Brent88
11-30-2005, 04:48 PM
FOX is indeed shaking up the Thursday-night landscape at midseason, although the announcement the network made about its schedule isn't quite the earth-shattering one many were expecting.
Deciding not to mess with success, FOX is keeping "American Idol" in its Tuesday-Wednesday home, with the fifth season of the show scheduled to premiere Tuesday, Jan. 17. There had been widespread speculation in recent days that the network would shift the "Idol" results show to Thursday in a bid to challenge CBS' dominance of the night.
"With all of the speculation and rumor, it's great to finally announce the premiere of the second half of our season," FOX Entertainment chief Peter Liguori says. "It takes discipline to hold back '24' and 'American Idol,' but doing so allows us to strengthen our schedule across the week and to give our viewers nonstop excitement from January through May."
FOX is making some changes to Thursday, moving comedies "That '70s Show" and "Stacked" into the 9 p.m. hour following "The O.C." as of March 2. The shows will face a tough road there opposite CBS' powerhouse "CSI" and NBC's "The Apprentice."
In a change from the plan it announced last spring, FOX will keep "House" at 9 p.m. Tuesdays. The show has proven to be a strong performer on its own this fall, and its ratings will likely get a further boost by airing after the Tuesday "Idol."
First-year drama "Bones," meanwhile, will move from Tuesday to 9 p.m. Wednesday -- opposite ABC's "Lost" -- starting Jan. 25. The Wednesday "Idol" will stay at 8 p.m. for the audition/field-narrowing phase, then move to 9 p.m. in the spring. The network hasn't finalized its Wednesday plans for when that occurs.
Finally, the network has also set a return date for "Prison Break": A repeat of Monday's (Nov. 28) "fall finale" will air Monday, March 13, and new episodes will be paired with "24" starting the following week.
Here's a rundown of changes in FOX's midseason schedule (Saturday and Sunday lineups remain intact):
Monday
8 p.m. "Skating with Celebrities" (premieres Wednesday, Jan. 18; moves to Mondays Jan. 23-March 6)
8 p.m. "Prison Break" (returns March 13)
9 p.m. "24" (premieres Sunday, Jan. 15; moves to Mondays the following night)
Tuesday
8 p.m. "American Idol" (premieres Jan. 17)
9 p.m. "House"
Wednesday
8 p.m. "American Idol" (premieres Jan. 18)
9 p.m. "Bones" (as of Jan. 25)
Thursday
8 p.m. "The O.C."
9 p.m. "That '70s Show" (as of March 2)
9:30 p.m. "Stacked" (as of March 2)
Friday
8 p.m. "The Bernie Mac Show"
8:30 p.m. "Malcolm in the Middle"
9 p.m. "Trading Spouses"
Deciding not to mess with success, FOX is keeping "American Idol" in its Tuesday-Wednesday home, with the fifth season of the show scheduled to premiere Tuesday, Jan. 17. There had been widespread speculation in recent days that the network would shift the "Idol" results show to Thursday in a bid to challenge CBS' dominance of the night.
"With all of the speculation and rumor, it's great to finally announce the premiere of the second half of our season," FOX Entertainment chief Peter Liguori says. "It takes discipline to hold back '24' and 'American Idol,' but doing so allows us to strengthen our schedule across the week and to give our viewers nonstop excitement from January through May."
FOX is making some changes to Thursday, moving comedies "That '70s Show" and "Stacked" into the 9 p.m. hour following "The O.C." as of March 2. The shows will face a tough road there opposite CBS' powerhouse "CSI" and NBC's "The Apprentice."
In a change from the plan it announced last spring, FOX will keep "House" at 9 p.m. Tuesdays. The show has proven to be a strong performer on its own this fall, and its ratings will likely get a further boost by airing after the Tuesday "Idol."
First-year drama "Bones," meanwhile, will move from Tuesday to 9 p.m. Wednesday -- opposite ABC's "Lost" -- starting Jan. 25. The Wednesday "Idol" will stay at 8 p.m. for the audition/field-narrowing phase, then move to 9 p.m. in the spring. The network hasn't finalized its Wednesday plans for when that occurs.
Finally, the network has also set a return date for "Prison Break": A repeat of Monday's (Nov. 28) "fall finale" will air Monday, March 13, and new episodes will be paired with "24" starting the following week.
Here's a rundown of changes in FOX's midseason schedule (Saturday and Sunday lineups remain intact):
Monday
8 p.m. "Skating with Celebrities" (premieres Wednesday, Jan. 18; moves to Mondays Jan. 23-March 6)
8 p.m. "Prison Break" (returns March 13)
9 p.m. "24" (premieres Sunday, Jan. 15; moves to Mondays the following night)
Tuesday
8 p.m. "American Idol" (premieres Jan. 17)
9 p.m. "House"
Wednesday
8 p.m. "American Idol" (premieres Jan. 18)
9 p.m. "Bones" (as of Jan. 25)
Thursday
8 p.m. "The O.C."
9 p.m. "That '70s Show" (as of March 2)
9:30 p.m. "Stacked" (as of March 2)
Friday
8 p.m. "The Bernie Mac Show"
8:30 p.m. "Malcolm in the Middle"
9 p.m. "Trading Spouses"