FOX was busy over the weekend.
They renewed their remaining drama, The Cleaning Lady, for a 12-episode third season under new showrunners, to start.
The Cleaning Lady, which suffered a great loss when leading man Adan Canto died, was forced to pivot midseason, and it will be pivoting again for its third season.
While we don’t have details, perhaps divesting the original creative team from being so closely related to their story will give the show an opportunity to thrive.
Today, FOX will unveil its content slate for the 2024-2025 television season to the national advertising community during its in-person Upfront Presentation at the Manhattan Center.
That means we get the information on that schedule now and can add the videos after the execs reveal them later this evening.
Here’s what we know.
FOX is adding new dramas, comedies, and unscripted series to its lineup. Spanning scripted, reality, and animation, the media company continues to increase program ownership from in-house business units under the FOX Entertainment Studios banner.
“With outstanding original ideas and world-class talent across both new series and returning favorites, FOX’s 2024-25 schedule is filled with unexpected, unforgettable entertainment in every genre,” said FOX Entertainment CEO Rob Wade.
“Great creative is the center of all we do, and that is reflected in next season’s lineup, as is our ability to attract so many of the industry’s finest storytellers.”
Returning FOX series include dramas 9-1-1: Lone Star (Season Five), Accused (Season Two), Alert: Missing Persons Unit (Season Three) and The Cleaning Lady (Season Four); comedy Animal Control (Season Three).
Returning animated series include Bob's Burgers (Season 15), Family Guy (Season 23), The Great North (Season Five), Grimsburg (Season Two), Krapopolis (Season Two), and The Simpsons (Season 36).
Although it’s not a fall show, FOX yesterday also renewed its upcoming animated comedy Universal Basic Guys, from creators Adam and Craig Malamut before its debut.
Universal Basic Guys centers on two brothers, Mark and Hank Hoagies, who lose their jobs to automation and are given $3,000 a month in a new basic income program. Now, they’re using their free time and free money to find purpose in a world where they’re no longer needed.
"With Universal Basic Guys, the Hoagies brothers join FOX’s iconic lineup of undaunted, irreverent, and absurdly outrageous characters,” said Thorn.
“It’s what defines the FOX animation brand, and from episode one of this terrific new comedy, Adam and Craig Malamut turn the Hoagies’ everyday life on its head in such an original way that we immediately ordered a second season.”
That may concern those of you who do not see Family Guy in the fall season, but the network remains committed to one of its longest-running animated comedies, and it will receive a full-season order.
The increase in animation is necessary since The Family Guy, Bob’s Burgers, and The Simpsons are all at the end of their current five-year deals. However, they have no intention, at this time, of letting the series go as they did 9-1-1 to ABC.
Unscripted series Crime Scene Kitchen (Season Three), The Floor (Season Two), Hell's Kitchen (Season 23), LEGO Masters (Season Five), The Masked Singer (Season 12), MasterChef (Season 15), Name That Tune (Season Five), Next Level Chef (Season Four) and Special Forces: World's Toughest Test (Season Three) are all returning, and additional series renewals are to be announced.
Joining returning hit dramas 9-1-1: Lone Star, Accused, Alert: Missing Persons Unit, and The Cleaning Lady are action-drama Rescue: HI-Surf, from executive producer John Wells; psychological crime procedural Murder in a Small Town and medical drama Doc.
Additionally, new cast members on Accused include Felicity Huffman, William H. Macy, Nick Cannon, and Michael Chiklis.
All-new single-camera comedy Going Dutch, from executive producers Denis Leary, Jack Leary, and Joel Church-Cooper, and starring Denis Leary, joins returning comedy Animal Control, starring Joel McHale.
From FOX’s Emmy Award-winning animation house, Bento Box Entertainment, and Sony Pictures Television, the all-new animated comedy Universal Basic Guys joins returning series Bob's Burgers, Family Guy, The Great North, Grimsburg, Krapopolis, and The Simpsons.
All-new special event The Real Full Monty joins returning unscripted series Crime Scene Kitchen, The Floor, Hell's Kitchen, LEGO Masters, The Masked Singer, MasterChef, Name That Tune, Next Level Chef, and Special Forces: World's Toughest Test.
