Welcome back to a proper Upfronts season, the moment when network TV reveals all their secret plans for the fall television season (such as it is anymore). In the wake of a destructive pandemic and in the face of the inevitable takeover of streaming, networks are playing it safer and safer: canceling fewer shows, ordering fewer comedies, and greenlighting familiar titles.
In a demonstration of a complete lack of preparedness, Fox reportedly wasn’t able to secure renewals for 9-1-1 and The Resident until this afternoon. So they decided to just hold off on announcing their fall schedule today, the one day everyone was expecting it. Instead, they dumped a bunch of new shows, three dramas, and two animated comedies, without any indication if they are fall or midseason series. LOL, ¯\_(ツ)_/¯.
This post will be updated with trailers and premiere dates — and a schedule — as they become available.
UPDATE: Well, well, well. Look who finally stopped being a secretive bitch about their fall schedule. See the schedule below, along with premiere dates.
Schedule
MONDAY
7/8 p.m.: 9-1-1 (September 19)
8/9 p.m.: The Cleaning Lady (September 19)
TUESDAY
7/8 p.m.: The Resident (September 20)
8/9 p.m.: MONARCH (September 20)
WEDNESDAY
7/8 p.m.: The Masked Singer (September 21)
8/9 p.m.: LEGO Masters (September 21)
THURSDAY
7/8 p.m.: Hell’s Kitchen (September 29)
8/9 p.m.: Welcome to Flatch (September 29)
8:30/9:30 p.m.: Call Me Kat (September 29)
FRIDAY
7/8 p.m.: Fox’s WWE Friday Night Smackdown
SUNDAY
7/8 p.m.: The Simpson (September 25)
7:30/8:30 p.m.: The Great North (September 25)
8/9 p.m.: Bob’s Burgers (September 25)
8:30/9:30 p.m.: Family Guy (September 25)
New Fall Shows
MONARCH
Official synopsis:
Monarch is a Texas-sized, multigenerational musical drama about America’s first family of country music. The Romans are fiercely talented, but while their name is synonymous with honesty, the very foundation of their success is a lie. When their reign as country royalty is put in jeopardy, Nicky Roman, the heir to the crown, already battling an industry stacked against her, will stop at nothing to protect her family’s legacy.
T’s Take: Empire meets Nashville.
MIDSEASON
ACCUSED
Video T/K
Official synopsis:
Based on a BAFTA-winning British show created by Jimmy McGovern, the anthology drama opens in a courtroom with a defendant being accused of a crime, then backtracks to reveal how these people got caught up in the extraordinary situations in which they find themselves. Each season will focus on a different crime.
T’s Take: It’s hard to form an impression of these shows without a trailer, but I will say that this is being produced by the creators of 24 and Homeland, for what it’s worth. The original British series that it is based on attracted some amazing talent, including Sean Bean, Andy Serkis, Olivia Coleman, and Peter Capaldi. It was announced that Michael Chiklis would star in the pilot episode of the American version, but beyond that, who knows.
ALERT
Video T/K
Official synopsis:
Alert is a character-driven police procedural about the LAMPU — the Los Angeles Police Department’s missing person’s unit. When police officer Nikki Parker’s son goes missing, she joins the LAPD’s Missing Person’s Unit to help other people find their loved ones, even as she searches for her own. Six years later, her world is turned upside-down when her ex-husband, Devon Zoellner, shows up with a proof-of-life photo of their missing boy. Or is it? Alert is a procedural drama with a heart-pounding, life-or-death search for a missing person in each episode, that runs alongside Nikki and Devon’s quest to find out the truth about the person claiming to be their long-lost son. It’s a case-of-the-week show with a case-of-a-lifetime story running through it — a story that alternately brings our two main characters gut-wrenching heartache and heart-pounding joy.
T’s Take: There’s always room on the schedule for a crime procedural.
GRIMSBURG
Video T/K
Official synopsis:
Marvin Flute may be the greatest detective ever to catch a cannibal clown or correctly identify a mid-century modern armoire. But there’s one mystery he still can’t crack — his family. Now that he’s back in Grimsburg, a town where everyone has a secret or three, Flute will follow every lead he’s got to redeem himself with the ex-wife he never stopped loving, even if it means hanging out with the son he never bothered to get to know.
T’s Take: Fox has decided to triple down on animation, rather than invest in live-action comedies.
KRAPOPOLIS
Video TK
Official synopsis:
Set in mythical Ancient Greece, the series centers on a flawed family of humans, gods and monsters that tries to run one of the world’s first cities without killing each other.
T’s Take: It’s from Dan Harmon, so there will be a built-in fan base going in.
GORDON RAMSAY’S FOOD STARS
Video
Official synopsis: Award-winning chef, restaurateur and presenter Gordon Ramsay puts his knives aside as he hunts for the most exciting and innovative new food & drink entrepreneurs in his brand-new competition series, Gordon Ramsay’s Food Stars. This time, he’s prepared to put his money where his mouth is, by backing the winner with an investment to take their idea to the next level. But to win Ramsay’s support, it will take more than just a great idea. As he pushes contestants to their limits through a series of relentless challenges, they’ll have to prove they possess the raw ingredients required to succeed – drive, dedication, creativity, passion and talent. Being the last entrepreneur standing will earn the winner a life-changing reward. They just need to survive Gordon Ramsay — the only angel investor.
T’s Take: At this point, Gordon Ramsay is just allowed to do whatever he wants at Fox.
CELEBRITY LEGO MASTERS: HOLIDAY BRICKTACULAR
Video T/K
Official synopsis:
Over the course of four crazy nights, Lego Masters will shake it up like a snow globe, with unpredictable twists and surprises. Celebrities will join, as will fan-favorite builders from past seasons, all working together, to create jaw-dropping holiday-themed challenges that will make the contestants’ faces redder than Rudolph’s nose. Make sure you’re on host Will Arnett’s “Nice List,” because Lego Masters is making plans for the ho-ho-holidays.
T’s Take: Who doesn’t like Christmas Legos?
Cancellations
- The Big Leap
- Our Kind of People
- Pivoting
Renewals
- 9-1-1
- 9-1-1: Lone Star
- Bob’s Burgers
- Call Me Kat
- Crime Scene Kitchen
- The Cleaning Lady
- Family Guy
- Fantasy Island
- Hell’s Kitchen
- Lego Masters
- The Masked Singer
- The Great North
- The Resident
- The Simpsons
- Welcome to Flatch
Shows Still Up in the Air
- Duncanville
- Housebroken
- Beat Shazam (returning this summer)
- Don’t Forget the Lyrics! (returning this summer)
- MasterChef (returning this summer)
- So You Think You Can Dance (returning this summer)