FOX ANNOUNCES NEW PRIMETIME SLATE FOR 2005-2006 SEASON
FIVE NEW DRAMAS AND TWO NEW COMEDIES JOIN FALL SCHEDULE
New York (Thursday, May 19, 2005) – FOX today unveiled its primetime schedule for the 2005-2006 television season, featuring a balanced and stable slate of cutting-edge dramas, innovative comedies and dynamic unscripted series. Five new dramas and two new comedies will complement returning favorites on every night of the week, announced Peter Liguori, President, Entertainment, Fox Broadcasting Company.
The new dramas premiering this fall are PRISON BREAK, BONES, HEAD CASES, REUNION and THE GATE (working title). The new comedies scheduled for fall debuts are KITCHEN CONFIDENTIAL and THE WAR AT HOME. Another new comedy, THE LOOP, will launch in January. Among the shows available at midseason are the new comedy FREE BIRDS and the unscripted series NANNY 911 and TRADING SPOUSES.
FOX shows returning in 2005-2006 include 24, AMERICAN DAD, AMERICAN IDOL, AMERICA'S MOST WANTED, ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT, THE BERNIE MAC SHOW, COPS, FAMILY GUY, HOUSE, KING OF THE HILL, MADtv, MALCOLM IN THE MIDDLE, THE O.C., THE SIMPSONS, STACKED and THAT '70s SHOW.
"FOX has achieved an amazing set of milestones this season, including finishing as the No. 1 network in Adults 18-49 for the first time in the network's 19-year history. This success is a testament to the dedicated team at FOX," said Liguori. "Additionally, we're launching a bold, balanced and stable schedule. We'll have returning shows on all seven nights of the week, and we're scheduling 12 comedies this fall – far more than any network. There is no question that we plan to be aggressive and competitive with this spectacular and youthful year-round schedule."
Following are the FOX primetime schedule for 2005-2006 and synopses of the new series:
FOX PRIMETIME SCHEDULE: FALL 2005
(All Times ET/PT)
New Series in Bold
MONDAY
8:00-8:30 PM ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT
8:30-9:00 PM KITCHEN CONFIDENTIAL
9:00-10:00 PM PRISON BREAK
TUESDAY
8:00-9:00 PM BONES
9:00-10:00 PM HOUSE
WEDNESDAY
8:00-8:30 PM THAT '70s SHOW
8:30-9:00 PM STACKED
9:00-10:00 PM HEAD CASES
THURSDAY
8:00-9:00 PM THE O.C.
9:00-10:00 PM REUNION
FRIDAY
8:00-8:30 PM THE BERNIE MAC SHOW
8:30-9:00 PM MALCOLM IN THE MIDDLE
9:00-10:00 THE GATE (working title)
SATURDAY
8:00-8:30 PM COPS
8:30-9:00 PM COPS
9:00-10:00 PM AMERICA'S MOST WANTED
11:00 PM-MIDNIGHT MADtv
SUNDAY
7:00-7:30 PM Animated Encores
7:30-8:00 PM KING OF THE HILL
8:00-8:30 PM THE SIMPSONS
8:30-9:00 PM THE WAR AT HOME
9:00-9:30 PM FAMILY GUY
9:30-10:00 PM AMERICAN DAD
FOX PRIMETIME SCHEDULE: BEGINNING JANUARY 2006
(All Times ET/PT)
MONDAY
8:00-9:00 PM HOUSE
9:00-10:00 PM 24
TUESDAY
8:00-9:00 PM AMERICAN IDOL
9:00-10:00 PM BONES
WEDNESDAY
8:00-8:30 PM THAT '70s SHOW
8:30-9:00 PM STACKED
9:00-9:30 PM AMERICAN IDOL
9:30-10:00 PM THE LOOP
THURSDAY
8:00-9:00 PM THE O.C.