Also, LEGO Masters will air its annual multiple-night holiday event LEGO Masters: Celebrity Holiday Bricktacular.
Additionally, FOX Sports’ presentation of SUPER BOWL LIX will air on Sunday, Feb. 9, 2025, followed by a special episode of Rescue: HI-Surf.
That shows they have significant pride in the surf-related show. Here’s hoping it’s a hit for FOX’s sake and for star Arielle Kebbel, who has been surfing around other shows for a while in search of her own.
FOX’s new dramas include:
Rescue: HI-Surf
From prolific, award-winning executive producer/director John Wells (Shameless, The West Wing, ER) and executive producer/writer Matt Kester (Animal Kingdom, Outsiders) comes the pulse-pounding Hawaii lifeguard drama Rescue: HI-Surf.
It follows the personal and professional lives of the heavy-water lifeguards who patrol and protect the North Shore of O’ahu—the most famous and dangerous stretch of coastline in the world.
Each episode will feature these dedicated, heroic, and adrenaline-seeking first responders saving lives in the difficult and often life-threatening conditions of Hawaii’s Seven Mile Miracle.
The series stars Robbie Magasiva (Wentworth), Arielle Kebbel (The Vampire Diaries), Adam Demos (Sex / Life), Kekoa Kekumano (The White Lotus), Alex Aiono (Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin), and Zoe Cipres (Roswell, New Mexico).
In addition, Sea Shimooka (3 Body Problem), Shawn Hatosy (Animal Kingdom), and Ian Anthony Dale (The Resident) will appear in recurring roles.
Doc
Doc is based on the globally acclaimed Italian series Doc -- Nelle tue mani, which was created and produced by Lux Vide, a Fremantle Company, and featured Simona Tabasco and Beatrice Grannò of The White Lotus.
FOX’s Doc is a new medical drama starring Molly Parker (House Of Cards) as the hard-charging, brilliant Dr. Amy Elias, Chief of Internal and Family Medicine at Westside Hospital in Minneapolis.
After a brain injury erases the last eight years of her life, Amy must navigate an unfamiliar world where she has no recollection of patients she’s treated, colleagues she’s crossed, the soulmate she divorced, the man she now loves and the tragedy that caused her to push everyone away.
She can rely only on her estranged 17-year-old daughter, whom she remembers as a 9-year-old, and a handful of devoted friends as she struggles to continue practicing medicine despite having lost nearly a decade of knowledge and experience.
The series also stars Omar Metwally (Big Sky), Amirah Vann (How To Get Away With Murder), Jon Ecker (Firefly Lane), and Anya Banerjee (The Blacklist). Scott Wolf (Nancy Drew, Party of Five) and Patrick Walker (Lessons In Chemistry) will recur in featured roles.
Created by Francesco Arlanch and Viola Rispoli, Doc -- Nelle tue mani debuted in Italy on Rai 1 in 2020, where it ranked as the network’s #1 series premiere since 2007. Since then, the series format has been sold in 12 countries with seven versions already made.
Murder in a Small Town
Murder in a Small Town is based on the Edgar Award-winning, nine-book “Karl Alberg” series by acclaimed novelist L.R. Wright and stars Rossif Sutherland (Reign, The Handmaid’s Tale) and Kristin Kreuk (Smallville, Beauty, and the Beast).
The series follows Karl Alberg (Sutherland), who moves to a quiet coastal town to soothe a psyche that has been battered by big-city police work.
But this gentle paradise has more than its share of secrets, and Karl will need to call upon all the skills that made him a world-class detective in solving the murders that, even in this seemingly idyllic setting, continue to wash up on his shore.
Kreuk stars as Cassandra, a local librarian who becomes Alberg’s muse, foil, and romantic interest. Mya Lowe (My Life with the Walter Boys, Yellowjackets), Savonna Spracklin (Two-Spirit Odyssey, Wildhood), Aaron Douglas (Battlestar Galactica, The Watchful Eye), and Fritzy-Klevans Destine (The Boys, Superman & Lois) recur in the series.
The series also features special guest stars James Cromwell (Succession), Stana Katic (Castle, Absentia), and Paula Patton (The Perfect Match).
