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FOX ANNOUNCES PRIMETIME SLATE FOR 2006-2007 SEASON THREE NEW DRAMAS AND TWO NEW COMEDIES JOIN NETWORK'S SCHEDULE ADDITIONAL DRAMA AND COMEDY ANNOUNCED FOR MID-SEASON NEW SATURDAY LATE-NIGHT ENTRY HOSTED BY SPIKE FERESTEN UNSCRIPTED SERIES INCLUDE SIMON COWELL'S "DUETS" AND MARK BURNETT AND STEVEN SPIELBERG'S COMPETITION "ON THE LOT"
New York (Thursday, May 18, 2006) - FOX today unveiled its primetime schedule for the 2006-2007 television season, featuring the network's most stable and balanced slate in years. Three new dramas and two new comedies will complement returning favorites on every night of the week this fall, announced Peter Liguori, President, Entertainment, Fox Broadcasting Company.
The new dramas premiering this fall are VANISHED and STANDOFF from 20th Century Fox Television and JUSTICE from Warner Bros. Television and hitmaker Jerry Bruckheimer. The new comedies scheduled for fall debuts are the Brad Garrett comedy 'TIL DEATH from Sony Pictures Television, and HAPPY HOUR from writers Jeff and Jackie Filgo ("That '70s Show") and Warner Bros. Television. FOX also has a new entry in the Saturday late-night arena, TALK SHOW WITH SPIKE FERESTEN, which debuts Saturday, Sept. 16 (MIDNIGHT-12:30 AM ET/PT) following MADtv. In addition, DUETS, a four-week unscripted series executive-produced by Simon Cowell, will air on Thursdays and Fridays prior to the Major League Baseball playoffs.
A fourth new drama, THE WEDDING ALBUM from Fox Television Studios and 20th Century Fox Television, will launch in January. 20th Century Fox Television's THE WINNER - the first live-action comedy from FAMILY GUY'S Seth MacFarlane and Ricky Blitt - is also set to premiere at mid-season. Finally, the highly anticipated ON THE LOT, an unscripted series from Mark Burnett and Steven Spielberg, will debut next spring.
FOX series returning in 2006-2007 include 24, AMERICAN DAD, AMERICAN IDOL, AMERICA'S MOST WANTED: AMERICA STRIKES BACK, BONES, COPS, FAMILY GUY, HOUSE, KING OF THE HILL, THE LOOP, MADtv, NANNY 911, THE O.C., PRISON BREAK, THE SIMPSONS, TRADING SPOUSES: MEET YOUR NEW MOMMY and THE WAR AT HOME.
"This is the broadest, most stable and most vibrant schedule we've ever presented - one that is sure to help us further our lead as the No. 1 network in key demos," Liguori said. "Once again, we'll kick off with early premieres to eventize our launches and establish our series before baseball. We'll also continue our strategy of extending the end of the current season, making for a truly year-round schedule."
Liguori went on to say: "We'll have returning shows every night of the week. And in January, 24 and AMERICAN IDOL, along with the BCS games during the first week of the new year, will allow us to launch additional series and reposition ourselves for another dominant second-half surge."
Following are the FOX primetime schedule for 2006-2007 and synopses of the new series:
FOX PRIMETIME SCHEDULE: FALL 2006
(All Times ET/PT)
MONDAY
8:00-9:00 PM PRISON BREAK
9:00-10:00 PM VANISHED
TUESDAY
8:00-9:00 PM STANDOFF
9:00-10:00 PM HOUSE
WEDNESDAY
8:00-9:00 PM BONES
9:00-10:00 PM JUSTICE
THURSDAY
8:00-8:30 PM 'TIL DEATH
8:30-9:00 PM HAPPY HOUR
9:00-10:00 PM THE O.C.
