Are most of us desperate to rebound, to recover, to have a second chance at life?
The Fox network seems to think so. Introducing his fall line-up to reporters, programming chief Charlie Collier talked of a time for “second chances and re-invention.”
His new shows keep reflecting that: Three women rethink their lives after a friend’s death (“Pivoting”) … A Cambodian doctor rebuilds her life after becoming a cleaning woman for U.S. mobsters (“The Cleaning Lady”) … People desperate for a second chance try a dance show (“The Big Leap,” shown here).
Even a reality show (tucked neatly after “The Masked Singer”) has a re-invention theme: Performers don’t compete as themselves, but as their avatars.
It’s a point the network keeps coming back to. “We thought a lot about what it means to have a second chance,” Collier said in a separate session Monday for advertisers. Two of his shows were introduced as being about “re-invention and second chances” and a third was said to tell us: “It’s never too late for as second chance.”
As it happens, Fox isn’t in need of re-invention – at least until 2022-23. For the second straight year, Collier said, it is No. 1 in Nielsen ratings for ages 18-49.
But much of that is fueled by sports – pro football on Thursday nights and Sunday afternoons (leading into primetime), wrestling on Friday, college football on Saturdays. After this fall, Fox loses the Thursday games.
With that in mind, the network is trying to build more shows that it can carry into the future.
This year, for instance, it has simply put its top dramas – “9-1-1” and “9-1-1: Lonestar” – back-to-back on Mondays. In the fall, it will start only “9-1-1” at 8 p.m. … then have “Lone Star” take over the same slot in January. Each has 18 episodes, so in March they’ll be back-to-back for a while, with room for crossovers.
One new drama with some advantages is “Our Kind of People,” set in a predominantly Black section of Martha’s Vineyard. It has a strong timeslot (after “The Resident”), a successful producer (Lee Daniels of “Empire”) and a star (Morris Chestnut) who, if the schedule permits, will also continue his role on “The Resident.”
Fox is also loading up on reality shows, including a possibility that would include football’s Tom Brady. “The Masked Dancer,” however, is in limbo. Rob Wade, in charge of the network’s reality shows, would say only that some fresh twists are being contemplated “should there be a second season.
Leading into the fall will be a “Fantasy Island” reboot in which … yes, characters remake their lives.
Fox presented its schedule to advertisers Monday, the same day NBC presented its line-up. Details:
FOX SCHEDULE
– Monday: “9-1-1,” 8 p.m.; “The Big Leap,” 9.
– Tuesday: “The Resident,” 8 p.m.; “Our Kind of People,” 9.
– Wednesday: “The Masked Singer,” 8 p.m.; “Alter Ego,” 9.
– Thursday: Football (starting Oct. 7), 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT.
– Friday: Wrestling, 8 p.m.
– Saturday: College football.
– Sunday: Football or reruns, 7-8 p.m.; “The Simpsons,” 8; “The Great North,” 8:30; “Bob’s Burgers,” 9; “Family Guy,” 9:30.
ALSO:
– A “Fantasy Island”reboot will bridge the summer and fall seasons; it starts Aug. 10.
– Mid-season dramas are “The Cleaning Lady” and “Monarch,” plus the returning “9-1-1: Lone Star.” Also, “Accused,” which is likely to be for the 2022-23 season.
– Mid-season comedies are “Pivoting” and “Welcome to Flatch,” plus the animated “Krapopolis” and the returning “Call Me Kat” and the returning, animated “Duncanville.”
– Mid-season reality shows are two Gordon Ramsay shows – “Next Level Chef” and the returning “MasterChef,” plus “Domino Masters” (with Eric Stonestreet) and “Don’t Forget the Lyrics” (with Niecy Nash), plus the returning “Lego Masters,” “Beat Shazam,” “Mental Samurai” and “I Can See Your Voice.”
NBC SCHEDULE:
– Monday: “The Voice,” 8 p.m.; “Ordinary Joe,” 10.
– Tuesday: “The Voice,” 8 p.m.; “La Brea,” 9; “New Amsterdam,” 10.
– Wednesday: “Chicago Med,” 8 p.m.; “Chicago Fire,” 9; “Chicago P.D.,” 10.
– Thursday: “Law & Order: For the Defense,” 8 p.m.; “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit,” 9; “Law & Order: Organized Crime,” 10.
– Friday: “The Blacklist,” 8 p.m., “Dateline,” 9.
– Saturdays: Rerun s and “Dateline.”
– Sundays: Football oreviews, 7 p.m. ET (4 p.m. PT) and game at 8:20.
ALSO:
– Bridging summer and the fall will be the final season of “Brooklyn Nine-Nine.”
– Mid-season dramas are: “This Is Us” and “The Thing About Pam,” a true-crime mini-series with Renee Zellweger.
– Mid-season comedies are “Grand Crew” and “American Auto,” plus the returning “Young Rock,” “Kenan” and “Mr. Maypr.”
– Mid-season reality shows are “AGT: Extreme” (an America’s Got Talent” spin-off) and “American Song Contest.”