FOX Announces Midseason Schedule, 'Glee' Moving to Tuesdays
Credit: FOX
FOX has unveiled its midseason schedule, and there are some huge changes in store, including a new night and time slot for Glee. You can check out the full schedule below. (CAPS indicates a new series. All times below are Eastern Standard Time)
SUNDAY
Sundays, beginning Jan. 5:
8:00-8:30 PM: The Simpsons
8:30-9:00 PM: Bob's Burgers
9:00-9:30 PM: Family Guy
9:30-10:00 PM: American Dad
Sunday, Jan. 19:
6:00-10:00 PM: NFC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME (Live)
10:00-11:00 PM: The Following (Season Premiere, Night One)
Sunday, Jan. 26:
8:00-8:30 PM: The Simpsons
8:30-9:00 PM: Bob's Burgers
9:00-9:30 PM: Family Guy
9:30-10:00 PM: American Dad
Sunday, Feb. 2:
6:00-10:30 PM: SUPER BOWL XLVIII (Live)
10:30-11:00 PM: New Girl
11:00-11:30 PM: Brooklyn Nine-Nine
Sundays, beginning Feb. 9:
8:00-8:30 PM: The Simpsons
8:30-9:00 PM: Bob's Burgers
9:00-9:30 PM: Family Guy
9:30-10:00 PM: American Dad
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MONDAY
Mondays, beginning Jan. 6:
8:00-9:00 PM: Almost Human
9:00-10:00 PM: Sleepy Hollow
Monday, Jan. 20:
8:00-9:00 PM: Sleepy Hollow (Season Finale; Special Time)
9:00-10:00 PM: The Following (Season Premiere, Night Two)
Mondays, beginning Jan. 27:
8:00-9:00 PM: Almost Human
9:00-10:00 PM: The Following
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TUESDAY
Tuesdays, beginning Jan. 7:
8:00-8:30 PM: Dads
8:30-9:00 PM: Brooklyn Nine-Nine
9:00-9:30 PM: New Girl
9:30-10:00 PM: The Mindy Project
Tuesday, Jan. 28:
8:00-8:30 PM: Dads
8:30-9:00 PM: Brooklyn Nine-Nine
9:00-9:30 PM: New Girl
9:30-10:00 PM: The Mindy Project (Winter Finale)
Tuesday, Feb. 4:
8:00-8:30 PM: Dads
8:30-9:00 PM: Brooklyn Nine-Nine
9:00-9:30 PM: New Girl
9:30-10:00 PM: Brooklyn Nine-Nine
Tuesday, Feb. 11:
8:00-8:30 PM: Dads
8:30-9:00 PM: Dads
9:00-9:30 PM: New Girl
9:30-10:00 PM: Brooklyn Nine-Nine
Tuesday, Feb. 18:
8:00-10:00 PM: American Idol (Special Night)
Tuesdays, beginning Feb. 25:
8:00-9:00 PM: Glee (Spring Premiere)
9:00-9:30 PM: New Girl
9:30-10:00 PM: Brooklyn Nine-Nine
Tuesday, March 25:
8:00-9:00 PM: Glee
9:00-9:30 PM: New Girl
9:30-10:00 PM: Brooklyn Nine-Nine (Season Finale)
Tuesday, April 1:
8:00-9:00 PM: Glee
9:00-9:30 PM: The Mindy Project (Spring Premiere, Part One)
9:30-10:00 PM: The Mindy Project (Spring Premiere, Part Two)
Tuesdays, beginning April 8:
8:00-9:00 PM: Glee
9:00-9:30 PM: New Girl
9:30-10:00 PM: The Mindy Project (Time Period Premiere)
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WEDNESDAY
Wednesdays, beginning Jan. 15:
8:00-10:00 PM: American Idol (Season Premiere, Part One)
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THURSDAY
Thursday, Jan. 16:
8:00-10:00 PM: American Idol (Season Premiere, Part Two)
Thursdays, beginning Jan. 23:
8:00-9:00 PM: American Idol (Time Period Premiere)
9:00-10:00 PM: RAKE (Series Premiere)
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FRIDAY
Fridays, beginning Jan. 10:
8:00-9:00 PM: Bones
9:00-9:30 PM: Raising Hope
9:30-10:00 PM: ENLISTED (Series Premiere)
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SATURDAY
Saturdays, beginning Jan. 11:
11:00 PM-12:00 AM: Animation Domination High-Def
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Glee was already on the downswing before Cory Monteith's tragic passing, and his death has seemingly only quickened the decline of the series. In fact, had FOX not already renewed the series through season 6, I think it would be in serious danger of cancellation right now. Of course, I'm not entirely certain FOX is actively trying to burn the series off, so much as they're trying to prevent the hemorrhaging of the Tuesday night comedy bloc, as New Girl is really the only success to anchor the bloc, and that too is on a bit of a decline. It's not a steep drop-off or anything, but the ratings have been inconsistent this year, and Glee could help liven up the night and fill time, particularly if Dads ends up getting cancelled (it really looks like they're burning through the rest of the episodes, and Glee could help plug the empty void once the show is done). It's not as if Glee is a stranger to Tuesdays, as this was Glee's original time slot when it premiered back in 2009.
New Girl, which had been a pretty big smash hit when it first premiered, was damaged when FOX took it off the air in the first several weeks due to baseball. As a result, the show never again attained the stratospheric standards of its first few weeks on the air, and while some might argue that the show would have seen a drop-off regardless, FOX's erratic fall scheduling patterns have caused damage to their yearly lineup. I'm not arguing FOX should ditch baseball, since it's their yearly golden goose, but they should probably delay more of their big premieres until after the World Series, like they did with Almost Human. I'm not saying it'll necessarily work, but FOX has a bad habit of getting shows off on the wrong foot -- or worse, getting them off on the right foot, and then shooting said foot. This scrambling in the fall leads to scrambling in the midseason, making for a bigger mess than there probably needs to be. But I can sympathize with the perils of network TV scheduling, since there's really no way to be certain what will be a hit and what will fall by the wayside in short order. It's too early to tell if the Glee move is a mistake. For all we know, Glee moving to Tuesdays could be the jolt it needs as it approaches its final season. I suppose we'll see come midseason.
So what do you think of the midseason schedule and its big changes? What about the new time slot for Glee? Sound off in the comments!