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“American Idol” is taking direct aim at the “Big Bang Theory” on Thursday.
|”Fringe” is being sent to die on Friday.
And the Tuesday hit “Glee” isn’t going anywhere after what is bound to be a triumphant Super Bowl experience.
Those are the highlights of the mid-season schedule announced by Fox late last week when few people were paying attention.
The decision to have “American Idol” run on Wednesday and Thursday instead of Tuesday and Wednesday allows it to go after the big movie advertising dollars on Thursday. “Idol” premieres on Jan. 19 and 20.
It also allows ”Glee” to stay put at 8 p.m. Tuesday after original episodes return following the Feb.6 post-Super Bowl appearance.
Of course, this is a big year for “Idol,|” which will have to prove it can do without Sarah Palin’s favorite judge, Simon Cowell (see above). The producers have hired Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler to replace Cowell, the admittedly miscast Ellen DeGeneres and Kara DioGuardi.
CBS has to be a little concerned that the move of “Idol” will hurt its strategic success of moving “Big Bang” to 8 p.m. Thursday. However, the two shows would appear to serve different audiences.
Fox is moving the low-rated “Fringe” from Thursday to 9 p.m. Friday –a night where shows usually go to die. The move begins Jan. 28.
|”Bones,|” which seem to get loyal viewers to move no matter where it plays, will compete with “Grey’s Anatomy” and “CSI” at 9 p.m. Thursday after “Idol.”
The one minor fall success, the critically-acclaimed “Raising Hope,” will follow “Glee” and serve as the lead-in for a new 9:30 p.m. relationship comedy, “Mixed Signals.” That signals the end of the anemic comedy with Keri Russell and Will Arnett, “Running Wilde.”
Networks don’t announce cancellations. They just send out schedules that eliminate shows with poor ratings and hope audiences don’t notice. I suspect that strategy will work with “|Running Wilde,|” since few people realized it was on the air.
Fox has one new animated series on tap, “Bob’s Burgers,” at 8:30 p.m Sunday, starting Jan. 9., and a new crime drama, “The Chicago Code,” from Shawn Ryan (“The Shield” and |”The Unit”) that premieres at 9 p.m. Monday, Feb. 7. Ryan has attracted an attractive cast that includes Jason Clarke, Jennifer Beals, Delroy Lindo and Matt Lauria.
pergament@msn.com
Alan Pergament was the television critic for The Buffalo News for 28 years. He currently is an adjunct professor at Buffalo State College and Medaille College, teaching courses in communications. He also writes a monthly column on the media for Buffalo Spree magazine.
