May 15, 2017
by Carla Hay
Fox has officially announced its 2017-2018 schedule during the network’s upfront presentation at the Beacon Theater in New York City on May 15, 2017. Most of the existing shows had previously been announced as renewed. However, the upfront presentation made it official that the following shows have been cancelled: “24: Legacy,” “MasterChef Junior,” “Kicking and Screaming,” “My Kitchen Rules,” “Prison Break” and “Scream Queens.”
New scripted shows include “9-1-1,” “The Resident,” “The Gifted,” “LA to Vegas,” “Ghosted” and “The Orville.” Several actors who are familiar to TV audiences star in these shows including Stephen Moyer (“The Gifted”), formerly of “True Blood”; “Ghosted” stars Craig Robinson, formerly of “The Office” and Adam Scott, who used to be on “Parks and Recreation”; “Family Guy” creator Seth MacFarlane (“The Orville”); “American Horror Story” cast regular Angela Bassett (“9-1-1”); and Dylan McDermott (“LA to Vegas”), a former star of “The Practice.”
As previously announced, there will be two new live musical event specials: “Rent” and “A Christmas Story Live.”
Fall premiere dates will be announced at a later time. Please note that shows picked up but not listed on the schedule below will debut later in the 2017-18 season.
The following is an excerpt from a Fox press release:
FOX FALL 2017-18 SCHEDULE
All times listed are Eastern/Pacific Time.
MONDAY
8-9 p.m. “Lucifer”
9-10 p.m. “The Gifted”
TUESDAY
8-9 p.m. “Lethal Weapon”
9-9:30 p.m. “The Mick”
9:30-10 p.m. “Brooklyn Nine-Nine”
WEDNESDAY
8-9 P.M. “Empire”
9-10 P.M. “Star”
THURSDAY
8-9 p.m. “Gotham”
9-10 p.m. “The Orville”
FRIDAY
8-9 p.m. “Hell’s Kitchen”
9-10 p.m. “The Exorcist”
SATURDAY
7-10:30 p.m. “Fox Sports Saturday: Fox College Football”
SUNDAY
7-7:30 p.m. “NFL on Fox”
7:30-8 p.m. “The OT” or “Bob’s Burgers”
8-8:30 p.m. “The Simpsons”
8:30-9 p.m. “Ghosted”
9:30-10 p.m. “The Last Man on Earth”
NEW DRAMA SERIES
“THE GIFTED”
“The Gifted” tells the story of a suburban couple whose ordinary lives are rocked by the sudden discovery that their children possess mutant powers. Reed (Stephen Moyer, “Shots Fired,” “True Blood”) and Caitlin (Amy Acker, “Person of Interest”) Strucker are typical middle-class parents dealing with the realities of raising a family. However, when their teenage kids, Lauren (Natalie Alyn Lind, “Gotham”) and Andy (Percy Hynes White, “Night at the Museum 3”), are involved in an incident at their high school which reveals they are mutants, Reed and Caitlin do all in their power to protect their children. Forced to go on the run, the Struckers must leave behind their old lives to flee from a relentless government agency that tracks down mutants, the Sentinel Services, which includes Agent Jace Turner (Coby Bell, “Burn Notice”). Complicating matters further is the fact that Reed is a prosecutor in the district attorney’s office tasked with going after mutants. Desperate and running low on options, the family’s only choice is to contact an underground network that helps mutants in trouble. The mutants in the network—Eclipse / Marcos Diaz (Sean Teale, “Reign”), Blink / Clarice Fong (Jamie Chung, “Gotham”), Polaris / Lorna Dane (Emma Dumont, “Aquarius”) and Thunderbird/ John Proudstar (Blair Redford, “Satisfaction”)—are dealing with their own issues. With one of their members in prison and their team possibly compromised, they face an uncertain future in a world that looks increasingly dangerous for mutants. Written by Matt Nix (“Burn Notice”), directed by Bryan Singer (the “X-Men” franchise) and executive-produced by Nix, Singer, Lauren Shuler Donner (“X-Men: Apocalypse,” “X-Men: Days of Future Past,” “The Wolverine”), Simon Kinberg (“X-Men: Apocalypse,” “X-Men: Days of Future Past”), Jeph Loeb (“Marvel’s Daredevil,” “Marvel’s Jessica Jones”) and Jim Chory (“Marvel’s Daredevil,” “Marvel’s Jessica Jones”), “The Gifted” is a story of survival, a story of mutants coming to terms with who they are, a story of parents accepting the fact that their kids aren’t who they thought they were and loving them just the same—even if all of their lives are at risk because of it.
