Upfronts Week — FOX


This is Upfronts week, the week when all the major networks unveil their fall schedules. Each day during the week I'll be taking a look at each network's new fall offerings and giving some cursory thoughts. Of course, we'll have months to parse the new an returning shows, and the lineup choices, once the fall season begins in September.

Network: FOX

Most Interesting Scheduling Decision: If 2013-2014 was the year of comedies, then 2014-2015 feels like the year Networks are fleeing from comedies. Yesterday NBC unveiled a new fall schedule that broke up the two-hour Must-See TV comedy block on Thursdays. Today, FOX unveiled a fall schedule that is dumping its comedy block on Tuesday nights. Sure, "New Girl" and "The Mindy Project" will still anchor the 9 p.m. hour, but now the night kicks off with the new reality show "Utopia." "Brooklyn Nine-Nine," the hottest new sitcom last year (and the Golden Globe winner) moves to Sunday nights. While FOX has typically had a quartet of animated films on Sunday nights, it will break that up with two live-action shows. "Brooklyn Nine-Nine" slides into the 8:30 p.m. slot between "The Simpsons" and "Family Guy," while new comedy "Mulaney" goes in at 9:30 p.m. I think this hurts "Brooklyn Nine-Nine," which I thought got better throughout the its first season. It is a show aimed at men 18-34, predominately, and setting it on Sunday nights in the fall against "The Walking Dead" and the NFL feels like a rough move. In fact, the Sunday night lineup doesn't make a lot of sense.

Most Promising New Show: I like several of the FOX shows based on concept and trailer. "Broadchurch" was one of the best shows I saw last year, and I think there is potential to do good things with it at FOX as it's now become "Gracepoint." Limiting it to 10 episodes will keep the plot from getting diluted. And, the promise of a new killer will give it a different feel. Of course "Red Band Society" has an interesting vibe, solid cast, and good production team. But for the purposes of this section, I'm going to settle on "Gotham." Superheroes are hot right now. This is an interesting concept and has the potential to be a great series. The trailer was perfect and moody, and there is a lot of potential for how this could go. Pairing it with "Sleepy Hollow" could give FOX a great way to kick off the week, and something that could work well as a counter to the reality shows and comedies that are likely to air on other networks. I am all in on "Gotham."

Least Promising New Show: Again, there are a couple ways to go with this. As much as I like the idea of "Gracepoint," it's also a risk. It was a well-known and popular show that's essentially being re-made for an American audience. But for this post I'm going with "Mulaney." It's a sitcom about an aspiring stand up comedian and his friends, based on the standup of creator and star John Mulaney. I wrote above about the issues with its timeslot, but I also wonder if it's the kind of show that can make it. The show was originally developed by NBC, who passed. Watching the trailer, it feels like it wants to be the new "Seinfeld," including the make up of the core group and the inter splicing of actual stand up from Mulaney. Therein lies the rub. It feels a little too retro, and the trailer didn't have enough humor in it. I think this show is going to be a tough sell for 2014 audiences, especially on Sundays at 9:30 p.m.

Lineup:
Monday Nights:
8 p.m. — Gotham
9 p.m. — Sleepy Hollow

Tuesday Nights:
8 p.m. — Utopia
9 p.m. — New Girl
9:30 p.m. — The Mindy Project

Wednesday Nights:
8 p.m. — Hell's Kitchen
9 p.m. — The Red Band Society

Thursday Nights:
 8 p.m. — Bones
9 p.m. — Gracepoint

Friday Nights:
8 p.m. — Masterchef Junior
9 p.m. — Utopia

Sunday Nights:
7 p.m. — NFL Overrun
7:30 p.m. — Bob's Burgers
8 p.m. — The Simpsons
8:30 p.m. — Brooklyn Nine-Nine
9 p.m. — Family Guy
9:30 p.m. — Mulaney

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