• by Paul Gough , May 15, 2003

Staking its claim to the 12-34 demo, Fox thumbed its nose last night at the other networks who said they were too heavy on reality by touting a balanced schedule for next year.

Fox's upfront presentation Thursday evening was the last of a hectic week in the broadcast world. It was a coming out party for a network that had posted a come from nowhere win of February sweeps and mounted a challenge to NBC in the adult 18 49 demo. There were no surprises. Joe Millionaire's return was announced earlier this year and American Idol will be back in January. But Fox tweaked the naysayers by trotting out a lineup with the highest number of comedies on any network and several dramas that target young adults.

"Fox has succeeded in striking the right balance between scripted and unscripted," said Fox Entertainment Chairman Sandy Grushow.

Fox renewed 24, That 70s Show, Bernie Mac, Malcolm In The Middle, On the Bubble, Oliver Beene and Cedric The Entertainer. It will enlist noted actors Peter Gallagher, Fred Willard, Maria Conchita Alonso and Ron Silver in dramas and sitcoms. Fox Entertainment president Gail Berman said she was "particularly proud" of Joe Millionaire's leadout on Monday nights, Skin, a Romeo and Juliet style story of the forbidden love affair between "the D.A.'s son and the pornographer's daughter."

Other new shows include Norm McDonald's fish out of water sitcom, A Minute With Stan Hooper, which will follow That 70s Show on Wednesday night. 24, whose very mention drew applause from media buyers and advertisers, will return for its third season. On Thursdays, Fox plans two hours of dramas led by Tru Calling and The O.C. The O.C. will launch in the summer. Berman said both dramas tested very highly with audiences.

Berman said Fox would be patient in the last year of NBCs Friends. "Our strategy is ambitious and advertiser friendly," she said. "This is not throw away Thursday."