PRODUCTION COMPANIES: 20th Century Fox Television, Marvel Television
WRITER: Matt Nix
DIRECTOR: Bryan Singer
EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: Bryan Singer, Matt Nix, Lauren Shuler Donner, Simon Kinberg, Jeph Loeb, Jim Chory
CO-EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Derek Hoffman
CAST: Stephen Moyer as Reed Strucker, Amy Acker as Caitlin Strucker, Sean Teale as Eclipse / Marcos Diaz, Jamie Chung as Blink / Clarice Fong, Coby Bell as Jace Turner, Emma Dumont as Polaris / Lorna Dane, Blair Redford as Thunderbird / John Proudstar, Natalie Alyn Lind as Lauren Strucker, Percy Hynes White as Andy Strucker
“THE ORVILLE”
From Emmy Award-winning executive producer and creator Seth MacFarlane (Family Guy,” “Ted”) and directed by Jon Favreau (“The Jungle Book,” “Iron Man”), “The Orville” is a one-hour science fiction series set 400 years in the future that follows the adventures of the U.S.S. Orville, a mid-level exploratory vessel. Its crew, both human and alien, faces the wonders and dangers of outer space, while also dealing with the familiar, often humorous problems of regular people in a workplace…even though some of those people are from other planets, and the workplace is a faster-than-light spaceship. In the 25th century, Earth is part of the Planetary Union, a far-reaching, advanced and mostly peaceful civilization with a fleet of 3,000 ships. Down on his luck after a bitter divorce, Planetary Union officer Ed Mercer (MacFarlane) finally gets his chance to command one of these ships: the U.S.S. Orville. Determined to prove his worth and write a new chapter in his life, Ed finds that task all the more difficult when the First Officer assigned to his ship is his ex-wife, Kelly Grayson (Adrianne Palicki, “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.,” “Friday Night Lights”). As the new commander, Ed assembles a qualified, but eccentric crew, including his best friend, Gordon Malloy (Scott Grimes, “ER,” “Justified”), who has problems with authority, but is the best helmsman in the fleet; Dr. Claire Finn (Penny Johnson Jerald, “24,” “The Larry Sanders Show”), one of the Union’s most accomplished physicians; Bortus (Peter Macon, “Shameless,” “Bosch”), an alien from a single-sex species; Isaac (Mark Jackson, “That Royal Today”), an artificial life-form from a machine society that thinks biological life-forms are inferior; navigator John Lamarr (J. Lee, “Family Guy,” “The Cleveland Show”), whose casual humor cuts through even the most dire situations; Alara Kitan (Halston Sage, “Neighbors,” “Goosebumps”), a young, inexperienced security officer whose home planet’s high gravity gives her superior physical strength; and Yaphit, a gelatinous creature voiced by comedian Norm Macdonald (“The Middle,” “Saturday Night Live”). Somehow, Ed and Kelly must put the past behind them and, with the help of the crew, navigate fascinating and sometimes dangerous adventures in outer space, as well as the tumultuous and captivating day-to-day personal relationships with their colleagues.
PRODUCTION COMPANY: 20th Century Fox Television
CREATOR/WRITER: Seth MacFarlane
EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: Seth MacFarlane, Brannon Braga, David A. Goodman, Jason Clark, Liz Heldens
DIRECTOR/EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Jon Favreau (pilot)
CAST: Seth MacFarlane as Ed Mercer, Adrianne Palicki as Kelly Grayson, Penny Johnson Jerald as Claire Finn, Scott Grimes as Gordon Malloy, Peter Macon as Bortus, Halston Sage as Alara Kitan, J. Lee as John Lamarr, Mark Jackson as Isaac, Chad Coleman as Klyden, Norm Macdonald as Yaphit
“9-1-1”
From prolific creators Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk, new procedural drama 9-1-1 is a fast-paced exploration into the lives and careers of first responders—cops, paramedics, firefighters—the people who put their lives on the line to save others. Starring Academy and Emmy Award nominee and Golden Globe winner Angela Bassett (“American Horror Story,” “What’s Love Got to Do with It”), the series is based on the real-life, high-pressure experiences of emergency response providers who are thrust into heart-stopping situations that are equal parts unpredictable, intense and uplifting.
