Fox has announced its 2017/2018 schedule, and there are a few scheduling changes and a peppering of new shows. New shows are in all caps, and all times are Eastern.
MONDAY
- 8 pm Lucifer
- 9 pm THE GIFTED
TUESDAY
- 8 pm Lethal Weapon
- 9 pm The Mick
- 9:30 Brooklyn Nine-Nine
WEDNESDAY
- 8 pm Empire
- 9 pm Star
THURSDAY
- 8 pm Gotham
- 9 pm THE ORVILLE
FRIDAY
- 8 pm Hell’s Kitchen
- 9 pm The Exorcist
SATURDAY
- Fox Sports Saturday
SUNDAY
- 7 pm NFL
- 7:30 pm Bob’s Burgers
- 8 pm The Simpsons
- 8:30 pm GHOSTED
- 9 pm Family Guy
- 9:30 pm The Last Man on Earth
2017-18 NEW FOX SERIES DESCRIPTIONS
Comedy
THE ORVILLE
From Emmy Award-winning executive producer and creator Seth MacFarlane (FAMILY GUY, “Ted”) and directed by Jon Favreau (“The Jungle Book,” “Iron Man”), THE Orville is a one-hour, live-action, ensemble comedic drama set 400 years in the future that follows the adventures of the U.S.S. Orville, a mid-level exploratory vessel. Its crew, both human and alien, faces the wonders and dangers of outer space, while also dealing with the familiar, often humorous problems of regular people in a workplace…even though some of those people are from other planets, and the workplace is a faster-than-light spaceship. In the 25th century, Earth is part of the Planetary Union, a far-reaching, advanced and mostly peaceful civilization with a fleet of 3,000 ships. Down on his luck after a bitter divorce, Planetary Union officer ED MERCER (MacFarlane) finally gets his chance to command one of these ships: the U.S.S. Orville. Determined to prove his worth and write a new chapter in his life, Ed finds that task all the more difficult when the First Officer assigned to his ship is his ex-wife, KELLY GRAYSON (Adrianne Palicki, “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.,” “Friday Night Lights”). As the new commander, Ed assembles a qualified, but eccentric crew, including his best friend, GORDON MALLOY (Scott Grimes, “ER,” “Justified”), who has problems with authority, but is the best helmsman in the fleet; DR. CLAIRE FINN (Penny Johnson Jerald, “24,” “The Larry Sanders Show”), one of the Union’s most accomplished physicians; BORTUS (Peter Macon, “Shameless,” “Bosch”), an alien from a single-sex species; ISAAC (Mark Jackson, “That Royal Today”), an artificial life-form from a machine society that thinks biological life-forms are inferior; navigator JOHN LAMARR (J. Lee, FAMILY GUY, “The Cleveland Show”), whose casual humor cuts through even the most dire situations; ALARA KITAN (Halston Sage, “Neighbors,” “Goosebumps”), a young, inexperienced security officer whose home planet’s high gravity gives her superior physical strength; and YAPHIT, a gelatinous creature voiced by comedian Norm Macdonald (“The Middle,” “Saturday Night Live”). Somehow, Ed and Kelly must put the past behind them and, with the help of the crew, navigate fascinating and sometimes dangerous adventures in outer space, as well as the tumultuous and captivating day-to-day personal relationships with their colleagues.
Sean’s Take: Yeah… Galaxy Quest was an awesome movie, no clue it was getting a TV show.
GHOSTED
Starring Craig Robinson (“The Office,” “This Is the End”) and Adam Scott (“Parks and Recreation,” “Big Little Lies”), GHOSTED is a single-camera, action-comedy about the unlikely partnership between two down-on-their-luck polar opposites tasked with an even more unlikely mission: saving the human race from aliens. LEROY WRIGHT (Robinson) is a cynical skeptic and former missing persons detective, who, if we’re speaking frankly, thinks that “aliens” are a big ole bunch of B.S. and that people who believe in them are certifiably nuts…People like MAX JENNIFER (Scott). Max is a genius “true believer” in the paranormal who’s convinced his wife was abducted by aliens. At low points in their lives, both Leroy and Max are recruited by CAPTAIN AVA LAFREY (Ally Walker, “Colony,” “Sons of Anarchy”), a take-no-prisoners, former Air Force test pilot and head of the Bureau Underground, a secret government organization investigating paranormal cases. Lafrey, along with her staff – BARRY SHAW (Adeel Akhtar, “Unforgotten,” “The Night Manager”), an overly friendly forensic pathologist, and DELILAH WARD, a highly opinionated tech specialist – will support Leroy and Max in their quest for answers. Now, this heroic group of underdogs will look into “unexplained” activity in Los Angeles that often leads them to scary, thrilling and hilarious places, as they attempt to uncover the truth and keep the earth rotating on its axis for at least one more day.
Sean’s Take: Looks… eh. Not getting me excited for sure.
DRAMAS
THE GIFTED
THE GIFTED tells the story of a suburban couple whose ordinary lives are rocked by the sudden discovery that their children possess mutant powers. REED (Stephen Moyer, SHOTS FIRED, “True Blood”) and CAITLIN (Amy Acker, “Person of Interest”) STRUCKER are typical middle-class parents dealing with the realities of raising a family. However, when their teenage kids, LAUREN (Natalie Alyn Lind, GOTHAM) and ANDY (Percy Hynes White, “Night at the Museum 3”), are involved in an incident at their high school which reveals they are Mutants, Reed and Caitlin do all in their power to protect their children. Forced to go on the run, the Struckers must leave behind their old lives to flee from a relentless government agency that tracks down mutants, the Sentinel Services, which includes Agent JACE TURNER (Coby Bell, “Burn Notice”). Complicating matters further is the fact that Reed is a prosecutor in the district attorney’s office tasked with going after mutants. Desperate and running low on options, the family’s only choice is to contact an underground network that helps mutants in trouble. The mutants in the network – ECLIPSE / MARCOS DIAZ (Sean Teale, “Reign”), BLINK / CLARICE FONG (Jamie Chung, GOTHAM), POLARIS / LORNA DANE (Emma Dumont, “Aquarius”) and THUNDERBIRD / JOHN PROUDSTAR (Blair Redford, “Satisfaction”) – are dealing with their own issues. With one of their members in prison and their team possibly compromised, they face an uncertain future in a world that looks increasingly dangerous for mutants. Written by Matt Nix (“Burn Notice”), directed by Bryan Singer (the “X-Men” franchise) and executive-produced by Nix, Singer, Lauren Shuler Donner (“X-Men: Apocalypse,” “X-Men: Days of Future Past,” “The Wolverine”), Simon Kinberg (“X-Men: Apocalypse,” “X-Men: Days of Future Past”), Jeph Loeb (“Marvel’s Daredevil,” “Marvel’s Jessica Jones”) and Jim Chory (“Marvel’s Daredevil,” “Marvel’s Jessica Jones”), THE GIFTED is a story of survival, a story of mutants coming to terms with who they are, a story of parents accepting the fact that their kids aren’t who they thought they were and loving them just the same – even if all of their lives are at risk because of it.
Sean’s Take: Going to be interesting to see how they maintain using powers on a weekly basis on broadcast TV. It’s Marvel, though, so I’m obligated to check this out.
