes? The question for Fox will be if The X Factor can grow in season 2. If it does, it will be a good launching pad for at least two new series.

Remember, Monday (May 14) is the actual date when we will find out Fox's plans for the 2012-13 season. So, come on back next Monday and we will let you know the details and you can see how much we were right (or wrong). Stay tuned next week for the official fall line-ups for all the networks.
Discuss your thoughts on our prediction and feel free to make suggestions of your own!

Stay tuned tomorrow for our prediction for ABC!

TV Land will air a special Mother's Day-themed episode of Happily Divorced, starring Fran Drescher and guest-starring Rosie O'Donnell, on Wednesday (May 9) at 10:30pm ET/PT. The episode will revolve around Fran (Drescher) looking to spend quality time with her mother, Dori (Rita Moreno), after Fran forgets to make reservations for Mother's Day at Dori's favorite restaurant. Rosie O'Donnell will play Katie, a friend from Fran's past who, more than anything, wishes to have her mother back so she can celebrate the special day with her. Both Drescher and O'Donnell have been very public about their relationships with their moms and how they have influenced who they are today, making this episode particularly meaningful. The series, filmed in front of a live audience, was recently picked up for 12 additional episodes for its second season, set to air later this year.
TV Land will also air its annual Mother's Day marathon, and this year it stars everyone's favorite meddling mom, Marie Barone! With Marie (Doris Roberts) being the loving but overbearing mother that she is, there's no better way to commemorate the day than with back to back episodes of Everybody Loves Raymond, airing Sunday, May 13 from 9pm to 11:30pm ET/PT.


Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows

Sunday, September 15

The Great North - "You've Got Sail Adventure" (Fox, 7:00PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Wanting a chance at casually making out, Judy suddenly finds herself with three separate dates to handle simultaneously; Beef goes to meet a friend he met online, only to find out that he's a cruise ship captain, and therefore a dire enemy.

The Simpsons - "Cremains of the Day" (Fox, 7:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
When someone in Homer's life passes away, he and some guys from Moe's go on a road trip to scatter the ashes.

Universal Basic Guys - "Sunset Cruise" (Fox, 8:00PM ET/PT)
When David, Andrea, Mark, and Tammy go on a cruise together, David and Andrea unexpectedly rekindle their romance; Mark's preoccupation with reeling in a big fish leads to him catching a whale that jeopardizes the safety of the entire cruise.

Bob's Burgers - "The Right Tough Stuff" (Fox, 8:30PM ET/PT)
When Gayle tells the family she's sending in an audition tape to be on Tough Stuff Island, Linda is determined to make her tape boring to save her from being humiliated on a rejection reel; Bob struggles with his new electric grinder.

The Great North - "Look Who's Squawking Adventure" / "Am I The Ice Hole? Adventure" (Fox, 9:00PM ET/PT)
When the eagle Moon is pet sitting escapes, he enlists Beef and Wolf to go searching for it; Honeybee and Beef bond on an ice fishing trip and try to find a compromise between quiet fishing and fun games.

The Conners - "Sober Sex, Plastic Silverware, and Losing My Religion" (The CW, 7:00PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Part of Becky's recovery program mandates she make amends with people she has lied to over the years, leading her to meet up again with a former high school friend; Darlene visits with Pastor Phil; Louise continues planning her wedding.

The Conners - "The Wedding of Dan and Louise" (The CW, 7:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
A weather report forecasting that a tornado is headed for Lanford creates chaos and surprises on Dan and Louise's wedding day.

The Conners - "Peter Pan, The Backup Plan, Adventures in Babysitting, and a River Runs Through It" (The CW, 9:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
The Conner home is decked out for Halloween, despite the leak in the roof that forces Dan and Louise to cancel their honeymoon; Becky surprises the newlyweds and takes them on a virtual adventure around the world.

Complete TV Listings


Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of September 9)

Friday, September 13

  • Brian Tyree Henry (HouseBroken/Atlanta) - Watch Brian on a repeat of Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
  • Dax Shepard (Bless This Mess) - Dax appears on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
  • Al Franken (LateLine) - Al is a guest on Real Time with Bill Maher at 10pm on HBO.
  • Kelsey Grammer (Frasier/Partners/Hank/Back to You/Cheers) - Kelsey will be on CBS Mornings some time between 7-9am.
  • Sanaa Lathan (Family Guy/The Cleveland Show/LateLine) - Sanaa and Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor talk about the enduring power of friendship in their new Hulu film The Supremes at Earl's All-You-Can-Eat on Tamron Hall, so check your local listings.
  • Dana Delany (The Comedians) - Dana discusses her television series Tulsa King on The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.
  • Josie Davis (Charles in Charge) - Josie will be on Good Day LA on FOX 11 in Los Angeles at 11:30am.


New on DVD and Blu-ray

Too Close for Comfort - The Complete Series Check It Out! - The Complete Series Bewitched - The Complete Series - 60th Anniversary Special Edition (Blu-ray) Friends - The Complete Series (4K Ultra HD) Young Sheldon - The Complete Series

04/03 - Too Close for Comfort - The Complete Series (VEI)
04/08 - Check It Out! - The Complete Series (VEI)
05/21 - Frasier (2023) - Season One
06/11 - The Jeffersons - The Complete Series (2024 Release)
06/11 - Welcome Back, Kotter - The Complete Series (2024 Release)
07/05 - Letterkenny - Season 12 (Final Season)
07/30 - Ted Lasso - The Richmond Way (The Complete Series) (Blu-ray) (DVD)
09/10 - Rick and Morty - The Complete Seasons 1-7
09/10 - Ted - Season One (Blu-ray) (DVD)
09/17 - Bewitched - The Complete Series - 60th Anniversary Special Edition (Blu-ray)
09/17 - Top Cat - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
09/24 - Friends - The Complete Series (4K Ultra HD)
09/24 - Young Sheldon - The Complete Seventh Season (DVD) / The Complete Series (DVD) (Blu-ray)
10/08 - Curb Your Enthusiasm - The Complete Twelfth Season / The Complete Series
10/22 - Veep - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)

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