Fox announced on Tuesday, Nov. 10 the premiere dates for returning series “New Girl,” “Hell’s Kitchen,” “The X-Files” and “American Idol,” which is entering its final season. As TV Guide reports, the network’s midseason 2016 schedule also includes four new shows and two specials, including “Bordertown,” “Lucifer,” and “Grease: Live.”
On Jan. 3, Fox will introduce its new Sunday night lineup consisting of “The Simpsons,” new live-action ensemble comedy “Cooper Barrett’s Guide to Surviving Life,” “Family Guy” and Seth MacFarlane’s new animated series “Bordertown.” “Bob’s Burgers” will return the following Sunday, Jan. 10 at 7:30/6:30 p.m. CT, while current Sunday night sitcom “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” will move back to Tuesdays to rejoin the night’s two-hour comedy block.
The lineup will debut on Tuesday, Jan.5 will the season 5 premiere of Zooey Deschanel’s “New Girl” at 8/7 p.m. CT, leading into freshman comedy “Grandfathered” at 8:30/7:30 p.m. CT. They will be followed by the relocated “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” and the Rob Lowe-Fred Savage sitcom “The Grinder” at 9/8 p.m. CT and 9:30/8:30 p.m. CT, respectively.
“American Idol” will kick off its final season with a two-night premiere on Wednesday, Jan. 6 and Thursday, Jan. 7 at 8/7 p.m. CT. The singing competition series will be paired with Frankenstein drama “Second Chance” — previously known as “The Frankenstein Code” and “Lookinglass” — starting the following Wednesday, Jan. 13.
“Hell’s Kitchen” season 15 will premiere on Friday, Jan. 15 at 9/8 p.m. CT, joining the current season of one of Gordon Ramsay’s other reality shows, “Masterchef Junior,” before “Sleepy Hollow” moves to the night starting Friday, Feb. 5 at 8/7 p.m. CT.
According to Deadline, Fox previously announced in May that “The X-Files” will return with a two-part premiere on Sunday, Jan. 24 at 10/9 p.m. CT and Monday, Jan 25 at 8/9 p.m. CT in its regular time slot, leading into the debut of new drama “Lucifer.” “Gotham” will replace “X-Files” when it returns for its spring premiere on Monday, Feb. 29. Wednesday, March 2 will see return of “Rosewood” ahead of “Second Chance” at 8/7 p.m. CT, while the hit series “Empire” will come back from its winter hiatus on Wednesday, March 30.
Fox will also air a two-hour competition special titled “Superhuman” on Monday, Jan. 4. Hosted by Kal Penn, it will put 12 contestants’ extraordinary skills to the test. Meanwhile, the “Grease: Live” special will be broadcast on Sunday, Jan. 31. Missing from the schedule are Sunday night comedy “The Last Man on Earth” and the long-running series “Bones,” which are both expected to be back in the spring, with return dates and times to be determined.