9:00-10:00 PM REUNION
FRIDAY
8:00-8:30 PM THE BERNIE MAC SHOW
8:30-9:00 PM MALCOLM IN THE MIDDLE
9:00-10:00 THE GATE (working title)
SATURDAY
8:00-8:30 PM COPS
8:30-9:00 PM COPS
9:00-10:00 PM AMERICA'S MOST WANTED
11:00 PM-MIDNIGHT MADtv
SUNDAY
7:00-7:30 PM Animated Encores
7:30-8:00 PM KING OF THE HILL
8:00-8:30 PM THE SIMPSONS
8:30-9:00 PM THE WAR AT HOME
9:00-9:30 PM FAMILY GUY
9:30-10:00 PM AMERICAN DAD
2005-2006 FOX PRIMETIME SCHEDULE
NEW SERIES SYNOPSES
The following new dramas will premiere on FOX this fall:
PRISON BREAK (Monday, 9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT): MICHAEL SCOFIELD (Wentworth Miller, "The Human Stain") is a desperate man in a desperate situation. His brother, LINCOLN BURROWS (Dominic Purcell, "John Doe," "Blade: Trinity"), is on death row and scheduled to die in a few months for a murder Michael is convinced Lincoln did not commit. With no other options and time winding down, Michael holds up a bank to get himself incarcerated alongside his brother in Fox River State Penitentiary. Once he's inside, we learn that Michael – a structural engineer with the blueprints for the prison – has hatched an elaborate plan to break Lincoln out and prove his innocence. Senior correctional officer BELLICK (Wade Williams, "Collateral") offers some prison wisdom as Michael arrives. Then, with the help of his cellmate, SUCRE (Amaury Nolasco, "Mr. 3000"), Michael begins to align himself with a disparate group of prisoners, including former mob boss JOHN ABRUZZI (Peter Stormare, "Fargo," "Minority Report") and CHARLES WESTMORELAND (Muse Watson, "I Know What You Did Last Summer"), a man some believe to be the infamous skyjacker D.B. Cooper. On the outside Michael has only one ally, his defense attorney and longtime friend, VERONICA DONOVAN (Robin Tunney, "The Craft," "End of Days") – who is Lincoln's former girlfriend. Meanwhile, Lincoln's 15-year-old son, LJ (Marshall Allman), is now adrift without his Uncle Michael's positive influence. Rounding out the cast are Sarah Wayne Callies ("The Celestine Prophesy") as prison doctor SARA TANCREDI, whom Michael ends up visiting more often than he should, and Stacy Keach ("Titus," "Mike Hammer") as the powerful WARDEN POPE, who forges a close, almost father-son relationship with the new convict. This intriguing new series promises to reveal additional pieces of the puzzle each week as Michael carries out his daring plan to mastermind the ultimate PRISON BREAK – and solve the far-reaching national-scale conspiracy that landed him there in the first place.
PRODUCTION COMPANIES: 20th Century Fox Television, Adelstein-Parouse Productions, Original Television
EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: Paul Scheuring, Dawn Parouse, Marty Adelstein, Neal Moritz, Brett Ratner
WRITER: Paul Scheuring
DIRECTOR: Brett Ratner
CAST: Wentworth Miller as Michael, Dominic Purcell as Lincoln, Robin Tunney as Veronica, Sarah Wayne Callies as Dr. Tancredi, Peter Stormare as Abruzzi, Amaury Nolasco as Sucre, Wade Williams as Bellick, Marshall Allman as LJ
GUEST CAST: Stacy Keach as Warden Pope, Muse Watson as Westmoreland
BONES (Tuesday, 8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT): From executive producers Barry Josephson ("Hide and Seek," "Like Mike") and Hart Hanson ("Joan of Arcadia," "Judging Amy") comes the darkly amusing drama BONES, inspired by real-life forensic anthropologist and novelist Kathy Reichs. Forensic anthropologist DR. TEMPERANCE BRENNAN (Emily Deschanel, "Boogeyman"), who works at the Jeffersonian Institution and writes novels as a sideline, has an uncanny ability to read clues left behind in a victim's bones. Consequently, law enforcement calls her in to assist with murder investigations when the remains are so badly decomposed, burned or destroyed that the standard identification methods are useless. Brennan's equally brilliant colleagues at the Jeffersonian's Medico-Legal Lab include earthy and bawdy ANGELA MONTENEGRO (Michaela Conlin, "The D.A."), who's created a unique way to render an original crime scene in a three-dimensional computer image; Brennan's assistant, ZACK ADDY (Eric Millegan), a young prodigy whose genius IQ actually gets in the way of his finishing the several doctorates he has begun; "the bug guy," DR. JACK HODGINS (TJ Thyne, "How the Grinch Stole Christmas"), who's an expert on insects, spores and minerals, but conspiracy is his hobby; and Brennan's boss, imposing lab director DR. DANIEL GOODMAN (Jonathan Adams, "American Dreams"). Brennan often finds herself teamed with Special Agent SEELEY BOOTH (David Boreanaz, "Angel"), a former Army sniper who mistrusts science and scientists when it comes to solving crimes. Brennan and Booth clash both professionally and personally, but so far the chemistry between them has only played out in a fictionalized account in Brennan's latest mystery novel.