FRIDAY
8:00-9:00 PM NANNY 911
9:00-10:00 PM TRADING SPOUSES: MEET YOUR NEW MOMMY
SATURDAY
8:00-8:30 PM COPS
8:30-9:00 PM COPS
9:00-10:00 PM AMERICA'S MOST WANTED: AMERICA STRIKES BACK
11:00 PM-MIDNIGHT MADtv
MIDNIGHT-12:30 AM TALK SHOW WITH SPIKE FERESTEN
SUNDAY
7:00-7:30 PM FOOTBALL OVERRUN (COMEDY ENCORES)
7:30-8:00 PM FOOTBALL OVERRUN (COMEDY ENCORES)
8:00-8:30 PM THE SIMPSONS
8:30-9:00 PM AMERICAN DAD
9:00-9:30 PM FAMILY GUY
9:30-10:00 PM THE WAR AT HOME
FOX PRIMETIME SCHEDULE: BEGINNING JANUARY 2007
(All Times ET/PT)
MONDAY
8:00-9:00 PM STANDOFF
9:00-10:00 PM 24
TUESDAY
8:00-9:00 PM AMERICAN IDOL Performance Show
9:00-10:00 PM HOUSE
WEDNESDAY
8:00-9:00 PM JUSTICE
9:00-9:30 PM AMERICAN IDOL Results Show
9:30-10:00 PM THE LOOP
THURSDAY
8:00-8:30 PM 'TIL DEATH
8:30-9:00 PM HAPPY HOUR
9:00-10:00 PM THE O.C.
FRIDAY
8:00-9:00 PM BONES
9:00-10:00 PM THE WEDDING ALBUM
SATURDAY
8:00-8:30 PM COPS
8:30-9:00 PM COPS
9:00-10:00 PM AMERICA'S MOST WANTED: AMERICA STRIKES BACK
11:00 PM-MIDNIGHT MADtv
MIDNIGHT-12:30 AM TALK SHOW WITH SPIKE FERESTEN
SUNDAY
7:00-7:30 PM COMEDY REPEATS
7:30-8:00 PM KING OF THE HILL
8:00-8:30 PM THE SIMPSONS
8:30-9:00 PM AMERICAN DAD
9:00-9:30 PM FAMILY GUY
9:30-10:00 PM THE WAR AT HOME
2006-2007 FOX PRIMETIME SCHEDULE
NEW SERIES SYNOPSES
The following new dramas will premiere this fall on FOX:
VANISHED (Mondays, 9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT): SARA (Joanne Kelly, "Whiskey Echo") is the beautiful young wife of prominent Georgia Senator JEFFREY COLLINS (John Allen Nelson, "24"), and she has gone missing. But before the FBI can solve the mystery of where she is, they first need to figure out who she really is. Through the eyes of Senior FBI Agent GRAHAM KELTON (Gale Harold, "Queer as Folk," "Martha Behind Bars"), ambitious reporter JUDY NASH (Rebecca Gayheart, "Nip/Tuck," "Harvard Man") and the distraught members of the Collins family, viewers will journey inside a sensational, mysterious national soap opera. Kelton, working with Agent LIN MEI (Ming-Na, "ER"), uncovers enigmatic clues that suggest Sara's disappearance may be part of a large, sinister conspiracy. Created by Josh Berman ("CSI: Crime Scene Investigation") and directed by executive producer Mimi Leder ("The Peacemaker," "Deep Impact"), VANISHED combines the investigative twists and turns of "CSI," the nonstop pace and tension of FOX's "24" and the scope of "The Da Vinci Code."
PRODUCTION COMPANY: 20th Century Fox Television
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Paul Redford
CREATED BY: Josh Berman
DIRECTOR/EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Mimi Leder
CAST: Gale Harold as Kelton, John Allen Nelson as Jeffrey, Joanne Kelly as Sara, Rebecca Gayheart as Judy, Margarita Levieva as Marcy, John Patrick Amedori as Max, Chris Egan as Ben, Robert Hoffman as Adam, Ming-Na as Lin Mei
STANDOFF (Tuesdays, 8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT - in fall): There's no crisis situation they can't handle ... unless it involves each other. MATT FLANNERY (Ron Livingston, "Sex and the City," "House") and EMILY LEHMAN (Rosemarie DeWitt, "Cinderella Man") are the top-ranked negotiators in the FBI's Crisis Negotiation Unit (CNU). They're trained to talk their way through volatile situations. They're experts at knowing what makes other people tick. They're also sleeping together � a secret that they agreed to keep to themselves, until Matt reveals it to the entire world during a tense hostage standoff. The public revelation causes friction between Matt, who relies on gut instinct, and Emily, an academic who analyzes every move. Their relationship also gets them into major trouble with their boss CHERYL CARRERA (Gina Torres, "Alias," "Firefly," "24"), head of the Los Angeles CNU, and raises eyebrows among their CNU colleagues, including intelligence officer LIA MATHERS (Raquel Alessi, "Ghost Rider"). While Matt and Emily really should be split up for being romantically involved, they're too valuable as a team. STANDOFF combines the relationship banter of audience favorites like "Moonlighting" with the adrenaline-paced suspense of hits like "24." The series advances a fundamental idea: that in life and in love, "Everything is a negotiation."
