How do you fill a fall TV schedule when much of Hollywood is shut down?
Fox recently revealed its public health situation-proof fall TV lineup, making the network the first broadcaster to announce a specific fall schedule since the outbreak of this global health crisis.
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Fox’s fall TV schedule is stocked with reality TV, animation, and sports, as well as scripted content that was either held over from last season or acquired from other distributors.
“The effects of this global health crisis leave no business unaffected. As a media company that prides itself on an entrepreneurial spirit and the focus that comes with doing fewer things better, we mobilized, swiftly creating an entirely new, original-programming lineup for the fall to share with our partners this upfront,” said Charlie Collier, CEO, Fox Entertainment.
The network’s programming includes Gothic family soap Filthy Rich starring Kim Cattrall and AI thriller NeXt starring John Slattery, both series were already filmed and held over from the current season, according to Deadline.
Also included in the fall TV lineup is Spectrum Originals’ Bad Boys universe drama L.A.’s Finest starring Gabrielle Union and Jessica Alba. The show already premiered on the fledgling Spectrum Originals service, but will not make its broadcast debut on Fox.
Another addition to the schedule includes the third edition of the Emmy-winning documentary Cosmos, which like L.A.’s Finest already debuted elsewhere (on Nat Geo).
Despite having an already impressive fall 2020 TV lineup, the network is still facing some public health hurdles. The network’s hit show The Masked Singer hasn’t begun filming their next season, but is working on some production workarounds to pull off filming. However, Fox’s Thursday Night Football slot, given that the NFL season still might now happen, takes up the network’s entire Thursday night and the future of it is uncertain at this time.
“As for the football season and what the fall is going to be: It will be entirely dependent on the effectiveness with which we as a society respond to the inevitable [second wave] outbreak that will occur,” Dr. Anthony Fauci told NBC Sports’ Peter King over the weekend. “Now, even if the virus goes down dramatically in June and July and August, as the virus starts returning in the fall, it would be in my mind, shame on us if we don’t have in place all of the mechanisms to prevent it from blowing up again. In other words, enough testing to test everybody that needs to be tested. Enough testing so that when someone gets infected, you could immediately do contact tracing and isolation to prevent the infection from going to a couple of infections to hundreds of infections. That’s how you control an outbreak. So, practically speaking, the success or failure, the ability or not, to actually have a football season is going to depend on just on what I said … but what I’m really saying is it’s unpredictable depending upon how we respond in the fall.”
Fox’s fall 2020 TV lineup includes L.A.’s Finest, Next, Cosmos: Possible Worlds, Flithy Rich, The Masked Singer, Masterchef Junior, Fox NFL Thursday Presented by Verizon, GMC Kickoff Show, Thursday night Football Presented by Bud Light Platinum, WWE’s Friday Night Smackdown, Fox Sports Saturday, NFL on Fox, The OT / Fox Encores, The Simpsons, Bless the Harts, Bob’s Burgers, and Family Guy.
Brittany R
Brittany is a writer who is obsessed with rom-com movies, Gossip Girl, reality television, fashion, and pop-culture. When she isn't reporting on the latest celeb buzz, she is filling up her online shopping cart without checking out.
