Past Life

With Fox's Fall schedule announcement this morning, the craziness of network Upfront week is officially under way. In just a second, I'll share videos and photos of the six new Fox shows, but quickly, a few thoughts on the schedule:

• Fringe on Thursdays? Seems risky to me — even if, as Fox's entertainment guru Kevin Reilly pointed out this morning, both Grey's Anatomy and CSI are down this season. Fact is, between Grey's and NBC's The Office/30 Rock combo, my DVR is booked, and Fringe will probably be the odd show out.
• I know it's a sad day for Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles fans, who were pulling hard for the show to return. Here's what show-runner Josh Friedman had to say.
• Reilly said the decision to bring back Dollhouse is "a bet on Joss Whedon" and added that he probably would have had "110 angry emails this morning from fans." Really, just 110?
• Back in January, Reilly cited Malcolm in the Middle as the kind of comedy Fox wanted to develop. So I guess it's no surprise that Sons of Tucson is practically being called the next Malcolm by Fox officials — to the point that it's even taking over Malcolm's initial time slot in the Winter.
• Speaking of which — the Fall is fine, but Fox doesn't really get interesting to me until January or so, when Human Target, Sons, and Past Life (which looks to me like Lie to Me but with otherworldly flashbacks instead of facial tics) all start.
• It's no secret that I'm a big fan of So You Think You Can Dance, but I'm a little nervous about having another season starting in the Fall. I'm worried we'll be burned out from the Summer cycle and too busy with Fall TV to pay much attention — and I think Fox better hope season five is a good one with a likable winner so we'll be excited for another round! On the other hand, I appreciate that the schedule won't get torn to bits to make room for American Idol in January.

Enough of that — let's get to the clips! Just read more

Fox kicked off network Upfront week in New York this morning by announcing its Fall schedule, and here's a headline right off the bat: So You Think You Can Dance, Fox's summertime dance competition show, is getting a Fall edition as well.

The show will air in an American Idol-like fashion, with a two-hour performance show on Tuesdays and a one-hour results show on Wednesdays. That Wednesday show will lead into Glee, the musical dramedy that has its sneak peek after Idol this week.

One of the more surprising stories is the renewal of Dollhouse, which was thought to be a longshot before a flurry of renewal rumors started up over the weekend. It keeps its spot on Friday nights, and two comedies will lead into it: 'Til Death and the new show Brothers starring ex-NFL player Michael Strahan. Another new comedy, the animated The Cleveland Show, will join the Sunday lineup in the Fall.

A few other big notes: Fringe will move into the already crowded Thursday arena, airing at 9 p.m. House will be paired with Lie to Me on Mondays in the Fall and with 24 in the Winter. And the Winter will also see the launch of three new shows: the reincarnation drama Past Life on Tuesdays, the comic book adaptation Human Target on Wednesdays, and the comedy Sons of Tucson on Sundays.

I'll be back with some analysis later, but to see the full schedule and Fox's descriptions of the new shows, just read more