The swan song of “American Idol” and heavy doses of comedy and sci-fi will mark Fox’s 2015-16 season.
The once-blockbuster singing contest, which launched the careers of Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood and Jennifer Hudson, has seen its audience dwindle and age. “Idol” will return next year for its 15th and final season with returning judges Jennifer Lopez, Keith Urban and Harry Connick Jr., Fox said Monday.
Ten new series will debut next season on Fox, including the comedy-horror series “Scream Queens” from “Glee” producer Ryan Murphy and with veteran scream queen Jamie Lee Curtis in the cast.
New dramas will include “Minority Report,” based on Steven Spielberg’s futuristic film, and “The Frankenstein Code,” about a resurrected former lawman.
Fox and the other broadcast networks are unveiling their plans to advertisers in New York this week to lure them to spend on their programs.
WHAT’S NEW
There will be four new comedies, a comedy-horror anthology, four dramas and the return of “The X-Files,” which Fox is billing as a six-episode “event series.” Five of the shows will debut in the fall, with the rest scattered throughout the season as Fox and other networks attempt to engage viewers year-round.
WHAT’S GONE
“The Mindy Project,” along with fellow comedies “Weird Loners” and “Mulaney,” were canceled. Also gone are the dramas “Backstrom,” ‘’Red Band Society” and “The Following,” and the reality series “Utopia.”
WHAT’S BIG
The last chorus of “American Idol” will begin in January, with stalwart host Ryan Seacrest ushering the show to a (hopefully) graceful conclusion after a long and influential run that, at its peak, drew 30 million viewers.
PROVEN PLAYERS
Ryan Murphy, who gave Fox a hit with “Glee,” is getting another chance with “Scream Queens.” Writer-producer Chris Carter, who created a landmark Fox series with “The X-Files” (1993-2002), will reunite with stars David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson to try to recapture the magic with a sequel starting in January.
SO EERIE
“The X-Files” will have company in the sci-fi and fantasy camp. Futuristic “Minority Report,” based on the Steven Spielberg movie, will follow a duo trying to stop crimes before they happen, while DC Comics-inspired “Lucifer” reimagines the fallen angel as a crime buster and “The Frankenstein Code” is about a resurrected lawman.
LIVE
It worked for NBC with “The Sound of Music,” not so much with “Peter Pan,” but that isn’t deterring the peacock network from planning a live “The Wiz” or Fox from airing “Grease: Live,” a three-hour version of the musical. Julianne Hough and Vanessa Hudgens will star in the January special. With broadcasters desperate to keep viewers watching shows and commercials in real time, expect more such efforts.
COMEDY CAVALCADE
Fox is upping the ante by creating a Tuesday comedy night this fall with three of its new comedies: “Grandfathered,” starring John Stamos; “The Grinder” with Rob Lowe and Fred Savage; and “Scream Queens.” The new year will bring another sitcom, “The Guide to Surviving Life,” and the animated comedy “Bordertown” from Seth MacFarlane and Mark Hentemann of “Family Guy.”
STAR POWER
Although the small-screen is said to create stars, there’s no reason they can’t be recycled. Besides Lowe, Stamos, Savage, Duchovny and Anderson, returning actors with a track record include the (barely absent) Lea Michele of “Glee,” back in “Scream Queens”; Morris Chestnut (“Nurse Jackie”) in “Rosewood”; and Rob Kazinsky (“True Blood”) in “The Frankenstein Code.”
MORE ON “IDOL”
“American Idol” faded over the past few years, eclipsed in the music competition genre it pioneered by “The Voice” on NBC. Personnel changes didn’t help, and neither did tinkering with the format, as the show fell victim to what usually kills off most television series — old age.
Still, it was a solid performer for a Fox network that struggles for ratings. The ascension of “Empire” last winter gave Fox another music-based series it can count on.
“Idol” was a quick hit, with fans following contestants who sought the prized “yellow ticket” to Hollywood and a chance at stardom. In the early years, “American Idol” also showed many of the cringe-worthy auditions of contestants with no hope of winning, but has generally resisted those recently.
Simon Cowell, the Brit with a tart tongue and honest assessments, became a star as judge, along with his fellow originals, Paula Abdul and Randy Jackson.
The big-voiced Clarkson became a major pop star after winning “Idol,” and Underwood is a solid performer on the country charts. Personalities like Adam Lambert and Clay Aiken also became household names after competing on “Idol.”
SCHEDULE
Fox network’s prime-time schedule for the fall, all times Eastern:
MONDAY
8-9 p.m. — “Gotham”
9-10 p.m. — “Minority Report”
TUESDAY
8-8:30 p.m. — “Grandfathered”
8:30-9 p.m. — “The Grinder”
9-10 p.m. — “Scream Queens”
WEDNESDAY
8-9 p.m. — “Rosewood”
9-10 p.m. — “Empire”
THURSDAY
8-9 p.m. — “Bones”
9-10 p.m. — “Sleepy Hollow”
FRIDAY
8-9 p.m. — “Masterchef Junior”
9-10 p.m. — “World’s Funniest”
SATURDAY
7-10:30 p.m. — “Fox Sports Saturday: Fox College Football”
SUNDAY
7-7:30 p.m. — “NFL on Fox”
7:30-8 p.m. — “The OT”/’’Bob’s Burgers”
8-8:30 p.m. — “The Simpsons”
8:30-9 p.m. — “Brooklyn Nine-Nine”
9-9:30 p.m. — “Family Guy”
9:30-10 p.m. — “The Last Man on Earth”
Additional reporting by David Bauder.
