What Does the FOX Fall 2010 TV Schedule Look Like? Plus, Midseason 2011

FOX announced their Fall 2010 TV schedule along with new shows coming at midseason today. They have three new shows for fall, well five if you count The Good Guys that plays this summer and into the fall and Masterchef, and another four coming in 2011. These include four hour-long dramas, four half-hour comedies, and one alternative/reality series. NBC announced yesterday, ABC tomorrow, CBS on Wednesday, and The CW on Thursday. Take a look at FOX’s offerings. Bold Italic below denotes new shows.

FOX Fall 2010 TV Schedule

Monday

House

Lonestar – Robert/Bob Allen, played by newcomer James Wolk, is a charismatic and brilliant schemer who has meticulously constructed two lives in two different parts of Texas. He’s juggling two identities and two women in two very different worlds, but all under one mountain of lies. He lives as “Bob” in Houston and is married to Cat, played by Adrianne Palicki (Friday Night Lights), the beautiful daughter of Clint, played by Jon Voight (24, Midnight Cowboy), the patriarch of an ultra-wealthy Texas oil family. More than 400 miles away in the suburban west Texas town of Midland, he’s “Robert,” living a second life with his sweet, naive girlfriend, Lindsay, played by Eloise Mumford (Mercy). In Midland, he plays the perfect boyfriend while secretly bilking local investors of their savings. In Houston, he’s a devoted husband, charming Cat and her family to cement his position in the rich family business he aims to clean out. Bob has lived both lives successfully for years without arousing any suspicions…so far. While one brother-in-law, Drew, played by Bryce Johnson (Popular), admires Bob, his other brother-in-law, Trammell, played by Mark Deklin (Nip/Tuck), is suspicious of his motives. Bob begins to fear his secret lives may unravel. With the cons closing in on him, Bob is divided by his love for two women; his loyalty to his father and mentor, John, played by David Keith (An Officer and a Gentleman, The Class); and his respect for his father-in-law, Clint. Now, as he tries to hold his two lives together, while fending off angry investors and the suspicions of those around him, Bob puts it all on the line hoping he can beat the odds, leave the schemes behind and keep two separate relationships afloat.

Tuesday

Glee

Raising Hope – A new single-camera family comedy from Emmy Award winner Greg Garcia (My Name Is Earl) that follows the Chance family as they find themselves adding an unexpected new member into their already terribly flawed household. At 23 years old, Jimmy Chance, played by Lucas Neff (The Beast), is going nowhere in life. He skims pools for a living, parties every night and still lives at home with his family, including his Maw Maw, guest star Academy Award and Emmy Award winner Cloris Leachman; his mother, Virginia, played by Martha Plimpton (How to Make It in America); his father, Burt, played by Garret Dillahunt (Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles); and his cousin, Mike, played by Skyler Stone (The Mentalist, Dollhouse). Jimmy’s life takes a drastic turn when a chance romantic encounter with Lucy, guest star Bijou Phillips (Choke, Almost Famous), goes awry once he discovers she is a wanted felon. Months later, when Jimmy pays a visit to the local prison, he discovers Lucy gave birth to their baby, who he is now charged with raising. At home with his new daughter, Jimmy’s family is less than enthusiastic about a new addition to the household. His parents, who had him when they were 15, never knew anything about raising a child and have no interest in trying again. If Jimmy can work up the nerve to ask her out on a date, he might get some help from Sabrina, played by Shannon Woodward (The Riches, ER), a sardonic checkout clerk he met at the supermarket. Cousin Mike is only concerned about how the baby is going to affect their social life, and out-of-touch Maw Maw is no help either. But Jimmy is determined to take care of his baby – whom Virginia thinks they should name Hope. With very few useful skills but their hearts in the right place, will the Chance family be successful when they step into the unpredictable and immensely challenging world of parenting?

