FOX Releases Its 2008-2009 TV Schedule

Okay, get this — FOX has decided that there are just too many commercials on television. Or, so they sort of, almost, kind of say. At their Upfront presentation they announced that they would launch two series this year with half the number of network commercials. Half. They also said that these shows would not just have more promo time. And, while they didn't say it, I don't think that they meant that they'd just be giving the local affiliates the commercial time. I'm totally getting ahead of myself though, let's talk about their actual schedule – or schedules, fall and spring.

In the fall:

And, in the spring:

So, the new stuff. Well, in the fall there's not much. There's the new J.J. Abrams series, Fringe, which, from the preview, looks kind of like an update of The X-Files. And there's Do Not Disturb, a terribly unfunny looking (from the preview FOX showed during their presentation) comedy starring Jerry O'Connell. I like O'Connell; I have since before I knew who he was when I first saw Stand By Me, but the clip we saw was unamusing.

In the spring there's more new on the schedule, including two new animated series, The Cleveland Show, which is a spinoff of Family Guy; and Sit Down, Shut Up which reunites a bunch of folks from Arrested Development, teams them with a few other people, and has them play dysfunctional teachers. The series has live action backgrounds with animated characters on top, and looks like it could be amusing enough.

The spring also brings Dollhouse from creator Joss Whedon and star Eliza Dushku. The premise is that there are a bunch of youngish folks who have opted (allegedly) to have their memories wiped. They're then programmed to do different things like assassinate folks or serve as call girls. Of course, there are nefarious doings lurking below the surface.

Finally, sort of, there's Secret Millionaire. This seems to be a reality series version of the unfunny Mel Brooks' film, Life Stinks. It features wealthy people pretending to be poor, and finding someone to donate a tiny portion of their money too (unless of course the show gives them the money to donate in which case they're not spending a dime of their own).

You'll also notice that FOX has a hole in their schedule following the Idol results show. They promise that they're not going to expand that to an hour-long thing that much, and they actually have two different comedies they're thinking of slotting in that spot. But, as with everything they say, including the schedule itself, I'll believe it when I see it. It's all really more of a loose guideline than a hard and fast decree.

And that, as they say, is that.