PRODUCTION COMPANY: 20th Century Fox Television
EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: Craig Silverstein, Tim Story
WRITER: Craig Silverstein
DIRECTOR: Tim Story
CAST: Ron Livingston as Matt, Rosemarie DeWitt as Emily, Michael Cudlitz as Frank, Gina Torres as Cheryl, Raquel Alessi as Lia
JUSTICE (Wednesdays, 9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT - in fall): From Jerry Bruckheimer, executive producer of "CSI" and "Without a Trace," comes JUSTICE, an unflinching, behind-the-scenes look at the way high-profile cases are tried in the media age. JUSTICE features a dream team of four lawyers from disparate backgrounds who join forces to tackle the most controversial and newsworthy cases. With their unique skill sets and the power of forensic law, this formidable team becomes indispensable to the law firm of Turk, Nicholson, Tuller & Gaines. RON TURK (Victor Garber, "Alias," "Titanic") is the face seen on every media talk show in the country - and he wants it that way. He's great at landing a client, spinning a case and getting his way, but juries hate him. Standing behind Ron - as far away from the cameras as possible - is TOM NICHOLSON (Kerr Smith, "Charmed"), the heart of the firm. Tom is a brilliant litigator whose Everyman, earnest manner makes him Ron's alter ego. LUTHER GAINES (Eamonn Walker, "Oz"), famous in the African-American community, is well-connected, politically motivated and in possession of an uncanny ability to take a step back and assess the merits of a case from both the prosecution's and the defense's perspectives. ALDEN TULLER (Rebecca Mader, "The Devil Wears Prada") is a young, ambitious and brilliant clinician who approaches each case analytically, uncovering ways to destroy expert witnesses on cross-examination.
PRODUCTION COMPANIES: Warner Bros. Television, Jerry Bruckheimer Television
EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: Jerry Bruckheimer, Jonathan Littman, Jonathan Shapiro
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER/DIRECTOR: David McNally
TELEPLAY BY: Tyler Bensinger, Jonathan Shapiro
CAST: Victor Garber as Ron, Kerr Smith as Tom, Eamonn Walker as Luther, Rebecca Mader as Alden
The following drama is scheduled to premiere in January on FOX:
THE WEDDING ALBUM (Fridays, 9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT): From executive producers Andy Tennant and Wink Mordaunt ("Hitch," "Sweet Home Alabama," "Ever After") comes a series that captures the ups and downs of tying the knot through the eyes of the second-most important man in the room - the wedding photographer. TONY ZUTTO (Bruno Campos, "Nip/Tuck," "ER") is the guy everyone wants to capture their big day. But just because he's working every high-profile ceremony in town doesn't mean he'll be walking down the aisle himself anytime soon. Tony's near-celebrity status on the marriage circuit - combined with his own less-than-stellar family history - has turned him into a serial bachelor and consummate playboy ... at least until Tony hires new assistant MILLA CAVENDISH (Tara Summers, "Alfie"), a feisty and alluring young Brit. Unlike the carefree encounters Tony's had with his share of bridesmaids over the years, Milla and her comrades-in-arms, sassy roommate GRETCHEN (Eva Pigford, "America's Top Model") and photo lab tech BRUNO (Jayce Bartok, "Law & Order"), will keep Tony on his toes. Also keeping his wild ways in check are PETER (Ptolemy Slocum, "Hitch"), Tony's strait-laced half-brother and a minister to boot; Tony's gregarious father DANNY (Tony Lo Bianco, "Law & Order"), who is always ready to dispense a helping of advice along with the liquor he serves at his neighborhood bar; and GWEN (Ashlie Atkinson, "Rescue Me"), Tony's take-charge office manager. From the tempestuous rehearsal dinners and unorthodox ceremonies to the wild aftermaths and poignant family disasters, THE WEDDING ALBUM proves that things are definitely more interesting when every day at the "office" is the most important day of someone else's life.