FOX’s new comedies include:
Going Dutch
From executive producers Denis Leary (The Moodys, Rescue Me), Jack Leary (Sex&Drugs&Rock&Roll), and Joel Church-Cooper (Brockmire), and starring Denis Leary comes single-camera comedy Going Dutch.
The comedy centers on an arrogant, loudmouth U.S. Army Colonel, who, after an epically unfiltered rant, is reassigned to the Netherlands, where he is punished with a command position at the least important army base in the world.
After serving with distinction in every warzone of the last three decades, he now finds himself in charge of a base with no guns, no weapons, and no tactical purpose. Instead, it has a Michelin-star-level commissary, a top-notch bowling alley, and the best (and only) fromagerie in the U.S. Army.
Surrounded by a diverse group of underdogs, the colonel tries to reinstall military discipline and professionalism with the help of the base's previous interim leader, who just happens to be his estranged daughter.
Universal Basic Guys
From creators Adam and Craig Malamut (Sports Friends, Game of Zones, The Champions), the animated comedy Universal Basic Guys centers on two brothers, Mark and Hank Hoagies, who lose their jobs to automation and are given $3,000 a month in a new basic income program.
Now, they’re using their free time and free money to find purpose in a world where they’re no longer needed.
FOX's new unscripted programming includes:
Extracted
Extracted is a groundbreaking new survival competition series in which, for the first time ever, the contestants are not in charge of their destiny.
The Real Full Monty
Inspired by the beloved, award-winning 1997 film, FOX’s The Real Full Monty is an all-new two-hour special in which a daring group of male celebrities volunteer to bare all to raise awareness for prostate and testicular cancer testing and research.
The event features Anthony Anderson, Taye Diggs, the NFL's Chris Jones, Tyler Posey, Bruno Tonioli, and James Van Der Beek. FOX’s all-new special is based on the international unscripted format with hit versions in the U.K., France, and The Netherlands.
During the two-hour special, The Real Full Monty’s male celebrity talent will train and rehearse for the most revealing performance of their careers, culminating with a big strip-tease dance, choreographed by Emmy Award-winner Mandy Moore, in front of a live audience.
Leading up to the final disrobing, the men will push their limits of comfortability, modesty, and brotherhood with a series of rehearsals and experiences, both private and public, designed to build confidence, remove them far from their comfort zone, and strengthen their bond as a group.
Along the way, each of the celebrities will share their personal stories of how cancer has impacted their lives.
LEGO Masters: Celebrity Holiday Bricktacular
This is a new multi-night event. Over the course of four crazy hours, LEGO Masters once again will shake it up like a snow globe with unpredictable twists and surprises.
Celebrities will join, as will fan-favorite builders from past seasons, all working together to create jaw-dropping holiday-themed challenges that will make the contestants’ faces redder than Rudolph’s nose.
Make sure you’re on host Will Arnett’s “Nice List” because LEGO Masters is making all-new plans for the ho-ho-holidays.
Also, as previously announced, FOX heats up the summer with all-new episodes/seasons of I Can See Your Voice (May 16), Gordon Ramsay’s Food Stars (May 22), Don’t Forget The Lyrics (May 23), Beat Shazam (May 28), MasterChef (May 29), and Name That Tune (June 3), as well as the series launches of The Quiz With Balls (May 28) and The 1% Club (June 3).
Additional summer programming to be announced.
FOX FALL 2024 SCHEDULE
(All Times ET/PT)
MONDAY
8:00-9:00 PM 9-1-1: Lonestar
9:00-10:00 PM Rescue: HI-Surf (new series)
TUESDAY
8:00-9:00 PM Accused
9:00-10:00 PM Murder in a Small Town (new series)
WEDNESDAY
8:00-9:00 PM The Masked Singer
9:00-10:00 PM The Floor
THURSDAY
8:00-9:00 PM Hell’s Kitchen
9:00-10:00 PM Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test
FRIDAY
8:00 PM FOX College Football Friday/FOX College Hoops/FOX UFL
SATURDAY
7:00-10:30 PM Fox Sports Saturday
SUNDAY
7:00-7:30 PM NFL On Fox
7:30-8:00 PM The OT / FOX Animation Encores
8:00-8:30 PM The Simpsons
8:30-9:00 PM Universal Basic Guys
9:00-9:30 PM Bob’s Burgers
9:30-10:00 PM Krapopolis