RENEWAL ALERT: New Girl, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, The Mindy Project, The Following

FOX handed out more renewals to a quartet of shows who are favorites of FOX but struggling in the ratings. New Girl, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, The Mindy Project, and The Following were all given another season.

New Girl was renewed for a fourth season. The show was a shining star as a freshman on FOX's schedule in 2011-12, but it has gradually declined ever since. However, it's one of the youngest skewing shows on TV and a huge magnet to the desirable 18-34 demo. The show has hit a bit of a wall creatively this year after two excellent seasons, so hopefully this show will recover creatively. It will get a chance to with this renewal.

Brooklyn Nine-Nine was renewed for a second season. It was one of the critics' favorite new shows heading into this season and then it shocked everyone by winning Outstanding Comedy Series at the Golden Globe awards. Those reasons, coupled with a post-Super Bowl slot pretty much showed that FOX was committed to this show despite middling ratings. I'm so glad to hear this because it is, without question, the funniest new show on the air this season.

The Mindy Project was renewed for a third season. The show has struggled in the ratings since the beginning but manages to keep getting renewed. It is currently on hiatus but will return in April. Many fans claim the show has gotten much better since its shaky early episodes, but I admit I only gave it half an episode of a second chance in the season premiere this year. These three renewals make me wonder what FOX will do with comedies next year - will these three all come back to Tuesday with a new sitcom? Or will they expand to another night like Friday or Sunday?

Finally, The Following was given a third season. The creepy drama was one of TV's top rated new shows last season as it struck a chord with viewers on Monday nights. This season, its season premiere aired after the NFC Championship Game and delivered big numbers, but things quickly fell on Monday nights as it has been exploring new series lows by the week. But with the cancellation of The X Factor and FOX's move towards half-season shows, this must be a valuable show to keep. All four renewed shows are solid DVR gainers.

These shows join many already-renewed shows for FOX: Bob's Burgers, Bones, Family Guy, Glee, Masterchef Junior, The Simpsons, and Sleepy Hollow. Aside from American Idol, there may not be any more renewals though Almost Human could sneak one out. Dads, Enlisted, Raising Hope, and Rake are very likely to join the already cancelled The X Factor. Still to premiere is Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey, Surviving Jack, 24: Live Another Day, and Gang Related.