PRODUCTION COMPANY: 20th Century Fox Television
EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: Barry Josephson, Hart Hanson
WRITER: Hart Hanson
DIRECTOR: Greg Yaitanes
CAST: Emily Deschanel as Brennan, David Boreanaz as Booth, Eric Millegan as Zack, TJ Thyne as Dr. Hodgins, Michaela Conlin as Angela, Jonathan Adams as Dr. Goodman
HEAD CASES (Wednesday, 9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT): Bill Chais ("The Practice," "Family Law") created this comedic drama starring Chris O'Donnell ("Scent of a Woman") as attorney JASON PAYNE, whose superstar career at a prestigious Los Angeles law firm backfired when his wife, LAURIE (Krista Allen, "Unscripted"), kicked him out of the house and, to make a bad day even worse, he had a nervous breakdown. After three months at a "wellness center," Jason found himself with no job, no place to live and no support system. Enter SHULTZ (Adam Goldberg, "A Beautiful Mind," "Saving Private Ryan"), an unkempt, unpredictable sufferer of explosive disorder, assigned to be outpatient "buddies" with Jason by their mutual therapist, DR. ROBINSON (Rockmond Dunbar, "Soul Food"). A low-rent lawyer who usually represents deviants and petty criminals, Shultz eagerly latches onto a very reluctant Jason, inserting himself in all aspects of Jason's personal and professional life. The intrusion is the last thing Jason needs, preoccupied as he is with trying to re-establish a relationship with his 8-year-old son, RYAN (Jake Cherry, "Miracle Run"), reach some kind of accord with Laurie, and lend emotional support to KATE (Rachel Leigh Cook, "She's All That"), a troubled young woman he met at the wellness center. For Jason and Shultz, what begins as a bumpy alliance gradually turns amicable as each helps steer the other toward against-all-odds legal victories. Ultimately, they hang up their shingle together and set out to take on underdog clients while attempting to keep each other "sane."
PRODUCTION COMPANY: 20th Century Fox Television
EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: Bill Chais, Jeff Rake, Barry Josephson
WRITER: Bill Chais
DIRECTOR: Andy Fleming
CAST: Chris O'Donnell as Jason, Adam Goldberg as Shultz, Krista Allen as Laurie, Jake Cherry as Ryan, Rachel Leigh Cook as Kate, Rockmond Dunbar as Dr. Robinson
REUNION (Thursday, 9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT): Part character drama and part mystery, REUNION marks a groundbreaking concept in series television as it chronicles the lives of a group of six friends over the course of 20 years – all in just one season. From the hopes and dreams of 18-year-olds to the realities that irrevocably mark those lives two decades later, REUNION's stories are of love and loss, marriage and death, triumph and scandal. WILL (Will Estes, "U-571," "American Dreams") longs to leave his small town behind. Aided by an athletic scholarship, he will be the first in his family to go to college. CRAIG (Sean Faris, "Life As We Know It"), handsome and privileged, looks forward to the Ivy League with his girlfriend, SAMANTHA (Alexa Davalos, "The Chronicles of Riddick"), whose ambition is surpassed only by her looks and intelligence. The beautiful and sensual JENNA (Amanda Righetti, THE O.C.) dreams of becoming an actress; behind his cynicism, AARON (Dave Annable, "Little Black Book") dreams that his relationship with Jenna will go beyond friendship. CARLA (Chyler Leigh, "Not Another Teen Movie"), innocent and quirky, must choose between loyalty to her father and staying near her best friends. REUNION opens in 2005 at the funeral of one of the friends, whose death is being investigated by DETECTIVE MARJORINO (Mathew St. Patrick, "Six Feet Under"). Before the identity of the deceased is revealed, we're transported back to 1986, as the group is celebrating their high school graduation. The pilot episode follows all six through the summer of 1986, and we witness the formative events that alter their dreams and desires forever. Episode two finds the group a full year later, in 1987; episode three tells the story of a seminal event in 1988, and so on – culminating in the season finale at the friends' 20th high school reunion. REUNION also will build toward answering two important questions raised in episode one: Which of the friends is dead? And how did that death occur?