Running Wilde – From the Emmy Award-winning creator and the star of the critically acclaimed FOX series Arrested Development comes this romantic comedy starring Will Arnett (Arrested Development, 30 Rock) as Steve Wilde, a filty-rich, immature playboy trying desperately to win (or buy) the heart of his childhood sweetheart, Emmy Kadubic, played by Keri Russell (Felicity), the uber-liberal humanitarian who got away – all told through the perspective of a 12-year-old girl. Steve Wilde has never performed a selfless act. But why should he – he’s rich! The son of an oil tycoon, Steve hasn’t had to work a day in his life and has always gotten everything he’s wanted – with one exception: the love of Emmy. The daughter of a former Wilde housekeeper, Emmy is an earnest do-gooder who has spent her adult life trying to save the world. And though Emmy is content living with an indigenous tribe in the Amazon rainforest, her 12-year-old daughter, Puddle, played by Stefania Owen (The Lovely Bones), just wants to be a normal kid experiencing her adolescence in a normal place. And she would speak up except for the fact that she hasn’t spoken in years. When Wilde Oil’s expansion in the rainforest threatens her adopted tribe, Emmy decides to attend Steve’s self-thrown “Humanitarian of the Year” award ceremony in hopes of convincing him to help her cause…and also maybe because she still has a thing for Steve. But same-old Steve is unwilling to help because fighting Wilde Oil (a/k/a Dad) means putting his meal ticket in jeopardy. Rather than run the risk of letting Emmy slip away again, Steve pulls out all the stops to win her heart. To do so, he enlists the only other people in his life who can help: Migo Salazar, played by Joe Nunez (Prison Break), Steve’s employee/sidekick/errand-boy, and Gertie Stell Vertretter, played by Jayne Houdyshell (Law & Order), Steve’s nanny-turned-head-of-security as well as the biggest protector of Steve…and her own job. Despite having everything he ever wanted, Steve knows he can’t buy love and happiness, which falls in sharp contrast to Emmy, who has nothing but love and happiness. So with Emmy committed to doing good for nothing, and Steve being a good for nothing, will this hopelessly mismatched pair ever be able to reconcile their differences?

Wednesday

Lie to Me

Hell’s Kitchen

Thursday

Bones

Fringe

Friday

Human Target – Really glad that FOX decided to bring this one back. It really got good as the season went along and had a great season finale.

The Good Guys – Special preview episode on May 19th and then plays over the summer on Mondays starting June 7th. It then moves to Fridays in the fall – Brought to you by Matt Nix, the creator of Burn Notice, this new action comedy about what happens when an old-school cop and a modern-day detective expose the big picture of small crime. Unlike the typical police procedural, the series examines crimes from irreverent angles, employing non-linear storytelling and revealing the good side of some typically bad guys. Dan Stark, played by Bradley Whitford (The West Wing), was a big-shot Dallas detective. So big, in fact, that he was lauded as an American hero after saving the Governor’s son. Years later, Detective Dan, who has the reputation of being a bit of a wild card, spends most of his time rehashing his glory days. Able to skate by on the heroic deeds of his yesteryear, he is still a semi-active presence on the force and occasionally comes through to solve a petty crime. Dan’s new partner, Jack Bailey, played by Colin Hanks (Mad Men, Roswell), is an ambitious, by-the-book and overall solid detective, but is sometimes a bit too snarky for his own good. His habit of undermining himself has earned him a dead-end position in the department, stuck solving annoying petty-theft cases that nobody else wants. Worse, he’s been given the thankless task of babysitting Dan, the department pariah who can never keep partners for long. Jack’s only ally is Assistant District Attorney Liz Traynor, played by Jenny Wade (Reaper), a quick-witted former girlfriend whom Jack hasn’t quite gotten over and the one person he turns to for help. As Jack and Dan go about their work, the pair consistently break a flurry of department regulations, which reminds their boss, Lt. Ana Ruiz, played by Diana Maria Riva (Castle, Our Family Wedding), why these good guys will be spending many more days in the Property Crimes Division investigating seemingly minor crimes.
Website: http://www.fox.com/goodguys/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/thegoodguys