PRODUCED BY: Fox Television Studios and 20th Century Fox Television
EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS/WRITERS: Andy Tennant, Wink Mordaunt
DIRECTOR: Andy Tennant
CAST: Bruno Campos as Tony, Tara Summers as Milla, Tony Lo Bianco as Danny, Ashlie Atkinson as Gwen, Jayce Bartok as Bruno, Eva Pigford as Gretchen, Ptolemy Slocum as Peter
The following new comedies will join the FOX schedule this fall:
'TIL DEATH (Thursdays, 8:00-8:30 PM ET/PT): 'TIL DEATH is a comedy about middle-aged EDDIE (Brad Garrett, "Everybody Loves Raymond") and JOY STAMM (Joely Fisher, "Desperate Housewives"), who are on day 8,743 of their marriage and have the battle scars to prove it. Their new next-door neighbors are young newlyweds STEPH (Kat Foster, "Law & Order") and JEFF WOODCOCK (Eddie Kaye Thomas, "Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle") - idealistic, passionate, adorable and married for all of 12 days. It's a show about new marriage versus old marriage, about keeping the romance alive - or at least staying together so you have someone to drive you to the hospital for your operations. Eddie is a cynical realist who considers himself an expert on most topics. A high school history teacher, he's learned well the lessons of history and applies the basic principles to his marriage: all fights are about power, land and resources - and women love to kill fun. A veteran of the marriage wars, Eddie freely gives his advice to the younger, idealistic Jeff, who's the new Vice Principal at Eddie's school. Of course, Eddie's little secret all along is that he loves Joy more than anything. And however brash and sardonic Joy herself appears, she loves Eddie right back.
PRODUCTION COMPANY: Sony Pictures Television
EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS/WRITERS: Josh Goldsmith, Cathy Yuspa
DIRECTOR: Ted Wass
CAST: Brad Garrett as Eddie, Joely Fisher as Joy, Eddie Kaye Thomas as Jeff, Kat Foster as Steph
HAPPY HOUR (Thursdays, 8:30-9:00 PM ET/PT): Straight arrow HENRY BECKMAN (John Sloan, "The OH in Ohio") had it all: a great job, a perfect girlfriend and a sweet apartment. He was a big fish in the small pond of Amsterdam, Missouri. And then he let HEATHER (Brooke D'Orsay, "King's Ransom") talk him into moving to Chicago to work in her family business, where it all went wrong. In the space of one morning, Henry gets dumped by Heather, learns he can no longer work for Heather's uncle, and gets kicked out of their apartment. It's in this vulnerable state that he meets his new roommate, a vain, flashy, loveable rogue named LARRY CONE (Lex Medlin, "Still Standing"). Larry is a modern-day Dean Martin who is looking for a new prot�g� to teach the wisdom of staying single and enjoying the good life. Larry's last roommate and best friend, BRAD (Nat Faxon, "Joey"), has gotten engaged to the shrew TINA (Jamie Denbo, "Must Love Dogs"), a cold and controlling fianc�e who's immune to Larry's considerable charm. Under Larry's tutelage, Henry begins to rebuild his life and goes to work for Larry's childhood friend AMANDA (Beth Lacke, "The Rest of Your Life"), a beautiful mess who's unsuccessfully trying to emulate her perfect ideal of womanhood, Kelly Ripa. Will Henry manage to hold onto his traditional values and remain a hopeless romantic? Or will Larry indeed "build a better Brad"?
PRODUCTION COMPANIES: Warner Bros. Television, Werner-Gold-Miller
EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: Jackie Filgo, Jeff Filgo, Tom Werner, Eric Gold, Jimmy Miller
WRITERS: Jackie Filgo, Jeff Filgo
DIRECTOR: Andy Ackerman
CAST: John Sloan as Henry, Lex Medlin as Larry, Nat Faxon as Brad, Jamie Denbo as Tina, Beth Lacke as Amanda, Brooke D'Orsay as Heather
The following comedy will air at mid-season on FOX:
THE WINNER (Day and Time TBD): A 43-and-a-half-year-old narrator, who is incredibly rich and successful, looks way back to 1994, when he lost his innocence and started to become a man - at the tender age of 32. In 1994, GLEN ABBOTT (Rob Corddry, "The Daily Show"), still living with his parents, finally steps out into the world and tries to make something of himself when the only girl he'd ever kissed, the radiant ALISON MILLER (Erinn Hayes, "Everwood," "Kitchen Confidential"), returns to town. Driven by the desire to become a success and win Alison's heart, Glen goes through his "wonder years" a mere 20 years older than, well, most everyone. But it's not in vain, as this unlikely underdog will eventually transform from fear-riddled underachiever to the richest man in Buffalo in a mere five years. Luckily, Glen doesn't have to go though this awkward period alone. He becomes best friends with the only person he can truly relate to: Alison's 13-year-old son JOSH (Keir Gilchrist, "A Lobster Tale"). Josh is a fellow hypochondriac, and they help each other survive "puberty." Glen also receives parental guidance from his absurdly enabling mother IRENE (Julie Hagerty, "Girlfriends," "Malcolm in the Middle") and his supportive but quasi-rage-aholic dad RON (Lenny Clarke, "Rescue Me," "Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events").
