FOX 2019-2020 Fantasy Schedule

Our resident script reader Jean-Maxime Renault has read the pilot scripts for almost all of this year's series pickups heading into upfront week. For his detailed thoughts on all of the year's contenders, be sure to check out his pilot script reviews. 

With a new regime, new goals, lots of new series and two nights per week dedicated to football and wrestling, FOX's fall schedule is hard to predict. Since they're broadcasting the Superbowl this year, they're expected to go big come midseason.

Here’s the score card to date...

RENEWALS
THE SIMPSONS | FAMILY GUY [ BOB'S BURGERS | LAST MAN STANDING | EMPIRE | 9-1-1 | THE RESIDENT | THE ORVILLE

SERIES ORDERS
PRODIGAL SON | DEPUTY | NEXT | SISTERS | BLESS THE HARTS | THE GREAT NORTH | DUNCANVILLE | OUTMATCHED | FILTHY RICH | 911: LONE STAR

CANCELLATIONS
GOTHAM | LETHAL WEAPON | THE GIFTED | STAR | THE PASSAGE | PROVEN INNOCENT | THE COOL KIDS | REL

....and here's how FOX's fall schedule would look if I was programming it:
 

Having done a good job in the 8pm slot, medical drama The Resident seems likely to stay put, especially since there really isn't anywhere else for it to go. FOX may opt for a low-profile Monday night this fall, following The Resident with the female-centered drama Sisters. Come midseason, I expect they'd up their game with a pairing of 9-1-1 and Prodigal Son, with The Resident (and Sisters if not already cancelled at that point) benched until late spring. 

 

With Last Man Standing on the move due to wresting taking over Friday nights, FOX has next to zero better options than Tuesday. As the only other comedy picked-up, Outmatched is naturally its new companion. At 9, they could choose a cheap unscripted show like Masterchef to fill the slot, but to avoid overcrowding midseason with scripted programming, I'd launch a new drama like Deputy in there this fall. This new take on the western genre is designed to please a more masculine, middle American viewership. Having Last Man Standing earlier in the evening and being surrounded by sports programming where they can promote it heavily during the week are two good reasons to give it the slot. To give it an extra promotional push, they could launch it after the World Series in November.

 

What if FOX didn't wait for midseason to launch a second season of the surprise hit The Masked Singer? That way, they'd be able to pair soapy dramas Empire and Filthy Rich there starting in January. As for 9-1-1, it would be back on the night where it started and thrived for the first batch of its third season's episodes. Then it would move back to Mondays. Yes, it's a little messy, but I think it could work, especially if FOX were to give 9-1-1 its post-Superbowl slot for a big dramatic event episode. 

 

 

Once football season is done, FOX could offer a sci-fi Thursday night programming block consisting of new entry NeXt and The Orville's third installement. 

 

Wrestling will air there 52 weeks a year. Yeah! The whole year without interruption. 

 

Animation Domination Sunday Night is a FOX landmark, and even if the ratings are not as strong as they were in the past, the network isn't ready to let it go just yet. Some fresh blood is ready to join the party but it's unclear which of the three new animated comedies will go first.

 

Empire – Paired with Filthy Rich on Wednesdays

Filthy Rich - Paired with Empire on Wednesdays

Prodigal Son – Paired with 9-1-1 on Mondays

NeXt– Paired with The Orville on Thursdays

The Orville - Paired with NeXt on Thursdays

We'll have complete coverage of FOX's upfront presentation on Monday May 13th. In the meantime, join us in our forums to share your predictions!

Jean-Maxime Renault is a TV addict based in Paris who writes about television and movies on AlloCiné (aka "the French IMDB"). In 2015 he created Season Zero, a website about television development and pilot season, which is now a part of Primetimer. Follow him on Twitter @SeasonZeroCom