Saturday

Cops
Cops

America’s Most Wanted

Sunday

The OT

The Simpsons
The Cleveland Show

Family Guy
American Dad

FOX Midseason 2011 TV Schedule

Monday

House

Ride-Along – The city of Chicago is a paradox that serves as the setting for the show, a new drama from Shawn Ryan (The Shield, The Unit). During a ride-along, a civilian spends a shift in the passenger seat of a squad car, observing the workday of a police officer. But in this series, the audience is the passenger, taking an unpredictable ride through the streets of Chicago and navigating crime and corruption with the most respected – and notorious – cops in the city. Jarek Wysocki, played by Jason Clarke (Brotherhood), is a local legend and larger-than-life veteran of the Chicago Police Department. Like the city of Chicago, Jarek is razor blades and brass knuckles wrapped in politeness and egoless charm – a man who throws away partners the way others throw away tissues. Teresa Colvin, played by Jennifer Beals (Lie to Me, The L Word), arrived at the pinnacle of the Chicago Police Department in a short period of time. She’s determined to implement changes before the mud that is Chicago politics clogs her office. As a result of Teresa’s difficult choices, she has made some powerful enemies along the way, including two street gangs, the police officers’ union and a city alderman who proves to be a dangerous adversary. Jarek’s new partner, Caleb Evers, played by Matt Lauria (Friday Night Lights), is a smart and observant young detective who desperately wants to prove himself. He is savvier and more observant than most people give him credit for, and just might make the perfect yin to Jarek’s yang. Also in Jarek’s charge is his niece, Vonda, played by Devin Kelley (Tease), a rookie beat cop whose father, Jarek’s brother, was killed in the line of duty when she was young. Jarek keeps close tabs on her and is less than thrilled to discover she’s falling for her partner, Isaac Joiner, played by Todd Williams (In Plain Sight), a charismatic cop who takes unnecessary risks on the job that land him and Vonda in some dangerous situations. Alderman Ronin Gibbons, played by Delroy Lindo (Kidnapped), is a building-magnate-turned-politician who has ruled his ward with a velvet glove for three decades. Jarek and Teresa are convinced Gibbons and his cohorts, including Liam Hennessey, played by Billy Lush (The Black Donnellys), an Irish tough guy in Gibbons’ construction empire, are dirty to the core, but they’ve never had the evidence to prove it. When a murder investigation leads them to Gibbons, they are determined to bring him to justice and clean up Chicago – if that’s even possible.

Tuesday

American Idol

Running Wilde/Mixed Signals – Will follow 90-minute American Idol performance shows at some point in the spring – Mixed Signals is a new comedy series about three longtime friends and their attempts to reconcile the irreconcilable: to balance their relationships with their need for freedom. The series reveals how friendships and romances enhance – and further complicate – the lives of men and the women who love them. Ethan, played by Kris Marshall (Human Target, My Family), is the perpetual bachelor. He loves women, and when he’s in, he’s all in – at least for three weeks. Charming, genuine and hopelessly independent, Ethan is finding out that as he gets older, the pool of women who are willing to take things day by day is rapidly evaporating. Adam, played by Nelson Franklin (I Love You Man), recently moved in with his girlfriend, Callie, played by Alexandra Breckenridge (Family Guy), and is learning how vastly different “she comes over a lot” and “she lives with me” really are. Adam is discovering there isn’t much “me” time any more, there’s only “us” time. Mike, played by David Denman (The Office), is a married lawyer still trying to figure out the male-female dynamic. He wants nothing more than to be a good family man to his wife, Lisa, played by Liza Lapira (Dexter, Dollhouse), and his infant son, but he’s also trying to carve out a little space for himself. Currently that space is in his car, where he watches action movies in 15-minute chunks while telling his wife he’s stuck in traffic.