PRODUCTION COMPANY: 20th Century Fox Television
EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS/WRITERS: Seth MacFarlane, Ricky Blitt
CREATED BY: Ricky Blitt
DIRECTOR: Terry Hughes
CAST: Rob Corddry as Glen, Keir Gilchrist as Josh, Erinn Hayes as Alison, Julie Hagerty as Irene, Lenny Clarke as Ron
The following unscripted series are scheduled to premiere this fall on FOX:
DUETS (Thursday and Friday in September, Time TBD): DUETS, from Simon Cowell, pairs established singing stars with celebrities outside the music industry to make beautiful music together by competing as duos for charity. The show will follow the professional singers as they instruct their partners, choose songs and perform duets in front of a panel of judges and a live studio audience. After each episode, viewers will vote for their favorite duets. The winning pair will emerge from the competition in perfect harmony, while the losers definitely will have to change their tune.
PRODUCTION COMPANIES: Simco, Fox Television Studios
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Simon Cowell
TALK SHOW WITH SPIKE FERESTEN (Premieres Thursday, Sept. 16, Midnight-12:30 AM ET/PT): TALK SHOW WITH SPIKE FERESTEN may look like a talk show, but it is emphatically a comedy show. This fast-paced half-hour combines traditional elements of the late-night format with bold and irreverent comedy sketches - both inside and outside the studio. Hosted by Emmy-nominated writer Spike Feresten ("Seinfeld," "The Late Show with David Letterman"), TALK SHOW gives the staid late-night format a long-overdue update. Among other things, this refreshing approach to the genre uses guests in unpredictable ways, like delivering the monologue and performing in the comedy sketches. Additionally, the show features a staff of writer-performers, hilarious field pieces and much more.
PRODUCTION COMPANY: Fox Television Studios
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Spike Feresten
HOST: Spike Feresten
The following unscripted series is scheduled to air next spring on FOX:
ON THE LOT (Day and Time TBD): Aspiring director/filmmakers from across the country will vie for the opportunity of a lifetime when Mark Burnett, Steven Spielberg, DreamWorks Television and FOX join forces on this exciting new unscripted series. Ultimately, one filmmaker will rise above the rest and will be rewarded with a studio development deal, ON THE LOT at DreamWorks. A group of 16 undiscovered talents will be brought to Hollywood and divided into several teams. Every week, each team will produce a short film in an assigned genre, running the gamut from comedies to thrillers, personal dramas to romance, sci-fi to horror. With one member selected as the director and other members helping produce, they'll have access to the best resources the industry has to offer. But with the clock ticking, and other teams working with the same genre or premise, they'll all need to match their vision with decisiveness, execution and flexibility. The competition will air on two nights weekly. The films will be shown and critiqued in front of a live audience during the one-hour "Film Premiere" episode. The judging panel will include a motion picture executive, a film critic and well-respected guest judges. But the filmmakers also will be subjected to perhaps the harshest judge of all � the public. It will be FOX viewers whose votes ultimately determine which film should be left on the cutting room floor. On the half-hour "Box Office" results show, the director of the losing feature will be sent home, leaving that team with fewer contestants to help produce the next week's film. As the competition continues and more directors are eliminated, the remaining filmmakers will have to work individually, creating a new film every week until only the most talented individual is anointed the winner, whisked away to the DreamWorks studio, met by Steven Spielberg and shown to his or her new office � ON THE LOT.
PRODUCTION COMPANIES: Mark Burnett Productions, DreamWorks Television, Amblin Television.
CREATORS AND EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: Mark Burnett, Steven Spielberg
CO-EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: Darryl Frank, Justin Falvey, Conrad Riggs
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