Fox Wipes Its Slate Nearly Clean
Fox is replacing nearly half of its schedule as it seeks to reverse a big ratings slide this season, blamed on late starts and the dramatic decline of now-canceled anchors Ally McBeal and The X-Files.
The network today announced plans to add five new dramas, two comedies and three reality or sketch-comedy series to its schedule this fall. That's three more newcomers than ABC, despite the fact that Fox programs only 15 hours each week, compared with ABC's 22. Only Saturday remains intact, with Cops and America's Most Wanted.
Good news for 24 fans: The acclaimed thriller will return in its current serialized format and its same time slot. Bad news for fans of on-the-fence series Dark Angel, Titus, That '80s Show and Greg the Bunny : All are canceled. But Andy Richter Controls the Universe will return in midseason.
Replacing Ally on Mondays is Girls Club, another drama from producer David E. Kelley, about a trio of female San Francisco lawyers.
Replacing X-Files on Sunday are two comedies: a relocated Malcolm in the Middle at 9 p.m., followed by new entry The Grubbs, starring Randy Quaid as a blue-collar dad.
The Bernie Mac Show, Fox's biggest hit this season, slides down to 8 p.m. ET/PT on Wednesdays, putting it opposite the only other black family comedy, ABC's My Wife & Kids, and it's followed by a sketch series starring another Original King of Comedy, Cedric the Entertainer.
Thursday brings two reality series and a teen soap, all premiering in December or January following postseason baseball in October and movies and specials in November. On Friday, look for two new dramas, including one from Buffy the Vampire Slayer's Joss Whedon.
Fox's new series:
* Girls Club, Kelley's latest drama about three young women lawyers sharing a San Francisco loft.
* Cedric the Entertainer Presents, a sketch-comedy series starring the stand-up comedian.
* Fastlane, a high-powered L.A. cop drama starring Peter Facinelli and Bill Bellamy, with Tiffani Thiessen as their boss.
* John Doe, a drama about a mysterious man who knows everything except his own identity.
* Firefly, a futuristic drama about space travelers that plays more like an old-fashioned Western, from Whedon.
* Oliver Beene, a sitcom set in 1962 about an 11-year-old and his eccentric family, using narrations by an adult Oliver.
* The Grubbs, about a blue-collar family of underachievers headed by Quaid.
* Septuplets, a teen soap about septuplets running a Santa Monica, Calif., hotel.
* Meet the Marks, a hidden-camera show featuring a troupe of improvisational actors
* 30 Seconds to Fame, a fast-paced talent competition.
