Fox Debuts 4 Fall Shows, Ad Spending Up

Lonestar

Fox is ramping up its lineup: Four new prime- time shows for this fall and seven new shows for the season overall. At the same time, the network's NFL advertising market is starting to move.

"We are into discussions; there are some deals cut," says Jon Nesvig, president of advertising sales for Fox Broadcasting Co. "The NFL is an incredible growth story. It's a good predictor of prime time." Fox has the Super Bowl for 2011, and it will air a special "Glee" episode after the game -- sure to give the show a big viewership boost.

Concerning the marketplace overall, Nesvig adds: "The conversations this year are totally different from last year. Automotive spending is up. We know there is going to be more money in the market."

For the fall, Fox is launching four shows -- all with lead-ins from existing shows. "None of these shows are going to be hanging out there on their own," says Kevin Reilly, president of entertainment of the Fox Broadcasting Co.

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On Monday, "Lonestar" will follow "House" at 9 p.m. "Lonestar" is a kind of modern-day "Dallas," a serialized soap set against the backdrop of big Texas oil.

"Glee" is moving to Tuesdays to help push two new half-hour comedies. "Running Wilde" is about a filthy-rich, immature playboy trying desperately to win -- or buy the heart of -- his childhood sweetheart. It airs at 9 p.m. "Raising Hope" is next at 9:30 p.m., a single-camera comedy that follows the Chance family as they find themselves adding an unexpected new member into their dysfunctional household.

Wednesday stays pretty much the same with "Lie to Me" and then "Kitchen Nightmares" as its Thursday schedule, with "Bones" and "Fringe" returning. Reilly says both Thursday shows are up 15% in 18-49 versus a year before. Friday brings a funky new cop-duo show, "The Good Guys," starring Bradley Whitford and Colin Hanks, which starts May 19.

Regarding its big show "American Idol," Peter Rice, chairman of Fox Entertainment, says the show is off 9% this year, and there will be changes. He says Fox has listened to viewers who want more performance content and less results content. In that vein, there will be a 90-minute performance on Tuesday and a shortened results show on Wednesday, down to 30 minutes.

While the executives agree that the departure of judge Simon Cowell is a major event, Reilly adds there is "a huge, huge swath of viewers that are very happy with it."

For midseason, Fox will add to its Sunday animated prime-time lineup with "Bob's Burgers," about a man, his family and a burger joint. Also, by way of Steven Spielberg, there comes the futuristic and prehistoric sci-fi "Terra Nova." There is also "Ride Along," a gritty Chicago cop drama by way of Shawn Ryan who did FX's "The Shield." "Mixed Signals," a new comedy series, features three longtime friends and their attempts to reconcile their differences. It runs on Tuesdays at 9:30 in January.

Fox's Fall 2010 Prime-time Schedule (EST/PST)

Monday

8:00-9:00 PM "House"
9:00-10:00 PM "Lonestar" (new)

Tuesday

8:00-9:00 PM "Glee"
9:00-9:30 PM "Raising Hope" (new)
9:30-10:00 PM "Running Wilde" (new)

Wednesday

8:00-9:00 PM "Lie To Me"
9:00-10:00 PM "Hell's Kitchen"

Thursday

8:00-9:00 PM "Bones"
9:00-10:00 PM "Fringe"

Friday

8:00-9:00 PM "Human Target"
9:00-10:00 PM "The Good Guys"

Saturday

8:00-8:30 PM "Cops"
8:30-9:00 PM "Cops"
9:00-10:00 PM "America's Most Wanted"

Sunday

7:00-8:00 PM "The OT" (NFL post-game)
8:00-8:30 PM "The Simpsons"
8:30-9:00 PM "The Cleveland Show"
9:00-9:30 PM "Family Guy"
9:30-10:00 PM "American Dad"

Fox Midseason 2011 Prime-Time Schedule (EST/PST)

Monday

8:00-9:00 PM "House"
9:00-10:00 PM "Lonestar" (new) / "Ride-along" (new)

Tuesday

8:00-9:30 PM "American Idol" performance show
9:30-10:00 PM "Running Wilde" (new) / "Mixed signals" (new; spring)

Wednesday

8:00-8:30 PM "Raising Hope" (new)
8:30-9:00 PM "American Idol" results show
9:00-10:00 PM "Glee"

Thursday

8:00-9:00 PM "Bones"
9:00-10:00 PM "Fringe"

Friday

8:00-9:00 PM "Human Target"
9:00-10:00 PM "Kitchen Nightmares"

Saturday

8:00-8:30 PM "Cops"
8:30-9:00 PM "Cops"
9:00-10:00 PM "America's Most Wanted"

Sunday

7:00-7:30 PM "The Simpsons" (encores)
7:30-8:00 PM "American Dad"
8:00-8:30 PM "The Simpsons"
8:30-9:00 PM "Bob's Burgers" (new)
9:00-9:30 PM "Family Guy"
9:30-10:00 PM "The Cleveland Show"

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