FOX Adds The Exorcist, Lethal Weapon for Fall, Holds Prison Break & 24 Reboot for Midseason

NEW YORK: FOX unveiled its prime-time slate for the 2016-17 season with more original programming than ever before, including the fall dramas The Exorcist and Lethal Weapon.

Starting in the fall, Monday nights will see the pairing of Gotham and Lucifer. Tuesdays begin with the returning comedies Brooklyn Nine-Nine and New Girl, with Scream Queens closing out the night.

The new drama Lethal Weapon, based on the hit movie franchise of the same name, leads off Wednesdays in the fall. The show will star Clayne Crawford (Rectify) and Damon Wayans, Sr. (My Wife and Kids, In Living Color). Lethal Weapon will serve as a lead-in to the popular returning show Empire.

Thursdays are stacked with Rosewood and Bones, which will run in its final season.

Friday nights in the fall begin with Hell’s Kitchen and wrap with The Exorcist, a contemporary thriller based on the classic horror movie. The new drama will see two very different priests tackling one family’s case of demonic possession. The series stars Alfonso Herrera (Sense8, The Chosen), Ben Daniels (Flesh and Bone, House of Cards) and Geena Davis (Commander in Chief, Thelma & Louise).

Saturdays are dedicated to college football. Sundays begin with NFL action, then alternate between The OT and Bob’s Burgers in the 7:30 p.m. slot. The Simpsons holds down the 8 p.m. hour, leading into the freshman comedy Son of Zorn, a live-action/animated hybrid. The show features the voice of Jason Sudeikis (The Last Man on Earth, Horrible Bosses, We’re the Millers). Family Guy and The Last Man on Earth round out Sundays in the fall.

Midseason, the new 24 reboot, 24: Legacy, makes its debut on Mondays at 8 p.m., with Gotham in the spring. The 9 p.m. slot features APB, a new police drama from Len Wiseman (Lucifer, Underworld) and executive producer/writer Matt Nix (Burn Notice), and Lucifer in the spring.

Tuesdays midseason will feature New Girl and Brooklyn Nine-Nine (spring) at 8 p.m., followed by The Mick, a new single-camera comedy starring Kaitlin Olson (It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia) at 8:30 p.m. Kicking & Screaming, a competition series that sees ten expert survivalists paired with pampered partners, will have its premiere run at 9 p.m., giving way to Pitch, which tells the story of the first female pitcher in Major League Baseball, in the spring.

The midseason Wednesday lineup sees Lethal Weapon at 8 p.m. and Shots Fired, an event series that follows the aftermath of racially charged shootings in the South, in the spring. The 9 p.m. hour will be held by Star, a brand-new drama headlined by Queen Latifah (Bessie, Bringing Down the House) and Benjamin Bratt (24: Live Another Day, Law & Order), and Empire in the spring.

Thursdays will see the brand-new Prison Break series debuting at 9 p.m., with a lead-in from Rosewood. Fridays have MasterChef Junior paired with Sleepy Hollow.

Saturdays remain dedicated to sports, while Sundays feature the animated block of Bob’s Burgers and The Simpsons, leading into the new comedy Making History, about three friends from two different centuries who balance the thrill of time travel with the mundane concerns of everyday life. The evening goes out with Family Guy and The Last Man on Earth.

“Next season on FOX, we’ll have more original programming across our schedule than ever before,” said Dana Walden and Gary Newman, Chairmen and CEOs of Fox Television Group. “We’ll use our strong established hits in the fall and Super Bowl LI in winter to launch a diverse slate of shows that are unmistakably FOX. We’re proud of our new series, directed and created by some of the most celebrated talent in the entertainment industry. And, we are pleased to be returning to our schedule many of our most beloved shows, including broadcast’s number one series, Empire!”