Wednesday

Raising Hope
American Idol: Results

Glee

Thursday

Bones

Fringe

Friday

Human Target

Kitchen Nightmares

Saturday

Cops
Cops

America’s Most Wanted

Sunday

The Simpsons – Encores
American Dad

The Simpsons
Bob’s Burgers – A new animated series about a man, his family, and a burger joint. Bob is a third-generation restaurateur and runs Bob’s Burgers with the help of his wife and their three kids. Bob has big ideas about burgers, condiments and sides, but only a few thoughts on customer service and business management. Despite his greasy counters, lousy location and occasionally spotty service, Bob is convinced his burgers speak for themselves. Even though business is slow, Bob gets to work with his family. His wife supports Bob’s dream through thick and thin, but truth be told, she’s getting a little sick of the thin. Their eldest daughter is a 13-year-old hopeless romantic with minimal social skills. Their middle child is an aspiring musician and a prankster who serves up more jokes than burgers. Their youngest is the most enthusiastic about her dad’s business, but an off-balance sense of humor and her elevated energy level make her somewhat of a liability in the kitchen. Beyond the restaurant is a city rich with character. Next door to Bob’s is It’s Your Funeral Home and Crematorium; down the street is Wonder Wharf, the oceanside amusement pier; and a few blocks away is Wagstaff Middle School, where Bob and Linda’s kids go to school. And across the street is Jimmy Pesto’s Pizzeria, Bob’s Burgers’ main competition and the thorn in Bob’s side.

Family Guy
The Cleveland Show

New Summer 2010 Show:

Masterchef – Gordon Ramsay (Kitchen Nightmares) stars in the new series that takes amateur chefs, many of whom simply cook as a hobby, and attempt to turn one of them into a culinary master. Contestants will be put through the paces with various challenges as they compete head-to-head to create delicious dishes. The series will serve as a unique platform for people from all walks of life that want to follow their dream of working as a professional chef. These contestants will have the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to show their passion and excitement for food as their skills and palate are tested with the hopes of becoming the winner.
Website: http://www.fox.com/masterchef/

New Midseason 2011 Show:

Terra Nova – From executive producers Steven Spielberg, Peter Chernin, Brannon Braga (24, Star Trek: Enterprise), and David Fury (Lost, Buffy the Vampire Slayer) comes an epic family adventure 85 million years in the making. Terra Nova follows an ordinary family embarking on an incredible journey back in time to prehistoric Earth as a small part of a massive experiment to save the human race. In the year 2149 the world is dying. The planet is overdeveloped, overcrowded and overpolluted. With the majority of plant and animal life extinct, devotion to science has brought mankind to the brink of destruction, but has also provided its only hope for salvation. Knowing there is no way to reverse the damage to the planet, a coalition of scientists has managed to open up a fracture in the space-time continuum, creating a portal to prehistoric Earth. This doorway leads to an amazing world, one that allows for a last-ditch effort to save the human race…possibly changing the future by correcting the mistakes of the past. The series centers on the Shannon family as they join the tenth pilgrimage of settlers to Terra Nova, the first colony of humans in this second chance for civilization. Jim Shannon, a devoted father with a checkered past, guides his family through this new land of limitless beauty, mystery and terror. Jim’s wife, Elisabeth, is a trauma surgeon chosen through a global lottery as a new addition to Terra Nova’s medical team. Josh is their son, mourning the girl he left behind, as he’s torn between two role models – his father and the charismatic Commander Frank Taylor, the leader of the settlement, and the heroic first pioneer through the time portal. Maddy, Jim and Elizabeth’s teen daughter, is as independent and adventurous as her parents, but her distrust of authority soon leads her on a dangerous path. In addition to blue skies, rolling rivers and lush vegetation, Terra Nova offers new opportunities and fresh beginnings to its recent arrivals, but the Shannons have brought with them a familial secret that may threaten their citizenship in this utopia. Additionally these adventurers soon discover that this healthy, vibrant world is not as idyllic as it initially appears. The areas surrounding Terra Nova are filled with dangerous dinosaurs, and other prehistoric threats, as well as external forces that may be intent on destroying this new world before it begins. But perhaps even more threatening than what lies outside the protective walls is the Shannons’ realization that something sinister may be happening inside Terra Nova as not everyone on this mission has the same intentions of how best to save mankind.

Canceled Series: 24, Brothers, Dollhouse, Our Little Genius, Past Life, Sit Down, Shut Up, Sons of Tucson, ‘Til Death, and The Wanda Sykes Show.

Concluding Thoughts: Based on information so far, I am most interested in new FOX Fall 2010 TV show Raising Hope. I am also really glad that FOX decided to renew Human Target for a second season. As for the midseason shows, I look forward to seeing more about Ride-Along and Terra Nova.

What do you think about FOX’s Fall 2010 – Midseason 2011 offerings?