FOX’s Liguori: “Broadcast Television Needs a Jolt”

NEW YORK, May 15: FOX’s
2008-09 season, which is set to feature J.J. Abrams’ Fringe and Joss
Whedon’s Dollhouse, among other
new shows, will deliver the “jolt” that broadcast television needs, said the
network’s chairman of entertainment, Peter Liguori.

Announcing the schedule at
New York City Center, Liguori stated: "Broadcast television needs a jolt.
We feel it's our responsibility, as the number one network for the last four
seasons, to provide that electricity. The goal of our business is entertaining
viewers—they're our lifeblood, and it's incumbent upon us to make sure
their first and favorite entertainment destination is FOX."

Kevin Reilly, the
president of entertainment, added: "We're going to make plenty of noise
and yet potentially have more stability and success than we've had historically
in the fourth quarter. We'll be focused in the fall with two new series, one
comedy and one drama, and then use our big assets in January to launch an even
more powerful second season."

In the fall, Mondays will
feature the returning dramas Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles and Prison Break. On Tuesday nights, the hit House will function as the lead-in to J.J. Abrams new
drama Fringe. The thriller is
about an unlikely trio who uncover a deadly mystery involving a series of
unbelievable events. They realize they may be a part of a larger, more
disturbing pattern that blurs the line between science fiction and technology.

Wednesdays will feature Bones paired with a comedy block of the returning ‘Til
Death and the new sitcom Do Not
Disturb, about the management team
at a hip New York city hotel.

On Thursday nights, the
reality series The Moment of Truth
is back on the schedule in front of Kitchen Nightmares. Fridays, too, are all reality with Are You
Smarter Than a 5th Grader? and Don’t
Forget the Lyrics. Saturdays
remain unchanged with Cops and America’s
Most Wanted. And Sundays will
still be animation night with The Simpsons, King of the Hill, Family
Guy and American Dad.

In January, Terminator and Prison Break vacate Mondays to make way for Dollhouse and the return of 24. Dollhouse stars Buffy the Vampire Slayer alum Eliza Dushku as Echo, a member of an underground group of
"Actives" who have their personalities wiped clean so they can be
imprinted with any number of new personas to carry out a variety of missions.
Tuesdays in the winter mark the return of American Idol, bumping House to Wednesdays at 8 p.m. Fringe is slated to remain in the Tuesday 9 p.m. slot. On
Wednesdays, House leads into
the Idol results show, to be
followed by a to-be-announced comedy. Hell’s Kitchen returns to FOX in January, taking the 8 p.m. Thursday
slot, leading into Secret Millionaire, a new unscripted series that focuses on a different millionaire each
week as they go undercover to some of America's most disadvantaged areas.

Bones gets bumped to Fridays at 8 p.m. in the winter,
leading into ‘Til Death at 9
p.m. and then Do Not Disturb at
9.30 p.m. Saturdays are unchanged. On Sundays, two new comedies will launch in
the spring, Sit Down, Shut
Up and The Cleveland Show, taking the place of King of the Hill and American Dad, respectively. The Cleveland Show is a spin-off of Family Guy. Sit Down, Shut Up, created by Emmy Award-winner Mitchell Hurwitz (Arrested
Development), follows a group of
unconventional teachers and staff members working at a high school in a small
northeastern fishing town who never lose sight of the fact that the students
must always come second. The voice cast includes SNL’s Kenan Thompson and Will
Forte, as well as Arrested Development’s Jason Bateman, Henry Winkler and Will Arnett.

—By Mansha Daswani