Fox gets jump on new season
Series premieres to launch after Emmys
By JOSEF ADALIAN

Fox will use its broadcast of the 59th annual Emmy awards to launch its new fall season, eschewing a super-early rollout in favor of a pretty traditional kickoff to the 2007-08 campaign.
Bulk of the net's scripted series premieres will occur the week of Sept. 17, immediately after its Sept. 16 Emmycast. Ordinarily, that would mean Fox was debuting most of its shows in-season. But Nielsen has decreed that the new season doesn't begin until Sept. 24 this year-- a change from the usual day-after-the-Emmys launch.

Scripted bows start Monday, Sept. 17. with the third season return of "Prison Break" followed by the start of new drama "K-Ville." Revamped Wednesday lineup of laffers "Back to You" and "'Til Death," along with drama "Bones," will be unveiled on Sept. 19.

Sunday stalwarts "The Simpsons," "King of the Hill" and "Family Guy" get animated on Sept. 23, with "Family Guy" airing a special one-hour season premiere (likely a special "Star Wars"-themed episode in which the Episode IV saga is retold by the Griffin clan).

Fox is saving its biggest fall gun-- "House"-- until premiere week, with the medical drama returning to rounds on Tuesday, Sept. 25 at 9 p.m. Frosh drama "New Amsterdam" is slated to bow at 8 p.m. the same night, while "American Dad" begins a new season on Sept. 30.

As for Fox's reality slate, net will try to keep up the momentum of summer skeins such as "So You Think You Can Dance" and "Hell's Kitchen" by unveiling new segs of its unscripted skeins a bit early.

Midseason hit "Are You Smarter than a Fifth Grader" will start a new semester on Thursday, Aug, 30., with new companion "Kitchen Nightmares" joining the Thursday lineup at 9 p.m. on Sept. 13. Docusoap "Nashville" starts strumming on Friday, Sept. 14 at 9 p.m.

Fox will double-pump "Fifth Grader" for several weeks in September and October, airing new episodes Fridays at 8. Then, after the net's baseball playoff coverage, net has said "The Search for the Next Great American Band" will air in the early Friday slot. Meanwhile, "Cops" and "America's Most Wanted"-- which air some original segs all year long-- will officially begin their 18th seasons on Saturday, Sept. 8. "Mad TV" and "Talkshow with Spike Feresten" return to latenight on Sept. 15. Comedy repeats fill the Sunday 7-8 p.m. slot during football season.

Fox's sked will undergo an extreme makeover in January when "American Idol" and "24" return.

http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117968285.html?categoryid=14&cs=1

I wonder if less baseball is letting FOX premeire shows closer to the official start of the season.

Interesting that the "Official" Start of the season is now Sept. 24.

Lets see if the Other Nets Follow the 17th date or the 24th.


With FOX only having a MAX of 14 Post season MLB games this year, I bet they are happy to have teir show premier on "schedule".

quote:

Originally posted by TV-aholic:
Interesting that the "Official" Start of the season is now Sept. 24.

Lets see if the Other Nets Follow the 17th date or the 24th.

Wonder why they call the 24th the start of the season when almost every show they have will premiere before then? It is almost like they don't know that jumping the start just means more reruns later on during the 'official' season.