Foggy notion: Alcatraz introduces another J. J. Abrams-branded mystery to Fox in January.
For the past several seasons, midseason—the stretch of the TV calendar starting in January—has been when Fox’s season really began in earnest, as it brought out powerhouses like American Idol and, back in the day, 24. That’s changed a bit as Fox has strengthened its fall-premiere schedule. (It now has some reliable scripted shows like Bones, New Girl and Glee, even as the last’s ratings has softened, and X Factor has been solid even if not the blockbuster Fox might have hoped for.)
But winter is still when Fox brings its biggest heat, and its midseason schedule announced Thursday includes several high-profile projects. Among midseason dramas, spooky sci-fi prison-bust series Alcatraz, executive produced by J.J. Abrams, debuts Jan. 16; Touch, a buzzed-about drama with Kiefer Sutherland as the father of a mute boy able to see remarkable patterns in mundane events, sneak-peeks in January and premieres in March; and Idol gets the usual massive auditions-episodes rollout starting Jan. 18. On the comedy front, Bob’s Burgers returns, Breaking In gets resurrected and we find out if Napoleon Dynamite can work as an animated series.
Allen Gregory, it would seem, did not, and has vanished from Sundays. (Glee, I Hate My Teenage Daughter, and Bones all return later in the season.) Also, Jan. 12 sees the debut of Bones spinoff The Finder, the first network drama about a Macintosh operating system. Yes, people, I am going to keep making that joke forever. The schedule follows:
FOX 2011-2012 MIDSEASON SCHEDULE
(Times for All-New episodes are ET/PT except as noted)MONDAY
Monday, Jan. 16:
8:00-10:00 PM ALCATRAZ (Series Premiere)Mondays, beginning Jan. 23:
8:00-9:00 PM HOUSE (Time Period Premiere)
9:00-10:00 PM ALCATRAZ (Time Period Premiere)Monday, March 12:
8:00-10:00 PM ALCATRAZ (Two-Hour Episode)Mondays, beginning March 19:
8:00-9:00 PM HOUSE
9:00-10:00 PM TOUCH (Series Premiere)****************************
TUESDAY
Tuesdays, beginning Jan. 17:
8:00-9:00 PM GLEE
9:00-9:30 PM NEW GIRL
9:30-10:00 PM RAISING HOPETuesdays, beginning March 6:
8:00-8:30 PM NEW GIRL (encore)
8:30-9:00 PM BREAKING IN (Season Premiere)
9:00-9:30 PM NEW GIRL
9:30-10:00 PM RAISING HOPE****************************
WEDNESDAY
Wednesday, Jan. 4:
8:00-9:00 PM GLEE (encore)
9:00-10:00 PM MOBBEDWednesday, Jan. 11:
8:00-9:00 PM MOBBED (encore)
9:00-10:00 PM MOBBEDWednesday, Jan. 18:
8:00-10:00 PM AMERICAN IDOL (Season Premiere, Part One)Wednesday, Jan. 25:
8:00-9:00 PM AMERICAN IDOL
9:00-10:00 PM TOUCH (Special Preview)Wednesdays, beginning Feb. 1:
8:00-9:00 PM AMERICAN IDOL
9:00-10:00 PM MOBBEDWednesdays, beginning Feb. 15:
8:00-10:00 PM AMERICAN IDOL (Two-Hour Episodes)***************************
THURSDAY
Thursday, Jan. 12:
8:00-9:00 PM BONES (encore)
9:00-10:00 PM THE FINDER (Series Premiere)Thursdays, beginning Jan. 19:
8:00-9:00 PM AMERICAN IDOL (Season Premiere, Part Two)
9:00-10:00 PM THE FINDER***************************
FRIDAY
Friday, Jan. 6:
8:00 PM-CC ET FOX SPORTS SPECIAL: 2012 AT&T COTTON BOWL CLASSIC (Live)Fridays, beginning Jan. 13:
8:00-9:00 PM KITCHEN NIGHTMARES
9:00-10:00 PM FRINGE***************************
SATURDAY
Saturdays, beginning Jan. 7:
8:00-8:30 PM COPS
8:30-9:00 PM COPS
9:00-10:00 PM DRAMA ENCORES
11:00 PM-Midnight ENCORES
Midnight-12:30 AM ENCORESSaturday, Feb. 11:
8:00-10:00 PM AMERICA’S MOST WANTED SPECIAL EDITION
11:00 PM-Midnight ENCORES
Midnight-12:30 AM ENCORESSUNDAY
Sunday, Jan. 8:
7:00-7:30 PM BOB’S BURGERS (encore)
7:30-8:00 PM THE CLEVELAND SHOW (encore)
8:00-8:30 PM THE SIMPSONS
8:30-9:00 PM THE CLEVELAND SHOW
9:00-9:30 PM FAMILY GUY
9:30-10:00 PM AMERICAN DADSunday, Jan. 15:
8:00-8:30 PM THE SIMPSONS
8:30-9:00 PM NAPOLEON DYNAMITE (Series Premiere)
9:00-9:30 PM FAMILY GUY
9:30-10:00 PM NAPOLEON DYNAMITE (Special Time)Sunday, Jan. 22:
6:00 PM-CC ET FOX SPORTS SPECIAL: NFC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME (Live)
10:00 PM ET/ AMERICAN IDOL (Special Broadcast; Approximate Start Time)
7:00 PTSundays, beginning Jan. 29:
7:00-7:30 PM BOB’S BURGERS (encore)
7:30-8:00 PM THE CLEVELAND SHOW
8:00-8:30 PM THE SIMPSONS
8:30-9:00 PM NAPOLEON DYNAMITE
9:00-9:30 PM FAMILY GUY
9:30-10:00 PM AMERICAN DADSundays, beginning March 11:
7:00-7:30 PM ANIMATION DOMINATION ENCORES
7:30-8:00 PM THE CLEVELAND SHOW
8:00-8:30 PM THE SIMPSONS
8:30-9:00 PM BOB’S BURGERS (Season Premiere)
9:00-9:30 PM FAMILY GUY
9:30-10:00 PM AMERICAN DAD