Fox has firmed up its scheduling plans for January 2016 when American Idol will return for a final season, with major changes on every night of the week. Among the new series additions is new drama Second Chance, which has changed its title one more time, having started as The Frankenstein Code and being renamed to Lookinglass in August.
Fox is introducing two new comedies in January: live-action Cooper Barrett’s Guide To Surviving Life and Seth MacFarlane’s animated Bordertown. Both will launch as part of Fox’s Sunday comedy block, with Cooper Barrett getting The Simpsons as a lead-in, while Bordertown, as can be expected, is being paired with MacFarlane’s Family Guy. Cooper Barrett and Bordertown will displace the current occupants of the Sunday 8:30 PM and 9:30 PM slots, Brooklyn Nine-Nine and The Last Man On Earth. The former will return to Tuesdays where it originally started, while the latter will take a break and will likely go back to its Sunday 9:30 PM slot in spring when Bordertown ends its run.
Fox’s Tuesday comedy block is undergoing a makeover, with Scream Queens exiting after a limited run and New Girl returning after a long hiatus for an uninterrupted run of originals. Fox will use New Girl and Brooklyn Nine-Nine as 8 PM and 9 PM anchors to try and boost freshmen Grandfathered and The Grinder, respectively.
American Idol’s farewell season will start with a double run on Wednesdays and Thursdays, beginning the first week of the new year, before retreating to Thursdays where it will air two-hour episodes for the entire cycle. That leaves homeless veteran Bones and third-year drama Sleepy Hollow, which currently air on Thursdays. Sleepy Hollow is being relocated for a second time in the last few months, first from Monday to Thursday, now from Thursday to Friday, while Bones is being put on the bench, with a return date and slot TBD.
The final season of American Idol will be used to launch new drama Second Chance, which will air after the hourlong Wednesday episode of Idol for almost two months.
As announced in May, new drama Lucifer will be paired with The X-Files revival on Mondays. Here are details for Fox’s early midseason schedule with premiere dates, including the previously set Grease live special.
Fox Winter 2016 Schedule
(All times ET/PT except noted)
SUNDAY, JANUARY 3
8-8:30 PM – THE SIMPSONS (Winter Return)
8:30-9 PM – COOPER BARRETT’S GUIDE TO SURVIVING LIFE (Series Premiere)
9-9:30 PM – FAMILY GUY (Winter Return)
9:30-10 PM – BORDERTOWN (Series Premiere)
MONDAY, JANUARY 4
8-10 PM – SUPERHUMAN (Two-Hour Special)
TUESDAYS (BEGINNING JANUARY 5)
8-8:30 PM – NEW GIRL (Season Premiere)
8:30-9 PM – GRANDFATHERED (Time Period Premiere)
9-9:30 PM – BROOKLYN NINE-NINE (Time Period Premiere)
9:30-10 PM – THE GRINDER (Time Period Premiere)
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 6
8-10 PM – AMERICAN IDOL (Season Premiere, Part One)
THURSDAYS (BEGINNING JANUARY 7)
8-10 PM – AMERICAN IDOL (Season Premiere, Part Two)
FRIDAY, JANUARY 8
8-10 PM – MASTERCHEF JUNIOR (Winter Return/Special Two-Hour Episode)
SUNDAYS (BEGINNING JANUARY 10)
7:30-8 PM – BOB’S BURGERS (Winter Return)
8-8:30 PM – THE SIMPSONS
8:30-9 PM – COOPER BARRETT’S GUIDE TO SURVIVING LIFE
9-9:30 PM – FAMILY GUY
9:30-10 PM – BORDERTOWN
WEDNESDAYS (BEGINNING JANUARY 13)
8-9 PM – AMERICAN IDOL (Time Period Premiere)
9-10 PM – SECOND CHANCE (Series Premiere)
FRIDAYS (BEGINNING JANUARY 15)
8-9 PM – MASTERCHEF JUNIOR
9-10 PM – HELL’S KITCHEN (Season Premiere)
SUNDAY, JANUARY 24
10-11 PM ET/7-8 PM PT – THE X-FILES (Season Premiere, Part One)
MONDAYS (BEGINNING JANUARY 25)
8-9 PM – THE X-FILES (Season Premiere, Part Two)
9-10 PM – LUCIFER (Series Premiere)
SUNDAY, JANUARY 31
7-10 PM ET live/tape-delay PT – GREASE: LIVE
FRIDAYS (BEGINNING FEBRUARY 5)
8-9 PM – SLEEPY HOLLOW (Time Period / Spring Premiere)
9-10 PM – HELL’S KITCHEN
MONDAYS (BEGINNING FEBRUARY 29)
8-9 PM – GOTHAM (Spring Premiere)
9-10 PM – LUCIFER
WEDNESDAYS (BEGINNING MARCH 2)
8-9 PM – ROSEWOOD (Spring Premiere)
9-10 PM – SECOND CHANCE
WEDNESDAYS (BEGINNING MARCH 30)
8-9 PM – ROSEWOOD
9-10 PM – EMPIRE (Spring Premiere)
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