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FOX announces primetime slate

by jmaloni
Mon, May 16th 2011 02:15 pm

Four new comedies, three new dramas and one new unscripted series join schedule

Highly anticipated "The X Factor" launches this fall

Epic family adventure drama "Terra Nova" to make fall debut

Ensemble comedy "New Girl" Starring Zooey Deschanel, family comedy "I Hate My Teenage Daughter" and animated comedy "Allen Gregory" to premiere this fall

J.J. Abrams' chilling thriller "Alcatraz," animated comedy "Napoleon Dynamite" and "Bones" spin-off "The Finder" to debut midseason

"American Idol" season 11 kicks off Sunday, Jan. 22, 2012, with special premiere event following NFC Championship Game

Peter Rice, chairman of entertainment, Fox Networks Group; and Kevin Reilly, president of entertainment, Fox Broadcasting Company, today unveiled the FOX primetime schedule for the 2011-12 television season to the national advertising community during its annual programming presentation at The New Beacon Theatre.

"Nothing impacts culture the way a television show does," said Rice. "And here at FOX, we have the most talked about, most followed, most creative shows that build connections between viewers and brands."

"Going into next year, we've rejuvenated 'American Idol,' built a core strength across the week and developed a really fresh, creative new lineup for next season," said Reilly. "From razor-sharp comedies to epic dramas to a massive talent competition series, I think we have the goods to continue to be pop culture's most vibrant platform, as well as the top network."

Launching this fall is the highly anticipated singing competition series "The X Factor," which marks the return of Simon Cowell to FOX. Cowell, along with Antonio "L.A." Reid, Cheryl Cole and Paula Abdul, will judge the U.S. version of the international television phenomenon that will award an unprecedented $5 million recording contract with Syco/Sony Music to the next global superstar or breakout music group.

Epic family adventure series "Terra Nova," executive-produced by Steven Spielberg ("Saving Private Ryan," "Jurassic Park"), Peter Chernin, René Echevarria ("Castle," "The 4400") and Brannon Braga ("24") and starring Jason O'Mara ("Life On Mars") and Stephen Lang ("Avatar"), premieres in the fall. The ambitious series follows an ordinary family on an extraordinary journey back in time to prehistoric Earth as a small part of a daring experiment to save the human race.

Also debuting this fall are the half-hour comedies "New Girl" (working title) and "I Hate My Teenage Daughter" (working title). Created by Liz Meriwether ("No Strings Attached"), "New Girl" is a new single-camera ensemble comedy starring Zooey Deschanel ("(500) Days of Summer") as Jess, an offbeat girl who - after a bad breakup - moves in with three single guys and essentially sets a bomb off in their lives. New multi-camera family comedy "I Hate My Teenage Daughter" stars Emmy winner Jaime Pressly ("My Name Is Earl") and Tony winner Katie Finneran ("Wonderfalls") as single moms, life-long friends - and former nerds - who fear their privileged and overly indulged daughters are turning out to be just like the girls who picked on them in high school. 

"Allen Gregory" is the new animated comedy joining the Sunday "Animation Domination" lineup this fall. Created by and featuring the voice of Jonah Hill ("Get Him to the Greek," "Superbad"), "Allen Gregory" is the story of an extremely pretentious 7-year-old about to embark on his greatest challenge yet: leaving the safety of homeschooling and attending elementary school with children his own age.

Television's No. 1 hit series, "American Idol," will kick off midseason with a special premiere event Sunday, Jan. 22 (10 p.m. ET), immediately following the NFC Championship Game. Entering its remarkable 11th season, the series will continue to empower contestants and viewers to share their voices in deciding who will be the next "American Idol."

The two new dramas set to launch in midseason are "Alcatraz" and "The Finder." From executive producer J.J. Abrams ("Lost," "Star Trek") and writer Elizabeth Sarnoff ("Lost") and starring Sarah Jones ("Sons of Anarchy"), Jorge Garcia ("Lost") and Sam Neill ("Jurassic Park"), "Alcatraz" is the chilling new thriller centered on America's most infamous prison and the mysterious return of its most notorious criminals.  Created by Hart Hanson, the executive producer and creator of "Bones," "The Finder" is a new procedural drama starring Geoff Stults ("She's Out of My League") as an Iraq war vet with an extraordinary ability to help people find the unfindable.

Based on the hit cult classic and featuring the voices of the film's original cast, "Napoleon Dynamite" is the new animated comedy premiering in midseason. The series follows the continuing adventures of Napoleon Dynamite, America's most awesomely awkward teenager, and his quirky family and friends as they navigate life in rural Idaho.

