UPFRONTS 2018: What FOX Should Do

Here are my thoughts on what FOX should do!

FOX had a better season than last year thanks to surprise hit 9-1-1, continued decent performances from Empire and Star, and passable showings from other freshmen The Resident, The Orville, and sort of The Gifted. But things are also in flux at FOX thanks to the impending sale of 21st Century FOX and upcoming divorce between the studio and the network. FOX plans to become more focused on live events and sports starting with Thursday Night Football this fall. So they will probably pick up less pilots than I suggest but as always, I think picking up more shows means a better chance for a hit.

Past FOX suggestions: 2017   2016   2015   2014   2013   2012   2011

For a list of FOX pilots, click here

MONDAYS
8:00 9-1-1
9:00 The Resident
I've seen a couple FOX mock schedules that have 9-1-1 moving to Mondays at 8pm and I like that idea. I would not pair it with something new though. I would pair it with The Resident, which seems like it has the chance to really find an audience after overperforming following Lucifer this spring. I assume 9-1-1 will have a shorter episode order, I would replace it at midseason with the new David Elliot project.

TUESDAYS
8:00 UNTITLED ILENE CHAIKEN PROJECT (KATIE HOLMES)
9:00 Lethal Weapon
I think the new Katie Holmes drama could be a self starter for FOX so I would give it the lead-off slot on Tuesday nights and slide Lethal Weapon back an hour (assuming they can figure out their problems with star Clayne Crawford). I would stop doing comedies on this night for now.

WEDNESDAYS
8:00 Empire
9:00 MIXTAPE
The Empire/Star pairing has been great, but I think the post-Empire slot is too valuable to keep using on Star when there's another musical drama that FOX could use. Mixtape seems to be that show. If it fails, they always have Star to fall back on. If they succeed, Star could be the winter replacement. They could even cycle through and do something like Empire/Mixtape in the fall, Star/Mixtape in the winter, and Empire/Star in the spring.

THURSDAYS
8:00 Thursday Night Football
We know FOX has football in the fall. I would do The Orville and The Gifted at midseason and perhaps The Four late in the season and into summer.

FRIDAYS
8:00 Hell's Kitchen
9:00 Lucifer
Lucifer has been a disappointment on Mondays this year, but I would give it one more year and let it air on Fridays with a "hell" themed night and pairing with Hell's Kitchen.

SATURDAYS
8:00 Encores

SUNDAYS
7:00 NFL Overrun/Animated Encores/Bob's Burgers
8:00 REL
8:30 The Simpsons
9:00 Family Guy
9:30 Brooklyn Nine-Nine
I know FOX will never do this, but I think if they really want to make a Sunday sitcom work, they need to give it the benefit of the direct NFL lead-in. Rel seems like it could work with football fans and I think would be worth a shot. I would put the animated hour from 8:30-9:30pm and give 9:30pm to Brooklyn Nine-Nine, which has shown a little bit of life since moving back to Sundays.

MIDSEASON: BLESS THIS MESS, OUR PEOPLE, THE PASSAGE, UNTITLED DAVID ELLIOT PROJECT, Cosmos, The Four, The Gifted, LA to Vegas, Masterchef Junior, The Orville, Showtime at the Apollo, Star
I already addressed some of these shows but the rest of them can either be filler (like Showtime at the Apollo) or back-ups if/when shows fail. I know there's a lot sitting on the bench here but some could bleed into summer if need be.

CANCELLED/ENDED: The Exorcist, Ghosted, Gotham, The Last Man on Earth, The Mick, New Girl, The X-Files