PRODUCTION COMPANIES: 20th Century Fox Television, Ryan Murphy Television, Brad Falchuk Teley-Vision
CREATORS/WRITERS/EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk
CAST: Angela Bassett
“THE RESIDENT”
Focusing on three doctors at different stages of their careers and a dedicated young nurse, “The Resident” is a provocative new medical drama that rips back the curtain to reveal the truth of what really happens, both good and bad, in hospitals across the country. Meet Dr. Conrad Hawkins (Matt Czuchry, “The Good Wife”), one of the best doctors at Chastain Park Memorial Hospital. Charming, arrogant and only a third-year resident, Conrad does everything in the most unconventional way possible. Along with treating patients, Conrad believes it is his job to burst the illusions of first-year residents, like Dr. Devon Pravesh (Manish Dayal, “Halt and Catch Fire”), and turn them into real-life doctors. Devon is an innocent idealist, who wears his finely tuned moral compass and passion for science like armor. With Conrad’s help, however, Devon quickly discovers the reality of his chosen profession is not what he imagined, and that ethical lines are often blurred. Nothing, not even the best medical school in the country, could have prepared him for what he’s about to learn. As Devon accompanies Conrad through the hospital’s halls, he meets distinguished chief of surgery Dr. Randolph Bell (Bruce Greenwood, “The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story,” “Mad Men”), the face of the hospital and its most sought-after doctor, whose diminishing skills, and the errors they cause, are covered with the help of allies under his command; Dr. Mina Okafor (Shaunette Renée Wilson, “Billions”), a rising star surgeon from Nigeria who is threatening Bell’s dominance, but who also is in the U.S. on a visa; and Nicolette Nevin (Emily VanCamp, “Revenge”), one of Chastain Memorial’s most respected nurses and Conrad’s on-again-off-again romantic partner. While Conrad opens Devon’s eyes to the stark realities of hospital life, the once-optimistic young doctor soon realizes that the practice of medicine is a business, like any other. Not all patients are angels and not all doctors are gods, but one thing’s for sure: expectations are meant to be shattered.
PRODUCTION COMPANY: 20th Century Fox Television
EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: Antoine Fuqua, Amy Holden Jones, David Boorstein, Oly Obst
CO-EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: Hayley Schore, Roshan Sethi
WRITERS: Amy Holden Jones, Hayley Schore, Roshan Sethi
DIRECTOR/EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Phillip Noyce
CAST: Matt Czuchry as Dr. Conrad Hawkins, Emily VanCamp as Nicolette Nevin, Manish Dayal as Dr. Devon Pravesh, Shaunette Renée Wilson as Dr. Mina Okafor, Valerie Cruz as Renata Lopez and Bruce Greenwood as Dr. Randolph Bell
NEW COMEDY SERIES
“GHOSTED”
Starring Craig Robinson (“The Office,” “This Is the End”) and Adam Scott (“Parks and Recreation,” “Big Little Lies”), “Ghosted” is a single-camera, action-comedy about the unlikely partnership between two down-on-their-luck polar opposites tasked with an even more unlikely mission: saving the human race from aliens. Leroy Wright (Robinson) is a cynical skeptic and former missing persons detective, who, if we’re speaking frankly, thinks that “aliens” are a big ole bunch of B.S. and that people who believe in them are certifiably nuts. People like Max Jennifer (Scott). Max is a genius “true believer” in the paranormal who’s convinced his wife was abducted by aliens. At low points in their lives, both Leroy and Max are recruited by Captain Ava Lafrey (Ally Walker, “Colony,” “Sons of Anarchy”), a take-no-prisoners, former Air Force test pilot and head of the Bureau Underground, a secret government organization investigating paranormal cases. Lafrey, along with her staff—Barry Shaw (Adeel Akhtar, “Unforgotten,” “The Night Manager”), an overly friendly forensic pathologist, and Delilah Ward, a highly opinionated tech specialist—will support Leroy and Max in their quest for answers. Now, this heroic group of underdogs will look into “unexplained” activity in Los Angeles that often leads them to scary, thrilling and hilarious places, as they attempt to uncover the truth and keep the earth rotating on its axis for at least one more day.
