Reilly Puts Stamp on Fox's Fall Line-Up
By Jim Benson -- Broadcasting & Cable, 8/3/2007 9:37:00 AM
Recently named Fox Entertainment President Kevin Reilly has put his stamp on the fall schedule, shifting forensics drama Bones out of the way of four other competing dramas at 9 p.m. Wednesdays and benching its freshman drama New Amsterdam until midseason.
On Sept. 25, Bones moves to 8 on Tuesdays as a lead-in to House at 9. New Amsterdam, about an immortal New York police detective from the 17th century, was previously scheduled for the slot; the undead cop will instead wait until January to take a bite out of crime.
The mild success of summer reality series Don’t Forget the Lyrics! allowed Fox to make the scheduling moves. It gives the network an established show for fall rather than an unproven entrant like New Amsterdam, which could get lost in the onslaught of new and returning programs in September.
Lyrics will be slotted at 9 Thursdays starting Sept. 6 behind Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader? The latter will also air on four fall Fridays as a lead-in to Nashville before that slot becomes occupied with American Band, which debuts with a special two-hour episode Oct. 19.
Meanwhile, reality hit Kitchen Nightmares shifts to Wednesdays at 9, starting with its season premiere Sept. 19, following sitcoms Back to You and ’Til Death.
And Fox announced that Anchorwoman, a hybrid reality-comedy that follows a swimsuit model/WWE diva as she tries to transform herself into a news anchor, will debut Aug. 22 at 8.
