• by Adam Buckman , Featured Columnist, 10 hours ago

A medical comedy adapted from a PBS staple and a drama series starring Patrick Dempsey as a hitman with Alzheimer’s were two of the new shows announced for the Fox network at the Fox Upfront Monday in New York.

The company also announced a Judeo-Christian miniseries that is a rarity for network television.

The six-part limited series, titled “The Faithful,” will dramatize the lives of five women of the Bible -- Sarah, Hagar, Rebekah, Leah and Rachel.

“ ‘The Faithful’ is based on The Old Testament’s Book of Genesis and told through the eyes of the courageous and passionate, yet flawed, women whose descendants would shape three of the world’s great faiths: Judaism, Christianity and Islam,” Fox said. The series will air during the Easter-Passover season next year.

The new doctor show, titled “Best Medicine,” is an adaptation of “Doc Martin,” the much-loved British-made series about a brusque-speaking, taciturn physician from a big city who moves to tiny seaside town to establish a private practice.

“Doc Martin” ran on Britain’s ITV for 10 seasons ending in 2022. It has been seen on PBS stations in the U.S. for years.

Although “Best Medicine” is not the same title as “Doc Martin,” the lead character to be played by Josh Charles (seen at the Upfront, above photo right) is named Dr. Martin Best. The Doc Martin of the original series was Dr. Martin Ellingham played by Martin Clunes.

In “Best Medicine,” Dr. Best is a brilliant, but burned-out Boston surgeon who moves to a seaside town in Maine.

In an unusual bit of positioning, the one-hour show is being billed as a comedy, not a drama. “I’m told it’s Fox’s first, one-hour comedy series in 10 years,” Charles said at the Upfront. 

“Best Medicine” is not on the Fox fall schedule, but is expected to premiere later in the 2025-26 season.

Charles was joined on-stage by Molly Parker, star of Fox’s other medical series, “Doc.” The hospital drama is coming back for its second season Tuesday nights at 9 Eastern this fall, following the return of the drama series “Murder in a Small Town” at 8.

Nine new comedies are returning next season -- two live-action comedies, “Animal Control” and “Going Dutch”; and seven animated series: “American Dad!,” “Bob's Burgers,” “Family Guy,” “Grimsburg,” “Krapopolis,” “Universal Basic Guys” and “The Simpsons.”

Meanwhile, Fox’s hitman-with-Alzheimer’s drama, titled “Memory of a Killer,” will have the lead character played by Dempsey juggling his family life as a photocopier salesman and dad in upstate New York, and his side hustle as a killer for hire.

He is a relatively young man, but nevertheless has been diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s, which will endanger the compartmentalized, double life he has been leading for most of his adult life.

“Memory of a Killer” is also not on Fox’s fall schedule, but will premiere later next season.

In the unscripted realm, Fox will have a new game show -- “99 To Beat” with Ken Jeong -- airing Wednesday nights at 9 Eastern following the returning game show “The Floor” hosted by Rob Lowe.

Also coming to Fox in the fall is a new version of “The Weakest Link” -- “Celebrity Weakest Link” -- hosted by Jane Lynch. The show will air this fall Monday nights at 9 following the return of “Name That Tune.”

Another older unscripted series is also getting a reboot sometime next season. The old “Fear Factor” is being restyled as “Fear Factor: The Next Chapter.”

Judging by a description provided by Fox, the show seems to be adopting characteristics of “Survivor” and other such survival-competition shows.

“Dropped into an unforgiving, remote location, a group of strangers will live together under one roof, and face mind-blowing stunts, harrowing challenges and a twisted game of social strategy where trust is fleeting and fear is a weapon,” Fox said.