'Fringe,' 'Dollhouse' Lead Fox's Upcoming Slate May 15, 2008
- Rock and Pop
By Ann Donahue, N.Y.
Fox is teaming with producers known for this creative approach to music - J.J. Abrams and Joss Whedon - for two upcoming shows, the network announced at its Upfront presentation at City Center in New York.
Abrams ("Lost," "Alias") is behind "Fringe," a sci-fi show that will air on Tuesdays at 9 p.m. The pilot starts off with an international flight from Hamburg landing at Logan Airport - and all the passengers and crew are dead. The FBI is brought in to investigate, and soon they realize they need the help of an institutionalized genius to figure out what happened on board the plane. The show stars Joshua Jackson of "Dawson's Creek" fame, as well as John Noble from "The Lord of the Rings" and newcomer Anna Torv. The show will air starting the week of August 25, when Fox's fall season debuts. (It's the same week as the Democratic National Convention in Denver, but Fox execs say they don't expect any scheduling conflicts.)
Abrams has always taken an active involvement in the music of his productions; he recorded the theme songs to both "Alias" and "Lost" and keeps a recording area in his office.
"This is the tentpole of our fall, we're going to have a huge campaign for it," says Kevin Reilly, Fox president of entertainment. "We're going to put it behind "House," to give it a good launch - it's going to be one hell of a night of television.
Whedon ("Buffy the Vampire Slayer") will get his turn at midseason with "Dollhouse," which will air Mondays at 8 p.m. Starring "Buffy's" Eliza Dushku, the plot follows a group of operatives who have their minds wiped clean so that they can be imprinted with any number of personas when they go in the field. Dushku's character, Echo, is an operative whose memories start to return and is eager to figure out her past. The show also stars Olivia Williams ("Rushmore.")
Whedon directed and wrote the "Buffy" sixth season episode, "Once More With Feeling," which took the form of a musical as the characters, under a curse, were forced to interact by singing. The episode has since become a hit on the midnight-movie circuit, where the audience sings along and participated ala "The Rocky Horror Picture Show."
"Joss just finished shooting on Friday, but I've seen all the dailies," Reilly says. "Seven episodes are [already] in the works - and Joss is pretty incredible." ("Dollhouse" has a complete order of 13 episodes.)
And with both these shows, Fox is implementing an advertising strategy they're calling "remote-free TV" - each of these shows will have half the number of network commercials, for a total of no more than five minutes each hour. "It's a win-win for viewers and advertisers, says Peter Liguori, chairman of Fox Entertainment. "Less commercials, less promotional time, means less reason to pick up the remote...we need to give viewers a new reason to come back to broadcast TV."
These two shows join Fox's already strong lineup for synchs and music placement, including "House," "Don't Forget The Lyrics!" and, of course, "American Idol," which will return in January 2009 with performances Tuesdays at 8 p.m. and a half-hour results show Wednesdays at 9 p.m. - with a to-be-announced sitcom slated to follow.
This year's results show was originally scheduled to be a half-hour, but was bumped up to an hour as the show proceeded through the audition rounds. Fox executives say they want the timeslot flexibility to account for guest performances that may take place.
As for "Idol's" stalled ratings, Peter Liguori says that the network are meeting with producers to discuss ways to change up the show next season.
"I would say I'm satisfied creatively, but not satisfied with the [ratings] performance," he says. "Every season we're able to reset the table...we want to focus on the levels of energy, twists and turns and storytelling. We want to remain the most relevant, zeitgeisty show on TV."
Liguori attributes the ratings dip to a combination of the natural maturity of the show, which is in its seventh season, and "post-strike malaise...and what's going to suffer most in that situation? The No. 1 show."
Another Fox stalwart, "24," will get a two-part launch for its new season. On November 23, there will be a two-hour "prequel" movie shot in real time, with Kiefer Sutherland's character, Jack Bauer, in South Africa dealing with a crisis as the U.S. prepares to inaugurate a new president. Then, in January, the show's seventh season will begin, airing on Mondays at 9 p.m. and running all 24 episodes consecutively.
Fox, to a certain extent, also eschewed the generally dour mood of this year's Upfronts, by opening the presentation with talent from almost all of their shows congregating on stage and ending it with performances from contestants on "So You Think You Can Dance."
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