In March, while "Glee" takes a break before its spring semester return, FOX will continue the laughs on Tuesdays with a block of four half-hour comedies. The night will feature the critically acclaimed "Raising Hope," new comedies "I Hate My Teenage Daughter" and "New Girl," as well as one of the additional comedies in development, including "Family Album" (working title) and "Little In Common" (working title). Starring Mike O'Malley ("Glee") and Rachael Harris ("The Hangover"), "Family Album" is the single-camera comedy that takes a snapshot of the Bronsky clan as they reveal the hilarious stories behind the photo-worthy moments of life. The new family comedy "Little In Common," starring Rob Corddry ("Hot Tub Time Machine") and Kevin Hart ("Death at a Funeral"), follows three diverse middle-class families who become intertwined when their children play on youth sports teams together.

In addition, Kiefer Sutherland, star of the landmark Emmy-winning series "24," returns to FOX in "Touch," scheduled to go into pilot production this June. Written and created by Tim Kring ("Heroes"), "Touch" centers on the relationship between a single father and his 11-year-old son with special needs. Their relationship and their lives take an extraordinary turn when the gifted son begins to make connections in his life and around the world.

This spring, FOX will celebrate its 25th birthday with a star-studded look back at the last quarter-century on the "FOX 25th Anniversary Special" (working title) airing Sunday, April 1. FOX's biggest stars from both past and present will make appearances to honor the network that began 25 years ago.

Other FOX series returning in 2011-2012 include: "American Dad" (season 7), "American Idol" (season 11), "America's Most Wanted" (quarterly specials), "Bob's Burgers" (season 2), "Bones" (season 7), "The Cleveland Show" (season 3), "Cops" (season 24), "Family Guy" (season 9), "Fringe" (season 4), "Glee" (season 3), "Hell's Kitchen" (season 9), "House" (season 8), "Kitchen Nightmares" (season 4), "Masterchef" (season 2), "Mobbed" (specials), "Raising Hope" (season 2), "The Simpsons" (season 23) "And So You Think You Can Dance" (season 8). American Country Awards, "New Year's Eve Live" And Teen Choice 2011 will also return to the FOX schedule.

Keep up with all the new series on the FOX 2011-2012 Primetime Schedule at www.FOX.com or by becoming fans of the series on Facebook and following the series on Twitter.

Following are the FOX 2011-12 primetime schedule and synopses of the new series:

FOX FALL 2011 PRIMETIME SCHEDULE

(All Times ET/PT)

MONDAY

8:00-9:00 PM    TERRA NOVA (new)      

9:00-10:00 PM   HOUSE

TUESDAY

8:00-9:00 PM    GLEE

9:00-9:30 PM    NEW GIRL (wt) (new)

9:30-10:00 PM   RAISING HOPE

WEDNESDAY

8:00-9:30 PM    THE X FACTOR Performance Show (new)   

9:30-10:00 PM   I HATE MY TEENAGE DAUGHTER (wt) (new)         

THURSDAY

8:00-9:00 PM    THE X FACTOR Results Show (new)

9:00-10:00 PM   BONES         

FRIDAY

8:00-9:00 PM    KITCHEN NIGHTMARES

9:00-10:00 PM   FRINGE

SATURDAY

8:00-8:30 PM    COPS  

8:30-9:00 PM    COPS  

9:00-10:00 PM   ENCORES / AMERICA'S MOST WANTED (specials)

SUNDAY

7:00-7:30 PM    THE OT (NFL post-game)

7:30-8:00 PM    THE CLEVELAND SHOW

8:00-8:30 PM    THE SIMPSONS

8:30-9:00 PM    ALLEN GREGORY (new)

9:00-9:30 PM    FAMILY GUY

9:30-10:00 PM   AMERICAN DAD

FOX MIDSEASON 2012 PRIMETIME SCHEDULE

(All Times ET/PT)

MONDAY

8:00-9:00 PM    HOUSE 

9:00-10:00 PM   ALCATRAZ (new)        

TUESDAY

8:00-9:00 PM    GLEE

9:00-9:30 PM    NEW GIRL (wt) (new)

9:30-10:00 PM   RAISING HOPE

WEDNESDAY

8:00-9:30 PM    AMERICAN IDOL Performance Show

9:30-10:00 PM   I HATE MY TEENAGE DAUGHTER (wt) (new)

THURSDAY

8:00-9:00 PM    AMERICAN IDOL Results Show

9:00-10:00 PM   THE FINDER (new) / BONES (spring)

FRIDAY

8:00-9:00 PM    KITCHEN NIGHTMARES

9:00-10:00 PM   FRINGE        

SATURDAY

8:00-8:30 PM    COPS  

8:30-9:00 PM    COPS  

9:00-10:00 PM   ENCORES / AMERICA'S MOST WANTED (specials)

SUNDAY

7:00-7:30 PM    ANIMATION DOMINATION (encores)

7:30-8:00 PM    THE CLEVELAND SHOW

8:00-8:30 PM    THE SIMPSONS  

8:30-9:00 PM    NAPOLEON DYNAMITE (new)

9:00-9:30 PM    FAMILY GUY    

9:30-10:00 PM   BOB'S BURGERS

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