David Kronke: Can Fox get any more sly?
Fourth in a series of five
Fox finds itself in a situation not unlike ABC’s: Its hits are solid, and plentiful, besides, but it’s a decided non-entity on Thursday and Friday.
At long last, the network seems to have figured out how to handle its programming around the baseball postseason: It introduced “Prison Break� in late August, so the show had a good head of steam behind it when baseball intruded and came back strong. Fox does need to do with “Prison Break� what it has done with “24:� Open its season as an event, then run it straight through, without pauses or breaks or hiatuses.
Still, the TV season seems divided in two at Fox: The run-up through December, where it kind of just limps along, and then January through May, when the “American Idol� juggernaut joins the schedule (along with, of course, “24�).
One of Fox’s problems is it probably will not – and should not – have one returning live-action sitcom next season: “Malcolm in the Middle� and “That ’70s Show� are officially exiting and none of the others manage more than a faint pulse. Replacing that many sitcoms will be difficult, to say the least.
And so, the tale of the tape:
Monday: Solid. They do need something to fill in the evening before January if they do run “Prison Break� like they do “24.�
Tuesday: Solider, at least in January.
Wednesday: “Bones� does OK and then “American Idol� helps the evening from January on. What Fox should do is bring in a crazy limited reality series that it can run through December on (Mondays and) Tuesdays and Wednesdays, but it’s been a while since Mike Darnell, the Karl Rove of Fox reality programming, has cooked up a provocative idea.
Thursday/Friday: A complete overhaul is needed. Fox has some promising-sounding sitcoms: “The 12th Man,� based on Paul Shirley’s life as an NBA journeyman; “’Til Death,� about newlyweds moving next door to a frustrated, long-married couple (marking Brad Garrett’s return to TV); “The Winner,� a live-action show from “Family Guy� mastermind starring Rob Corddry of “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart; “The Worst Week of My Life,� based on a hilarious British series about disastrous wedding preparations; and “Union Jackass,� about a boorish British bigot living in Santa Monica. Dramas being developed by the network seem, from their brief descriptions at least, to have that trademark Fox pop. Consider this summary for a show called “Primary:� “Male and female hostage negotiators balance their budding relationship and their job.� Shoot me already.
Saturday: Cops. And more Cops.
Sunday: With a night full of cartoons, Fox has had trouble finding compatible live-action sitcoms this past season.
Overall: “American Idol� ensures that Fox is in great shape. But if the network gets even a little more aggressive in its programming, it could truly shock the bigger, more veteran networks.
Brad Garrett's returning to TV? Shoot ME.