Analysis: FOX Announces their 2012-2013 Schedule

Upfront week 2012 continues with FOX's announcement of their fall schedule. The schedule and my analysis are after the jump.

Monday:

8PM: Bones

9PM: The Mob Doctor*

Thoughts: Bones remains at 8, where it should continue to chug along at a consistent level. It will be interesting to see how well The Mob Doctor does in this timeslot. I don't know if Bones can provide a strong lead-in, so it will have to rely on promotion to gain an audience. If it gains an audience, it will be interesting to see what FOX does with it because they have The Following waiting in the wings. That show isn't airing in the fall because they could only get Kevin Bacon to commit to 15 episodes per year. A big marketing push during football playoffs should lead this series to become a major hit in 24's old timeslot. 

Tuesday:

8PM: Raising Hope

8:30PM: Ben and Kate*

9PM: New Girl

9:30PM: The Mindy Project*

Thoughts: On this night, FOX does what Kevin Riley says he's wanted to do since he began working a FOX, and that is a 2 hour comedy block. I don't know if Raising Hope is strong enough to start a night, but Riley says that he thinks that Hope can still grow. I'm not sure that will be the case. That means that Ben and Kate will have to be a self-starter at 8:30 in order to continue. If it fails, it will probably be replaced by the Goodwin Games at midseason. The second hour seems like very smart scheduling. New Girl was a hit last season, and the Mindy Project seems like a perfect companion for it.

Wednesday:

Fall:

8-10PM: The X Factor

Midseason:

8-10PM: American Idol

Thoughts: This night is the least surprising on the schedule. It will be interesting to see how the X Factor does with Britney Spears and Demi Lovato as new judges. It will also be interesting to see how big of a marketing push FOX gives the show. It wasn't the massive hit that they were expecting it to be last year, so I expect it to get a significant push. 

Thursday:

Fall:

8PM: The X Factor

9PM: Glee

Midseason:

8PM: American Idol

9PM: Glee

Thoughts: Of course, the reality results shows are here. The headline of this night is that Glee is being given a protected timeslot. This is mainly because FOX wants to give the 2 hour comedy block a try on Tuesday and that displaced Glee to this timeslot. I can't imagine Glee growing from here, but I also can't imagine it taking a significant hit in this timeslot.

Friday:

8PM: Touch

9PM: Fringe

Thoughts: Touch on Fridays is purely to save face for Kiefer Sutherland. If that show didn't star him, that show would have been cancelled. I can't imagine this show making it to a season 3 in this timeslot. Also, Fringe will get to ride off into the sunset with a final season of 13 episodes airing in the fall. Hell's Kitchen will also play a role on this night, presumably taking Fringe's place after the series ends. 

Saturday:

8-10PM: Fox Sports Saturdays

Thoughts: For the first time in years, Cops will not be on the FOX schedule. Instead, FOX is pulling an ABC and is airing sports programming Saturday night. Consider this to be a money-saving move.

Sunday:

Fall:

7PM: NFL Football/The OT

8PM: The Simpsons

8:30PM: Bob's Burgers

9PM: Family Guy

9:30PM: American Dad

Midseason:

7PM: Animation Domination Repeats
7:30PM: The Cleveland Show

8PM: The Simpsons

8:30PM: Bob's Burgers

9PM: Family Guy

9:30PM: American Dad

Thoughts: For the first time in a few years, there will be no new series premiering in the Animation Domination block. The Flintstones, which was due to premiere in 2013, will not be ready for this season because Seth MacFarlane's movie took too much time. My only thought is that I'm glad to see Bob's Burgers in the lineup during the fall.

Unscheduled Midseason Series: Cops, The Following*, The Goodwin Games*, Hell's Kitchen

*New Series are marked with an asterisk

What do you all think of the schedule? Will the 2-hour comedy block work?