PRODUCTION COMPANIES: Warner Bros. Television, Class IV Productions
EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: Jon Harmon Feldman, Steve Pearlman, Andrew Plotkin
WRITER: Jon Harmon Feldman
DIRECTOR: Jon Amiel
CAST: Will Estes as Will, Sean Faris as Craig, Dave Annable as Aaron, Alexa Davalos as Samantha, Amanda Righetti as Jenna, Chyler Leigh as Carla, Mathew St. Patrick as Detective Marjorino
THE GATE (working title) (Friday,, 9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT): Created by Josh Berman ("CSI: Crime Scene Investigation"), THE GATE (working title) tells the chilling stories of bizarre crimes committed by San Francisco's most aberrant criminals. The series centers on Detective GRAHAM HALE (Johnny Messner, THE O.C.) of the San Francisco Police Department's Deviant Crime Unit. Intense and private, Hale is haunted by personal demons, and he chose this assignment after going AWOL for a year following his partner's death in the line of duty. Hale's new partner is rookie Detective AVA LYFORD (Marguerite Moreau, "Life As We Know It," THE O.C.), whose no-nonsense demeanor and by-the-book tenacity hide both her insecurities and her secrets. Unbeknownst to Hale, she has a hidden agenda – and it might lead to his downfall. In the course of investigating his cases, Hale works closely with his boss, the likable Lieutenant MATT CAVANAUGH (Chi McBride, "Boston Public," "The Terminal"), and with DR. FRANCINE KLEPP, a forensic pathologist in the Coroner's lab and the former roommate of Hale's late partner, Meg. Exploring the idea that "behind every monster there's a mystery," the stories of THE GATE remind us that the "monsters" are everyday people, hidden in plain sight – and that, in each of us, a monster may lurk just beneath the surface.
PRODUCTION COMPANY: Regency Television
EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: Russel Friend, Garrett Lerner
WRITER: Josh Berman
DIRECTOR: Rob Lieberman
CAST: Johnny Messner as Det. Graham Hale, Marguerite Moreau as Det. Ava Lyford, Chi McBride as Lt. Matt Cavanaugh
The following new comedies will join the FOX schedule this fall:
THE WAR AT HOME (Sunday, 8:30-9:00 PM ET/PT): When DAVE (Michael Rapaport, "Hitch," "Small Time Crooks," "Boston Public") and VICKY (Anita Barone, "Daddio," "The Jeff Foxworthy Show") were growing up, their parents had it easy. Back then, there were no "time-outs," no one had any "boundaries" and "parenting" wasn't even a word. Parents also had no idea what their kids were really up to; ignorance truly was bliss. Now Dave and Vicky have teenagers of their own, and anything their kids might even think about doing, Dave and Vicky have already done … at least twice. But knowledge isn't power – it's a giant pain! Every day is a battle to keep the kids in line. Fifteen-year-old LARRY (Kyle Sullivan, MALCOLM IN THE MIDDLE) isn't exactly a frequent diner at the cool kids' table in the cafeteria, while 16-year-old HILLARY (Kaylee Defer, QUINTUPLETS, "Listen Up") knows it all and is just emerging onto the dating scene. Meanwhile, at 13, MIKE (Dean Collins, "Jack & Bobby") is all hormones and video games. Dave and Vicky figure if they can send these three off to college without a police record or kids of their own, they've done their job. This witty, irreverent show from Rob Lotterstein ("Will & Grace," "Ellen," "Dream On") goes inside the heads of a modern family through the use of a confessional space where the characters reveal everything they could never actually say to one another – as they do their best to win THE WAR AT HOME.
