‘Brooklyn Nine-Nine,’ ‘Mindy Project,’ ‘New Girl,’ ‘Following’ Renewed at Fox

Fox is formalizing its 2014-15 schedule, renewing the bulk of its Tuesday comedy block as well as Kevin Williamson’s serial killer drama The Following for additional seasons.

New Girl, The Mindy Project and Golden Globe winner Brooklyn Nine-Nine will return for their fourth, third and second seasons, respectively, while The Following will be back for a third run.

The renewals further cement Fox’s lineup as the network continues to shift toward more year-round programming. The four series join previously renewed scripted fare including Sleepy Hollow, Bones, Glee, Bob’s Burgers and The Simpsons. The future of Friday bubble comedy Raising Hope as well as the remainder of the network’s freshman and veteran fare will be determined closer to the network’s upfront presentation to Madison Avenue ad buyers in May.

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“These shows are some of the best and acclaimed series on television, with influential, culture-driving stars, and some of the best, most creative talent behind the camera,” Fox entertainment chairman Kevin Reilly and Fox COO Joe Earley said in a statement announcing the news Friday. “All four are core assets within our 2014-15 portfolio of content, and we’re really happy to bring them back to our Fox fans for another season.”

The returning series will join a roster of new fare that Fox has picked up straight to series including Seth MacFarlane‘s animated comedy Bordertown, John Mulaney comedy Mulaney andancient Egypt drama Hieroglyph. The network also handed out series commitments to a comedy from 30 Rock‘s Tina Fey, Matt Hubbard and Robert Carlock as well as Batman prequel Gotham, both of which are considered likely to get the series order.

A renewal for New Girl  was a given. Despite same-day viewer fatigue in its third season, the show is averaging a 3.1 rating among adults under 50 after seven days of time-shifting. The 72 percent jump makes it one of the most time-shifted comedies on TV, in proportional growth.

Its Tuesday neighbors have never been a lock, according to the numbers, though Reilly has never been shy about his enthusiasm for either of their creative performances. Brooklyn Nine-Nine has averaged a respectable 2.4 rating with adults 18-49 and 5.2 million viewers, though, like New Girl, it has hit series lows in recent weeks. Brooklyn‘s Golden Globe comedy series win — as well as Andy Samberg‘s win for best actor — also helped cement that the series would return for a second season. Fox showed confidence in the rookie cop comedy from the producers of Parks and Recreation when it paired Brooklyn with New Girl in the prime post-Super Bowl slot this year. (Meanwhile, showrunners Mike Schur and Dan Goor are awaiting word on the fate of NBC’s Parks and Recreation.)

As for The Mindy Project, it remains the softest performer in Fox’s revolving catalog of Tuesday comedies. Still on hiatus, the sophomore outing has a season-to-date average of a 2.0 rating in the key demographic and 3.8 million viewers.

The Following has suffered from something of a sophomore slump of its own — though nothing that would have ever put the high-profile drama in jeopardy. Season-to-date, Fox’s biggest drama of the 2012-13 season is averaging a 3.8 rating with adults 18-49 and 10 million viewers. It’s behind only Sleepy Hollow as Fox’s top-rated drama. With the renewal, Williamson could wind up with three series on three different networks as The CW’s The Vampire Diaries, which he exec produces, has already been renewed for next season and he has a stalker drama starring Dylan McDermott in the works at CBS.