Armchair Scheduling: FOX Fall 2012

It’s been a while since I last posted but, with Upfront Week right around the corner, I thought it would be a good time to weigh in on how the fall schedules of each broadcast network may look. Last year, I started writing up these posts almost a month out, but this year that would have been nearly impossible, given the number of pilots that were turned in late and the dearth of shows earning early renewals. Even now, there are still a number of veteran series without pickups that I wouldn’t consider typical bubble shows.

Not unlike last spring, FOX has the fewest decisions to make. With a revamped X-Factor taking up 3 hours of real estate, and returning shows on every single night, they’re not likely to have more than 2 hours of new content to program. Below, I try to sort out how their schedule will look come fall.

Armchair Scheduling: FOX Fall 2011

The end of pilot season is upon us, and that means speculation about what shows will go to series is about to begin. Yesterday, the somewhat elusive @BigTVFan posted what he thinks FOX’s fall schedule will look like and,  earlier today, Deadline Hollywood ran their first of several articles charting the rise and fall of pilots.  With Upfronts Week still a month out, any armchair scheduling done by myself or others is largely speculative. It’s based on trends we’ve seen, things we’ve heard, and sometimes (at least in my case) wishful thinking.

As BigTVFan noted in his piece, FOX is probably the easiest to pencil in, simply because they have fewer hours to fill than their competitors. X-Factor will make its triumphant debut this fall and fill close to 3 hours a week, leaving precious little real estate for new scripted programming. But, given the buzz surrounding nearly all of their drama pilots, FOX president Kevin Reilly may actually have the hardest job in town. That being said, down below I’ve included my thoughts on what FOX’s schedule might look like when its unveiled May 16th.