PRODUCTION COMPANY: 20th Century Fox Television
EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: Tom Gormican, Kevin Etten, Craig Robinson, Adam Scott, Naomi Scott, Oly Obst, Mark Schulman
WRITERS: Tom Gormican, Kevin Etten
DIRECTOR/EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Jonathan Krisel
CAST: Craig Robinson as Leroy Wright, Adam Scott as Max Jennifer, Ally Walker as Captain Ava Lafrey, Adeel Akhtar as Barry Shaw
“LA TO VEGAS”
From executive producers Will Ferrell (“Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy,” “Elf”), Adam McKay (“The Big Short”), Lon Zimmet (“Unbreakable Kimmie Schmidt”) and Steve Levitan (“Modern Family”), “LA to Las Vegas” is a single-camera ensemble comedy about an airline crew and the eccentric passengers who, every weekend, take the roundtrip flight from Los Angeles to Las Vegas with one goal in mind—to come back a winner. Welcome to Jackpot Airlines, a budget carrier whose junket flight from LA to Vegas and back again, is filled with dreamers looking for that big score. Holding (or, more to the point, barely holding) these voyages together is Ronnie (Kim Matula, “UnREAL”), a long-suffering flight attendant who tries to keep her cool (oftentimes, with little success) whether she’s dealing with a bi-polar bride-to-be or the dead body in Row 13. Managing the revolving door of bachelor parties and 21st birthdays gets even trickier when Ronnie develops a “location-ship” with Colin (Ed Weeks, “The Mindy Project”), a regular passenger and an economics professor, whose son and soon-to-be ex-wife live in Vegas. Further complicating her job every weekend is Captain Dave (Emmy Award nominee and Golden Globe winner Dylan McDermott, “The Practice,” “American Horror Story”), the narcissistic pilot whose fighter-pilot dreams never quite worked out; Bernard (Nathan Lee Graham, “The Comeback,” “Hitch”), the always-positive career flight attendant who thinks there’s no flight more magical than the LA-to-Vegas; Artem (Peter Stormare, “The Big Lebowski”), the genial professional gambler who serves as the plane’s resident (but unofficial) bookie; and Nichole (Olivia Macklin, “The Young Pope”), the sweet-natured, part-time stripper who’s a lot savvier than people realize. It won’t be easy, but this unlikely group of miscreants and dreamers will eventually go from being strangers on a plane to a supportive, if unconventional, family…from Friday to Sunday…whether they like it or not.
PRODUCTION COMPANIES: 20th Century Fox Television, Gary Sanchez Productions
WRITER/EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Lon Zimmet
DIRECTOR/EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Steve Levitan
EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: Will Ferrell, Adam McKay, Chris Henchy, Owen Burke
CAST: Kim Matula as Ronnie, Ed Weeks as Colin, Nathan Lee Graham as Bernard, Olivia Macklin as Nichole with Peter Stormare as Artem and Dylan McDermott as Captain Dave
NEW SPECIALS
“RENT”
A re-imagining of Puccini’s “La Bohème,” and set in New York City’s gritty East Village, “Rent” tells the unforgettable story of seven artists struggling to follow their dreams during a time of great social and political turmoil. After winning four Tony Awards and the Pulitzer Prize, writer/composer Jonathan Larson’s tour de force celebrates its 21st anniversary this year, as it continues to offer an inspiring message of hope and friendship. “Rent” originally was produced in New York by New York Theatre Workshop and on Broadway by Jeffrey Seller, Kevin McCollum, Allan S. Gordon and New York Theatre Workshop. “Rent” will be executive-produced by Marc Platt, Adam Siegel, Julie Larson, Al Larson and Revolution Studios’ Vince Totino, Scott Hemming and Marla Levine.
“A CHRISTMAS STORY LIVE”
Fox and Warner Horizon Unscripted Television will partner with acclaimed film, television and theater producer Marc Platt (“Grease: Live,” “La La Land,” “Wicked”) on the LIVE musical event “A Christmas Story,” inspired by the holiday classic feature “A Christmas Story” and the Tony Award-nominated Broadway production “A Christmas Story: The Musical.” Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, recent Tony Award nominees for the musical “Dear Evan Hansen” and lyricists of “La La Land’s” Academy Award-winning song, “City of Stars,” also scored “A Christmas Story: The Musical,” and will compose several new songs for the LIVE television event, with Jonathan Tolins and Robert Cary (“Grease: Live”) adapting the book. The three-hour live television production of “A Christmas Story” will air this December on Fox.