PRODUCTION COMPANIES: ACME Productions, Warner Bros. Television
EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: Michael Hanel, Mindy Schultheis
WRITER/EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Rob Lotterstein
DIRECTOR: Andy Cadiff
CAST: Michael Rapaport as Dave, Anita Barone as Vicky, Dean Collins as Mike, Kaylee Defer as Hillary, Kyle Sullivan as Larry
KITCHEN CONFIDENTIAL (Monday, 8:30-9:00 PM ET/PT): Based on renowned chef Anthony Bourdain's best-selling autobiography, KITCHEN CONFIDENTIAL explores the deliciously crazy world of upscale restaurants. Chef JACK BOURDAIN (Bradley Cooper, "Alias," "I Want to Marry Ryan Banks") found enormous success at a young age, but his culinary genius also led to a lifestyle of boozing, womanizing and drugs. After hitting rock bottom and deciding to sober up, the only job he could get was slopping soggy pasta for the masses at a tacky opera-themed restaurant. Out of the blue, Jack is offered an opportunity to get back in the game as head chef at a top New York restaurant. There's just one problem: the owner gives Jack a mere 48 hours to fully staff his kitchen and prepare to dazzle over 300 customers – including the food critic for the New York Times (who also happens to be a jilted ex). Jack hastily assembles a renegade crew of colleagues from his past, including chefs STEVEN DAEDALUS (Owain Yeoman, "Troy"), SETH KLEIN (Nicholas Brendon, "Buffy the Vampire Slayer") and TEDDY WONG (John Cho, "Harold & Kumar"). Also along for the ride are TANYA (Jaime King, "White Chicks," "Pearl Harbor") the hostess, a rookie pastry chef named JIM (John F. Daley, "Freaks and Geeks"), and the owner's daughter, the gorgeous MIMI (Bonnie Somerville, "NYPD Blue"), who can't wait for Jack to fail. In KITCHEN CONFIDENTIAL, executive producers Darren Star ("Sex and the City") and David Hemingson ("Just Shoot Me," AMERICAN DAD) expose the secrets of the restaurant business through the delectable story of a talented chef who's determined to climb back to the top of the food game.
PRODUCTION COMPANIES: 20th Century Fox Television, New Line Productions, Inc., Darren Star Productions, Inc.
EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: Darren Star, Jim Rosenthal, David Knoller
WRITER/EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: David Hemingson
DIRECTOR: Darren Star
CAST: Bradley Cooper as Jack, Bonnie Somerville as Mimi, Owain Yeoman as Steven, Nicholas Brendon as Seth, John Cho as Teddy, Jaime King as Tanya, John F. Daley as Jim
The following two comedies are scheduled to premiere in January and beyond on FOX:
THE LOOP (Wednesday, 9:30-10:00 PM ET/PT): As we reach our early 20s and face the daunting challenges of real life, there are those who choose to embark on a career path and those who'd rather goof off with pals. And then, every so often, there's someone who sets out to do both. Set in Chicago, THE LOOP is the story of SAM (Bret Harrison, "Grounded for Life"), the youngest executive at the corporate headquarters of a major airline, and the first of his friends to get a real job. He must find a way to straddle his serious career and the serious social demands of his roommates. One roommate, SULLY (Eric Christian Olsen, "Dumb and Dumberer," "Tru Calling"), is Sam's older and rowdier brother, whose casual attempts to hold down a series of odd jobs are eclipsed by his attempts to land women. The other roommate, PIPER, is a medical student, Sam's college pal and – unbeknownst to her – his longtime crush. As Sam strives to meet the relentless demands of his boss, RUSS (Philip Baker Hall, "Seinfeld," "Bruce Almighty"), dodge the nonstop advances of his colleague, MERYL (Mimi Rogers, "Austin Powers," "Hope and Faith"), and turn his best-friendship with Piper into romance, he is, by turns, ambitious, exhausted and inspired. Moreover, he is a hero for everyone who has ever tried to work hard and play hard at the same time.
PRODUCTION COMPANY: 20th Century Fox Television
EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: Pam Brady, Will Gluck
WRITERS: Will Gluck, Pam Brady
DIRECTOR: Betty Thomas
CAST: Bret Harrison as Sam, Eric Christian Olsen as Sully, Philip Baker Hall as Russ, Joy Osmanski as Darcy, Mimi Rogers as Meryl
FREE BIRDS (Midseason): A partially improvised comedy project from writer/director Rob Roy Thomas ("Significant Others") and Fox 21, FREE BIRDS is about former Big Man on?Campus NATE SAWBOROUGH (Josh Dean). College in California is over, all he did was party, and a dejected Nate finds himself in a situation he never imagined: returning to his small?Midwestern hometown to move back in with his parents. But his mom and dad's marriage is in trouble and his room has been turned into a gym. The good news is that Nate is able to reconnect with local beauty and bank teller AMBER CREEKHOUSE (Erin Cahill, "American Dreams"); the bad news is she's newly engaged. He also meets up with former High School Big Man On Campus MARK DOVE (Dave Sheridan), and it's time to hit the wild parties ... or as wild as they get in a small Midwestern town. Will Nate decide to move back to California, or will he suppress his small-town phobia and make a play for Amber before she ties the knot? PRODUCTION COMPANY: Fox 21
WRITER/EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Rob Roy Thomas
DIRECTOR: Rob Roy Thomas
CAST: Josh Dean as Nate, Erin Cahill as Amber, Dave Sheridan as Dove
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